Ever wondered how much data watching Twitch uses or the upload usage as a streamer? In this article we’ll provide you with all the information you need so you’re aware of your data usage.
Whether you’re on a limited data plan or have unlimited usage, you’ve probably asked yourself before, “just how much data is Twitch actually using?”.
To help you make sure you’re not using more data than you’d like, we have tables showcasing:
- How much data watching Twitch uses (PC & Mobile)
- How much data streaming on Twitch uses (PC)
- How much data does Twitch audio only mode use? (PC & Mobile)
What Factors Affect Twitch Data Usage?
If you’re streaming on Twitch, the main factor that’s going to affect your data usage will be your bitrate. The higher resolution/bitrate you want to broadcast at, the more upload data you’re going to be consuming.
As a viewer on Twitch, changing the resolution of the stream you’re watching will be your best method for controlling how much data Twitch is using.
Beyond that, there are a few other important factors to consider that’ll affect your usage:
- Background apps or programs.
- The device you’re using (PC, Mobile, Twitch app, browser, etc.).
- The resolution you’re streaming or watching at.
- Your interaction with chat (the more OMEGALUL’s you spam in chat, the more data you’ll be using).
How Much Data Does Watching Twitch Use?
Below you’ll find out how much data you can expect to use while watching Twitch on your phone or on your desktop computer.
These numbers are based on our own testing and will vary depending on your own specific viewing setup.
Twitch Mobile Data Usage
This table will show you how much data you should be technically using on Twitch mobile based on the estimated bitrate each resolution Twitch streams at (1080p, 720p, 480p, 360p, 160p).
| Resolution | Data Per Minute | Data Per Hour |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 26 MB | 1.5 GB |
| 720p | 15 MB | 900 MB |
| 480p | 11.7 MB | 700 MB |
| 360p | 5 MB | 300 MB |
| 160p | 1.9 MB | 115 MB |
PC Data Usage
This table contains a ballpark figure of how much data is consumed in different quality settings when watching Twitch on your desktop computer.
| Resolution | Data Per Minute | Data Per Hour |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 42 MB | 2.5 GB |
| 720p | 25 MB | 1.5 GB |
| 480p | 20 MB | 1.2 GB |
| 360p | 12 MB | 720 MB |
| 160p | 6 MB | 360 MB |
These results are based off of a 4 hour Twitch viewing session, using Glasswire to collect the data usage.
How Much Data Does Streaming On Twitch Use?
This chart shows the data consumed of a streamer broadcasting live on Twitch, streaming on a single PC setup for 4 hours.
| Resolution | Bitrate kb/s | Upload Mb/min | Upload Gb/hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 3500 | 26 | 1.56 |
| 720p | 2500 | 19 | 1.14 |
| 480p | 1200 | 9 | 0.54 |
| 360p | 800 | 6 | 0.36 |
| 240p | 500 | 4 | 0.24 |
| 160p | 300 | 2.5 | 0.15 |
As you can see the resolution you decide to stream at will vastly affect your upload data usage.
If you’re looking to lower your upload data when streaming on Twitch, try to find a balance of lowering your bitrate while still maintaining a video quality that you’re happy with broadcasting on your stream.
Bouncing between 30 or 60 FPS won’t make much of a difference for your data usage so no worries there, but it will tax your CPU if you’re not running a powerful rig.
How Much Data Does Twitch Audio Only Use
If you’re watching Twitch on your phone using the Twitch App, you have the option to watch the stream using Audio Only mode.
This will greatly decrease how much data you use while watching your favorite streamers.
You’re looking at a bitrate of about 128 kbit/s to 192 kbit/s when watching Twitch using the Audio Only mode.
So based on that info you can estimate how much data you’ll use per minute and per hour.
| Quality | Data Per Minute | Data Per Hour |
|---|---|---|
| Audio Only | 1.85 MB | 111 MB |
You’re looking to use about 0.111 GB/hr of data when watching Twitch in audio only mode, which isn’t that far off from how much data you’d use at 160p resolution.
Twitch Audio Only Mode on Desktop
You can also take advantage of an audio only mode watching experience on Twitch without having to use the mobile app.
There’s a Chrome extension called Twitch Radio Mode that lets you watch streams in your browser with audio only.
Again saving you from using a lot of data while watching Twitch.
Here’s the data usage based on personal testing:
| Quality | Data Per Minute | Data Per Hour |
|---|---|---|
| Twitch Radio Mode | 1.93 MB | 115.8 MB |
These are only close estimates. However, it shows how much data you can potentially conserve compared to watching even in the lowest possible resolution.
So you now have a good estimate of how much data Twitch uses! You can use these numbers to get a good idea of how much data you’ll use up when watching or streaming on Twitch for a specific amount of minutes or hours.
160p all day
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