Intro

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

You lot tin discover hardware that handles encoding for live video (and playing video games simultaneously) in a smartphone or a decent computer. Getting a adept upload speed for streaming is trickier.

Before you starting time calling your Internet access provider to enquire about more bandwidth, you demand to know what a good upload speed for streaming is. Unfortunately, at that place's no straightforward answer to this question.

A good upload speed allows you to stream the content you want to the platform of your choice without any major issues. Information technology should also be capable of delivering your content at a quality that will non disadvantage you or make 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 reply, right? There are some generally accepted values for good upload speeds, which are worth knowing. But we'll also dig a bit deeper to observe a proficient upload speed for your particular live stream needs.

🤓 Understanding download/upload speeds

What do you lot think people do the most online? We know that the almost pop website in the world is Google. It's followed by YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Wikipedia. So that's one search engine, an encyclopedia, two social networks, and a video platform/social network.

People eat content online. They seek information technology out, identify it, and so read, listen, or watch it. To exist able to do that, their devices need to ingest data, which comes to them in the class of bits. Your internet connectedness's download rate shows you lot how many bits of data your computer or device tin take in from the net using that connection. Usually, the rate (too referred to as bitrate) is expressed in millions of bits — or megabits — per second (Mbps).

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

When you create content and desire to share it online, information technology'southward your connection'southward upload rate that matters the most. It's the aforementioned as the download rate; information technology just works the other way around, showing how many $.25 of data y'all tin share per 2nd. It'southward also expressed in Mbps. Data shows that, globally, upload rates are slower than download rates.

👀 What is a good upload speed for streaming?

Streaming live video can accept up a lot of bandwidth. Just how much will depend on several factors. Encoding matters, but then does the type of content you want to stream. Platforms play a part, as do the resolution (expressed in pixels, or p) and the frame rate (frames per 2d, or fps) of your stream.

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

  • Facebook Live recommends a max bitrate of iv,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 sound.
  • Twitch recommends a range betwixt 2,500 and four,000 kbps for video, plus upward to 160 kbps for audio.

If y'all're streaming alive video at a resolution of 720p, at 30 frames per second, y'all will upload up to 4,160 kilobits, or 4.16 Mbps, of data per 2nd. And so having an upload bandwidth of effectually 4 Mbps should cover y'all, correct?

Non quite. Yous will need to upload up to iv,160 kilobits of data per 2nd constantly. Considering these speeds fluctuate, it's a good 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.seven Mbps. However, if you lot are sure your internet connexion 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's alleged upload bandwidth and the actual upload speed you tin can achieve with your connexion tin exist very different. That's why you should always exam your upload speed using online speed tests. The number you get from these tests should be upward to 5.vii Mbps if you want to stream 720p video at 30 frames per second.

Read afterwards: The merely multistreaming guide you'll ever demand 📍

💁‍♂️ The many variables affecting upload speed requirements

The five.7 Mbps upload speed for 720p video at thirty frames per second is the upper limit. You tin even so alive stream 720p video with a lower upload speed. If the whole video is a unmarried shot of you talking, 4,000 kbps might be likewise high of a bitrate. You lot would probably be fine if you reduced information technology past one-half.

If, on the other mitt, you desire to stream video games or events with tons of visual information, four,000 kbps is necessary. The faster the footstep of the visuals, the higher your bitrate should exist. The type of content you stream affects what a practiced upload speed is for you.

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

Still, 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 ii,250 to half-dozen,000 Kbps. When you factor in these requirements, that's a 6.2 Mbps upload speed for Twitch and 7.iv Mbps for YouTube Alive if y'all want to stream 720p video at 60 frames per 2d. Too, keep in mind that these are just the highest optimal values.

A practiced upload speed for your live streaming will vary from ane platform to some other.

On Facebook, beginning streamers tin only stream upward to 720p video, and so at that place'southward no need to have more than v Mbps. In gild to live stream Full Hard disk videos, you need to employ for their Level Up affiliate programme.

Twitch allows upwardly to 1080p video at 60 frames per second. You'll need an upload speed of upward to 7.4 Mbps to back up that.

YouTube Live supports 4k live streaming at threescore frames per 2d. It recommends a bitrate in the range of xx,000 to 51,000 kbps. You lot'd demand an upload speed of 68.8 Mbps to pull that off. That'southward just 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 affect your upload speed requirements. Twitch and YouTube are crowded with streamers trying to use the platforms to generate income. If you're streaming as well, you cannot afford to autumn behind on video quality. Ameliorate quality requires college upload speeds, so the competition will eventually push you to increase your upload rate.

