Depending on activity, Discord can use under 10 MB per hour for text chats, around 28 MB for voice calls, roughly 270 MB for one-on-one video calls, and up to 1.9 GB per hour when streaming or screen sharing.
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Discord is one of the most popular apps for chatting, gaming communities, and group calls. But since it supports text, voice, video, and even screen sharing, its data usage can vary a lot. Here’s how much data Discord uses depending on what you’re doing.
How much data does Discord use?
Discord’s data usage varies depending on the type of activity, number of participants, and quality settings. Since Discord does not provide an official MB/hour breakdown, most figures come from independent testing.
For example, one GlassWire test found that a 5-minute voice chat with 3–10 members used only about 300 KB downloaded.
Based on such tests and user reports, here are estimated averages for Discord data usage by activity:
Activity
Estimated Data per Hour
Text chat (small volume)
< 10 MB
Voice calls
~28 MB (range: 20–60 MB)
Video calls (1-on-1)
~270 MB (range: 200–400 MB)
Group video calls
~500–700 MB
Screen share/streaming
700 MB–1.5 GB (up to 1.9 GB)
Discord data usage by activity
The estimates shown earlier highlight how differently each Discord feature consumes data. Text chat remains the lightest, rarely going over 10 MB per hour even when media is shared.
Voice calls range between 20 and 60 MB per hour depending on bitrate settings, which makes them manageable even on mobile data.
1-on-1 video calls average around 270 MB per hour, while group video calls are heavier at 500–700 MB because multiple video streams run at once.
The most demanding feature is screen sharing or streaming, which can climb from 700 MB to over 1.5 GB per hour at higher resolutions. For long sessions, Wi-Fi is the safer choice.
What affects Discord’s data use?
Several factors influence how much data Discord consumes, and understanding them can help you manage usage more effectively.
Audio and video quality settings: Higher bitrate and resolution mean clearer calls but significantly more data.
Number of participants and active video feeds: More people streaming or sharing video at once increases the total bandwidth needed.
Uploading or downloading images, GIFs, and files: Large media transfers quickly add to your overall data usage.
Mobile data vs Wi-Fi and overall network conditions: Mobile networks may compress or throttle traffic, while Wi-Fi typically allows smoother and more stable usage.
How Discord compares to other apps
Discord’s data usage depends on activity type and quality settings, but you can get a clearer sense of it by comparing it with other popular apps.
Here’s how Discord stacks up against WhatsApp, Zoom, YouTube, and TikTok:
WhatsApp (Voice Calls): WhatsApp uses about 0.5–1 MB per minute, or 30–60 MB per hour, which is slightly lower than Discord’s average of around 28 MB/hour.
Zoom (Video Calls): Zoom consumes 540 MB/hour at 480p, around 1.08 GB at 720p, and up to 1.62 GB at 1080p for one-on-one calls, significantly more than Discord’s ~270 MB/hour.
TikTok & YouTube (Video Streaming): YouTube uses 1.5 GB/hour at 1080p and up to 3 GB/hour at 4K, while some sources report TikTok streaming uses around 840 MB/hour, both far exceeding Discord’s maximum of ~1.9 GB/hour (for intense streaming scenarios).
Tips to reduce Discord data usage
Small changes in your settings and habits can help lower Discord’s data use without hurting your experience.
Lower video resolution and frame rate in Settings: Reducing video quality cuts bandwidth consumption during calls and streams.
Prefer voice-only when possible: Voice calls use far less data than video or screen sharing.
Disable automatic media downloads and autoplay for GIFs: Preventing background downloads stops unnecessary data use.
Use Wi-Fi for long sessions: Wi-Fi avoids heavy mobile data charges from extended calls or streams.
Close or quit Discord on mobile when idle: Shutting down the app stops background data usage.
Enable Data Saving Mode (mobile only): When turned on, uploads and media are compressed for lower-quality transmission over cellular, significantly reducing mobile data usage.
How much data does Discord use FAQ
1. How many GB of data does Discord take?
Discord’s data usage varies widely depending on activity—for example, voice calls typically use around 28 MB per hour, while screen sharing or streaming can use up to 1.9 GB per hour.
2. How much data will a 1-hour video call use?
One-on-one video calls on Discord average around 270 MB per hour, with most estimates falling in the range of 200–400 MB.
3. Does Discord use up a lot of Wi-Fi?
Discord can use significant Wi-Fi data depending on activity—text chat uses minimal amounts, but video calls and especially screen sharing can be data-heavy.
4. How much bandwidth does Discord use?
Bandwidth usage on Discord depends on quality settings; voice typically consumes around 32–96 kbps, and video/screen share can consume multiple Mbps depending on resolution.
5. Does Discord on PC consume more data than the mobile Discord app?
Yes—one source estimates average usage is about 20 MB/hour on desktop, 15 MB/hour on mobile, and 18 MB/hour on web, meaning desktop usage tends to be slightly higher.
6. How much data does voice chat use on Discord?
Voice chat uses approximately 28 MB per hour under typical conditions, although lower-bitrate settings may use less.
7. How much data does Discord use for texting?
Text messaging on Discord uses very little data: around 0.28 MB per hour in one-on-one conversations, or roughly 0.02 MB per message.
8. How many users does Discord have in 2025?
Discord is projected to reach approximately 656 million registered users in 2025.
Vukasin Petrovic is an experienced content specialist and copywriter with expertise in digital marketing, on-page SEO, and inbound lead generation. With a degree in English and a master's in creative writing, he creates compelling content that delivers measurable results for businesses.
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