Recommended streaming bitrate for Twitch, YouTube and more.
Bitrate is the amount of data per second in your stream: too low and the image looks pixelated in motion; too high and you exceed the platform limit or saturate your upload. The ideal figure depends on resolution, FPS, codec and —crucially— how much motion your content has: a frantic shooter needs far more than a talking head with a fixed camera.
Each platform has its cap: Twitch recommends up to 6,000 kbps for most channels, while YouTube allows quite a bit more. If your ideal bitrate exceeds the limit, we warn you, and it is best to lower resolution or FPS, or switch to a more efficient codec. HEVC and AV1 achieve the same quality at a lower bitrate than H.264, as long as your graphics card and the platform support them.
We also calculate the upload bandwidth you need with a 35% margin over the total: streaming right at your connection's limit causes drops the moment anything else uploads on your network. Always leave headroom between your bitrate and your real upload speed.
Bitrate is how much data per second the encoder spends describing the picture. When there is not enough, the encoder has to simplify: blocking appears in fast-moving areas, backgrounds smear and small text becomes unreadable. When there is too much, you waste upload bandwidth and may lock out viewers on slow connections without gaining any quality.
The right figure depends on three things: resolution, frame rate and how much the image moves. A strategy game with a static camera compresses beautifully; a fast shooter with particles, smoke and moving grass is the worst possible case for an encoder. That is why recommendations come as a range, and why you should sit at the top of it if your content is busy.
The codec changes the rules. H.264 is the universally compatible standard, but it needs more bitrate for the same quality. HEVC and AV1 reach equivalent quality with considerably less — AV1 can save close to half compared with H.264 — though availability depends on the platform and on the graphics card doing the encoding. If the platform accepts AV1 and your hardware supports it, it is the best quality-per-megabit option today.
Your connection sets the hard limit. The sensible rule is to use no more than 70-75% of your measured upload, not the speed you pay for: the rest is needed for audio, chat, background updates and spikes. If your upload is unstable, streaming 1080p with comfortable headroom beats 1440p on the edge of saturation, because a dropped frame is far more noticeable than slightly lower resolution.
Remember that the platform re-encodes your stream. What you send is the source every viewer quality is derived from, so a setting that is too tight gets degraded twice. For video on demand you can be generous — it is processed once and stored — while for live streaming stability wins.
Only up to a point. Beyond the platform limit it is useless, and if it exceeds your upload it causes drops. Aim for balance, not the maximum.
H.264 is the most compatible; HEVC and AV1 achieve the same quality at a lower bitrate, ideal if your graphics card and platform support them.
Because streaming at 100% of your upload leaves no margin for the rest of your network and causes drops. We recommend a 35% margin over the total.
Modern hardware encoders (NVENC, AMF, Quick Sync) are very close to software quality and barely cost you any game performance. Software encoding gives slightly better quality at the same bitrate but uses a lot of CPU and can cost you frames.
Because the platform generates lower qualities from your signal. If your source is already tight, those versions degrade further. Viewers may also be watching a lower automatic quality because of their own connection.
128 to 160 kbps in stereo is enough for voice and background music. Add that to the video figure when working out how much upload you need.