Intro

Live streaming requires two things: powerful hardware and a expert internet upload speed.

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

Earlier yous start calling your ISP to ask about more bandwidth, yous demand to know what a skilful upload speed for streaming is. Unfortunately, there's no straightforward answer to this question.

A good upload speed allows you lot to stream the content you want to the platform of your choice without any major issues. It should also be capable of delivering your content at a quality that will not disadvantage you or brand 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 corking answer, right? There are some generally accepted values for skillful upload speeds, which are worth knowing. Only we'll besides dig a scrap deeper to discover a good upload speed for your item alive stream needs.

🤓 Understanding download/upload speeds

What practise you think people practice the most online? Nosotros know that the about popular website in the world is Google. It'southward followed by YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Wikipedia. So that's ane 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 and then read, listen, or sentry information technology. To be able to do that, their devices need to ingest information, which comes to them in the grade of bits. Your internet connection's download rate shows you lot how many $.25 of data your computer or device can take in from the cyberspace using that connection. Usually, the charge per unit (also referred to equally bitrate) is expressed in millions of $.25 — or megabits — per second (Mbps).

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

When y'all create content and desire to share it online, it'due south your connexion'south upload charge per unit that matters the most. It's the same as the download rate; it just works the other way effectually, showing how many bits of data you can share per 2nd. It'south likewise expressed in Mbps. Data shows that, globally, upload rates are slower than download rates.

👀 What is a expert upload speed for streaming?

Streaming alive video can take upwards a lot of bandwidth. Only how much will depend on several factors. Encoding matters, but so does the type of content y'all desire to stream. Platforms play a part, equally do the resolution (expressed in pixels, or p) and the frame rate (frames per second, or fps) of your stream.

Say y'all want to alive stream a video of yourself interviewing someone. You're choosing between Facebook Live, YouTube Live, and Twitch. Since all these platforms support alive streaming video resolution of 720p, nosotros'll utilize the bitrate recommendations from each platform:

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

If you're streaming live video at a resolution of 720p, at 30 frames per second, you will upload up to iv,160 kilobits, or four.16 Mbps, of data per 2nd. So having an upload bandwidth of effectually 4 Mbps should comprehend you, right?

Non quite. You lot will demand to upload up to 4,160 kilobits of information per second constantly. Because these speeds fluctuate, information technology's a skillful idea to have a 35% to 40% buffer. That puts us at an upload charge per unit of around 5,700 kilobits per 2d, or 5.7 Mbps. Nevertheless, if you are sure your cyberspace connection is stable, such a buffer might not be needed. Remember, a stable connection is as important as upload speed!

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

For various reasons, your ISP'south declared upload bandwidth and the actual upload speed you can achieve with your connection tin exist very unlike. That'due south why you should always test your upload speed using online speed tests. The number y'all get from these tests should be upward 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 5.seven Mbps upload speed for 720p video at 30 frames per second is the upper limit. You can still alive stream 720p video with a lower upload speed. If the whole video is a unmarried shot of you lot talking, 4,000 kbps might be too loftier of a bitrate. You would probably be fine if you reduced it by half.

If, on the other hand, you want to stream video games or events with tons of visual data, 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 proficient upload speed is for you.

Let'southward stay with video games. If you're streaming games with fast-paced action, you lot should ensure that your viewers run into what'south going on as clearly as possible. Y'all might want to stream at more than 30 frames per 2d.

Yet, more frames per 2d requires a higher bitrate. For Twitch, it pushes the range for 720p video to between 3,500 and 5,000 kbps. YouTube Alive recommends 2,250 to 6,000 Kbps. When you factor in these requirements, that's a 6.ii Mbps upload speed for Twitch and 7.iv Mbps for YouTube Live if you want to stream 720p video at threescore frames per second. Besides, keep in mind that these are but the highest optimal values.

A proficient upload speed for your live streaming will vary from 1 platform to some other.

On Facebook, beginning streamers can simply stream up to 720p video, so there'due south no need to have more than 5 Mbps. In guild to live stream Full HD videos, you need to apply for their Level Up chapter program.

Twitch allows up to 1080p video at sixty frames per second. You'll need an upload speed of upwards to 7.iv Mbps to support that.

YouTube Live 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 demand an upload speed of 68.8 Mbps to pull that off. That's just above the average upload speed in the District of Columbia, the expanse with the highest median upload speed in the United States.

Finally, your competitors might affect your upload speed requirements. Twitch and YouTube are crowded with streamers trying to use the platforms to generate income. If yous're streaming too, you cannot afford to fall behind on video quality. Meliorate quality requires higher upload speeds, so the competition volition somewhen push you lot to increase your upload rate.

🤩 What upload speeds should I be aiming for?

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

Which bitrates and corresponding upload rates practise the three major streaming platforms advise streamers to utilise? We'll segment by platform, resolution, and frames per second, where applicative.

