Intro

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

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

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

A good upload speed allows you to stream the content y'all 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 yous or make 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 respond, right? There are some mostly accustomed values for proficient upload speeds, which are worth knowing. Only nosotros'll as well dig a bit deeper to find a good upload speed for your particular live stream needs.

🤓 Agreement download/upload speeds

What do you think people do the nigh online? We know that the about popular website in the world is Google. It's followed by YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Wikipedia. And then that'due south 1 search engine, an encyclopedia, two social networks, and a video platform/social network.

People swallow content online. They seek it out, identify it, and and so read, listen, or lookout information technology. To exist able to exercise that, their devices need to ingest data, which comes to them in the grade of bits. Your internet connection's download charge per unit shows you how many bits of data your computer or device can have in from the cyberspace using that connection. Commonly, the rate (as well referred to as bitrate) is expressed in millions of bits — or megabits — per second (Mbps).

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

When you create content and want to share it online, it'due south your connection's upload charge per unit that matters the almost. It's the aforementioned as the download charge per unit; information technology only works the other way effectually, showing how many bits of data you lot can share per 2nd. Information technology's also expressed in Mbps. Data shows that, globally, upload rates are slower than download rates.

👀 What is a skilful 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 and so does the type of content you want to stream. Platforms play a role, as do the resolution (expressed in pixels, or p) and the frame rate (frames per second, or fps) of your stream.

Say you lot desire to live stream a video of yourself interviewing someone. You're choosing between Facebook Alive, YouTube Alive, and Twitch. Since all these platforms support live streaming video resolution of 720p, we'll employ 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 i,500 and 4,000 kbps for video, plus 128 kbps for audio.
  • Twitch recommends a range between 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, you will upload up to four,160 kilobits, or 4.xvi Mbps, of data per 2nd. So having an upload bandwidth of effectually iv Mbps should embrace you, correct?

Not quite. You will need to upload up to 4,160 kilobits of data per second constantly. Because these speeds fluctuate, information technology's a expert idea to take a 35% to twoscore% buffer. That puts us at an upload rate of around 5,700 kilobits per 2d, or 5.7 Mbps. However, if you are sure your internet connection is stable, such a buffer might not be needed. Remember, a stable connection is as of import as upload speed!

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

For diverse reasons, your ISP's alleged upload bandwidth and the bodily upload speed yous can achieve with your connexion tin can be very dissimilar. That'due south why you should ever test your upload speed using online speed tests. The number you get from these tests should be upwardly to 5.7 Mbps if yous desire to stream 720p video at 30 frames per 2nd.

Read after: The just multistreaming guide yous'll ever need 📍

💁‍♂️ The many variables affecting upload speed requirements

The 5.7 Mbps upload speed for 720p video at 30 frames per second is the upper limit. You can notwithstanding live stream 720p video with a lower upload speed. If the whole video is a single shot of you talking, 4,000 kbps might exist too high of a bitrate. You would probably be fine if yous reduced it past half.

If, on the other hand, y'all 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 exist. The type of content you stream affects what a good upload speed is for you.

Let's stay with video games. If yous're streaming games with fast-paced activity, you should ensure that your viewers see what's going on as conspicuously as possible. You might want to stream at more 30 frames per 2d.

However, more frames per second requires a college bitrate. For Twitch, it pushes the range for 720p video to between iii,500 and 5,000 kbps. YouTube Alive recommends 2,250 to 6,000 Kbps. When you factor in these requirements, that'due south a half-dozen.2 Mbps upload speed for Twitch and 7.4 Mbps for YouTube Live if you want to stream 720p video at lx frames per 2nd. Besides, keep in listen that these are just the highest optimal values.

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

On Facebook, outset streamers tin can only stream up to 720p video, so there's no need to have more than than v Mbps. In gild to live stream Full HD videos, you need to use for their Level Upwards affiliate program.

Twitch allows upward to 1080p video at 60 frames per second. Y'all'll need an upload speed of up to seven.four Mbps to support that.

YouTube Live supports 4k live streaming at sixty frames per second. Information technology recommends a bitrate in the range of twenty,000 to 51,000 kbps. Y'all'd need an upload speed of 68.8 Mbps to pull that off. That's just above the boilerplate upload speed in the District of Columbia, the area 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 you're streaming likewise, you cannot beget to fall behind on video quality. Better quality requires college upload speeds, so the competition will somewhen push y'all to increase your upload rate.

🤩 What upload speeds should I be aiming for?

With all these variables in heed, you lot shouldn't inquire what a "good" upload speed is. Instead, it's improve to ask 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? Nosotros'll segment past platform, resolution, and frames per 2nd, where applicable.

