Screensharing is the least data-intensive task you can do on a video call, typically taking up less than 200 Kbps (1.5 MB/s). Zoom handles group calls much more efficiently than Skype, though Skype apparently uses less bandwidth for 1:1 calls. I had an iPhone user send me a FaceTime request, then measured the bandwidith in the same way I did with the other platforms.Īdding extra people to the call also takes more data on the download side (you’re still just uploading one stream, after all), but how much extra depends on the app. However, you can FaceTime with someone on your PC if they send you a chat link. FaceTime Bandwidth UsageĪs you may already know, FaceTime is a video platform that is specific to Apple. You can see Skype’s bandwidth suggestions (which were gathered directly from its support page) below: Definitionīy these numbers, Skype adds much extra data when more people join, but for 1:1 conversations, it’s pretty lightweight, based on my experience. In fact, the average bandwidth requirements for Skype were right around the 100 Kbps range, with mine resting at 105.23 Kbps down and 104 Kbps up.Īlthough it surprised me, this aligns with the differences in bandwidth requirements between the two video call clients. Overall, Skype seemed to use slightly less bandwidth despite using all the same settings and resolutions as I did with Zoom.

During that time, I experienced the following in terms of bandwidth usage. Just as with Zoom, I conducted a simple video call via PC using Skype. Furthermore, Zoom says that in thumbnail mode, your download data usage will automatically drop to reflect the resolution you’re receiving. Definitionįor group calls, the recommendations change slightly: DefinitionĪccording to Zoom, your bandwidth usage will be optimized based on each participant’s network. While these numbers are fairly low, the Zoom support page provides these bandwidth recommendations for 1:1 video calls, as of February 2022. This is fairly low, considering my Internet connection can provide about 100 times that, and the average Wi-Fi network is capable of at least 25 Mbps. As you can see, though, my average bandwidth usage was much lower, with 133.74 Kbps up and 171.65 Kbps down. At the peak, I needed only 373.68 Kbps for download and 313.45 Kbps for upload.

Using skype for group video calls