Facebook Live:

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

Twitch:

  • For 720p video at 30 frames per second, bitrate should exist betwixt 2,500 and 4,000 kbps. That requires upload speeds betwixt 3.2 Mbps and five Mbps.
  • For 720p video at 60 frames per 2nd, the bitrate should exist between 3,500 and v,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are betwixt 4.4 Mbps and half dozen.2 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at thirty frames per 2nd, the bitrate should be 3,500 to 5,000 kbps – aforementioned every bit for 720p video at 60 fps. The required upload speeds are the same also, betwixt 4.four Mbps and half-dozen.2 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at 60 frames per 2nd, the recommended bitrate is between 4500 and 6000 kbps. The required upload speeds are betwixt 5.6 Mbps and 7.4 Mbps.

YouTube:

  • For 720p video at 30 frames per 2nd, the range is ane,500 to 4,000 kbps. That's an upload speed betwixt roughly 2 Mbps and v Mbps.
  • For 720p video at 60 frames per second, the range is 2,250 to 6,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are between 2.9 Mbps and vii.4 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at 30 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 lx frames per 2d, the bitrate range is 4,500 to 9,000 kbps. In upload speeds, that means between 5.6 Mbps and 11 Mbps.
  • For 1440p video at thirty frames per second, the bitrate range is 6,000 to thirteen,000 kbps. That'south between 7.4 Mbps and 15.8 Mbps in recommended upload speeds.
  • For 1440p video at 60 frames per second, the range is ix,000 to eighteen,000 kbps. In upload speeds, that's between 11 Mbps and 21.eight Mbps.
  • If yous really want to live stream 4k video, doing it at thirty frames per second volition require a bitrate between 13,000 and 34,000 kbps. In terms of upload speed, that'due south 15.8 Mbps and 41 Mbps.
  • To stream 4k video at threescore frames per 2nd, the recommended bitrate range is 20,000 to 51,000 kbps. You'll need an upload speed between 24.2 Mbps and 61.five Mbps.

As you can come across, YouTube offers the highest-quality live streaming. Facebook is the most 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 good upload speed for streaming

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

The upload speed yous can accomplish depends on the service packages your Isp offers. For residential users, the download speed will always be college than the upload speed. The best manner to go symmetry between the ii is to sign up for a business organisation-level service if possible. It will guarantee yous the Internet access provider'south alleged upload speed at any time. This, in turn, provides stability and reliability to ensure polish live streams.

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

Then, the first stride 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. Also, brand certain you ask around about the quality of their service.

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

  • Get a wired connectedness. Your WiFi might exist great when information technology comes to watching YouTube videos on your smartphone or checking social media. Simply when live streaming, a wired connexion with an ethernet cablevision is better. Information technology 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 connection to be crowded when you kickoff streaming. Don't let whatever other device squealer your upload speed, and disconnect them from your network or turn off their WiFi capabilities during your stream.
  • Close excess programs and apps on your calculator. The merely thing that should be uploading when you stream is your encoder. Peer-to-peer networking has probably ruined its fair share of alive streams, so wait until y'all're off the air.
  • Utilise cloud-based multistreaming. Multistreaming, or streaming live to several platforms at the aforementioned time, is incredibly useful for content creators. It helps reach new audiences, saves time, and offers great tools from diverse platforms. Unfortunately, it tin can likewise exist demanding on your CPU and bandwidth. To deal with it, use a cloud-based multistreaming service to bear some of that load.
  • Remove malware; use ad blockers and privacy tools. Malware, ads, and online tracking can use upwardly some of your upload bandwidth. Remove, stop, or block any of these speed-leeching undesired programs.
  • Use up-to-date software and hardware. Erstwhile drivers can slow your computer down, and old modems can clogging your upload speed. Make sure your hardware and software are up to the chore of streaming live video.

🔥 How to stream with a low upload speed

With Restream Events, yous can bypass the upload speed inconveniences. How? Our feature allows you to upload your pre-recorded videos, schedule them, and gear up them to go live afterwards every bit if they were regular streams. With this method, your upload speed doesn't thing. Afterward you upload your video, Restream volition broadcast it at the scheduled time automatically, so yous don't fifty-fifty have to exist online.

Larn more 👉 Restream Events: Everything you need to know

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

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Multiply your views and engagement

Reach a wider audience by streaming to multiple platforms simultaneously.

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Conclusion

Equally a live video streamer, the quality of your content will depend on the quality of your circulate. That'due south a fact. You can take the best skills in the nigh pop games, or the best banter, or the greatest humour. But if people tin't see and hear yous well, they're not going to stick around to watch your stream.

Upload speeds can significantly affect the quality of your broadcasts. Utilise a connectedness with enough upload speed for the type of content yous broadcast.

Remember, you shouldn't go for the highest possible upload speed by default. Yous merely need it if you lot're planning to stream at a very high bitrate. A skillful upload speed is the one that's appropriate for your goals.