Live stream bitrate calculator: what bitrate should you stream at?
This live stream bitrate calculator answers the first question every new streamer asks: what bitrate should I put in my encoder? Choose the resolution and frame rate you stream at, the codec your encoder uses and the upload speed you actually measured, and it gives a video bitrate in Kbps — the unit most streaming encoders and apps ask for — that stays inside both the platform’s recommended range and your connection.
It uses YouTube’s published live encoder table for 360p up to 4K, keeps a margin of your upload free for speed dips, adds the audio track, and shows how much data the stream uses per hour. If your connection cannot carry the setting you picked, it suggests the best lower resolution or frame rate that fits instead.
How to use the Live Stream Bitrate Calculator
- Pick the output resolution and frame rate you stream at (the scaled output, not your monitor size).
- Choose the video codec: H.264 for most setups, or AV1 / H.265 if your encoder and platform support it.
- Run a speed test on the streaming computer and enter the measured upload speed. Keep the headroom at 75% unless you have a reason to change it.
- If your platform publishes a maximum bitrate, type it into Platform maximum.
- Copy the Kbps value into your encoder’s video bitrate box, set rate control to CBR and the keyframe interval to 2 seconds.
Live Stream Bitrate Calculator features
Platform figures, not guesses
Minimum and recommended bitrates for every resolution and frame rate from YouTube’s live encoder help page, for H.264 and for AV1/H.265.
Fits your real connection
The recommendation never exceeds the share of your measured upload you allow, minus audio.
Automatic step-down
If 1080p60 will not fit, it names the best resolution and frame rate that will, with the bitrate to use.
Upload needed and data used
The upload speed required for the recommended setting, and gigabytes per hour and for the whole stream.
Any platform
Enter another service’s maximum and the result respects it.
How the recommendation is worked out
usable video bitrate = upload × headroom − audio. With a 10 Mbps upload, 75% headroom and 128 kbps audio, 7.37 Mbps is available for video. YouTube lists 6 Mbps as the minimum and 17 Mbps as the recommended setting for 1080p at 60 fps with H.264, so the calculator suggests the largest value that fits, rounded down to 100 Kbps: 7,300 Kbps. To reach the full 17 Mbps you would need about (17 + 0.128) ÷ 0.75 = 22.8 Mbps of measured upload.
Headroom matters because upload speed is not constant: Wi-Fi, other devices and your provider all cause dips, and a stream that needs more than the connection delivers drops frames. The 75% figure is a common rule of thumb, not a platform rule. Data used is bitrate × time: GB per hour = Mbps × 0.45, so a 7.4 Mbps stream uses about 3.3 GB an hour.
Other encoder settings YouTube asks for
Figures from YouTube Help, “Choose live encoder settings, bitrates, and resolutions”, checked 24 October 2026. Platforms update these pages, so check the current version. Some services cap the bitrate they accept; enter that cap as the platform maximum rather than relying on a number copied from elsewhere.
- Rate control: CBR (constant bitrate).
- Keyframe interval: 2 seconds recommended; do not exceed 4 seconds.
- Frame rate: up to 60 fps. 480p and 360p are listed at 30 fps only.
- Audio: AAC or MP3, 44.1 kHz for stereo; 128 kbps stereo or 384 kbps for 5.1.
- AV1 and H.265 reach similar quality at lower bitrates — 12 Mbps instead of 17 Mbps for 1080p60 — but only if your encoder hardware and the platform accept them.
Streaming vs recording bitrate
A local recording is not limited by your upload, only by your disk and your computer, so recordings are usually made at a higher bitrate or with a constant-quality mode and edited later. To see how big a recording will be, or how many hours fit on a drive at a given bitrate, use the video bitrate calculator. Check your upload with the internet speed test before you go live, and use a lower third generator for on-screen name captions.
Live Stream Bitrate Calculator FAQ
What bitrate should I stream at for 1080p 60fps?
YouTube lists 6 Mbps as the minimum and 17 Mbps as the recommended H.264 setting for 1080p at 60 fps (12 Mbps with AV1 or H.265). Use the highest value your upload can carry with headroom — about 7,300 Kbps on a 10 Mbps upload.
How much upload speed do I need to stream?
Roughly (video bitrate + audio bitrate) ÷ 0.75. For 1080p30 at YouTube’s minimum of 5 Mbps that is about 6.8 Mbps measured upload; for 720p at 3 Mbps about 4.2 Mbps.
Should I use CBR or VBR for streaming?
CBR. YouTube’s live encoder page asks for constant bitrate, which keeps the stream steady for viewers and for the connection.
Why do I get dropped frames even though my bitrate is below my upload speed?
Upload speed varies from moment to moment, and Wi-Fi adds more variation. Lower the bitrate or the headroom percentage, use wired Ethernet, and pause other uploads such as cloud backups.
How much data does live streaming use?
GB per hour = total Mbps × 0.45. A 6 Mbps stream with 128 kbps audio uses about 2.8 GB an hour; a 2-hour stream at 17 Mbps uses about 15 GB.
Is the bitrate for recording the same as for streaming?
No. A recording is not limited by your upload, so it can use a much higher bitrate. Use the video bitrate calculator to plan file sizes.