The streamer's binge check
Slide to guess what each picture quality needs, straight from Netflix and YouTube. Then find out how many films your home could stream at once.
Netflix recommends 3 Mbps for HD, 5 Mbps for Full HD and 15 Mbps for 4K per stream, and 4K uses up to 7 GB of data an hour. YouTube asks for 20 Mbps for 4K.
What you will learn
- 1Netflix's own speeds for HD, Full HD and 4K
- 2How much data an hour of 4K uses
- 3How to size broadband for several screens
Why it matters
Streaming is where most of a home's evening speed goes, but each stream needs less than people think. Netflix publishes three figures, and every other service sits close to them. The number that grows fast is how many screens are on at once.
Data is the other half. If you are on a capped plan, a mobile hotspot or 4G home broadband, Netflix's data figures matter more than its speeds: an hour of 4K can use up to 7 GB.
Every answer, explained
Spoilers below. Play first, then open any question to see the answer, the reason and the source.
1. What speed does Netflix recommend for HD (720p), in Mbps?
Answer: 3 Mbps
3 Mbps or higher. It is the lightest of Netflix's three published speeds.
2. And for Full HD (1080p)?
Answer: 5 Mbps
5 Mbps or higher. YouTube publishes the same 5 Mbps for 1080p.
Source: Netflix Help Center, recommended speeds; BroadbandSwitch.uk speed guide
3. And for 4K Ultra HD?
Answer: 15 Mbps
15 Mbps or higher per stream. It is the biggest figure Netflix publishes.
4. Four people each watch a different 4K film at once. At Netflix's 15 Mbps each, how many Mbps do the streams need?
Answer: 60 Mbps
4 times 15 is 60 Mbps. Several people watching 4K at once is the one case where a home really does need a big number.
Source: Netflix Help Center, recommended speeds; BroadbandSwitch.uk speed guide
5. Netflix says HD streaming uses up to how much data an hour?
Answer: 3 GB
Up to 3 GB an hour for HD, and up to 7 GB for 4K. Standard definition is up to 1 GB.
Source: Netflix Help Center, data use
6. What speed does YouTube publish for 4K video?
Answer: 20 Mbps
20 Mbps for 4K and 5 Mbps for 1080p, very close to Netflix's figures.
Source: BroadbandSwitch.uk speed guide
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Questions people ask
- What speed do I need for Netflix in 4K?
- Netflix recommends 15 Mbps or higher per 4K stream. Full HD needs 5 Mbps and HD needs 3 Mbps.
- How much data does 4K streaming use?
- Netflix says up to 7 GB an hour per device for 4K, and up to 3 GB an hour for HD.
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How we checked this quiz
Every answer was checked on 9 November 2026 against the source listed with it, mostly Ofcom and the companies that publish the figures, and dated figures say when they apply. Questions that depend on a date, such as compensation amounts that rise each April, are hidden automatically once they pass their review date, so the quiz never shows an out-of-date answer. Your scores, badges and streaks are kept on this device only. Anonymous answer counts help us show how other players did, with no names or personal details.
References
- James, A. (2026, October 13). What broadband speed do I need? The figures the services actually publish. BroadbandSwitch.uk. https://broadbandswitch.uk/what-broadband-speed-do-i-need.html
- Netflix. (n.d.). How to control how much data Netflix uses. Netflix Help Center. Retrieved November 9, 2026. https://help.netflix.com/en/node/87
- Netflix. (n.d.). Netflix-recommended internet speeds. Netflix Help Center. Retrieved November 9, 2026. https://help.netflix.com/en/node/306
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