The more storage you want on your iPad, the more you have to spend. There’s a $150 price difference between a 64GB iPad and a 256GB iPad.
| 64GB iPad | 256GB iPad |
| $449.99 | $599.99 |
To know how much storage you need on your iPad, you need to know a few things, like the average size of a photo, video, app, PDF document, movie, etc.
When you purchase a 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB iPad, the actual available storage is slightly less. iPadOS uses around 9GB, and system data takes up about 7GB.
| Description | Usage | |
| 32GB | Limited | Few apps, few media files, web, social media, streaming services(Netflix, Spotify, Disney+, Hulu, YouTube, etc.) |
| 64GB | Basic | Apps and media will still be limited. Games, streaming services(Netflix, Spotify, Disney+, Hulu, YouTube, etc.), and web browsing, social media. |
| 128GB | Average User | Photos, music(offline), videos, apps, games, web, social media, movies(offline) and all streaming services. |
| 256GB+ | Power User | Heavy apps, photos, Videos (4k), web, social media, music(offline), movies(offline), heavy Games and all streaming services. |
What Are The iPad Storage Options?
| 64GB Price | 256GB Price | 512GB Price | 1TB Price | 2TB Price | |
| iPad | $449 | $599 | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| iPad Mini | $499 | $649 | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| iPad Air | $599 | $749 | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| iPad Pro 11 inch | ❌ | $899 | $1099 | $1499 | $1899 |
| iPad Pro 12.9 inch | ❌ | $1199 | $1399 | $1799 | $2199 |
The prices will vary depending on your location and the retailer you buy it from.
The 32GB option is no longer available for the newest iPads. The iPad 8th gen was the last one to offer 32GB storage. The 9th gen starts with 64GB, and the iPad Pro starts with 128 GB
Average Sizes of Apps, Movies, Photos, etc. on iPad
Knowing how much each app, file, or movie weighs is helpful if you need to decide between two or more storage options.
| Size | |
| Netflix Movies (Offline) | 600-900MB |
| TV Series Episode (Offline) | 150-500MB |
| Photos | 3-20MB |
| Screenshots | 1-2MB |
| Songs | 5-10MB |
| Apps | 100MB-1GB |
| Games | 100MB-5GB |
These are rough estimates. The size depends on the quality of the movie, the length of the movie, etc.
When it comes to apps, the size can grow with each update, each patch, etc.
If you are going to watch movies online, you don’t need storage capacity, all you need is the streaming app.
Note-Taking Apps on iPad
iPads are known for the ability to take notes with Apple Pencil, that’s something you can’t do on a MacBook or iPhone. It’s a significant factor that motivates many to buy an iPad.
Let’s take a look at the size of these apps:
| Size | |
| Notability | ~300MB |
| Goodnotes 6 | ~430MB |
| Microsoft OneNote | ~220MB |
The note-taking apps themselves are not big in size, but they will grow in size with each note and each picture you add to the app.
If you are starting out with your studies and will have to take notes on your iPad for 4+ years, I would suggest thinking one step forward and buying a 256GB storage option just to be safe.
Most Popular Apps on iPad and Their Size
You have to know the average size of apps and games to determine how much storage you need on an iPad.
| App | Size |
| YouTube | ~600MB |
| TikTok | ~372MB |
| YouTube Kids | ~189MB |
| Spotify | ~160MB |
| Twitch | ~200MB |
| Discord | ~192MB |
| Google Chrome | ~282MB |
| ~312MB | |
| Twitter/X | ~231MB |
| ~150MB | |
| Adobe Photoshop | ~308MB |
| Procreate | ~580MB |
| Sketchbook | ~130MB |
| Lightroom | ~308MB |
| Microsoft Teams | ~331MB |
| Zoom | ~184MB |
| Netflix | ~163MB |
| Disney+ | ~240MB |
| MAX: Stream HBO, TV & Movies | ~110MB |
| Peacock TV | ~106MB |
| Roblox | ~242MB |
| ChatGPT | ~41MB |
| Duolingo | ~310MB |
Most Popular Apps on iPad and Their Size
| Game | Size |
| Among Us | ~540MB |
| Hearthstone | ~3.5GB |
| Monopoly Go | ~240MB |
| Pokemon Go | ~351MB |
| Stardew Valley | ~367MB |
| Clash Royal | ~208MB |
| Royal Match | ~240MB |
| Minecraft | ~900MB |
| Alto’s Odyssey | ~218MB |
| Bastion | ~1.4GB |
| Catana HD | ~813MB |
| Monument Valley | ~316MB |
| Call Of Duty | ~2.8GB |
| Asphalt 9 | ~3GB |
| Genshin Impact | ~3.46GB |
Which iPad Storage Capacity Should You Choose?
You should choose your iPad storage based on your behavior. How you plan to use it is the first question you should answer. The second question you should be answering is what apps you will download.
