IPRangeExplorer

/24 vs /28 — Subnet Comparison

A /24 subnet is 16× larger than a /28. Every additional bit in the prefix halves the address space — the 4-bit difference between these two means /24 has 24 = 16 times as many addresses.

/24

254 usable hosts — the industry standard

Full reference →
Total IPs 256
Usable Hosts 254
Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0
Wildcard Mask 0.0.0.255

Typical Uses

  • →Home and SOHO LAN (192.168.1.0/24)
  • →Standard office VLAN
  • →AWS/Azure subnet per AZ
/28

14 usable hosts — tiny segment

Full reference →
Total IPs 16
Usable Hosts 14
Subnet Mask 255.255.255.240
Wildcard Mask 0.0.0.15

Typical Uses

  • →AWS VPC endpoint subnet
  • →NAT gateway dedicated subnet
  • →Small server cluster

Key Differences

16×
more IPs in /24 than /28
16
/28 subnets fit inside one /24
4
bits of difference in prefix length

How 16 /28 Subnets Divide a /24

Example using 10.0.0.0/24 as the parent block.

# CIDR Network First Usable Last Usable Broadcast Hosts
1 10.0.0.0/28 10.0.0.0 10.0.0.1 10.0.0.14 10.0.0.15 14
2 10.0.0.16/28 10.0.0.16 10.0.0.17 10.0.0.30 10.0.0.31 14
3 10.0.0.32/28 10.0.0.32 10.0.0.33 10.0.0.46 10.0.0.47 14
4 10.0.0.48/28 10.0.0.48 10.0.0.49 10.0.0.62 10.0.0.63 14
5 10.0.0.64/28 10.0.0.64 10.0.0.65 10.0.0.78 10.0.0.79 14
6 10.0.0.80/28 10.0.0.80 10.0.0.81 10.0.0.94 10.0.0.95 14
7 10.0.0.96/28 10.0.0.96 10.0.0.97 10.0.0.110 10.0.0.111 14
8 10.0.0.112/28 10.0.0.112 10.0.0.113 10.0.0.126 10.0.0.127 14
9 10.0.0.128/28 10.0.0.128 10.0.0.129 10.0.0.142 10.0.0.143 14
10 10.0.0.144/28 10.0.0.144 10.0.0.145 10.0.0.158 10.0.0.159 14
11 10.0.0.160/28 10.0.0.160 10.0.0.161 10.0.0.174 10.0.0.175 14
12 10.0.0.176/28 10.0.0.176 10.0.0.177 10.0.0.190 10.0.0.191 14
13 10.0.0.192/28 10.0.0.192 10.0.0.193 10.0.0.206 10.0.0.207 14
14 10.0.0.208/28 10.0.0.208 10.0.0.209 10.0.0.222 10.0.0.223 14
15 10.0.0.224/28 10.0.0.224 10.0.0.225 10.0.0.238 10.0.0.239 14
16 10.0.0.240/28 10.0.0.240 10.0.0.241 10.0.0.254 10.0.0.255 14

FAQ

What is the difference between /24 and /28?

A /24 has 254 usable hosts and a /28 has 14. The subnet masks differ: /24 uses 255.255.255.0 while /28 uses 255.255.255.240. Every additional bit in the prefix halves the number of addresses — so the 4-bit gap means /24 is exactly 16× larger.

How many /28 subnets fit in a /24?

Exactly 16 /28 subnets fit perfectly inside one /24 with no wasted space. To split a /24 into /28s, just increment the last 4 bits of the network address for each new subnet.

Which should I choose?

/24 is typically used for: Standard subnet — home, office, cloud. /28 is better for: AWS NAT/endpoint dedicated subnet. Choose the smallest prefix that comfortably fits your host count — over-allocating wastes address space, but under-allocating means painful renumbering later.

Related Comparisons

/8 vs /24 /16 vs /24 /24 vs /25 /24 vs /26 /24 vs /27 /27 vs /28