OneTaskBy Tim King · Updated
Stream Bitrate Recommender
Best Bitrate for OBS and Live Streams
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How the Stream Bitrate Recommender works
This stream bitrate recommender suggests a video bitrate for your live stream from its resolution, frame rate, content and encoder. It also shows the total stream rate, the upload speed you need to stream it reliably and how much data an hour of streaming uses.
Bitrate is the single most important streaming setting. Too low and the picture turns to blocks whenever the scene moves. Too high and your connection cannot keep up, so OBS drops frames and viewers on slower links buffer. The right figure depends on how many pixels you send each second and how hard they are to compress.
The stream bitrate recommender formula
The formula is: video bitrate = width × height × frames per second × bits per pixel. Bits per pixel is 0.04 for talking heads and slides, 0.06 for gaming and 0.08 for fast action or sport, where every pixel changes every frame. HEVC and AV1 compress about 35% better than H.264, so their figure is multiplied by 0.65. The upload speed needed is the total stream rate × 1.5, which leaves headroom for other traffic and dips in your line.
Worked example, 1080p60 gaming in H.264: 1,920 × 1,080 × 60 × 0.06 = 7,465 kbit/s. Add 160 kbit/s audio for 7.6 Mbit/s in total, so you want an upload speed of at least 11.4 Mbit/s.
Worked example, a 720p30 webinar: 1,280 × 720 × 30 × 0.04 = 1,106 kbit/s. With 128 kbit/s audio the stream is 1.2 Mbit/s, and a 2 Mbit/s upload is enough.
How many viewers can you serve? With a platform such as Twitch or YouTube, any number: you send one stream and their servers copy it. Only peer-to-peer or self-hosted setups multiply your upload.
Video bitrate by resolution and frame rate for gaming
| Format | H.264 kbit/s | HEVC or AV1 kbit/s | Upload Mbit/s |
|---|---|---|---|
| 480p 24 | 590 | 384 | 0.9 |
| 480p 30 | 738 | 480 | 1.1 |
| 480p 50 | 1,230 | 799 | 1.8 |
| 480p 60 | 1,476 | 959 | 2.2 |
| 720p 24 | 1,327 | 863 | 2.0 |
| 720p 30 | 1,659 | 1,078 | 2.5 |
| 720p 50 | 2,765 | 1,797 | 4.1 |
| 720p 60 | 3,318 | 2,157 | 5.0 |
| 900p 24 | 2,074 | 1,348 | 3.1 |
| 900p 30 | 2,592 | 1,685 | 3.9 |
| 900p 50 | 4,320 | 2,808 | 6.5 |
| 900p 60 | 5,184 | 3,370 | 7.8 |
| 1080p 24 | 2,986 | 1,941 | 4.5 |
| 1080p 30 | 3,732 | 2,426 | 5.6 |
| 1080p 50 | 6,221 | 4,044 | 9.3 |
| 1080p 60 | 7,465 | 4,852 | 11.2 |
| 1440p 24 | 5,308 | 3,450 | 8.0 |
| 1440p 30 | 6,636 | 4,313 | 10.0 |
| 1440p 50 | 11,059 | 7,188 | 16.6 |
| 1440p 60 | 13,271 | 8,626 | 19.9 |
| 4K 24 | 11,944 | 7,764 | 17.9 |
| 4K 30 | 14,930 | 9,704 | 22.4 |
| 4K 50 | 24,883 | 16,174 | 37.3 |
| 4K 60 | 29,860 | 19,409 | 44.8 |
The upload column covers H.264 video only; the result above adds audio.
Tips and pitfalls
Check your platform's cap. Most platforms limit ingest bitrate for each account type and codec, and a stream over the cap may be rejected or re-encoded. If the recommended figure is higher, drop the resolution or frame rate rather than starving the bitrate.
Measure upload, not download. Home connections often upload at a tenth of their download speed. Run a speed test while nothing else is uploading and use the lower figures you see.
Use constant bitrate. Live platforms expect CBR. Variable bitrate saves nothing on a live link and can spike over your upload speed in busy scenes.
Lower the resolution before the bitrate. 720p60 at a healthy bitrate looks better than 1080p60 at a starved one, especially in fast games.
How to read the result
Set the video bitrate in your encoder settings and the audio bitrate in the audio settings. Compare the upload figure with a speed test; if your upload is lower, step down a row in the table.
FAQ
What bitrate should I stream at for 1080p60?
For gaming in H.264, about 7,500 kbit/s. Slides or a talking head need only about 5,000 kbit/s, and fast sport closer to 10,000 kbit/s. If your platform caps you lower, consider 900p or 720p60.
How much upload speed do I need to stream?
About one and a half times your total stream bitrate. A 6 Mbit/s stream needs at least 9 Mbit/s of steady upload. Leave more if others in the house upload at the same time.
Is a higher bitrate always better?
Only up to a point. Past the level the content needs, extra bits make little visible difference but raise the chance of dropped frames, and viewers on slow connections must fall back to a lower quality.
Should I use HEVC or AV1 instead of H.264?
If your platform and your graphics card both support it, yes. HEVC and AV1 give the same quality at around two thirds of the bitrate. Use the codec support checker to see what your browser can decode.
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