Convert internet speed between Mbps, MB/s and GB/hour and estimate transfer times.
Internet service providers market speed in megabits per second (Mbps), while file managers and download clients typically display transfer progress in megabytes per second (MBps). Since 1 byte equals 8 bits, dividing a Mbps value by 8 gives MBps, and multiplying by 1000 gives Kbps. Comparing download and upload side by side highlights the asymmetry common to most broadband plans.
Unit conversion
MBps = Mbps / 8; Kbps = Mbps × 1000
Mbps (megabits per second) measures speed in bits and is the unit ISPs use for marketing. MBps (megabytes per second) measures speed in bytes, the unit most download managers and operating systems display. 1 MBps = 8 Mbps.
Your browser or download manager reports transfer speed in MB/s (bytes), while your ISP advertises the plan in Mb/s (bits). A '100 Mbps' plan tops out around 12.5 MB/s in a file download progress bar, which can look surprisingly low if you expect the numbers to match directly.
Most cable and DSL residential plans have ratios between 5:1 and 20:1, reflecting asymmetric design. Fiber connections often provide a 1:1 symmetric ratio, which matters for video calls, cloud backups, and hosting content.