Video Bitrate and Streaming Calculator

Pick a bitrate that fits your upload bandwidth with headroom for stability. Choose a preset, reserve some margin, and see the safe total for video plus audio.

Streaming target

Use a wired speed test result if possible.

Keeps bandwidth free for stability, chat apps, or Wi-Fi swings.

Recommendation

Including ~160 kbps for stereo AAC/Opus.

How to choose a stream bitrate

  • Start with a wired speed test. Set headroom to 20-30 percent so uploads and chat do not spike you offline.
  • Pick the preset that matches your resolution and FPS. Fast-motion titles (sports, FPS) need the upper half of the range.
  • Budget for audio (about 160 kbps) inside your total headroom so combined usage stays stable.
  • If your upload cap is below the preset top, drop to the lower half or reduce resolution to avoid dropped frames.
  • Keep keyframe interval at 2 seconds and CBR for most platforms unless they specify otherwise.

Tip: Run a short unlisted test stream at the recommended value and watch stats for dropped frames before going live.

5 Fun Facts about Streaming Bitrates

Keyframes add spikes

Encoders push larger frames every 2 seconds by default, so a 6 Mbps stream can momentarily spike above that on keyframes.

Burst budget

Audio barely moves the needle

A 160 kbps audio track is only 0.16 Mbps. Video quality dominates your total bandwidth use.

Tiny share

Resolution is not everything

For many viewers, a clean 720p60 stream is preferable to a blocky 1080p60 when bandwidth is tight.

Quality first

Latency cares about buffers

Leaving headroom shortens encoder and network buffers, which reduces stream latency and chat lag.

Faster chat

Codecs shift the goalposts

HEVC or AV1 can hit similar quality at lower bitrates than H.264, but platform support varies.

Codec choice

About this video bitrate calculator

This calculator helps streamers choose a bitrate that balances quality with stability. Select a resolution and FPS preset, enter your measured upload bandwidth, and reserve headroom for other traffic. The tool returns a video bitrate range, notes audio budget, and shows a safe total so you stay under your connection ceiling.

Everything runs locally in your browser. The presets follow common Twitch and YouTube guidance across 720p, 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. If the top of a preset exceeds your safe budget, it suggests staying near the lower half or stepping down resolution to avoid drops.

Use the headroom slider to leave bandwidth for chat, alerts, and background sync apps. Run a brief unlisted test stream at the suggested value to verify zero dropped frames before you go live.

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