The difference between Mbps and MB/s
Your provider advertises speed in Mbps (megabits per second, lowercase b). But your browser and download manager show MB/s (megabytes per second, uppercase B). Since 1 byte equals 8 bits, to go from Mbps to MB/s you just divide by 8.
| Plan (Mbps) | Real download (MB/s) |
|---|---|
| 20 Mbps | 2.5 MB/s |
| 50 Mbps | 6.25 MB/s |
| 100 Mbps | 12.5 MB/s |
| 300 Mbps | 37.5 MB/s |
| 1,000 Mbps (1 Gbps) | 125 MB/s |
The formula
- Mbps to MB/s: divide by 8 →
MB/s = Mbps ÷ 8 - MB/s to Mbps: multiply by 8 →
Mbps = MB/s × 8
Frequently asked questions
Is my internet slower than advertised?
Almost never because of this. If you pay for 100 Mbps and download at 12.5 MB/s, you're getting exactly your speed. The confusion comes from comparing bits with bytes.
What is a Gbps?
1 Gbps (gigabit per second) is 1,000 Mbps, i.e. 125 MB/s. It's the typical speed of high-end fiber.