4GB Of Data: How Much Is It & How Long Does It Last? Mobile Data ...

A 4GB data plan will allow you to browse the internet for about 40 hours, stream 2,000 songs, or watch 5 hours of standard-definition video.

Nowadays, the main distinction between mobile phone plans is how many gigabytes of data it comes with.

If you're looking for a mobile phone plan with 4GB of data, prices currently start from £6/month in the UK. With your 4GB of data, you'll be able to browse the internet for approximately 40 hours per month, to stream 2,000 songs online, or to watch 5 hours of online video in standard definition.

In this article, we'll discuss what you can do with 4GB of data and how long you can expect your 4GB allowance to last for. We'll also discuss 4GB data plans, where you can find one in the UK and how much you can expect to pay.

Contents

• 1 How Much Is 4GB Data?
  • 1.1 Pay Monthly SIM Cards
  • 1.2 Pay As You Go SIM Cards
  • 1.3 Alternatives
• 2 How Long Does 4GB Of Data Last?
• 3 More Information

How Much Is 4GB Data?

In the UK, a number of mobile networks offer 4GB data plans. There's a choice of 4 mobile networks if you're looking for a Pay Monthly SIM card, and a further choice of 3 networks if you're looking for a Pay As You Go bundle.

Pay Monthly SIM Cards

If you're looking for the lowest possible prices, you can get a Pay Monthly SIM card with 4GB of data from £6.00/month. The following table shows a list of currently available deals:

Network	Data	Monthly Cost
Three coverage Unlimited mins Unlimited texts	4GBdata	£6.00per month1 month contract	See deal
O2 coverage Unlimited mins Unlimited texts	4GBdata	£8.00per month1 month rolling	See deal
Unlimited mins Unlimited texts	4GBdata	£12.00per month24 month contractMonthly cost will rise each April by £1.80	See deal
Three coverage Unlimited mins Unlimited texts	4GBdata	£12.15per month12 month contractMonthly cost will drop by 5% each year	See deal

Contract lengths can vary on a Pay Monthly contract. You'll normally need to undergo a credit check when you take out a Pay Monthly contract.

Pay As You Go SIM Cards

If you're looking for more flexibility, a Pay As You Go bundle allows you to have this. You can get 4GB of data from £7.50/month on Pay As You Go. There's no commitment to renewing your bundle every month. You'll also be able to change your data allowance at the end of each month if you find you're on a plan with the wrong amount of data.

The following table shows Pay As You Go bundles with 4GB of data per month:

Network	Data	Monthly Cost
EE coverage Unlimited mins Unlimited texts	4GBdata	£7.50per monthNo contract	See deal
O2 coverage Unlimited mins Unlimited texts	4GBdata	£8.00per monthNo contract	See deal
Three coverage Unlimited mins Unlimited texts	4GBdata	£8.00per monthNo contract	See deal

There's no need to undergo a credit check when you take a Pay As You Go bundle, making for a hassle-free signup process. In addition, it's normally possible to get a free Pay As You Go SIM card: you'll simply need to top it up with some credit to get started.

Alternatives

Instead of choosing a 4GB data plan, it may sometimes make sense to choose a plan with more data. This is especially the case when special offers and promotion are available: you might be able to get a larger allowance of data for the same or for a very similar price:

Amount of Data	Pay Monthly	Pay As You Go
250MB Data	-	-
500MB Data	-	£5.00 £2.5 cheaper
1GB Data	£4.00 £2 cheaper	£6.00 £1.5 cheaper
2GB Data	£6.00	£6.00 £1.5 cheaper
3GB Data	£3.90 £2 cheaper	£5.00 £2.5 cheaper
4GB Data	£6.00	£7.50
5GB Data	£4.50 £1.5 cheaper	£5.00 £2.5 cheaper
6GB Data	£6.00	£9.90 £2.5 more
8GB Data	£6.00	£10.00 £2.5 more
10GB Data	£5.90 £0 cheaper	£8.00 £0.5 more
12GB Data	£6.99 £1 more	-
20GB Data	£6.90 £1 more	£10.00 £2.5 more
30GB Data	£6.95 £1 more	£10.00 £2.5 more
40GB Data	£7.00 £1 more	£20.00 £12.5 more
50GB Data	£7.95 £2 more	£10.00 £2.5 more
100GB Data	£8.95 £3 more	£12.00 £4.5 more
Unlimited Data	£16.00 £10 more	£20.00 £12.5 more

Some plans include a 'data rollover' feature that gives you a second opportunity to use your data allowance. Alternatively, an unlimited data plan could also be worth considering if you'd like a worry-free plan where you'll never run out of data.

