Data Transfer Rate Converter
Convert between bits per second, kilobits, megabits, gigabits, and more data rate units.
Each step along the axis is ten times the one before — the data-transfer units span 12 orders of magnitude, so a straight scale would bunch almost all of them at one end.
Instant insight
Megabits and megabytes differ by eight
Connections are sold in megabits per second, files are measured in megabytes. A 100 Mbps line downloads at about 12.5 MB/s at best.
Divide the advertised speed by eight to get the download rate you will actually see.
Check the direction of the conversion
Going from bps to kbps, the number should get bigger if the new unit is smaller, and smaller if it is bigger.
If it moved the wrong way, the factor has been applied upside down — the most common conversion error there is.
Worked out in your browser — nothing is sent anywhere. Comparison figures are approximate.
Common conversions
Quick Reference — 1 unit = ? Kilobits per Second (kbps)
| Unit | Value |
|---|---|
| Bits per Second (bps) | 0.001 |
| Kilobits per Second (kbps) | 1 |
| Megabits per Second (Mbps) | 1000 |
| Gigabits per Second (Gbps) | 1000000 |
| Terabits per Second (Tbps) | 1000000000 |
| Bytes per Second (B/s) | 0.008 |
| Kilobytes per Second (KB/s) | 8 |
| Megabytes per Second (MB/s) | 8000 |
Formula
Multiply by (from factor / to factor)
Everyday Uses
Internet speed reality
"100 Mbps" broadband downloads at 12.5 MB/s — convert bits to bytes and know how long that 4 GB file really takes.
Streaming requirements
4K needs ~25 Mbps — convert your plan's speed to see how many simultaneous streams your household supports.
Upload time estimates
Sending 500 MB on a 10 Mbps upload? Convert and compute — about 7 minutes, not the seconds you hoped.
Comparing ISP plans
Providers mix Mbps, MB/s, and GB caps deliberately — convert everything to one unit and compare fairly.
Backup and upload windows
Estimate how long a large upload will take at your connection's actual speed.
Latency versus bandwidth
Understand why a fast connection can still feel slow — throughput and delay are different measurements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my internet speed in Mbps but my download speed shows MB/s?
Internet service providers advertise speeds in megabits per second (Mbps); browsers and download managers show progress in megabytes per second (MB/s). Since 1 byte = 8 bits, divide Mbps by 8 to get MB/s. A 100 Mbps plan delivers ~12.5 MB/s maximum. A 1 Gbps (gigabit) fibre plan = 125 MB/s. A 50 Mbps plan = ~6.25 MB/s. So a 1 GB file download takes: on 50 Mbps ≈ 160 seconds; on 1 Gbps ≈ 8 seconds.
What are typical internet speeds and what do they support?
Speed requirements by use case: 5 Mbps — standard definition video streaming (Netflix SD). 15–25 Mbps — HD video streaming (1080p). 25 Mbps — recommended minimum for 4K Netflix. 50 Mbps — comfortable for a household of 2–3 people. 100 Mbps — suitable for heavy use (4K, gaming, video calls). 500 Mbps–1 Gbps — fast fibre for power users or households with many devices. Upload speeds matter for video calls and cloud backups — many "100 Mbps" plans only offer 10–20 Mbps upload.
What is the difference between Mbps and MBps (capital vs. lowercase b)?
Mbps = megabits per second (lowercase b = bit). MBps = megabytes per second (uppercase B = byte). This 8× difference is one of the most common sources of confusion in networking. A USB 3.0 drive rated at 500 MB/s (megabytes) = 4,000 Mbps = 4 Gbps. Ethernet cables: Cat 5e = 1 Gbps = 125 MB/s; Cat 6 = 10 Gbps = 1,250 MB/s. Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) theoretical max: 9.6 Gbps = 1,200 MB/s. Real-world speeds are always lower due to overhead and interference.
How fast is 5G compared to 4G LTE and home fibre?
4G LTE typical real-world speed: 10–50 Mbps download (up to 150 Mbps peak). 5G Sub-6 GHz (most common 5G): 100–300 Mbps typical; up to 1 Gbps peak. 5G mmWave (dense urban, short range): up to 10 Gbps theoretical; 1–4 Gbps real-world. Home fibre (FTTP): 100 Mbps–10 Gbps depending on plan. So mid-band 5G is roughly 3–10× faster than 4G LTE and competitive with average home broadband. 5G latency is also significantly lower: ~1–10 ms vs 30–50 ms for 4G.
What data transfer rates are needed for different storage media?
Read/write speed benchmarks: USB 2.0: 60 MB/s max (480 Mbps). USB 3.0/3.1: 625 MB/s (5 Gbps). USB 3.2 Gen 2×2: 2,500 MB/s (20 Gbps). Thunderbolt 4/USB4: 5,000 MB/s (40 Gbps). SATA SSD: ~550 MB/s sequential read. NVMe M.2 SSD: 3,500–7,000 MB/s. Hard disk drive (HDD): 100–200 MB/s. Blu-ray disc: ~72 Mbps = 9 MB/s. These speeds determine how long it takes to transfer large files: a 100 GB file on USB 3.0 takes ~2.7 minutes; on HDD ~8.3 minutes; on NVMe SSD ~14 seconds.