Intro

Live streaming requires ii things: powerful hardware and a good cyberspace upload speed.

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

Before y'all first calling your ISP to inquire almost more bandwidth, you need to know what a good upload speed for streaming is. Unfortunately, in that location's no straightforward respond to this question.

A good upload speed allows you to stream the content you desire to the platform of your choice without whatsoever major bug. It should besides be capable of delivering your content at a quality that volition not disadvantage you or brand your stream less appealing than others.

Basically, anything betwixt 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, right? There are some by and large accepted values for good upload speeds, which are worth knowing. But we'll also dig a bit deeper to discover a adept upload speed for your particular live stream needs.

🤓 Understanding download/upload speeds

What exercise you think people do the nigh online? Nosotros know that the about popular website in the world is Google. Information technology'due south 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 it, and so read, listen, or watch it. To exist able to exercise that, their devices need to ingest data, which comes to them in the form of bits. Your internet connection's download rate shows you how many bits of data your computer or device tin take in from the cyberspace using that connection. Usually, the rate (also referred to as bitrate) is expressed in millions of bits — or megabits — per 2nd (Mbps).

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

When you create content and want to share information technology online, it's your connection'due south upload rate that matters the most. Information technology'south the same as the download rate; information technology just works the other fashion effectually, showing how many bits of data you tin share per second. It's also expressed in Mbps. Data shows that, globally, upload rates are slower than download rates.

👀 What is a adept upload speed for streaming?

Streaming live video can take up a lot of bandwidth. Only how much will depend on several factors. Encoding matters, just so does the type of content y'all desire to stream. Platforms play a part, as practice 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. Yous're choosing between Facebook Live, YouTube Live, and Twitch. Since all these platforms support live streaming video resolution of 720p, we'll use 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 4,000 kbps for video, plus 128 kbps for audio.
  • Twitch recommends a range between 2,500 and four,000 kbps for video, plus upwards to 160 kbps for audio.

If you're streaming alive video at a resolution of 720p, at 30 frames per second, you volition upload up to 4,160 kilobits, or 4.16 Mbps, of data per 2d. So having an upload bandwidth of around 4 Mbps should encompass you, correct?

Not quite. Yous volition need to upload up to four,160 kilobits of data per 2nd constantly. Because these speeds fluctuate, it's a good idea to take a 35% to 40% buffer. That puts u.s.a. at an upload rate of around five,700 kilobits per 2d, or 5.7 Mbps. Still, if you are sure your internet connection is stable, such a buffer might not exist 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's declared upload bandwidth and the bodily upload speed you can achieve with your connection can be very different. That's why you should always test your upload speed using online speed tests. The number you lot get from these tests should exist upwards to 5.7 Mbps if you desire to stream 720p video at thirty frames per 2nd.

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

💁‍♂️ The many variables affecting upload speed requirements

The 5.7 Mbps upload speed for 720p video at 30 frames per 2nd is the upper limit. You can yet live stream 720p video with a lower upload speed. If the whole video is a single shot of you talking, iv,000 kbps might be too high of a bitrate. You lot 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 information, four,000 kbps is necessary. The faster the pace of the visuals, the higher your bitrate should exist. The type of content y'all stream affects what a good upload speed is for you.

Allow's stay with video games. If yous're streaming games with fast-paced action, you should ensure that your viewers come across what's going on as clearly equally possible. You lot might want to stream at more than thirty frames per second.

All the same, more than frames per 2nd requires a college bitrate. For Twitch, it pushes the range for 720p video to between 3,500 and five,000 kbps. YouTube Live 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 Alive if you want to stream 720p video at 60 frames per second. Also, keep in listen that these are just the highest optimal values.

A skilful upload speed for your alive streaming will vary from one platform to some other.

On Facebook, starting time streamers can only stream up to 720p video, so there'due south no need to have more than v Mbps. In society to alive stream Full Hard disk drive videos, you need to employ for their Level Up affiliate program.

Twitch allows up to 1080p video at 60 frames per 2nd. You'll need an upload speed of up to vii.4 Mbps to support that.

YouTube Live supports 4k alive streaming at 60 frames per second. Information technology recommends a bitrate in the range of 20,000 to 51,000 kbps. Yous'd need an upload speed of 68.8 Mbps to pull that off. That's just to a higher place the boilerplate upload speed in the District of Columbia, the surface area with the highest median upload speed in the U.s.a..

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 you lot're streaming also, you cannot afford to fall behind on video quality. Better quality requires higher upload speeds, so the contest volition eventually push you 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 better to enquire which speed you should aim for in your circumstances.

Which bitrates and respective upload rates do the three major streaming platforms advise streamers to use? We'll segment by platform, resolution, and frames per 2d, where applicable.

