How Much Internet Speed Do I Need?

Catherine McNally
Jun 07, 2023
Icon Time To Read6 min read

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Whether we’re adding the fifth security camera to our smart homes or gearing up to play Diablo 4, we all have cause to stop and ask, “Is my internet fast enough?”

Okay, so first of all, what is a good internet speed, anyway? A good internet speed is anywhere pretty much anything above 25 and 100 Mbps. (Mbps means Megabits per second, by the way.)

Speeds of 25 Mbps allow up to 2 devices to stream, surf the web and check emails. 50 to 100 Mbps allow a few more people to stream in HD or even 4K, stream music, game, browse social media, and work from home.

But really, finding the right internet service provider and internet speed for you is more of a balancing act. If you don’t have enough bandwidth or Mbps, you’ll get a visit from the nasty buffering icon. If you have too many Mbps, you might be paying too much for your internet plan.

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Your speed is faster than of our speed test results

Okay, now that you've run a speed test, you know what you're currently working with. To give you an idea of what your internet speed should look like, here's our top 5 favorite internet service providers.

Fastest Internet Providers

Top 5 internet service providers

Provider
Monthly price
Download speeds
Upload speeds
Learn more
XfinityXfinity
$19.99-$70*75-1200 Mbps10-35 Mbps
ATTAT&T
$55-$250300-5000 Mbps300-5000 Mbps
Verizon Authorized DealerVerizon
$49.99-$119.99300-2300 Mbps300-2300 Mbps
SpectrumSpectrum
$19.99-$89.9930-1000 Mbps^4-35 Mbps
T-Mobile 5G Home InternetT-Mobile
$50-$50°25-245 Mbps8-31 Mbps
Data as of 04/05/2023. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
* Pricing for some packages are for the first 12 months. Some packages require a 1- or 2-year contract.
Price after $5/mo Autopay & Paperless bill discount (w/in 2 bills). Plus taxes $ fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area.
Price per month with Auto Pay & without select 5G mobile plans. Fios plan prices include taxes & fees
^ Limited time offer; subject to change; valid to qualified residential customers who have not subscribed to any services within the previous 30 days and who have no outstanding obligation to Charter.
° w/ Auto Pay. Regulatory fees included in monthly price for qualified accounts. See full terms.

After hours of research and testing, we narrowed down our five favorite internet service providers:

  • Comcast Xfinity offers the best balance of data speeds and price.
  • Spectrum Internet® is provides solid internet speeds for a reasonable price without requiring you to sign a contract.
  • AT&T Fiber offers super-duper fast fiber speeds.
  • Verizon Fios isn't as widely available as other options, but gets you fast speeds for low prices.
  • 5G Home internet beats out satellite internet for internet speeds. T-Mobile's 5G Home Internet plan gives you a fast internet connection for a flat $50 a month.
Paying high sums for low speeds? Enter your zip code below and find faster internet plans.
What can you do with different internet speeds?

Here’s a quick look at what you can do with other speeds and bandwidth commonly offered by internet service providers (ISPs).

Internet speed
Number of people
Number of devices
Activities

5–25 Mbps

1–2

1–5

Casual web browsing, emails, social media, streaming SD video, streaming music

25–50 Mbps

2–4

4–7

Streaming HD and 4K video, streaming music, online gaming, light work from home

50–100 Mbps

4-6

7-10

Streaming 4K video, online gaming, working from home, using home security devices

100–500 Mbps

6+

10+

Streaming 4K video, online gaming, running a home office, using home security and smart home devices

500–1,000 Mbps

10+

15+

Running a home office or creative profession, streaming in 4K, live streaming, online gaming, using home security and smart home devices

To get these numbers, we used the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) broadband speed guide, our streaming internet speed guide, and our Zoom internet speed guide.

The data speeds you'll need to power your home come down to how many devices you're looking to connect, how many people will be using your connection, and what region you live in.

To find the internet speed sweet spot, you’ll want to follow these steps:

  1. Count the people using your internet
  2. Count the devices connected to your internet
  3. Look at what you do online
  4. Add up the recommended Mbps
  5. Find the right internet plan

1. Count how many people use your internet

The more people using your internet, the more speed, or Mbps, you need to keep everyone happy.

Don’t forget to count yourself when you tally up everyone who connects to your internet. Other potential internet users can include your partner or spouse, children, housemates, and even frequent visitors, like friends, grandkids, or siblings.

Pin
Have a gamer in the family?

Whether it’s you or someone else who likes to hop online and game with friends, it’s important to know that internet speed isn’t the only thing affecting gameplay.

Gamers also need an internet connection and router with low latency and good bandwidth—and maybe some upload speed to top it off. Find out which ISPs we recommend for online gaming so you or your gamer housemate doesn’t get pwned.

2. Look at all the devices using your Wi-Fi

Like people, the more smart devices you have that use the internet, the more Mbps you need.

You might only have 2 or 3 people using your internet, but each person can have multiple devices connected to your Wi-Fi at one time so this may take some thinking. There are so many smart devices that use your wireless network in today’s world. It’s easy to forget how many you have at home, but this list of common connected devices might help jog your memory:

Light Bulb
What devices use your internet?
  • Smart TVs and apps: Netflix, Youtube, Hulu, Amazon Video, Max, etc.
  • DVRs: DIRECTV Genie, DISH Hopper, etc.
  • Streaming devices: Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Roku, etc.
  • Gaming consoles: PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, etc.
  • Computers, laptops, tablets
  • Mobile devices, digital cameras and smart wristwatches
  • Smart appliances: Nest thermostat, smart locks, smart printers, smartbulbs, etc.
  • Smart home hubs: Amazon Echo, Anova Precision Cooker, etc.
  • Security systems: Hubs and cameras for ADT, Vivint, Simplisafe, Ring, etc.