Check the size of the apps you plan to use on your iPad in the App Store. It will help you make a better decision.
Is 32GB Enough?
The 32GB iPad model falls under the Limited category. It’s enough storage capacity to download a few apps, browse the internet, take notes, check your email, play a few games, and watch YouTube videos or Movies on Netflix or other streaming apps like Hulu. HBO, Disney+, etc.
If you want to download movies or heavy apps/games and take notes on a daily basis, you might find 32GB limiting.
Is 64GB Enough?
64GB is the basic storage model. If you want to have a few apps and games, occasionally download a movie and watch some TV shows on your iPad, take notes, share notes, browse the web and social media, and do online shopping – 64GB is enough.
If you are a student who plans to take notes on 64GB iPad for 4+ years, it won’t be enough. Each note you take on the iPad will add to its size. Or if you plan to keep a lot of downloads on your iPad or edit pictures/videos in the long run.
Is 128GB Enough?
The 128GB storage is for Average users. With 128 GB, you can save photos, download music, store videos, get apps, play games, use the web, watch movies offline or online, and save notes. If storage gets low, deleting unused apps is recommended to speed up your device. Movies, videos, and games can be deleted when no longer used.
Overall, 128 GB is enough for student, personal, and professional use. The Files aren’t too big, and if needed, you can delete what’s not necessary. Stay organized, or use cloud storage or external storage if needed.
Is 256GB Enough?
256GB of storage on iPads is considered to be for power users. It will be enough storage to save photos and videos, download music, watch TV shows, play games, and download apps. You will be able to take notes on it, browse the web social media, and do online shopping without worrying about storage space.
If you do work with large files like professional photos and videos, there is always cloud storage and external hard drives where you can store them in case you run out of storage.
Most Popular iPad Storage Option
256GB iPad is the most popular model right now based on Google Trends. You can see in the graph below that the trend is switching. But we also have to keep in mind that only iPad Pro has a 128GB model. Other iPad models have the 64GB option storage or 256GB.
64GB iPad is the second most popular pick right after the 256GB model. Sometimes, it’s a good option to go with the crowd if you’re indecisive. 256GB storage for iPad is a safe bet if you are not sure whether or not 64GB will be enough for you.
Can iPad Storage Be Expanded?
Physically, you can’t expand iPads storage. If you buy a 256GB iPad, it will stay that way. But there are some things you can do. You can buy an external hard drive and store files and photos there, and you can buy more cloud storage for your iPad.
Getting an External Hard Drive
When your iPad is running out of storage, the smart move is to get an external hard drive. Nowadays, iPads can connect to these external drives, making it easy to store photos and files.
Connecting an external hard drive to an iPad is possible. But there are things you should know. You can store files like PDFs and photos, but you won’t be able to store your apps and games on an external hard drive.
Another great usage is to upload movies from your Mac or PC to a hard drive, and then you can watch these movies from your iPad without using any storage space. You will need to download a video player for iPad in order to do this.
Cloud Storage
Another option to expand storage on your iPad is to buy more cloud storage. There are many cloud storage to choose from, Dropbox, and Google Drive, but I recommend using Apple’s own cloud storage – iCloud for easier setup.It works really well with iPads because it’s built right into iOS.
By the way, if you want to use your cloud storage anywhere, think about getting an iPad with cellular. So you have an internet connection at all times, and you are not dependent on WiFI accessibility.
How To Check Your iPad Storage
In order to check how much storage your iPad has follow these steps:
- Step 1: On your iPad, launch the ‘Settings’ app by tapping the Gear icon.
- Step 2: Under the Settings menu, look for ‘General‘ and tap on it.
- Step 3: Find and hit the option that says ‘iPad Storage‘
Once done, you’ll find your iPad displaying a visual representation of the storage section left for usage. The screen also showcases the list of apps taking up the most memory.
Where To Buy?
Made a decision on the storage? Pick the model now:
| Image | Product | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
128GB Option  |
| 9.9 | Buy on Amazon |
128GB Option  |
| 9.7 | Buy on Amazon |
64GB Option  |
| 8.8 | Buy on Amazon |
64GB Option  |
| 8.9 | Buy on Amazon |
64GB Option  |
| 8.6 | Buy on Amazon |
I'm a writer and editor in iPads & Android Tablets, Windows Tablet section. I'm passionate about technology, especially about tablets. I'm on a mission to assist people in discovering their ideal tablets. In addition, I'm dedicated to producing helpful how-to guides and sharing top-notch tips and tricks. In my early carrier I founded and became and editor at worldoftablet and have been a guest author at many other tech blogs. In wolfoftablet I'm focusing on iPads, Tablets, Apple Pencil, Apps, Reviews, Buyers Guides and Tablet Accessories. In free time I like to play games on my PS5 or iOS.
