How much data does Netflix use?
On a phone, Netflix says its Automatic setting gives about 4 hours of viewing per GB and Save Data about 6 hours per GB. Maximum Data can use about 1 GB every 20 minutes or more. On a laptop or TV, the figures go from up to 0.3 GB an hour on Low to up to 3 GB an hour in HD and 7 GB in 4K.
Add video to your estimateNetflix’s figures for the phone app
- Automatic: balances data and quality, about 4 hours per GB.
- Wi-Fi Only: streams only on Wi-Fi, so no mobile data at all.
- Save Data: about 6 hours per GB.
- Maximum Data: the highest quality for your device and the title, about 1 GB every 20 minutes or more. Netflix recommends it only for unlimited plans.
These come from Netflix’s Help Center, under the setting called Cellular Data Usage. They are the numbers that matter when you watch on the phone itself over a travel eSIM. Netflix notes that restricting data usage may lower video quality, which on a phone screen is usually an easy trade.
One eSIM for 33 European countries
Several countries on one trip? Same eSIM, same data, no swapping lines at the border.
Black Friday −25 % Ends in 31d 22:57:14Choose your data
For one to two weeks of maps, messaging and the odd video.
Buy up to 180 days before you fly: the plan only starts when the eSIM connects at your destination.
Write the email where we should send the QR code.
We send the QR code and your receipt here. No spam.
QR in your inbox in minutes · If it does not connect, we fix it · Secure payment with Stripe
Will it work on my phone?
On iPhone: Settings → General → About, and scroll to EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Every iPhone from the XS (2018) onwards does.
On Android: Settings → About phone → Status, and look for EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Most Galaxy S20, Pixel 3 and later do.
It also has to be carrier-unlocked. If you bought it outright or your contract is over, it almost certainly is.
Not sure about your model? Ask us before you pay and we will tell you — a person answers within 24 hours.
How it works
- 1Choose and payCard, Apple Pay or Google Pay. No account.
- 2Install it at homeThe QR arrives by email. Scan it on wifi in a minute.
- 3Connect when you landTurn on data roaming for the eSIM and you are online.
On a laptop over the hotspot, different settings apply
When you share your phone’s data with a laptop and watch in the browser, the phone app setting does not apply. The browser uses the profile’s playback settings, and Netflix gives a ceiling for each: Low, basic quality, up to 0.3 GB per hour; Medium, standard quality, up to 0.7 GB per hour; High, up to 1 GB in standard definition, 3 GB in HD and 7 GB in 4K. Auto adjusts to the connection.
You change them on the Netflix website: Account, Profiles, choose the profile, Playback settings. The setting is saved per profile and the limits are per device. Netflix also says that if you set a limit there, mobile streaming will not go above it, so setting the profile to Low or Medium before the trip covers both. More on sharing data in our hotspot guide.
Changing the setting in the app
- Open the Netflix app and tap My Netflix, bottom right.
- Tap your profile name at the top, then App Settings.
- Under Video Playback, tap Cellular Data Usage.
- Choose a setting and tap OK if it asks.
If the options are greyed out, Netflix explains why: you cannot change the setting while Automatic is on or while downloads are pending. Turn Automatic off, or wait for or cancel the downloads, then try again. The same menu has a Wi-Fi Only switch for downloads.
Download at home, watch on the trip
Downloading on Wi-Fi before you leave takes Netflix off your mobile data entirely. Downloads work in the app on Android, iPhone and iPad, Amazon Fire tablets and Chromebooks with the Play Store. Netflix recommends Wi-Fi while downloading, and lets you choose the download quality: Standard downloads faster and takes less storage, High or Higher takes more of both. The setting is under App Settings, Download Video Quality.
There are limits. Ad-free plans allow up to 100 active downloads per device at a time; ad-supported plans allow 15 downloads per device per calendar month. Downloads expire after a while, not every title can be downloaded, and you need to stay signed in to watch them offline.
What changes when you cross a border
Netflix warns that titles already downloaded to a phone or tablet may not be available in a different country, because rights vary by region. If you see the message that a title is not available to watch in your area, it will not play until you connect in a country where it is available, often the one where you downloaded it.
The catalogue you stream abroad can also differ slightly from the one at home. In practice: download a few more titles than you need, check one plays once you land, and keep a little data spare in case something you were counting on is not there.
From hours to gigabytes for a trip
Using Netflix’s own figures, an hour a night for a week on the phone is about 1.75 GB on Automatic and a little over 1 GB on Save Data. The same week on Maximum Data, at 1 GB every 20 minutes or more, would need over 20 GB. A two-hour film on Automatic comes to around half a gigabyte.
Those are Netflix’s approximations, not a meter reading, so round up. If streaming is only part of your plans, the data calculator adds video on top of maps and messaging so you can see the whole trip in one number.
How much data does Netflix use per hour on a phone?
Netflix says Automatic gives about 4 hours per GB and Save Data about 6 hours per GB. Maximum Data can reach 1 GB every 20 minutes or more.
How much data does Netflix use in HD?
In a browser on the High setting, Netflix gives up to 3 GB per hour for HD and up to 7 GB per hour for 4K.
Do downloaded Netflix titles work abroad?
Not always. Netflix says downloaded titles may not be available in a different country because of regional rights.
Does watching downloads use mobile data?
Playing a downloaded title does not stream it again, but you need to stay signed in to Netflix to watch downloads offline.
Get your eSIM before you fly: the QR arrives by email in minutes and the plan only starts when you connect at your destination.
Add video to your estimate