We're all guilty of spending too much time on our phones, but do you actually know how much mobile data you're burning through each month?
Finder's own surveys show that Australians spent $181 million collectively on excess data charges in 2017, with 15% of Aussies admitting to regularly exceeding their monthly data limits.
Understanding how much data you actually need can help you save on excess charges, and give you a better understanding of what type of mobile plan is best for your needs.
To give you an estimate of how much mobile data you currently use each month (or plan to use), use our calculator below.
This estimate provides a general guide and your own requirements may be very different. Remember that other factors may also influence your data consumption.
Sick of running out of data? Compare big data mobile plans now
Mobile data usage is how many MBs of data you've downloaded or uploaded over your phone's network connection. This does not include data used on a Wi-Fi connection. You can estimate how much data you go through each month using our mobile data calculator.
A 2019 Finder survey found that over one in four Australians broke their data cap sometime during the year. If you're consistently breaking your data cap, it's either time to cut down or find a better mobile plan.
If you are like most users, your data usage will be spread across many apps instead of one. Video apps are data-chewing machines, but others come close. These include the following:
You should be able to find out which of your apps consumed the most data via the "Settings" section of your phone.
Not all apps are created equal, with some types of apps needing more mobile data. Your actual usage will depend on how much you actually use these particular apps.
Here's a breakdown of how much data using a couple of popular apps would take up. Again, it really depends on how often you're using these apps, so we've split up the numbers by how much data you'd likely use in 30 mins, 1 hour and 3 hours when using that one particular app. We've done our calculations in GB since your mobile data allowance is usually given in GB, too.
| App | Activity | GB/30 mins | GB/1 hour | GB/3 hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 0.38 | 0.75 | 2.25 | |
 | 0.08 | 0.15 | 0.45 | |
 | Snapchat | 0.08 | 0.15 | 0.45 |
 | Spotify/music streaming | 0.08 | 0.15 | 0.45 |
 | SD video streaming | 0.25 | 0.50 | 1.50 |
| HD video streaming | 1.50 | 3.00 | 9.00 |
 | WhatsApp/Messenger | 0.03 | 0.05 | 0.15 |
 | Video Calling | 0.14 | 0.27 | 0.55 |
Did your results from the mobile data usage calculator show that you need more data than you currently have on your plan? Never fear — we've got your back. The mobile plans showing in the table below all offer over 40GB of data per month. If you don't need that much, you can adjust the data limit by filtering your results.
Want to avoid excess data charges without having to keep a close eye on your usage? Here are some basic steps to passively reduce your data use.
While you can track your data usage using your phone's own settings, there are easier ways. Several mobile providers have custom apps for their customers that track data use plus some other functionality depending on the provider.
If the above methods don't work for you, you should always be able to check your usage when you receive your mobile bill. Here's a rundown of common providers who allow you to check your usage easily:
| Via phone | Through online account | Provider app | |
|---|---|---|---|
| TPG mobile usage | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Telstra mobile usage | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Optus mobile usage | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Kogan mobile usage | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Aldi mobile usage | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Boost mobile usage | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
You're entitled to make a complaint if you're being charged for data you haven't used. The first step is to contact your provider and see if you can sort it out with them. Otherwise, you can contact the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) on 1800 062 058 or through their website.
You will probably need some evidence to prove that your actual data consumption is lower than your bill claims.
One alternative is to restrict your mobile data rather than disabling it or to place your phone in data saver mode.
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