How Much Data Does Vimeo Use?

From breathtaking nature documentaries to independent sports films, there are plenty of ways to enjoy high-quality video content on Vimeo and its paid streaming service, Vimeo On Demand. If you’re watching video on a limited mobile broadband connection, however, your data cap might limit the amount of time you spend using Vimeo.

Let’s take a closer look at how much mobile data you use streaming and downloading video content on Vimeo and Vimeo On Demand. When you know how much data you use watching video content, you can limit your data use or upgrade your data plan to one that gives you more flexibility.

Video Quality and Format Options on Vimeo

The amount of data you use streaming and downloading video depends heavily on video quality. A sharper, richer audio-visual experience uses more data than a standard audio-visual experience. Here are the playback options available on Vimeo, which is known for its high-quality content:

– 240p is low definition video
– 360p is standard definition video
– 480p is standard definition video, with a picture quality like DVD
– 720p is high definition video
– 1080p is high definition video, with a picture quality like Blu-ray
– 2K is high definition video with a display resolution of 1440p
– 4K is ultra-high definition video with a display resolution of 2160p

Vimeo Data Use Per Minute and Hour of Video Streaming

Because there’s so much unique content to discover on Vimeo, you can easily find yourself spending hours streaming video on the site. Here’s how much data you use per minute and per hour watching video on Vimeo, based on video quality:

Data use on Vimeo per minute and per hour

240p 360p 480p 720p 1080p 2K 4K
Per minute 3.3 MB 5 MB 8.3 MB 25 MB 50 MB 90 MB 233 MB
Per hour 200 MB 300 MB 500 MB 1.5 GB 3 GB 5.5 GB 14 GB

Vimeo Data Use Per Video Download

Vimeo On Demand lets you download video to watch offline, instead of streaming it on the site. With this option, you can watch that content as many times as you want and at any time, regardless of whether you have internet access.

Downloading video content uses the same amount of data as streaming that content uses. If you’re planning to watch content more than once, however, downloading it is a great way to save data.

It’s also possible to download some videos that are hosted on Vimeo, not Vimeo On Demand.

To Reduce Data Use, Change Your Playback Settings

If you’re short on data, Vimeo gives you a way to use less while you stream video on the site. To cut back on your data use, lower the video quality of the content you’re streaming:

– To change the video quality of a Vimeo video, open a video > click the gear icon (“Settings”) in the lower right-hand corner of the video > choose a video quality.

4G LTE Plans for Vimeo

With an installed mobile broadband connection, you can watch Vimeo on any screen, including a phone, a tablet, a laptop, or a television. In fact, any device within range of your wireless router can connect to your installed mobile broadband network using WiFi. Even devices, like laptops, that can’t connect to 4G LTE directly can connect to installed mobile broadband.

To decide which installed mobile broadband plan is right for you, estimate the time you spend streaming or downloading video on sites like Vimeo during the month. Then, choose a data plan that fits that number. Here’s how much Vimeo you can get out of our 4G LTE data plans:

Maximum time on Vimeo per month per data plan

240p 360p 480p 720p 1080p 2K 4K
4G LTE, 75+ GB 375 hours 250 hours 150 hours 50 hours 25 hours 14 hours 5 hours
4G LTE, 100+ GB 500 hours 200 hours 67 hours 33 hours 18 hours 7 hours
Unlimited 4G LTE Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

For more information about our data plans, check out our website or give us a call at 866-439-6630