The short answer: usage decides
When you compare the two billing models, the easiest mistake is to look only at the price per GB. Monthly plans have a lower unit price, but the allowance is tied to the billing cycle; data packs have a higher unit price, but you buy once, use until it runs out, and it never expires. So the real question is the same for both: which one covers your actual monthly usage for less money.
Put those three numbers side by side and the contradiction appears: a data pack costs nearly ten times more per GB than a monthly plan, yet it can still be the cheaper choice — because unused monthly allowance doesn't roll over, while a data pack simply sits in your account and never expires, no matter how slowly you use it.
First, measure your actual monthly data
Every comparison here rests on one number: how much data you actually use in a month. It doesn't need to be accurate to the megabyte — getting the order of magnitude right is enough. 10GB, 50GB and 200GB each point to a completely different choice.
Data use for common activities
- Web browsing, research, email: about 50–150 MB per hour
- Music streaming: about 50–100 MB per hour
- 1080p video: about 1.5–3 GB per hour
- 4K video: about 6–8 GB per hour
- Video calls (720p–1080p): about 0.5–1.5 GB per hour
- Cloud sync and system updates: depends on file size — anywhere from a few GB to 10+ GB at a time is normal
Rough estimates from this table: one hour of 1080p video a day adds up to 45–90GB a month; switch to 4K and the same viewing time climbs to 180–240GB. That's why “I mostly just watch video” can mean four times as much data at 4K as at 1080p. Bitrates vary between platforms, so the exact numbers will differ, but the order of magnitude holds.
Turn 7 days of data into a monthly estimate
- Open the client, find the data usage stats and note the current total.
- Use it normally for 7 days — no need to ration data or deliberately use more.
- Note the figure again on day 7 and subtract the two numbers to get your 7-day usage.
- Multiply by 4.3 to convert it into a monthly figure.
- Add 20% headroom to that result — the number you get is what you base your plan choice on.
Go by the client's usage figures
Your operating system's data counter includes every network request, so it won't necessarily match how your plan's allowance is deducted. When choosing a tier, go by the usage shown in the client, and track it over two or three months in a row — that's more reliable than a single month.
How monthly plans and data packs differ
It's not just the price that differs — how the allowance is delivered decides who each option suits.
| Feature | Monthly plan | Data pack |
|---|---|---|
| Allowance options | 60GB / 250GB / 500GB | 300GB / 1000GB / 3000GB |
| Price | ¥9.9 / ¥18 / ¥28 per month | ¥158 / ¥358 / ¥658 one-time |
| How the allowance works | Allowance provided per billing cycle | Credited once, used until it runs out |
| Validity | Tied to the billing cycle | Never expires |
| Cost per GB | About ¥0.056 – ¥0.165 | About ¥0.219 – ¥0.527 |
| Best for | Steady, higher monthly usage | Low usage, or usage that fluctuates |
The row most often misread in this table is “cost per GB”. Data packs have a higher unit price, but a monthly plan's allowance follows the billing cycle — whatever you don't use doesn't carry over. A data pack stays put: using 5GB one month and 80GB the next changes nothing. So what you're really comparing is “how much per month to cover your actual usage”, not “how much per GB”.
Don't pick a bigger monthly plan just for a lower unit price
If you only use 10GB a month but pick the 500GB tier, you save on the per-GB price and spend ¥28 more every month. Conversely, someone who steadily uses 200GB a month and buys a 300GB data pack gets only 1.5 months out of it — over ¥100 a month. Match the tier to your usage, not to the unit price.
Running the numbers on three typical usage levels
Below we work out the actual cost of a monthly plan and a data pack for three profiles: 10GB, 50GB and 200GB a month. For monthly plans we use the cheapest tier that covers that usage; for data packs we spread the cost across the months it lasts.
| Monthly usage | Monthly plan option | Monthly cost | Data pack option | Cost per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| About 10GB | 60GB tier | ¥9.9 | 300GB pack, lasts 30 months | About ¥5.3 |
| About 50GB | 60GB tier | ¥9.9 | 1000GB pack, lasts 20 months | About ¥17.9 |
| About 200GB | 250GB tier | ¥18 | 3000GB pack, lasts 15 months | About ¥43.9 |
Light browsing: about 10GB a month
Browsing the web, watching some 1080p video and sending files adds up to around 10GB a month. The cheapest monthly plan, the 60GB tier, costs ¥9.9 a month — ¥118.8 a year. A 300GB data pack (¥158) lasts 30 months at 10GB a month, which works out to about ¥5.3 a month; a 1000GB pack (¥358) lasts 100 months, or about ¥3.6 a month.
At this level the data pack is cheaper — the trade-off is paying ¥158 or ¥358 up front. If you're fine with “money turned into credit sitting in your account”, light usage is where data packs win.
Daily work: about 50GB a month
An hour of video calls a day, plus cloud documents, collaboration tools and the odd video, comes to around 50GB a month. The 60GB monthly tier at ¥9.9 covers it with a little room to spare.
Switch to data packs and a 300GB pack lasts only 6 months — about ¥26.3 a month; a 1000GB pack lasts 20 months, about ¥17.9 a month. Both cost more than ¥9.9, and you have to keep an eye on when the allowance runs out.
Heavy streaming: about 200GB a month
An hour of 4K a day is 180–240GB a month. The 250GB monthly tier covers it for ¥18 a month.
On the data pack side, 1000GB lasts only 5 months — about ¥71.6 a month; 3000GB (¥658) lasts 15 months, about ¥43.9 a month. The heavier your usage, the more the data pack's higher unit price hurts, and the more the monthly plan's cost-per-GB advantage shows.
Match your situation: when a data pack fits
Turning the numbers above into simple conditions: the more of the following that apply to you, the better a data pack fits.
- ✅ Your monthly usage stays under 20GB — mostly web pages, email, documents and light video.
- ✅ You only need it a few months a year and barely use it the rest of the time.
- ✅ Your usage swings wildly — 5GB one month, 80GB the next — and you don't want to pay for the peaks.
- ✅ You'd rather not have a recurring charge and prefer to pay once and use it at your own pace.
- ❌ You watch 4K every day or spend hours in video calls, with monthly usage steadily above 50GB.
- ❌ You want a predictable allowance and don't want to buy again mid-way.
Conversely, if either ❌ applies, a monthly plan suits you better: the allowance arrives each cycle, you don't have to watch the balance yourself, and the unit price is lower. The number of devices doesn't change this — there's no device limit, and what decides the tier is the total usage across all your devices.
FAQ
Do data packs expire?
No. Data packs work on a “use it until it runs out, never expires” basis, in three tiers — 300GB / 1000GB / 3000GB. The allowance sits in your account, is deducted as you use it, and has no time limit.
What if my usage estimate turns out to be off?
Start one tier below your estimate, then check it against the actual usage in the client after a month or two. If the allowance feels tight, just move up a tier next cycle. This service offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so there's no need to agonise over your first choice.
Does using more devices use more data?
The number of devices doesn't cost anything extra — there's no device limit and data is counted by what you actually transfer. What decides the tier is the total usage across all your devices, not how many there are.
Make the decision in three steps
- Track your data for a week, multiply by 4.3 and add 20% headroom to get an estimate of your monthly usage.
- Under 20GB a month, look at data packs first; above 50GB, look at monthly plans first; between 20 and 50GB, let how steady your usage is decide.
- Start one tier lower for a month, check it against the client's stats, then decide whether to adjust.
Both options run on the same network — 120+ countries and 180+ routes — so the choice comes down to usage alone. If you're still unsure, start with the lowest tier and let a month of data decide.