/24 vs /26 — Subnet Comparison
A /24 subnet is 4× larger than a /26. Every additional bit in the prefix halves the address space — the 2-bit difference between these two means /24 has 22 = 4 times as many addresses.
254 usable hosts — the industry standard
Typical Uses
- →Home and SOHO LAN (192.168.1.0/24)
- →Standard office VLAN
- →AWS/Azure subnet per AZ
62 usable hosts — quarter of a /24
Typical Uses
- →Cloud subnet per tier (web, app, db)
- →Small department or team VLAN
- →Security zone isolation
Key Differences
How 4 /26 Subnets Divide a /24
Example using 10.0.0.0/24 as the parent block.
| # | CIDR | Network | First Usable | Last Usable | Broadcast | Hosts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10.0.0.0/26 | 10.0.0.0 | 10.0.0.1 | 10.0.0.62 | 10.0.0.63 | 62 |
| 2 | 10.0.0.64/26 | 10.0.0.64 | 10.0.0.65 | 10.0.0.126 | 10.0.0.127 | 62 |
| 3 | 10.0.0.128/26 | 10.0.0.128 | 10.0.0.129 | 10.0.0.190 | 10.0.0.191 | 62 |
| 4 | 10.0.0.192/26 | 10.0.0.192 | 10.0.0.193 | 10.0.0.254 | 10.0.0.255 | 62 |
FAQ
What is the difference between /24 and /26?
A /24 has 254 usable hosts
and a /26 has 62.
The subnet masks differ: /24 uses 255.255.255.0
while /26 uses 255.255.255.192.
Every additional bit in the prefix halves the number of addresses — so the 2-bit gap means
/24 is exactly 4× larger.
How many /26 subnets fit in a /24?
Exactly 4 /26 subnets fit perfectly inside one /24 with no wasted space. To split a /24 into /26s, just increment the last 2 bits of the network address for each new subnet.
Which should I choose?
/24 is typically used for: Standard subnet — home, office, cloud. /26 is better for: Cloud per-tier subnet, small VLAN. Choose the smallest prefix that comfortably fits your host count — over-allocating wastes address space, but under-allocating means painful renumbering later.