Intro

Live streaming requires 2 things: powerful hardware and a skillful internet upload speed.

Y'all can find hardware that handles encoding for live video (and playing video games simultaneously) in a smartphone or a decent computer. Getting a adept upload speed for streaming is trickier.

Earlier you start calling your ISP to inquire almost more bandwidth, you need to know what a good upload speed for streaming is. Unfortunately, there's no straightforward respond to this question.

A skillful upload speed allows you to stream the content you lot want to the platform of your choice without whatsoever major bug. It should besides be capable of delivering your content at a quality that volition non disadvantage you or make your stream less appealing than others.

Basically, annihilation between 672 kbps and 61.5 Mbps is ideal.

A good upload speed for streaming is between 672 kbps and 61.5 Mbps

Not a great answer, correct? There are some more often than not accustomed values for good upload speeds, which are worth knowing. But nosotros'll also dig a bit deeper to discover a practiced upload speed for your particular live stream needs.

🤓 Understanding download/upload speeds

What do you remember people do the most online? Nosotros know that the nearly pop website in the world is Google. It'south followed by YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Wikipedia. So that's one search engine, an encyclopedia, two social networks, and a video platform/social network.

People consume content online. They seek information technology out, identify information technology, and and so read, listen, or watch it. To be able to do that, their devices need to ingest data, which comes to them in the form of bits. Your internet connection'south download rate shows yous how many bits of data your computer or device tin can have in from the internet using that connection. Unremarkably, the rate (also referred to every bit bitrate) is expressed in millions of bits — or megabits — per 2nd (Mbps).

It's your connection'due south upload rate that matters the most.

When you create content and want to share it online, information technology's your connection's upload rate that matters the most. It's the same as the download charge per unit; it merely works the other way around, showing how many bits of information you can share per 2d. It's too expressed in Mbps. Data shows that, globally, upload rates are slower than download rates.

👀 What is a good upload speed for streaming?

Streaming live video can take up a lot of bandwidth. Just how much volition depend on several factors. Encoding matters, only so does the type of content y'all want to stream. Platforms play a part, as practise the resolution (expressed in pixels, or p) and the frame rate (frames per second, or fps) of your stream.

Say you want to live stream a video of yourself interviewing someone. You're choosing between Facebook Live, YouTube Live, and Twitch. Since all these platforms back up alive streaming video resolution of 720p, we'll use the bitrate recommendations from each platform:

  • Facebook Live recommends a max bitrate of four,000 kbps, plus a max audio bitrate of 128 kbps.
  • YouTube Live recommends a range between 1,500 and 4,000 kbps for video, plus 128 kbps for audio.
  • Twitch recommends a range betwixt 2,500 and 4,000 kbps for video, plus up to 160 kbps for sound.

If you're streaming live video at a resolution of 720p, at thirty frames per second, you will upload up to 4,160 kilobits, or four.16 Mbps, of data per 2d. So having an upload bandwidth of around 4 Mbps should embrace yous, correct?

Not quite. You will need to upload upwards to 4,160 kilobits of data per second constantly. Because these speeds fluctuate, it's a skilful thought to accept a 35% to 40% buffer. That puts united states of america at an upload charge per unit of around 5,700 kilobits per 2nd, or 5.7 Mbps. Nonetheless, if you are certain your internet connexion is stable, such a buffer might not be needed. Recall, a stable connection is equally important as upload speed!

It's generally a good idea to have a 35% to 40% buffer

For diverse reasons, your ISP'due south declared upload bandwidth and the actual upload speed you lot can accomplish with your connexion tin be very different. That's why you should always test your upload speed using online speed tests. The number yous get from these tests should be up to 5.7 Mbps if you want to stream 720p video at thirty frames per 2nd.

Read later: The just multistreaming guide you'll ever need 📍

💁‍♂️ The many variables affecting upload speed requirements

The v.7 Mbps upload speed for 720p video at thirty frames per second is the upper limit. You can nonetheless live stream 720p video with a lower upload speed. If the whole video is a single shot of y'all talking, 4,000 kbps might exist too high of a bitrate. You would probably exist fine if you reduced it past half.