Facebook Live:

  • Recommended max bitrate of 4,000 kbps for video.
  • Recommended sound bitrate is up to 128 kbps.
  • Maximum resolution is 1080p, with 60 frames reproduced per second. Aim for an upload speed of 6 to vii Mbps (although Facebook limits most accounts to 720p resolution).
  • For 720p video at thirty or lx frames per 2nd, aim for an upload speed of roughly 3 to iv Mbps.

Twitch:

  • For 720p video at 30 frames per second, bitrate should be betwixt two,500 and 4,000 kbps. That requires upload speeds between 3.ii Mbps and v Mbps.
  • For 720p video at 60 frames per 2nd, the bitrate should be between 3,500 and 5,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are between iv.4 Mbps and 6.ii Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at 30 frames per 2d, the bitrate should be 3,500 to 5,000 kbps – same as for 720p video at 60 fps. The required upload speeds are the same too, between 4.iv Mbps and 6.2 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at threescore 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 2nd, 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 60 frames per second, the range is ii,250 to 6,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are betwixt 2.nine Mbps and 7.4 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at 30 frames per second, the bitrate range is iii,000 to half dozen,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are between 3.viii Mbps and 7.4 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at 60 frames per second, the bitrate range is 4,500 to 9,000 kbps. In upload speeds, that means between 5.half dozen Mbps and 11 Mbps.
  • For 1440p video at 30 frames per 2nd, the bitrate range is 6,000 to 13,000 kbps. That's between 7.four Mbps and xv.8 Mbps in recommended upload speeds.
  • For 1440p video at lx frames per 2d, the range is 9,000 to 18,000 kbps. In upload speeds, that'south between eleven Mbps and 21.8 Mbps.
  • If you lot really want to live stream 4k video, doing information technology at 30 frames per second will require a bitrate betwixt xiii,000 and 34,000 kbps. In terms of upload speed, that's 15.viii Mbps and 41 Mbps.
  • To stream 4k video at 60 frames per second, the recommended bitrate range is 20,000 to 51,000 kbps. Yous'll need an upload speed between 24.2 Mbps and 61.v Mbps.

As y'all tin can see, YouTube offers the highest-quality live streaming. Facebook is the most attainable, while Twitch is still the gamer's oasis.

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

👉 How to become a expert upload speed for streaming

Calculating your desired upload speed is 1 thing, simply getting access to that speed is something completely different.

The upload speed y'all can achieve depends on the service packages your ISP offers. For residential users, the download speed volition always exist college than the upload speed. The best way to go symmetry between the ii is to sign up for a business-level service if possible. Information technology will guarantee y'all the ISP's alleged upload speed at any time. This, in turn, provides stability and reliability to ensure smooth live streams.

In terms of sheer speed, the good news is that internet connections are becoming faster beyond the lath. 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 beginning step in obtaining a skilful 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. Too, make sure you ask around nigh the quality of their service.

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

  • Get a wired connection. Your WiFi might be smashing when it comes to watching YouTube videos on your smartphone or checking social media. But when live streaming, a wired connection with an ethernet cablevision is ameliorate. It gives you less interference and more stability, which leads to meliorate stream quality.
  • Remove excess devices from your network. You don't want your internet connection to be crowded when you start streaming. Don't let any other device hog your upload speed, and disconnect them from your network or plow off their WiFi capabilities during your stream.
  • Close excess programs and apps on your computer. The simply 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 await until you're off the air.
  • Apply cloud-based multistreaming. Multistreaming, or streaming live to several platforms at the same fourth dimension, is incredibly useful for content creators. Information technology helps reach new audiences, saves time, and offers groovy tools from various platforms. Unfortunately, it tin also be demanding on your CPU and bandwidth. To bargain with it, apply a cloud-based multistreaming service to bear some of that load.
  • Remove malware; use ad blockers and privacy tools. Malware, ads, and online tracking tin use up some of your upload bandwidth. Remove, end, or cake any of these speed-leeching undesired programs.
  • Use upwards-to-date software and hardware. Sometime drivers tin slow your computer down, and onetime modems tin 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 low upload speed

With Restream Events, you can bypass the upload speed inconveniences. How? Our feature allows y'all to upload your pre-recorded videos, schedule them, and set them to get live later every bit if they were regular streams. With this method, your upload speed doesn't affair. After y'all upload your video, Restream will circulate it at the scheduled time automatically, so you don't fifty-fifty take to be online.

Larn more 👉 Restream Events: Everything you demand to know

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

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Conclusion

Every bit 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 all-time skills in the about pop games, or the all-time banter, or the greatest humor. Only if people can't see and hear you lot well, they're not going to stick around to watch your stream.

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

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