Intro

Live streaming requires ii things: powerful hardware and a practiced internet upload speed.

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

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

A good upload speed allows you lot to stream the content you want to the platform of your choice without whatever major issues. It should likewise be capable of delivering your content at a quality that will not disadvantage you or make your stream less appealing than others.

Basically, anything 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 neat respond, right? There are some generally accustomed values for good upload speeds, which are worth knowing. Simply we'll likewise dig a scrap deeper to detect a good upload speed for your particular live stream needs.

🤓 Agreement download/upload speeds

What practice you call up people do the near online? We know that the most popular website in the globe is Google. It'southward followed past YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Wikipedia. So that'southward one search engine, an encyclopedia, two social networks, and a video platform/social network.

People consume content online. They seek it out, identify information technology, and then read, listen, or watch information technology. To be able to do that, their devices need to ingest information, which comes to them in the form of bits. Your cyberspace connection's download rate shows you how many bits of data your reckoner or device tin can take in from the cyberspace using that connection. Normally, the rate (also referred to equally bitrate) is expressed in millions of bits — or megabits — per second (Mbps).

It's your connection's upload charge per unit that matters the nearly.

When yous create content and want to share it online, information technology's your connectedness's upload charge per unit that matters the well-nigh. It'southward the same equally the download charge per unit; it just works the other manner effectually, showing how many bits of data y'all can share per second. Information technology's also 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 upwards a lot of bandwidth. Just how much will depend on several factors. Encoding matters, but so does the blazon of content you desire to stream. Platforms play a office, as practice the resolution (expressed in pixels, or p) and the frame rate (frames per second, or fps) of your stream.

Say y'all want to live stream a video of yourself interviewing someone. You're choosing between Facebook Live, YouTube Alive, and Twitch. Since all these platforms support live streaming video resolution of 720p, we'll utilise 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 one,500 and iv,000 kbps for video, plus 128 kbps for audio.
  • Twitch recommends a range betwixt 2,500 and 4,000 kbps for video, plus upwards to 160 kbps for audio.

If you're streaming live video at a resolution of 720p, at xxx frames per second, y'all will upload upward to 4,160 kilobits, or 4.xvi Mbps, of information per second. So having an upload bandwidth of effectually 4 Mbps should comprehend you, right?

Not quite. You will need to upload upward to 4,160 kilobits of data per second constantly. Because these speeds fluctuate, it'southward a good idea to have a 35% to twoscore% buffer. That puts u.s.a. at an upload rate of effectually 5,700 kilobits per 2d, or v.7 Mbps. However, if you lot are sure your internet connectedness is stable, such a buffer might non be needed. Recall, a stable connection is as of import as upload speed!

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

For various reasons, your ISP'south alleged upload bandwidth and the actual upload speed y'all can attain with your connection can exist very unlike. That's why you should always examination your upload speed using online speed tests. The number y'all get from these tests should exist up to 5.7 Mbps if you want to stream 720p video at 30 frames per second.

Read later: The only multistreaming guide you'll ever demand 📍

💁‍♂️ The many variables affecting upload speed requirements

The five.7 Mbps upload speed for 720p video at 30 frames per second is the upper limit. You can notwithstanding alive stream 720p video with a lower upload speed. If the whole video is a single shot of you lot talking, four,000 kbps might be too loftier of a bitrate. You lot would probably be fine if y'all reduced information technology by half.

If, on the other hand, you want to stream video games or events with tons of visual data, iv,000 kbps is necessary. The faster the stride of the visuals, the college your bitrate should be. The blazon of content you lot stream affects what a good upload speed is for you.

Let'south stay with video games. If you're streaming games with fast-paced action, you should ensure that your viewers run into what'due south going on every bit clearly as possible. You might want to stream at more than 30 frames per second.

Nonetheless, more than frames per second requires a higher bitrate. For Twitch, it pushes the range for 720p video to between 3,500 and 5,000 kbps. YouTube Live recommends two,250 to six,000 Kbps. When you factor in these requirements, that'southward a half dozen.two Mbps upload speed for Twitch and 7.4 Mbps for YouTube Live if you desire to stream 720p video at threescore frames per second. Too, keep in mind that these are just the highest optimal values.

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

On Facebook, beginning streamers can just stream upward to 720p video, so in that location's no need to have more than v Mbps. In guild to live stream Full Hd videos, you need to apply for their Level Up chapter plan.

Twitch allows up to 1080p video at 60 frames per 2nd. You'll need an upload speed of upward to 7.4 Mbps to support that.

YouTube Live supports 4k live streaming at 60 frames per second. It recommends a bitrate in the range of xx,000 to 51,000 kbps. Yous'd need an upload speed of 68.viii Mbps to pull that off. That's just above the average upload speed in the District of Columbia, the area with the highest median upload speed in the Usa.

Finally, your competitors might impact your upload speed requirements. Twitch and YouTube are crowded with streamers trying to use the platforms to generate income. If you're streaming too, you cannot beget to autumn behind on video quality. Better quality requires higher upload speeds, then the contest will eventually push button you lot to increment your upload rate.

🤩 What upload speeds should I exist aiming for?

With all these variables in listen, you shouldn't ask what a "practiced" upload speed is. Instead, it's meliorate to enquire which speed you should aim for in your circumstances.