If, on the other hand, yous desire to stream video games or events with tons of visual information, 4,000 kbps is necessary. The faster the pace of the visuals, the college your bitrate should be. The type of content you stream affects what a good upload speed is for you lot.

Permit'southward stay with video games. If you're streaming games with fast-paced activeness, yous should ensure that your viewers see what'south going on as clearly as possible. You might want to stream at more than than thirty frames per 2nd.

All the same, more frames per second requires a college bitrate. For Twitch, it pushes the range for 720p video to betwixt 3,500 and 5,000 kbps. YouTube Live recommends 2,250 to 6,000 Kbps. When you factor in these requirements, that'due south a 6.ii Mbps upload speed for Twitch and 7.4 Mbps for YouTube Live if you want to stream 720p video at 60 frames per second. Also, proceed in mind that these are just the highest optimal values.

A good upload speed for your live streaming will vary from ane platform to another.

On Facebook, beginning streamers can only stream upwards to 720p video, so there's no need to take more than 5 Mbps. In gild to live stream Total HD videos, you need to apply for their Level Up affiliate plan.

Twitch allows upwards to 1080p video at threescore frames per second. You'll need an upload speed of upwards to 7.4 Mbps to back up that.

YouTube Alive supports 4k alive streaming at 60 frames per second. It recommends a bitrate in the range of twenty,000 to 51,000 kbps. You'd need an upload speed of 68.8 Mbps to pull that off. That'due south just higher up the average upload speed in the District of Columbia, the area with the highest median upload speed in the Usa.

Finally, your competitors might touch on your upload speed requirements. Twitch and YouTube are crowded with streamers trying to use the platforms to generate income. If you're streaming too, yous cannot afford to fall behind on video quality. Amend quality requires college upload speeds, so the contest will eventually push you to increment your upload rate.

🤩 What upload speeds should I exist aiming for?

With all these variables in mind, you shouldn't inquire what a "skilful" upload speed is. Instead, information technology'southward ameliorate to ask which speed yous should aim for in your circumstances.

Which bitrates and respective upload rates practice the 3 major streaming platforms suggest streamers to use? We'll segment past platform, resolution, and frames per second, where applicative.

Facebook Live:

  • Recommended max bitrate of 4,000 kbps for video.
  • Recommended sound bitrate is upward to 128 kbps.
  • Maximum resolution is 1080p, with sixty frames reproduced per second. Aim for an upload speed of vi to seven Mbps (although Facebook limits nigh accounts to 720p resolution).
  • For 720p video at thirty or 60 frames per 2d, aim for an upload speed of roughly 3 to iv Mbps.

Twitch:

  • For 720p video at 30 frames per second, bitrate should be betwixt ii,500 and four,000 kbps. That requires upload speeds between 3.2 Mbps and 5 Mbps.
  • For 720p video at lx frames per 2nd, the bitrate should be between 3,500 and 5,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are betwixt 4.4 Mbps and six.2 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at 30 frames per second, the bitrate should be iii,500 to 5,000 kbps – same equally for 720p video at lx fps. The required upload speeds are the same besides, between 4.four Mbps and 6.2 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at 60 frames per second, the recommended bitrate is between 4500 and 6000 kbps. The required upload speeds are between five.6 Mbps and 7.4 Mbps.

YouTube:

  • For 720p video at 30 frames per second, the range is i,500 to 4,000 kbps. That's an upload speed between roughly two Mbps and 5 Mbps.
  • For 720p video at 60 frames per 2nd, the range is two,250 to 6,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are between two.nine Mbps and 7.4 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at 30 frames per second, the bitrate range is 3,000 to vi,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are between 3.8 Mbps and seven.4 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at lx frames per second, the bitrate range is 4,500 to 9,000 kbps. In upload speeds, that means between five.half-dozen Mbps and 11 Mbps.
  • For 1440p video at 30 frames per 2d, the bitrate range is vi,000 to 13,000 kbps. That's betwixt 7.iv Mbps and fifteen.8 Mbps in recommended upload speeds.
  • For 1440p video at lx frames per second, the range is nine,000 to 18,000 kbps. In upload speeds, that'due south between 11 Mbps and 21.eight Mbps.
  • If you really want to alive stream 4k video, doing it at 30 frames per second will require a bitrate between 13,000 and 34,000 kbps. In terms of upload speed, that's 15.eight Mbps and 41 Mbps.
  • To stream 4k video at 60 frames per second, the recommended bitrate range is 20,000 to 51,000 kbps. You lot'll demand an upload speed between 24.two Mbps and 61.5 Mbps.

