What Is The Best Internet Speed For Streaming in 2023?
Internet usage has gone up significantly with the popularity of streaming services. People have mostly shifted away from downloading movies, shows, and songs in order to stream them due to accessibility and wide availability.
But what is a good internet speed to keep up with all of these streaming services? Well, since there are many different streaming services that vary in how much speed they need, we’ll list the best speed for streaming the most popular services to help you out.
What are Mbps (megabits per second)?
Mbps is a way to measure data transfer speeds. The smallest measurement of binary data is called a bit. Data is transferred by using bits, which work by sending signals of either 0 or 1 to a computer that can translate the data into proper information.
A megabit is a bundle of data equal to 1 million bits, which means that 1 Mbps is a data transfer speed of 1 million bits per second. For perspective, 1 Mbps is equivalent to transferring one small photo per second.
What is the best Mbps for streaming?
Streaming works similarly to regular downloads, but instead of having to wait for the full download to complete, you can start browsing the file as it is downloading.
When you’re streaming a video, you’re downloading the video to your device and playing it, all at the same time. When the video stops playing and starts buffering, that means your internet isn’t downloading the video fast enough to keep up with you while watching it. That’s why it’s important to have a fast and stable internet connection when using streaming services.
However, keep in mind that the best Mbps for streaming services will vary depending on which services you use.
Best internet speeds for common streaming uses
There are many different types of streaming services available, each requiring different internet speeds for stable usage. For instance, streaming music is significantly less demanding than streaming high-quality videos. That’s why you need the a download speed that's suitable for multiple types of streaming.
To help you find the best internet speed for streaming your favorite content, we’ll list some common services and their speed requirements.
Streaming SD video
The recommended internet speed for streaming SD videos is 10 Mbps. The requirements are low because this is the lowest-quality setting for videos.
The image quality isn’t great, but it’s an option that allows people to watch videos on slower internet speeds.
Streaming HD video
The recommended internet speed for streaming HD videos is 25 Mbps. HD video is the standard quality set across many devices. The image is crisp and detailed, and with 25Mbps, you can watch a show or a movie in full HD without any issues.
Streaming 4K video
The recommended internet speed for streaming 4K videos is 100 Mbps. 4K streaming means that the video resolution will be much higher than HD streaming. This results in high-quality video but is also more demanding.
Gaming streaming
The recommended internet speed for streaming and playing games is 100 Mbps. That’s because it requires a fast and stable connection at all times to avoid any issues during gaming sessions.
Any small variation in speeds might result in a delay that will negatively affect the the gameplay experience.
Streaming music
The recommended internet speed for streaming music is 5 Mbps. Music files are smaller compared to other types of media, so streaming it is easy and fast with pretty much any speed.
Video conference call
The recommended internet speed for streaming video calls is 50 Mbps. Conference calls are a mix of audio and video streaming, and they can get extensively more demanding depending on the number of participants.
Best internet speeds by platform
There can be variance even when using stream services of the same type. For instance, watching videos on YouTube isn’t as demanding as watching videos on Netflix due to image quality differences.
So let’s take a look at each of the most popular streaming platforms and their recommended internet speeds for proper usage.
YouTube
Since YouTube has many quality settings for their videos, the speed range requirement is wide, starting at 1.1 Mbps to 20 Mbps.
Netflix
The recommended speed for Netflix is 15 Mbps. They have a catalog of high-quality movies, shows, and documentaries with large file sizes that require a decently fast download speed to avoid buffering.
Hulu
Hulu’s speed requirement starts at 8 Mbps and goes up to 16 Mbps.
Twitch
While Twitch might seem like it requires a lot of speed, they recommend 6 Mbps to 8 Mbps of download speed to watch their streams.
Spotify
Among the many popular streaming platforms, Spotify is the most efficient and accessible of them. Spotify only requires 1 Mbps to allow you to enjoy your favorite songs at any time.
TikTok
TikTok requires a connection speed of 5 Mbps for their videos and live streams.
What internet download speed is best for your streaming needs?
To understand how fast you need your internet download speed to be, first you must consider a few things.
First, take inventory of how many devices you have in your home that will be used to connect to the internet. Then, check which apps or services each one will be using at any given time, and check how much speed each of them requires. It's crucial to know how many devices and services will be running in your home at any given time.
If you have many devices running at once while streaming content that requires an intensive connection, you will need to sign up for a high-speed plan like Fidium’s 2 Gig plan. Otherwise, if you only have a couple of devices online at any given time, then you can probably opt for a slower speed like the 100Mbps plan that Fidium offers.
How many Mbps do I need?
The download speed you should get is entirely up to you and your needs. Now that we have gone over all the different streaming services and requirements, you can easily estimate how much you would need.
Just keep in mind that it doesn’t matter how fast an internet plan is if the connection isn’t stable. That’s why contracting a trustworthy ISP like Fidium Fiber is the best option. With Fidium Fiber, you can get plans to suit all of your needs. So check out our availability today and grab the plan for your streaming needs!