How much data do you use?
Add a rough number of hours each week for what you do on your phone when you're not on Wi-Fi. Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere.
About 23.7GB a month
A plan of 30GB would cover that with room to spare — we add a fifth again for the months that don't go to plan.
- Video in standard quality12.2GB
- Social feeds and photos6.5GB
- Messaging, email and browsing3.0GB
These are typical figures for each activity, not measurements: picture quality, screen size, app settings and signal strength all change what a phone actually burns. Your own phone counts it properly — on iPhone check Settings › Cellular, on Android Settings › Network & internet › Mobile network › Data usage. Look at three months rather than one.
Plans in our catalogue that fit
Advertised SIM only plans with at least 30GB of data, cheapest first.
- Talkmobile · 100GB · £4.98 a month · 12 monthsChecked 22 October 2026 · on the Vodafone networkSee this plan
- Lycamobile · 30GB · £5.00 a month · 30-day rollingChecked 22 October 2026 · on the EE networkSee this plan
- Talkmobile · 150GB · £5.97 a month · 12 monthsChecked 22 October 2026 · on the Vodafone networkSee this plan
- Talkmobile · 30GB · £6.95 a month · 30-day rollingChecked 22 October 2026 · on the Vodafone networkSee this plan
Prices come from our dated snapshot of advertised plans and can change. Check the price, data allowance, contract length and any mid-contract rise with the network before you buy — the figure you see at checkout is the one that counts.
How the estimate is built
Each activity carries a typical figure for the data it uses in an hour — a video call, a social feed, an hour of high-quality streaming. Multiply those by the hours you add for each, and a week's habit becomes a month's total using an average month of 365/7/12 weeks.
The suggested allowance is your estimate with a fifth again on top, rounded up to a size networks actually sell: 5GB, 10GB, 20GB, 30GB, 50GB, 100GB or unlimited. That extra covers the month that doesn't go to plan, a holiday abroad on roaming, or a week when the Wi-Fi is out.
What actually eats an allowance
Streaming video is the single biggest drain for most people, and quality is what makes the difference: standard definition uses roughly a tenth of what high definition does. Most phones stream in high quality by default when they think the signal is good enough, so look for a quality or data-saver setting in the app you watch.
Photo backups and app updates can move several gigabytes without you noticing, so set them to run over Wi-Fi only. Tethering a laptop is another quiet one: a laptop updates software, syncs files and loads full-size websites, so an hour of hotspot use can cost more than a whole day on the phone itself.
Check the estimate against your own phone
Your phone already counts this. On iPhone, look under Settings then Cellular; on Android, Settings, Network & internet, Mobile network, then Data usage. Read the figure for a full billing month rather than a single week, and check three months if you can, because one month is rarely typical.
A simple test is to turn Wi-Fi off for a normal day and see what the counter adds. That is the data your plan has to pay for.
Choosing a plan on the strength of the figure
A bigger allowance is only worth paying for if you use it. Compare plans on the same allowance and check what else comes with them: whether 5G is included or costs extra, whether speeds are capped, whether unused data rolls over, whether tethering is allowed, and what happens to roaming.
If the estimate lands close to a plan's limit, read what happens when you go over. Some networks charge per gigabyte beyond the allowance, some slow your speed until the next month, and some do both. That is written in the provider's terms and is worth reading before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
Are these figures exact?
No. They are typical averages for each activity. Picture quality, screen size, app settings and signal strength all change what a phone uses, so treat the total as a starting point and check your phone's own counter.
Does Wi-Fi count towards my allowance?
No. Data used over Wi-Fi is not charged to your mobile plan. The estimate is for what you use away from Wi-Fi.
Do I need unlimited data?
Only if your estimate is close to or above 100GB, or you tether a laptop often. Unlimited plans usually cost more than a large capped plan, and some apply speed limits or priority rules at busy times.
What happens if I go over my allowance?
It depends on the network: you may be charged per gigabyte, have your speed reduced for the rest of the month, or both. Check the provider's terms before you buy.
Are my answers saved?
No. Everything stays in the page you're looking at and disappears when you reload it. Nothing is sent to a server or stored.
Official sources
Keep comparing
- Compare all SIM only plans
- 30-day rolling SIM contracts
- 12-month SIM contracts and costs
- SIM plans with at least 100GB
- Compare mobile networks
- SIM total-cost calculator
- Separate handset or phone contract?
- Work out how much mobile data you need
- How to switch network and keep your number
Listings are dated snapshots of providers' own pages, not live prices, and CompareDirect does not sell the products we list. We are not a credit broker or lender and give no financial advice.
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