Compression Ratio Savings Calculator

Work out compression ratio savings instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Compression Ratio Savings Calculator

Space saved is one minus the reciprocal of the compression ratio, so 3.2:1 saves 69 percent rather than 320 percent — a distinction that trips up capacity plans regularly. Ratios vary enormously by data type: text and logs compress 5:1 or better, while already-compressed media, encrypted data and random binaries compress not at all.

Formula

Compression saving

compressed = original / ratio; saved share = 1 - 1/ratio; monthly saving = saved GB x price per GB-month

Worked example

With the default values below, Compression Ratio Savings Calculator returns Monthly storage saving of $220.00. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Original data sizeminimum 0.001 GB: 4,000 GB
Compression ratioaccepts 1–100 x: 3.2 x
Storage price per GB-monthminimum 0: 0.08
CPU overhead from compressionaccepts 0–100 %: 8 %

Results

Monthly storage saving: $220.00
Compressed size: 1,250.0 GB
Space saved: 68.8%
CPU trade-off: Compression adds about 8 percent CPU overhead, which must be weighed against the storage saving

Step by step

1Values used
2Compression saving
3Monthly storage saving= 220.00
4Compressed size= 1,250.0 GB
5Space saved= 68.8
6CPU trade-off= Compression adds about 8 percent CPU overhead, which must be weighed against the storage saving

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which data compresses well?

Text, logs, JSON, database pages and virtual machine images with repeated content. Video, images, audio and encrypted blobs are already compressed or random and will not shrink.

Is compression worth the CPU cost?

Usually yes with modern algorithms. LZ4 and Zstandard at low levels compress faster than most disks can write, so throughput often improves because fewer bytes are transferred.