Facebook Alive:

  • Recommended max bitrate of 4,000 kbps for video.
  • Recommended audio bitrate is up to 128 kbps.
  • Maximum resolution is 1080p, with 60 frames reproduced per second. Aim for an upload speed of half dozen 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 three to four Mbps.

Twitch:

  • For 720p video at 30 frames per 2d, bitrate should be between 2,500 and iv,000 kbps. That requires upload speeds between 3.2 Mbps and 5 Mbps.
  • For 720p video at 60 frames per 2d, the bitrate should be between three,500 and 5,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are between 4.4 Mbps and 6.ii Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at 30 frames per 2d, the bitrate should be 3,500 to 5,000 kbps – aforementioned as for 720p video at 60 fps. The required upload speeds are the same besides, between 4.iv Mbps and 6.2 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at threescore frames per 2nd, the recommended bitrate is between 4500 and 6000 kbps. The required upload speeds are between 5.6 Mbps and 7.4 Mbps.

YouTube:

  • For 720p video at 30 frames per second, the range is i,500 to four,000 kbps. That's an upload speed betwixt roughly two Mbps and v Mbps.
  • For 720p video at lx frames per second, the range is two,250 to 6,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are between ii.9 Mbps and vii.4 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at 30 frames per 2d, the bitrate range is 3,000 to 6,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are between three.eight Mbps and seven.4 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at 60 frames per 2d, the bitrate range is iv,500 to nine,000 kbps. In upload speeds, that means betwixt five.6 Mbps and 11 Mbps.
  • For 1440p video at thirty frames per second, the bitrate range is six,000 to xiii,000 kbps. That'south between seven.iv Mbps and 15.viii Mbps in recommended upload speeds.
  • For 1440p video at sixty frames per 2d, the range is nine,000 to 18,000 kbps. In upload speeds, that's between 11 Mbps and 21.viii Mbps.
  • If you really want to live stream 4k video, doing it at 30 frames per second volition require a bitrate betwixt 13,000 and 34,000 kbps. In terms of upload speed, that'southward 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. Yous'll need an upload speed between 24.two Mbps and 61.v Mbps.

As you tin see, YouTube offers the highest-quality alive streaming. Facebook is the most accessible, while Twitch is withal 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 one thing, but getting access to that speed is something completely different.

The upload speed you lot tin 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 fashion to get symmetry between the two is to sign up for a concern-level service if possible. Information technology will guarantee y'all the ISP'south alleged upload speed at any time. This, in plough, provides stability and reliability to ensure shine live streams.

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

And then, the beginning step in obtaining a expert upload speed for streaming is to switch to an ISP that offers the speed y'all need. Be prepared to pay more for more speed, though. Also, brand sure you ask around near the quality of their service.

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

  • Get a wired connectedness. Your WiFi might be swell when it comes to watching YouTube videos on your smartphone or checking social media. Merely when live streaming, a wired connection with an ethernet cablevision is amend. It gives you lot less interference and more than stability, which leads to better stream quality.
  • Remove excess devices from your network. You don't want your internet connectedness to be crowded when you start streaming. Don't let any other device pig your upload speed, and disconnect them from your network or plough off their WiFi capabilities during your stream.
  • Close excess programs and apps on your computer. The only matter that should be uploading when you stream is your encoder. Peer-to-peer networking has probably ruined its fair share of live streams, so await 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 accomplish new audiences, saves time, and offers smashing tools from various platforms. Unfortunately, it can besides be enervating on your CPU and bandwidth. To bargain 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 employ up some of your upload bandwidth. Remove, stop, or block whatever of these speed-leeching undesired programs.
  • Apply up-to-date software and hardware. Old drivers can dull your estimator downwards, and onetime modems can clogging your upload speed. Make sure your hardware and software are upward to the task of streaming alive video.

🔥 How to stream with a low upload speed

With Restream Events, you can featherbed the upload speed inconveniences. How? Our feature allows yous to upload your pre-recorded videos, schedule them, and set them to get live after as if they were regular streams. With this method, your upload speed doesn't thing. After you lot upload your video, Restream will broadcast it at the scheduled time automatically, and so yous don't even have to exist online.

Learn more 👉 Restream Events: Everything you demand to know

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Conclusion

As a live video streamer, the quality of your content will depend on the quality of your circulate. That'south a fact. Y'all tin can have the best skills in the most pop games, or the best banter, or the greatest sense of humor. Simply if people can't run across and hear you well, they're not going to stick around to watch your stream.

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

Recollect, you lot shouldn't go for the highest possible upload speed past default. Y'all only need information technology if you're planning to stream at a very high bitrate. A good upload speed is the one that'due south appropriate for your goals.