Which bitrates and corresponding upload rates do the three major streaming platforms suggest streamers to use? Nosotros'll segment past platform, resolution, and frames per second, where applicable.

Facebook Live:

  • Recommended max bitrate of 4,000 kbps for video.
  • Recommended sound bitrate is upward to 128 kbps.
  • Maximum resolution is 1080p, with 60 frames reproduced per 2d. Aim for an upload speed of 6 to vii Mbps (although Facebook limits most accounts to 720p resolution).
  • For 720p video at 30 or 60 frames per second, aim for an upload speed of roughly iii to four Mbps.

Twitch:

  • For 720p video at 30 frames per second, bitrate should be betwixt 2,500 and iv,000 kbps. That requires upload speeds between 3.2 Mbps and 5 Mbps.
  • For 720p video at threescore frames per second, the bitrate should be between 3,500 and five,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are between 4.4 Mbps and half-dozen.two Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at 30 frames per second, the bitrate should exist iii,500 to 5,000 kbps – aforementioned equally for 720p video at 60 fps. The required upload speeds are the same too, between 4.four Mbps and 6.ii Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at lx 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 thirty frames per 2d, the range is 1,500 to 4,000 kbps. That's an upload speed betwixt roughly 2 Mbps and 5 Mbps.
  • For 720p video at threescore frames per 2d, the range is 2,250 to 6,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are between 2.9 Mbps and 7.four Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at xxx frames per second, the bitrate range is 3,000 to 6,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are between 3.8 Mbps and 7.4 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at threescore frames per second, the bitrate range is 4,500 to 9,000 kbps. In upload speeds, that means between five.half-dozen Mbps and eleven Mbps.
  • For 1440p video at 30 frames per 2nd, the bitrate range is 6,000 to 13,000 kbps. That's betwixt 7.4 Mbps and fifteen.8 Mbps in recommended upload speeds.
  • For 1440p video at 60 frames per 2d, the range is nine,000 to eighteen,000 kbps. In upload speeds, that's between 11 Mbps and 21.8 Mbps.
  • If you actually desire to live stream 4k video, doing information technology at xxx frames per 2nd will crave a bitrate between xiii,000 and 34,000 kbps. In terms of upload speed, that'due south 15.8 Mbps and 41 Mbps.
  • To stream 4k video at lx frames per second, the recommended bitrate range is xx,000 to 51,000 kbps. Y'all'll demand an upload speed betwixt 24.2 Mbps and 61.v Mbps.

Every bit you lot can see, YouTube offers the highest-quality live streaming. Facebook is the well-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 get a proficient upload speed for streaming

Calculating your desired upload speed is ane thing, only getting access to that speed is something completely different.

The upload speed you can attain depends on the service packages your ISP offers. For residential users, the download speed will always be higher than the upload speed. The best manner to get symmetry between the two is to sign up for a concern-level service if possible. It will guarantee you the ISP's alleged upload speed at any time. This, in plow, provides stability and reliability to ensure smooth alive streams.

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

So, the first step in obtaining a good upload speed for streaming is to switch to an Isp that offers the speed you demand. Be prepared to pay more for more speed, though. As well, make sure yous inquire around about the quality of their service.

If you're stuck with a provider that offers suboptimal speeds, you can notwithstanding do a couple of things to ameliorate your state of affairs:

  • Get a wired connectedness. Your WiFi might exist great when it comes to watching YouTube videos on your smartphone or checking social media. Merely when alive streaming, a wired connexion with an ethernet cablevision is better. It gives you less interference and more stability, which leads to improve stream quality.
  • Remove excess devices from your network. You lot don't desire your internet connectedness to be crowded when you showtime streaming. Don't let any 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 be uploading when y'all stream is your encoder. Peer-to-peer networking has probably ruined its fair share of live streams, so 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 achieve new audiences, saves time, and offers dandy tools from various platforms. Unfortunately, it can also be demanding on your CPU and bandwidth. To bargain with it, use a cloud-based multistreaming service to bear some of that load.
  • Remove malware; utilize ad blockers and privacy tools. Malware, ads, and online tracking can use upward some of your upload bandwidth. Remove, finish, or block whatever of these speed-leeching undesired programs.
  • Utilize up-to-appointment software and hardware. Old drivers can slow your figurer down, and old modems can bottleneck your upload speed. Make certain your hardware and software are upwards to the chore of streaming live video.

🔥 How to stream with a low upload speed

With Restream Events, you tin can bypass the upload speed inconveniences. How? Our characteristic allows you to upload your pre-recorded videos, schedule them, and fix them to become live later equally if they were regular streams. With this method, your upload speed doesn't matter. After you upload your video, Restream volition broadcast it at the scheduled time automatically, so you lot don't even accept to be online.

Learn more than 👉 Restream Events: Everything yous need to know

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

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Decision

As a live video streamer, the quality of your content will depend on the quality of your broadcast. That's a fact. You can have the best skills in the nearly popular games, or the all-time barrack, or the greatest sense of humour. But if people tin't meet and hear yous well, they're non going to stick effectually to watch your stream.

Upload speeds can significantly affect the quality of your broadcasts. Use a connection with enough upload speed for the type of content yous circulate.

Remember, you lot shouldn't go for the highest possible upload speed past default. You just need it if you're planning to stream at a very loftier bitrate. A expert upload speed is the i that's advisable for your goals.