3. Get an idea of what you and others do online

What do you do when you’re online? Do you game? Watch Hulu? Stream music on Spotify? Or maybe you’re a pretty casual internet user who just checks email and Facebook.

Each of these activities needs different speeds—otherwise you’ll run into laggy internet or that dreaded buffering icon. Here’s a quick look at the bare minimum internet speed you’ll need for a few common online activities.

Recommended minimum speed by online activity
Activity
Recommended speed

Streaming SD video (480p)

3-4 Mbps

Streaming HD video (1080p)

5-8 Mbps

Streaming 4K video (2160p)

25 Mbps

Streaming music

1–10 Mbps

Gaming

3–4 Mbps

Downloading large files (HD movies, PDFs, etc.)

10 Mbps

Making video calls

0.5–1.5 Mbps

Checking email and social media

1 Mbps

To get these numbers, we used the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) broadband speed guide, our streaming internet speed guide, and our Zoom internet speed guide.

A good internet speed comes down to what you're doing online. For example, if you're making a simple video call to your extended family, a good speed is somewhere between 0.5-1.5 Mbps. But, if you're trying to stream a 4K video, you're going to want at least 25 Mbps. However, these recommended speeds only work if it’s just you doing one of those online activities at a time. Who does that?

It’s more likely you’re a multitasking machine when it comes to doing things online. You’re streaming Dopesick on Hulu while you check email, download an HD video to watch later tonight, and hop into a Call of Duty match. And your roommate, kid, or partner is doing the same things at the same time that you are.

This is why most ISPs don’t offer internet plans with just 5 Mbps—they’re offering you 50, 100, or even 1,000 Mbps plans, so you can keep doing what you do best online.

Info Box
Upload speed vs. download speed

Things like live video calling a friend or sending an email require a good upload speed. Upload speed refers to how fast data can transfer from your computer to the internet.

Download speed is how fast data is being transferred from the internet to your device. A bulk of most people's internet usage relies on a fast download speed to load web pages, music, and streaming videos. 

4. Add up the Mbps you need per person and device

Okay, now that you’ve got a general idea of who and what uses your internet and how they use it, it’s time to do some math. (Don’t worry, it’s just some simple addition.)

We’ll start by going over our recommended baseline speed per person and device.

Heads Up
Love to binge-watch?

Make sure you get enough internet speed to fuel your Hulu and Netflix addiction. We’ve got a full list of recommended internet speeds for each streaming app, plus a list of internet providers that’ll keep you connected for every scene and show.

Recommended internet speed per person or device

We recommend giving each person who uses the internet in your home 25 Mbps. And for every device, you can allot 10 Mbps. (But if it’s a 4K device, bump that up to 25 Mbps.)

  • People: 25 Mbps per person
  • Devices (not 4K): 10 Mbps per device
  • Devices (4K): 25 Mbps per 4K device

Okay, now let’s see how those recommended speeds add up with an example.

Let’s say we have a home with two adults and two children who all use the internet. Here’s a list of the internet speeds each person gets, plus the internet speeds each of their devices gets.

  • People: 25 Mbps x 4 = 100 Mbps
  • Desktop computer: 10 Mbps x 2 = 20 Mbps
  • Laptop: 10 Mbps
  • Tablet: 10 Mbps
  • Mobile device: 10 Mbps x 3 = 30 Mbps
  • Smart TV (4K): 25 Mbps x 2 = 50 Mbps
  • Xbox gaming console: 10 Mbps
  • Wi-Fi printer: 10 Mbps
  • Home security system hub: 10 Mbps
  • Home security camera: 10 Mbps x 2 = 20 Mbps
  • Total: 270 Mbps

 The recommended internet speed for this family is 270 Mbps. That may seem like a lot of speed, and you’re probably right. This recommendation assumes that every person and every wireless device is online at the same time.

That’s where online activities can factor in. If the family knows they usually stream 4K videos on one of their TVs about once a week and in the evening when no one’s on their computers, gaming on the Xbox, or using the printer, they can probably knock this speed down a bit to 200 Mbps.

If the family knows no one uses the computers and tablet for working or studying from home, they might even be able to get away with 100 or 150 Mbps.

Even though it’s not a definitive answer, adding up the speeds needed for the people and devices using your internet gives you a ballpark estimate of where your internet speeds need to be.

5. Find an internet plan that works for you

Next stop? Now that you have a good idea of what goes into choosing an internet provider and the things you need to consider, it's time to find an internet provider and plan that has good internet speed for your needs. Sometimes this is easier said than done, but we can help.

And to get even more specific, let’s look at the top internet providers in your area.

Enter your zip code, and we’ll pull up a full list of internet providers available in your area. Then you can easily check what plans they have for you and how much each plan costs. Easy peasy.

Enter your zip code to find internet providers in your area.

Finally, if you have specific internet needs—like you play an unusually large number of online games or spend an abnormal amount of time watching a streaming service—we have more specific recommendations that can help. Check out our top internet providers for online gaming and for streaming. We even have recommendations for business internet setups if you work from home.

Here are the top internet service providers available in the US (Xfinity, AT&T, Verizon, Spectrum, and Viasat) and their speeds.

Catherine McNally
Written by
Catherine McNally
Catherine has a degree in journalism and an MBA, and has spent the last 10+ years writing everything from Okinawa travel guides to stories on Medium. She’s been online since AOL CDs were a thing and is an unapologetic PC gamer. She believes the internet is a necessity, not a luxury, and writes reviews and guides to help everyone stay connected. You can also find her on Twitter: @CMReviewsIt.

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