Recommended video bitrate
Audio
Total (video + audio)
Upload headroom
Platform ingest limits

A target to start from, not a hard rule — leave headroom and watch for dropped frames. Stay below your platform's ingest cap; if you're over it, drop fps or resolution. Keep total bitrate under ~70% of your upload speed.

A tool that helps you pick the video bitrate to set in your streaming software (OBS / Streamlabs and similar) from your resolution, frame rate and how much motion your content has. Choose 720p / 1080p / 1440p / 4K and 30fps / 60fps, then a motion level (low — chat, art, slide sharing; medium — most games; high — fast FPS, racing, fighting games), and it shows a recommended video bitrate (in kbps and Mbps) plus a workable range. The encoder can be H.264 (x264 / NVENC) or the newer HEVC / AV1 — newer codecs deliver the same quality at a lower bitrate, so the recommendation drops. It then adds your audio bitrate (128–320 kbps) for a total, and checks that total against the upload speed (Mbps) you enter, flagging it OK / Tight / Too low (since dropped frames become likely once the total passes roughly 70% of your upload, anything under 70% is OK and over 90% is flagged too low). Finally it shows whether the recommended bitrate fits the practical ingest limits of Twitch (~6000 kbps), Kick (~8000 kbps) and YouTube (~12000 kbps). If you're over a limit, drop 60→30fps, step the resolution down, or switch to a newer codec to fit. This is a starting target, not an exact figure — the ideal value also depends on scene complexity, your encoder preset (speed vs quality), spare CPU/GPU headroom and how stable your connection is. All math runs in your browser — the values you enter are never sent to any API or server.

How to use

  1. Pick your resolution (720p / 1080p / 1440p / 4K) and frame rate (30 / 60fps).
  2. Set the motion level, encoder, audio bitrate and your upload speed (Mbps).
  3. Read the recommended bitrate, the total, your upload headroom, and the Twitch / YouTube / Kick fit.

FAQ

Are the values I enter sent anywhere?

No. The bitrate calculation runs entirely in your browser. The resolution, fps, upload speed and other inputs are never sent to any API or server — it all stays on your device.

What bitrate should I use for 1080p 60fps?

This tool suggests around 8000 kbps for medium motion on H.264. But Twitch effectively caps ingest at 6000 kbps, so for Twitch either drop to 6000 kbps or step down to 60→30fps or 1080p→720p for stability. YouTube and Kick accept higher bitrates.

It still stutters even at the recommended bitrate. What now?

Most often it's not enough upload bandwidth. Keep the total bitrate within about 70% of your upload speed. If it still drops frames, lower the bitrate, drop resolution or fps, use a faster encoder preset, and stream over a wired connection.

Should I pick H.264 or HEVC / AV1?

For compatibility, H.264 (x264 / NVENC) is the safe choice and works on virtually every platform and viewer. HEVC / AV1 give the same quality at a lower bitrate, but support is limited to certain platforms, GPUs and viewers — use them only where you've confirmed support.

Which motion level should I choose?

Pick low for content where the screen changes little (just chatting, drawing, slide sharing), medium for most game streams, and high for fast titles where the whole frame moves quickly (FPS, racing, fighting games). Higher motion needs more bitrate for the same quality.