20GB of data: How much is it and how long does it last?

How much is 20GB of data?

20GB per month is considered to be a fairly large amount of mobile data, alongside 30GB and 50GB. 

Ofcom’s 2021 report claims that most users have an average of 4.5GB of mobile data for the month, so 20GB is definitely above average. 

If you’ve found that a plan like 10GB wasn’t enough, but you don’t want to pay for an unlimited bundle, keep reading to find out if 20GB is right for you. 

How long does 20GB of data last?

When you use mobile data to do something on your phone, it will consume a certain amount of megabytes (MB) or gigabytes (GB).

Before we look at how much 20GB can last, let’s look at how much data common smartphone activities use: 

The more data that needs to be transferred for the activity, the more will be consumed. 

For example, tasks like streaming videos consume much more data than simply browsing the internet. This is because video files are (usually) much bigger to download than web pages. 

Similarly, streaming music uses significantly less than streaming a Netflix episode as your phone doesn’t need to access video as well as audio. 

Minimising data use

You can at least control (and minimise) how much mobile data you use while playing media. 

You could download them prior to disconnecting from Wi-Fi so they’re already stored on your phone. 

Alternatively, you could play them at a lower quality. Though this may affect the sound and video slightly, it will mean that you can make your data go much further. 

How many hours will 20GB of data last for?

Now you know how many MB or GB each activity will likely consume each hour, we can calculate how long 20GB will last. 

*Calculated based on data consumption values in previous table - 20000MB or 20GB / XXMB or XXGB

Regardless of streaming quality, you could listen to audio for a very long time with 20GB of data. You would also have plenty of mobile data to browse social media and the web.

If you were going on a long road trip, you’d easily be able to watch Netflix for the entire journey. Remember though, if you run out of data, it won’t refresh again until the following month, so it might be more useful to spread it out evenly across activities. 

As you can see, though, 20GB provides plenty of mobile data and can last a decent amount of time for lots of activities. 

Is 20GB of data enough for me?

A 20GB data bundle is ideal if you:

• Stream songs, playlists, the radio, podcasts, and other audio content regularly
• Watch short video content occasionally 
• Interact often on social media platforms
• Play online games while commuting
• Video call friends or family occasionally each month

We wouldn’t recommend opting for a bundle of this size if you only use mobile data to search the web. You’d be better off with a smaller plan, like 5GB of data. 

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Discover more

If you think 20GB isn’t right for you, we have a range of other data guides available to help you:

• 250MB
• 1GB
• 2GB
• 3GB
• 5GB
• 6GB
• 8GB
• 10GB
• 15GB
• 30GB
• 50GB
• 100GB

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