How Long Does 4GB Of Data Last?

When figuring out how much data you need, it's important to think about your own individual usage requirements.

If you choose a plan with too much data, you could be overpaying for lots of data that you don't actually use. On the other hand, choosing a plan with too little data could mean being cut-off from the internet in the middle of the month.

The following table gives you an approximate guide to what you can do with 4GB of data:

4GB data is equal to...
5 hours of SD video streaming(10 minutes per day on YouTube, Netflix or TikTok)
1 hour 20 minutes of HD-quality video(2 minutes per day streaming HD video e.g. from Netflix)
5 hours of video calling(10 minutes per day on Zoom or Teams)
8 hours of social media scrolling(15 minutes per day on Facebook, Instagram or X)
40 hours of web browsing(1 hour 20 minutes per day of browsing, approx 2,000 web pages)
100 hours of music streaming(3 hours 20 minutes per day on online radio & streaming apps like Spotify)
Other Activities
20 mobile app downloads(standard app installs & updates, games may use more data)
1,320 photos uploaded or shared(on WhatsApp, or uploaded to the cloud e.g. iCloud & Google Photos)
1,400,000 text messages & emails(plain text messages, without attachments)

If you'd like to understand how different apps and activities contribute to your mobile data usage, see our guide to working out how much data you need.

As of 2024, the average UK mobile user consumes about 10GB of mobile data each month. This has grown fairly rapidly over the last few years (e.g. it was just 5.6GB per month in 2022, and 8.0GB per month in 2023). As of today, this means a 4GB data allowance is a little smaller than average. However, if you find yourself mainly using Wi-Fi when you're at home or at work, it's possible that you won't need as much data as the average consumer.

Data use calculations for 4GB data, by app & activity:

1. SD Video Streaming (5 hours): We’ve used a figure of 800MB per hour for a standard-quality video stream. This is based on testing of the following apps: TikTok (800MB per hour), BBC iPlayer (800MB per hour), and Netflix (700MB per hour for medium quality video). Therefore, a 4GB data allowance will allow you to stream SD video for 5 hours in total, which is equivalent to 10 minutes per day.
2. HD Video Streaming (1 hour 20 minutes): According to Netflix, you’ll need 3GB data per hour for a HD-quality video stream. Therefore, 4GB of data will allow you to stream 1 hour 20 minutes of HD-quality shows and movies, which is equivalent to 2 minutes per day.
3. Video Calls (5 hours): You’ll need about 800MB data per hour for video calls on Zoom or Microsoft Team. Therefore, a 4GB data allowance will allow you to video call for 5 hours in total, which is equivalent to 10 minutes per day.
4. Social Media (8 hours): Our testing found that social media apps (e.g. Facebook & Instagram) used about 40MB of data during a 5-minute session. Therefore, a 4GB data allowance will allow you to scroll through social media for 8 hours in total, which is equivalent to 15 minutes per day.
5. Web Browsing (40 hours, or 2,000 web pages): As of 2024, the average size of a mobile web page is 2.4MB. Therefore, you’d be able to open 2,000 web pages with 4GB of data. Assuming you browse continuously and open 40 web pages per hour, you’d be able to browse for 40 hours in total, which is equivalent to 1 hour 20 minutes per day.
6. Music Streaming & Radio (100 hours, or 2,000 songs): At a typical bitrate of 96kbps, you’d be able to use your 4GB data allowance to listen to music or online radio for 100 hours in total (roughly 2,000 songs). This is equivalent to 3 hours 20 minutes per day.
7. Photo Uploads (1,320 photos): Assuming you have a 12-megapixel photo with a file size of around 3MB, you’d be able to share or upload 1,320 photos using 4GB of data.
8. Mobile Apps (20 app downloads): Assuming you have a typical iOS or Android mobile application with a download size of 200MB, you’d be able to download 20 apps using 4GB of data. Do note, however, that many mobile games will use more data (up to 3GB per game). For this reason, it’s best to install and update on your apps on Wi-Fi where possible.
9. Text Messages & Emails (1,400,000 messages): Text-only messages (e.g. WhatsApp and plain-text emails) use very little data. In fact, you can send or receive 1,400,000 text-only messages with 4GB of data.

More Information

Our full guide to mobile download limits has more information, including how to work out how much data you need.

Once you've decided how much data you need, we've summarised the best Pay Monthly and Pay As You Go SIM cards across a variety of price points in the UK.