Free calculator · Broadband
Broadband speed calculator
Count what your home does at its busiest moment and see the download and upload speed you need, then the best-value deals at that speed.
At your busiest moment, how many at once?
4K TV streams
Netflix, Prime or Sky in Ultra HD
HD streams
TV, laptop or phone in HD
Video calls
Work or family calls in HD
You need about
50Mb download
and 6Mb upload
That is everything at once plus half again for phones, updates and browsing. Look at deals under 100Mb.
How the calculator works
The calculator adds up what your household uses at the same moment, then adds half again. That total is the speed you need.
Say one person streams Ultra HD 4K on the TV while another joins a 1080p group video call. The streaming needs 15 Mbps and the call needs 3.0 Mbps download, so that is 18 Mbps. Add half again and you need 27 Mbps.
Our sources are Netflix and Zoom. Netflix recommends 15 Mbps for Ultra HD 4K and 5 Mbps for HD 1080p. Zoom recommends 3.0 Mbps download and 3.8 Mbps upload for a 1080p group call. The extra half covers phones, updates and browsing. Speeds in our tables are advertised by each provider, so compare broadband deals to find your match.
Get the speed you pay for
Your broadband speed sits on the provider's site, but your home decides the real result. Keep these three tips in mind before you switch.
Put your router in a central, open spot so the Wi-Fi reaches every room you use. For your TV or games console, use a cable where you can. Then check the minimum guaranteed speed in each provider's offer, so you compare like with like.
Ready to compare? Sort the broadband table by speed and check your postcode on the provider's site.