What is the good internet speed in 2023 for browsing, streaming and gaming? (2023)

If you are experiencing slow internet speeds, consider upgrading. However, what is a good internet speed and how much is enough for your needs? We'll help you understand what a good internet speed is for different bandwidth-intensive activities, so you can get the best internet plan for you.

The exact answer to this question largely depends on what you use your connection for. For example, if you're just browsing the web and streaming music, you probably won't need much more than 15 Mbps, but if you want to stream 4K videos or download huge games from platforms like Steam, even 100 Mbps might seem like insufficient.

The central theses:

• If you use your Internet connection regularly, you probably want a plan with a download speed of at least 25 Mbit/s. For multiple devices connected at the same time or heavy Internet data traffic, we recommend 50 Mbit/s.
• However, 4K streaming on a single device requires at least 25 Mbps, and if you want to quickly download large files or video games, you will probably need at least 100 Mbps.
• Online games don't require a lot of bandwidth. As long as the connection is stable and you're not overloaded, 25 Mbit/s should be enough for most games. However, keep an eye on latency.

For the purposes of this article, we're going to assume a wired connection with an Ethernet cable, as there are many WiFi-related variables that are unique to each user. If you plan on connecting to the Internet primarily via a wireless connection, you may want to set yourself a little higher than the goals listed here.

• The Internet speeds available to you are highly dependent on where you live. According to Ookla, the global average download speed for fixed broadband is around 60 Mbps download and 25 Mbps upload. In the US, the average is about 135 Mbit/s down and 20 Mbit/s up.

• With a WiFi network, you always lose some bandwidth instead of a wired connection. How much depends on a variety of factors, such as your hardware, signal interference, and even the materials your home is made of.

• Yes, for the vast majority of people, a 100 Mbps connection seems very fast and has more than enough bandwidth.

What is good Internet speed for general use?

A good internet speed depends almost entirely on the use you are going to make. In general, high internet speed is most useful for video calls or meetings, video streaming, online gaming, live streaming, and downloading large files. If we oversimplify things, most users with just one or two devices will experience anything above 50 megabits per second (Mbps) just as quickly.

Download speed vs. upload speed

It's important to remember that when we talk about "Internet speed" we are actually putting together two different metrics: upload speed and download speed.

For the vast majority of users, download speed will be most important, as most people receive much more data than they send. However, for things like live streaming, online gaming, and video calling, upload speeds are also crucial.

What internet speed do I need to browse?

Browsing is one of the Internet traffic that consumes less bandwidth, so you don't need a lot of speed to be able to visit normal websites. However, anything below 10 Mbps will be noticeably slower when loading new pages and images. Switching to a faster browser can alleviate some of this, and some sites load a lot more than others.

What is a good internet speed for streaming content?

The internet speed required to stream content depends on what you are streaming. Video is obviously the biggest bandwidth hog, so let's focus on that.

In general, if you want to stream HD content without interruption, you need a connection of at least 5 Mbps, and this applies if your device is the only one currently using the connections.

This increases exponentially with 4K streaming, as you need at least 20-25 Mbps to stream UHD content. However, different streaming services have different quality options including Standard, High Definition and 4K.

We've compiled a table below of the different bandwidth recommendations of some of the biggest streaming services, includingNetflix,Amazon Prime Videojdisney more.

Everything fits great except Amazon. something tells us thatAmazon help pageit actually means 1 Mbps and 5 Mbps, but we can't be sure.

What internet speed do I need to play?

Just like streaming, the bandwidth required for online gaming varies significantly depending on the games you play. For most games, low ping is far more important than high bandwidth, although competitive games that require fast response times and little lag, such as B. shooters tend to take the hardest hit. read ourspeed versus latencyguide to learn more.

In terms of actual data usage, most games tend to consume no more than a few hundred megabytes per hour at most. To ensure there are no lags, you'll need at least 20Mbps of bandwidth available to your device, with a ping ideally under 40ms, though you should be fine with up to 70ms if your game doesn't. Rely on your aim and quick reactions.

In an increasingly digital world, there is also the problem of downloading games. New AAA titles are often over 100GB in size, which can take days or even weeks to download on a slow internet connection.

To give you an idea of ​​how fast you might want to download games on platforms like Steam, we've put together a table with some popular titles and how long they would take to download at different speeds.

Internet speeds required for online gaming

As you can see, a 10 Mbps connection is probably not enough if you plan to download big games regularly, because even in the best case you will have to wait a whole day for the download.

What internet speed do I need for video calls and meetings?

Watching meetings and conferences via video is something we have all become very accustomed to over the last few years and has led to increased investment in internet infrastructure since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since video calls are two-way, they need good upload and download speeds to work well. The required bandwidth also depends on how many people you are talking to at the same time.

In general, a single HD video call requires upload and download speeds between 1.5 Mbps and 4 Mbps, depending on the software used. Below is a table with some sample speed requirements for different video conferencing software.

What is a good internet speed for live streaming?

Live streaming is even more dependent on upload speed than video calls. Twitch is by far the most popular platform for streaming live video, and its guidelines recommend an upload speed of at least 3 Mbps on the low end and 6 Mbps on the high end.

Faster speeds can slightly improve video quality, but generally anything above that will have diminishing returns.

What internet speed do I need to use multiple devices?

Having more than one device connected to your network doesn't necessarily mean you need a faster connection. However, if you want to run multiple bandwidth-intensive activities at the same time, the required capacity will increase depending on what you are doing on your devices.

A good rule of thumb for speed and basic online activity is 10-15 Mbps for two devices, 25 Mbps for four devices, and 50 Mbps for eight devices.

Do VPNs Increase Your Internet Speed?

In general, VPNs slow down the Internet because they route your Internet connection through a VPN server tunnel.

However, there are some cases whereVPNs can help with internet speeds– If your internet service provider (ISP) slows you down due to certain types of traffic or internet activity (e.g. streaming) or if you have a poor connection to other networks.

Final Thoughts: Good internet speeds

That's it for our guide on download and upload speeds. Figuring out what different ISPs offer can be a confusing process, and knowing how much bandwidth you need is the first step to figuring it all out. If you're lucky enough to have multiple broadband options, you should head over to ourADSL vs. Glasfacer vs. CaboAlso compare for more information.

What do you think of our guide? Do you feel like you have an idea of ​​how much bandwidth you need or is it still unclear? Have you had to upgrade to a faster internet plan in the past? What was your experience? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading.