Intro

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

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

Earlier you start calling your Internet access provider to inquire about more than bandwidth, you need to know what a good upload speed for streaming is. Unfortunately, there'south no straightforward reply to this question.

A skillful upload speed allows yous to stream the content you desire to the platform of your choice without any major problems. It should also be capable of delivering your content at a quality that will non disadvantage you or brand your stream less highly-seasoned 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

Non a slap-up respond, right? There are some generally accepted values for expert upload speeds, which are worth knowing. Only we'll also dig a chip deeper to find a good upload speed for your detail live stream needs.

🤓 Agreement download/upload speeds

What do you think people do the nearly online? We know that the nearly popular website in the world is Google. Information technology's followed by YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Wikipedia. Then that's ane search engine, an encyclopedia, ii social networks, and a video platform/social network.

People consume content online. They seek it out, place it, and then read, listen, or lookout man it. To be able to do that, their devices need to ingest data, which comes to them in the form of $.25. Your cyberspace connection's download charge per unit shows y'all how many $.25 of data your reckoner or device can have in from the internet using that connexion. Usually, the rate (also referred to as bitrate) is expressed in millions of $.25 — or megabits — per second (Mbps).

Information technology's your connection'due south upload rate that matters the almost.

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

👀 What is a skillful upload speed for streaming?

Streaming live video tin can take up a lot of bandwidth. Just how much will depend on several factors. Encoding matters, only so does the type of content y'all want to stream. Platforms play a part, as exercise the resolution (expressed in pixels, or p) and the frame rate (frames per 2nd, or fps) of your stream.

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

  • Facebook Alive recommends a max bitrate of 4,000 kbps, plus a max audio bitrate of 128 kbps.
  • YouTube Live recommends a range between ane,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 up to 160 kbps for audio.

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

Not quite. You will need to upload upward to four,160 kilobits of data per 2d constantly. Because these speeds fluctuate, information technology'due south a good idea to have a 35% to xl% buffer. That puts us at an upload rate of around 5,700 kilobits per 2nd, or 5.vii Mbps. However, if you are sure your internet connexion is stable, such a buffer might not exist needed. Recollect, a stable connectedness is every bit important equally 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 connectedness can be very different. That's why y'all should always test your upload speed using online speed tests. The number you get from these tests should be up to five.7 Mbps if you want to stream 720p video at thirty frames per second.

Read later: The only multistreaming guide you'll always need 📍

💁‍♂️ The many variables affecting upload speed requirements

The v.seven Mbps upload speed for 720p video at 30 frames per 2nd 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 high of a bitrate. You would probably be fine if you reduced it by half.

If, on the other hand, y'all want to stream video games or events with tons of visual data, iv,000 kbps is necessary. The faster the pace of the visuals, the higher your bitrate should be. The type of content yous stream affects what a good upload speed is for you.

Let's stay with video games. If you're streaming games with fast-paced action, you should ensure that your viewers see what's going on as clearly as possible. Yous might want to stream at more than 30 frames per second.

However, more frames per second requires a higher bitrate. For Twitch, it pushes the range for 720p video to between iii,500 and v,000 kbps. YouTube Live recommends 2,250 to half-dozen,000 Kbps. When you factor in these requirements, that'south a 6.2 Mbps upload speed for Twitch and vii.4 Mbps for YouTube Live if you want to stream 720p video at 60 frames per 2d. Also, keep in mind that these are just the highest optimal values.

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

On Facebook, outset streamers can merely stream upwards to 720p video, so there's no need to have more than v Mbps. In order to live stream Full HD videos, you need to utilize for their Level Upwardly affiliate program.

Twitch allows up to 1080p video at sixty frames per second. Yous'll need an upload speed of up to 7.4 Mbps to support that.

YouTube Live supports 4k live streaming at threescore frames per 2nd. It recommends a bitrate in the range of 20,000 to 51,000 kbps. You'd need an upload speed of 68.8 Mbps to pull that off. That's but above the average upload speed in the District of Columbia, the area with the highest median upload speed in the United States.

Finally, your competitors might impact your upload speed requirements. Twitch and YouTube are crowded with streamers trying to employ the platforms to generate income. If you're streaming too, you cannot afford to fall behind on video quality. Ameliorate quality requires higher upload speeds, and so the competition will eventually push you 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 "good" upload speed is. Instead, it'southward improve to ask which speed you should aim for in your circumstances.

Which bitrates and corresponding upload rates do the iii major streaming platforms propose streamers to use? Nosotros'll segment by platform, resolution, and frames per second, where applicative.

Facebook Live:

  • 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 6 to 7 Mbps (although Facebook limits well-nigh accounts to 720p resolution).
  • For 720p video at 30 or lx frames per second, aim for an upload speed of roughly 3 to 4 Mbps.

Twitch:

  • For 720p video at 30 frames per 2nd, bitrate should be between two,500 and 4,000 kbps. That requires upload speeds between 3.ii Mbps and five Mbps.
  • For 720p video at 60 frames per second, the bitrate should exist between three,500 and 5,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are betwixt four.iv Mbps and 6.2 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at 30 frames per 2nd, the bitrate should exist 3,500 to v,000 kbps – same every bit for 720p video at threescore fps. The required upload speeds are the aforementioned as well, between 4.4 Mbps and 6.2 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at lx frames per second, the recommended bitrate is between 4500 and 6000 kbps. The required upload speeds are between v.6 Mbps and 7.4 Mbps.

YouTube:

  • For 720p video at 30 frames per second, the range is 1,500 to 4,000 kbps. That'southward an upload speed between roughly 2 Mbps and five Mbps.
  • For 720p video at 60 frames per second, the range is 2,250 to vi,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are between two.9 Mbps and 7.4 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at xxx frames per 2nd, the bitrate range is iii,000 to 6,000 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 nine,000 kbps. In upload speeds, that means betwixt 5.6 Mbps and eleven Mbps.
  • For 1440p video at 30 frames per 2nd, the bitrate range is vi,000 to 13,000 kbps. That's betwixt 7.4 Mbps and 15.8 Mbps in recommended upload speeds.
  • For 1440p video at lx frames per 2d, the range is ix,000 to 18,000 kbps. In upload speeds, that's between 11 Mbps and 21.8 Mbps.
  • If you really desire to live stream 4k video, doing it at 30 frames per second will require a bitrate between 13,000 and 34,000 kbps. In terms of upload speed, that's 15.8 Mbps and 41 Mbps.
  • To stream 4k video at sixty frames per second, the recommended bitrate range is xx,000 to 51,000 kbps. You'll need an upload speed between 24.two Mbps and 61.5 Mbps.

Equally you tin see, YouTube offers the highest-quality alive streaming. Facebook is the nigh accessible, while Twitch is nonetheless 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

Computing your desired upload speed is one matter, but getting access to that speed is something completely different.

The upload speed you can achieve depends on the service packages your Internet service provider offers. For residential users, the download speed will e'er exist higher than the upload speed. The all-time style to go symmetry between the two is to sign upwardly for a business-level service if possible. Information technology volition guarantee you the Isp'due south declared upload speed at any fourth dimension. 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 across the board. Technologies such as fiber-optic internet are bringing higher speeds to your workplace or home — if fiber is offered in your expanse, that is.

And then, the offset step in obtaining a practiced upload speed for streaming is to switch to an ISP that offers the speed you lot need. Be prepared to pay more than for more speed, though. Likewise, make sure you lot ask effectually about the quality of their service.

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

  • Get a wired connection. Your WiFi might exist bang-up when it comes to watching YouTube videos on your smartphone or checking social media. But when live streaming, a wired connectedness with an ethernet cable is improve. It gives you less interference and more stability, which leads to improve stream quality.
  • Remove backlog devices from your network. You don't desire your net connexion to be crowded when y'all start streaming. Don't allow whatever other device hog your upload speed, and disconnect them from your network or turn off their WiFi capabilities during your stream.
  • Shut backlog programs and apps on your computer. The only thing that should be uploading when yous stream is your encoder. Peer-to-peer networking has probably ruined its fair share of live streams, so wait until yous're off the air.
  • Use deject-based multistreaming. Multistreaming, or streaming live to several platforms at the same time, is incredibly useful for content creators. Information technology helps reach new audiences, saves fourth dimension, and offers nifty tools from various platforms. Unfortunately, it can also exist enervating on your CPU and bandwidth. To deal with it, utilize a cloud-based multistreaming service to conduct some of that load.
  • Remove malware; use advertising blockers and privacy tools. Malware, ads, and online tracking can employ up some of your upload bandwidth. Remove, stop, or cake whatsoever of these speed-leeching undesired programs.
  • Utilize upwardly-to-appointment software and hardware. Erstwhile drivers can slow your estimator down, and old modems can bottleneck your upload speed. Make sure your hardware and software are upwards to the task of streaming live video.

🔥 How to stream with a low upload speed

With Restream Events, you lot tin can bypass the upload speed inconveniences. How? Our feature allows you to upload your pre-recorded videos, schedule them, and prepare them to go alive afterward as 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 fourth dimension automatically, so y'all don't even accept to exist online.

Learn more 👉 Restream Events: Everything you need to know

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

restream

Multiply your views and date

Reach a wider audience past streaming to multiple platforms simultaneously.

Get Started

Conclusion

As a live video streamer, the quality of your content volition depend on the quality of your broadcast. That's a fact. You can accept the best skills in the almost popular games, or the best banter, or the greatest sense of sense of humour. Merely if people tin can't run into and hear you well, they're not going to stick around to picket your stream.

Upload speeds can significantly touch on the quality of your broadcasts. Employ a connection with enough upload speed for the type of content y'all broadcast.

Recall, y'all shouldn't get for the highest possible upload speed by default. You only need it if you're planning to stream at a very loftier bitrate. A proficient upload speed is the one that's appropriate for your goals.