12 comparison tools
Data & digital
Files, downloads, screens and storage, with decimal and binary prefixes kept apart.
- Backup times A backup size against realistic transfer times over each kind of connection.
- Download times A connection speed against the time it takes to move real files.
- GB vs GiB The decimal and binary prefixes side by side, and the gap that grows with every step.
- How big is that file? A file size placed between a text message, a photo, an HD film and a hard drive.
- How many photos fit? A storage capacity in phone photos, RAW files and 4K video.
- How much text is that? A file size expressed in words, pages and whole novels — the units text actually comes in.
- Memory sizes A memory size against machines from the Apollo Guidance Computer to a modern server.
- Message volume A count of messages against what people actually send in a day, a year and a lifetime.
- Password strength A password’s entropy in bits, against the guessing effort each level really costs.
- Screen resolutions A resolution in total pixels, against every screen standard from VGA to 8K.
- Streaming data use An hour of streaming at each quality level, against a monthly mobile allowance.
- The size of the internet Global data volumes against the files on your own drive.