Equally you lot can see, YouTube offers the highest-quality live streaming. Facebook is the nigh accessible, while Twitch is still the gamer's haven.

What is a good upload speed for streaming on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch?

👉 How to become a expert upload speed for streaming

Computing your desired upload speed is i thing, merely getting access to that speed is something completely different.

The upload speed you can achieve depends on the service packages your Internet access provider offers. For residential users, the download speed volition always be college than the upload speed. The all-time way to get symmetry between the two is to sign upwardly for a business-level service if possible. It will guarantee you lot the ISP's declared upload speed at whatever fourth dimension. This, in turn, provides stability and reliability to ensure smooth live streams.

In terms of sheer speed, the expert news is that cyberspace connections are becoming faster beyond the board. Technologies such as cobweb-optic internet are bringing higher speeds to your workplace or home — if cobweb is offered in your area, that is.

So, the get-go step in obtaining a good upload speed for streaming is to switch to an Isp that offers the speed yous need. Be prepared to pay more for more speed, though. Also, make sure you ask around about the quality of their service.

If you're stuck with a provider that offers suboptimal speeds, you can even so do a couple of things to improve your situation:

  • Become a wired connection. Your WiFi might be great when information technology comes to watching YouTube videos on your smartphone or checking social media. But when live streaming, a wired connexion with an ethernet cable is improve. It gives you less interference and more stability, which leads to better stream quality.
  • Remove excess devices from your network. You don't desire your internet connectedness to be crowded when you start streaming. Don't let whatever other device hog your upload speed, and disconnect them from your network or turn off their WiFi capabilities during your stream.
  • Shut excess programs and apps on your computer. The only thing that should exist uploading when you lot stream is your encoder. Peer-to-peer networking has probably ruined its fair share of live streams, and then wait until you're off the air.
  • Use cloud-based multistreaming. Multistreaming, or streaming live to several platforms at the same time, is incredibly useful for content creators. It helps attain new audiences, saves fourth dimension, and offers bully tools from various platforms. Unfortunately, it can also be demanding on your CPU and bandwidth. To deal with information technology, use a cloud-based multistreaming service to bear some of that load.
  • Remove malware; employ advertisement blockers and privacy tools. Malware, ads, and online tracking tin can apply up some of your upload bandwidth. Remove, terminate, or cake any of these speed-leeching undesired programs.
  • Use up-to-date software and hardware. One-time drivers can slow your computer downwardly, and quondam modems can bottleneck your upload speed. Brand sure your hardware and software are upward to the task of streaming live video.

🔥 How to stream with a depression upload speed

With Restream Events, yous tin featherbed the upload speed inconveniences. How? Our feature allows you to upload your pre-recorded videos, schedule them, and set them to go live later as if they were regular streams. With this method, your upload speed doesn't matter. After you lot upload your video, Restream will broadcast information technology at the scheduled fourth dimension automatically, then you don't even have to be online.

Acquire more than 👉 Restream Events: Everything y'all need to know

Bonus tip: Thanks to our multistreaming technology, you can schedule and alive stream your pre-recorded content to elevation platforms, similar YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, and more, all at the same time.

restream

Multiply your views and engagement

Reach a wider audience by streaming to multiple platforms simultaneously.

Become Started

Conclusion

Equally a alive video streamer, the quality of your content will depend on the quality of your broadcast. That's a fact. You can accept the best skills in the most pop games, or the best barrack, or the greatest sense of humor. Merely if people can't see and hear y'all well, they're not going to stick around to lookout man your stream.

Upload speeds can significantly touch the quality of your broadcasts. Use a connection with plenty upload speed for the type of content you lot broadcast.

Retrieve, you shouldn't go for the highest possible upload speed by default. You simply need it if y'all're planning to stream at a very high bitrate. A good upload speed is the one that'south appropriate for your goals.