How much VPN data do you need? Start by testing with the free 1 GB each month
The short answer: test first, then buy
A reliable way to estimate how much data you need is to claim the free 1 GB each month, run your real tasks for a while, and then choose a data plan of the right size based on the usage shown in your account. Guessing a number by feel often ends one of two ways: you buy too much, or you run short partway through.
AnBo is billed by data plan, and all data is valid for 1 month. Data you buy but don’t use expires, while buying too little can interrupt your work, so choosing by actual usage is safer than choosing by expectation.
Run a real test with the free data
After you register an account, you can claim 1 GB of free shared-IP data each month, valid for 1 month once claimed. This data is meant for checking three things rather than for saving money: whether the region you need works for you, whether the speed is acceptable, and whether your devices and workflow are compatible.
Test with real tasks
Don’t draw a conclusion from clicking through a few web pages. Go through everything you actually do from start to finish: open the web pages and tools you use every day, handle a day’s email, and run a typical development or office workflow. The closer the test tasks are to your daily routine, the more useful the usage figures will be.
Set up routing before you test
If you plan to use app-level smart routing day to day, turn it on during the test too, so the usage you measure matches what you will actually see. Testing with everything going through the VPN and then turning on routing for day-to-day use gives you a number that is clearly too high.
Leave time to observe
One day’s usage may not be representative. If you can, observe for about a week so that weekdays and weekends, light days and busy days are all covered, then look at the total usage in your account. Jot down each day’s usage during the test, even if it’s only a number in a notes app. With a record in hand, you won’t need to start the test over the next time you adjust your capacity.
Data use varies a lot by type of use
| Type of use | Data use | Suggestion |
|---|---|---|
| Text-based web pages, email | Light | Works as the baseline for your everyday usage estimate |
| Ordinary AI chats | Light | Mostly text, so usage is usually easy to keep in check |
| HD video | Noticeably higher | Not well suited to long sessions; try it on a small scale first |
| Large downloads, continuous syncing | Noticeably higher | Keep these on a direct connection so they don’t use up the data you bought |
AnBo is billed by data plan, so it isn’t suited to long HD video sessions or round-the-clock high-bandwidth transfers. It fits tasks such as office work, development, AI tools and light web browsing.
Data use that’s easy to overlook
When people estimate, they usually think only of the apps they open on purpose and overlook what runs in the background. Automatic software updates, file-sync tools, cloud backups and page prefetching in the browser can all use data without you noticing. If their traffic goes through the VPN too, your usage will come out higher than you expected.
During the test, keep an eye on which apps use the largest amount of data, and which of them don’t actually need to go through the VPN. Switching those apps to a direct connection can directly reduce the capacity you need to buy.
A way to work out the number
Say you tested for a week. The total usage shown in your account is what you actually used that week. Multiply it by 4 for a rough monthly figure, then add some headroom for the heavier weeks. How much headroom depends on how steady your tasks are: leave a little less if your work is fixed, and more if short-notice tasks come up often.
If the week you tested happened to be unusually quiet or unusually busy, the estimate will come out too low or too high. In that case, observing for one more week is more reliable than forcing a number. If you mostly do text-based work, the free data can often cover a fairly long test. If your work involves video calls or large files, watch your usage sooner and keep those apps on a direct connection.
Keeping what you buy close to what you need
Once you have a usage estimate, two things can help your capacity go further.
- Turn on app-level smart routing so that only the apps that need a specific exit go through the VPN and everything else stays on your local network, which cuts unnecessary use;
- Keep tasks that use a lot of data and don’t need a specific exit, such as large downloads and system updates, on a direct connection where you can.
For how to set up routing, see this guide: How to use app-level smart routing.
How to tell whether your capacity is enough
After you buy, check the usage in your account once a week and compare it with the days left. If usage is growing clearly faster than the days are passing, your capacity is tight and you can top up early. If plenty is left near the end of the month, choose a smaller size next month.
Estimate again whenever the way you use AnBo changes. A new way of working, more devices, starting to use TUN mode, or a new app that uses a lot of data are all reasons to run another test instead of reusing the old number.
Things to keep in mind when choosing a data plan
Estimate each type of exit separately
Dynamic IP, fixed IP, fixed residential IP and fixed home broadband IP each use a separate resource pool and a separate data balance, and the balances can’t be shared. If you need more than one type of exit, estimate and buy for each one separately.
Several devices share one balance
One account can be used on multiple devices with no extra charge per device, but those devices share a single data balance. When you estimate, add up the usage of all your devices instead of counting only one.
Top up when you run short instead of buying a lot at once
Data is valid for only 1 month, so if you buy too much at once, whatever is left will expire. Choose a size based on the usage you measured, and if you find partway through the month that it isn’t enough, top up then. That usually costs less than buying a large plan at the start.
