Stream bitrate calculator
Tell it your upload speed and where you stream. It tells you the bitrate and the biggest picture your line and each platform can carry.
How the calculator decides
It uses 70% of your upload (the rest is headroom for your connection to wobble), divides it between your destinations, takes 160 kbps for audio off each, and caps the result at what each platform accepts. It then tells you the best picture that fits.
Common recommendations
| Picture | Typical video bitrate |
|---|---|
| 720p30 | about 3,000 kbps |
| 1080p30 | about 4,500–6,000 kbps |
| 1080p60 | about 6,000–9,000 kbps |
| 1440p30 | about 9,000 kbps |
| 4K30 | about 13,000–34,000 kbps (YouTube) |
Platforms change their limits. Twitch ordinary accounts are commonly held to about 6,000 kbps, Facebook about 4,000, Kick about 8,000. Check the platform’s own guide.
Streaming to several places
Without a relay, every destination needs its own copy of your stream from your PC, so two places at 6 Mbps need about 12 Mbps of upload. The Record first sends one copy to a relay on your own free Cloudflare account, which feeds every platform.
Questions
What bitrate should I use for Twitch?
For 1080p60 about 6,000 kbps; for 1080p30 about 4,500–6,000 kbps; 720p about 3,000 kbps. Use the calculator for your own upload speed.
Should I use 100% of my upload speed?
No. Use 70–80% at most so a brief dip does not freeze the stream.
Doing this a lot? Get the app.
Streamdzy is a free streaming and recording app for Windows: several cameras, your phone as a camera, going live to many places at once, and recording first so a bad connection never costs you the show.