Upload vs. download speed: How to tell them apart?

The difference between upload speed and download speed can be quite confusing for most people. In this guide we break down the major differences for you and help you figure out what speed may be right for your home or office.

You might be pleased with yourself thinking you got the fastest internet speed on the market when suddenly, you go to upload a video to Facebook or a large file to a remote server and your internet slows to a crawl and wham!You’ve just encountered the wrath of slow internet upload speeds.

How internet speed works

Internet speed is measured by how much data your internet connection can transfer per second, which is megabits per second or Mbps. The internet speeds you see in Mbps measure the rate at which a provider delivers internet data to and from your home (commonly referred to as download speed).

Data is bidirectional — you download and upload information from the internet, so each internet connection will have download speeds and upload speeds.

What is download speed?

Download speed refers to how many megabits of data per second it takes to download data from a server in the form of images, videos, text, files and audio. Activities such as listening to music on Spotify, downloading large files or streaming videos on Netflix all require you to download data.

What is a good download speed?

In general, speeds of at least 5 Mbps are considered good download speeds since they meet the. Keep in mind though that the greater the number of devices, internet users and their online activities in your home can change what’s considered a good download speed.

What is upload speed?

Upload speed refers to how many megabits of data per second you can send information from your computer to another device or server on the internet. While downloading information is more common, some online activities need data to travel in the opposite direction. Sending emails or video calling on Zoom require fast upload speeds for you to send data to someone else’s server.

What is a good upload speed?

In general, upload speeds of 3 Mbps are considered good. If you or anyone in your household regularly uploads videos to YouTube or works from home, though, you may need a plan with higher upload speeds.

What is internet bandwidth?

Bandwidth is kind of like a highway — the more lanes you have, the more room you give to traveling cars, which lets cars go faster and allows a higher volume of cars through to their destination.

Mbps is a good indicator of how much bandwidth your home Wi-Fi connection has. The more internet bandwidth you have, the higher your volume of data that can be downloaded at a reasonable pace. And you can increase the speed at which the data travels because more of it can flow.

So what kind of bandwidth do you need?

When you consider what internet speeds you need for various activities, you should take into account both download and upload speeds. Depending on what your favorite online activities are, one may be more important than the other.

Download speed vs. upload speed

Many internet providers offer internet plans with faster download speeds than upload.

Who has the fastest internet upload and download speeds

The internet speed you need depends heavily on your online activities and how many internet users you have at home.

As you think about what activities you use the internet for at home, you may decide that having fast upload speeds is more important than download speeds. You may find that you don’t really need fast upload speeds and just want fast download speeds that can handle streaming on multiple devices.

Provider internet download and upload speeds

Provider Download speed up to Upload speed up to

AT&T DSL

25 Mbps 2-5 Mbps

AT&T DSL

75 Mbps 20 Mbps

AT&T DSL

100 Mbps 20 Mbps

AT&T DSL

500 Mbps 100 Mbps

AT&T Fiber

50 Mbps 50 Mbps

AT&T Fiber

100 Mbps 100 Mbps

AT&T Fiber

300 Mbps 300 Mbps

AT&T Fiber

940 Mbps 880 Mbps

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Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. Speeds may vary. As of 04/26/21.

Why internet upload speeds are slow and download speeds are fast

Most providers focus on download speed vs. upload speed because the majority of online activities need more download bandwidth than upload bandwidth. As you’ll see below, most common online activities rely heavily on fast download speeds.

Since other activities that call for uploading data still require information to travel in both directions, the average person consistently needs higher download speeds than upload.

However, fiber internet connections are a unique exception. Fiber internet providers frequently offer upload internet speeds that mirror download speeds.

Upload vs. download: When download speeds matter

The following common activities rely more on download speeds:

l Watching a Netflix movie or show

l Shopping online

l Scrolling through social media

l Viewing YouTube videos

l Reading online articles

l Streaming music services

Upload vs. download: When upload speeds matter

Some activities do require a bit of upload bandwidth, though. Without adequate bandwidth, some of the following activities could result in slowed internet speeds or buffering:

l Video calls or conferences

l Live tournament-style gaming

l Sending emails with large attachments

l Backing up data to online or cloud storage services

l Uploading videos to social media

l Working on live, cloud-hosted documents like Google Sheets or Docs

How to check your internet speed

You can find out what your internet upload speed is and measure your download speed by using a free internet speed test. A speed test will measure both upload and download rates. We recommend testing internet speeds in multiple parts of your home to check consistency and see if you need to boost your Wi-Fi connection at home.