Streaming Bitrate Calculator (OBS)
Find the right OBS bitrate for YouTube Live, Twitch or Facebook Live by resolution, frame rate and codec, with the upload speed you need and data used per hour.
YouTube Live: AAC or MP3 audio at 128 kbps stereo (44.1 kHz); keyframe every 2 seconds, never more than 4.
Measure upload speed while nothing else uses the connection, and keep the stream under about two-thirds of it so dropped frames do not pile up.
| Format | YouTube H.264 rec. | YouTube AV1/HEVC rec. | Facebook range | Twitch typical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2160p60 | 50,000 | 35,000 | — | — |
| 2160p30 | 42,000 | 30,000 | — | — |
| 1440p60 | 34,000 | 24,000 | — | — |
| 1440p30 | 21,000 | 15,000 | — | — |
| 1080p60 | 17,000 | 12,000 | 4500–9000 | 6,000 |
| 1080p30 | 14,000 | 10,000 | 3000–6000 | 4,500 |
| 720p60 | 8,000 | 6,000 | 2250–6000 | 4,500 |
| 720p30 | 8,000 | 6,000 | 1500–4000 | 3,000 |
| 480p30 | 4,000 | 3,000 | 600–2000 | 1,500 |
| 360p30 | 4,000 | 3,000 | 400–1000 | 1,000 |
Choosing an OBS bitrate is a balance between picture quality, what the platform accepts and what your upload connection can sustain. This calculator looks up the figure YouTube Live, Twitch or Facebook Live publishes for your resolution, frame rate and codec, adds the audio, and tells you the upload speed to aim for and how much data each hour of streaming uses. For a self-hosted stream it also works out the server bandwidth for your viewers.
How to use this tool
- Pick the platform, the resolution and frame rate, and the codec your encoder uses.
- Leave the video bitrate empty to use the platform's figure, or type your own.
- Set the audio bitrate (128–160 kbps AAC is typical).
- Compare the recommended upload speed with a speed test, and lower the resolution or frame rate if it does not fit.
Formula
total = video + audio (kbps); upload ≈ total × 1.5; GB per hour = total × 3600 ÷ 8 ÷ 1,000,000
The 1.5× headroom covers bitrate spikes and other traffic on the line. Data uses decimal units (1 GB = 10⁹ bytes). Platform figures were read on 9 November 2026 from YouTube Help and Meta's Live Video API reference; for Twitch the 6,000 kbps limit for a standard stream is used, with typical settings below it.
Example
A Twitch stream at 6,000 kbps video plus 160 kbps audio is 6,160 kbps in total. It uses 6,160 × 3,600 ÷ 8 ÷ 1,000,000 = 2.77 GB per hour, and you should have about 6.16 × 1.5 = 9.24 Mbps of upload. YouTube recommends 17,000 kbps for 1080p60 with H.264, or 12,000 kbps with AV1 or HEVC.
Frequently asked questions
Why is YouTube's figure so much higher than Twitch's?
YouTube re-encodes streams into many qualities and accepts high bitrates, so more data gives a cleaner picture. A standard Twitch stream is capped at 6,000 kbps, so 1080p60 there needs efficient encoder settings or 720p60 for fast motion.
Does AV1 or HEVC need less bitrate?
Yes, roughly 30–40% less for similar quality, which is why YouTube lists lower figures for them. The platform and your encoder both have to support the codec.
What if my upload is too slow?
Drop the frame rate to 30 fps or the resolution to 720p before cutting the bitrate far below the platform figure; a starved 1080p stream looks worse than a clean 720p one.
Sources
Last updated:
Page address with these inputs: https://kakao.mobile/tools/streaming-bitrate-calculator/
Cite or embed this tool
kakaoCalc. (2026, November 9). Streaming Bitrate Calculator (OBS). https://kakao.mobile/tools/streaming-bitrate-calculator/
“Streaming Bitrate Calculator (OBS).” kakaoCalc, 9 Nov. 2026, kakao.mobile/tools/streaming-bitrate-calculator/.
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