🤩 What upload speeds should I be aiming for?

With all these variables in listen, yous shouldn't ask what a "skilful" upload speed is. Instead, it'southward better to ask which speed yous should aim for in your circumstances.

Which bitrates and corresponding upload rates exercise the three major streaming platforms advise streamers to use? Nosotros'll segment by platform, resolution, and frames per second, where applicable.

Facebook Live:

  • Recommended max bitrate of iv,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 seven Mbps (although Facebook limits about accounts to 720p resolution).
  • For 720p video at 30 or 60 frames per 2d, aim for an upload speed of roughly 3 to 4 Mbps.

Twitch:

  • For 720p video at 30 frames per second, bitrate should be between ii,500 and 4,000 kbps. That requires upload speeds between three.2 Mbps and v Mbps.
  • For 720p video at 60 frames per second, the bitrate should be between 3,500 and 5,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are betwixt four.4 Mbps and half dozen.2 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at 30 frames per 2nd, 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 also, between 4.iv Mbps and half dozen.two Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at 60 frames per 2d, 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 2nd, the range is 1,500 to four,000 kbps. That'south an upload speed between roughly 2 Mbps and 5 Mbps.
  • For 720p video at sixty frames per second, the range is 2,250 to half dozen,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are between 2.9 Mbps and 7.4 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at 30 frames per second, the bitrate range is 3,000 to 6,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are betwixt 3.eight 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 ways betwixt 5.half dozen Mbps and eleven Mbps.
  • For 1440p video at thirty frames per second, the bitrate range is half-dozen,000 to xiii,000 kbps. That's between 7.four Mbps and xv.8 Mbps in recommended upload speeds.
  • For 1440p video at 60 frames per second, the range is 9,000 to 18,000 kbps. In upload speeds, that's between eleven Mbps and 21.viii Mbps.
  • If you really want to alive stream 4k video, doing it at xxx frames per 2d will crave a bitrate between thirteen,000 and 34,000 kbps. In terms of upload speed, that's xv.8 Mbps and 41 Mbps.
  • To stream 4k video at 60 frames per 2d, the recommended bitrate range is twenty,000 to 51,000 kbps. Yous'll need an upload speed between 24.2 Mbps and 61.5 Mbps.

As yous tin can see, YouTube offers the highest-quality live streaming. Facebook is the most attainable, while Twitch is yet 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 i thing, just getting access to that speed is something completely unlike.

The upload speed yous tin can reach depends on the service packages your Isp offers. For residential users, the download speed will always be higher than the upload speed. The best way to become symmetry between the two is to sign up for a business organisation-level service if possible. It volition guarantee you the ISP'south declared upload speed at whatsoever time. This, in plow, provides stability and reliability to ensure smooth live streams.

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

So, the first step in obtaining a good upload speed for streaming is to switch to an Internet access provider that offers the speed you lot need. Exist prepared to pay more for more speed, though. Too, make sure you lot ask around about the quality of their service.

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

  • Get a wired connexion. Your WiFi might be great when information technology comes to watching YouTube videos on your smartphone or checking social media. But when alive streaming, a wired connection with an ethernet cable is meliorate. It gives y'all less interference and more stability, which leads to ameliorate stream quality.
  • Remove excess devices from your network. You don't want your cyberspace connectedness to be crowded when you kickoff streaming. Don't permit whatsoever other device hog your upload speed, and disconnect them from your network or turn off their WiFi capabilities during your stream.
  • Shut excess programs and apps on your estimator. The only affair that should be uploading when you lot stream is your encoder. Peer-to-peer networking has probably ruined its fair share of live streams, then wait until you're off the air.
  • Utilize cloud-based multistreaming. Multistreaming, or streaming live to several platforms at the same time, is incredibly useful for content creators. It helps reach new audiences, saves fourth dimension, and offers great tools from various platforms. Unfortunately, it can too be demanding on your CPU and bandwidth. To deal with it, apply a cloud-based multistreaming service to bear some of that load.
  • Remove malware; employ advertising blockers and privacy tools. Malware, ads, and online tracking can use upwards some of your upload bandwidth. Remove, end, or block whatever of these speed-leeching undesired programs.
  • Use up-to-date software and hardware. Erstwhile drivers can slow your computer down, and quondam modems can bottleneck your upload speed. Make certain 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 lot tin bypass the upload speed inconveniences. How? Our characteristic allows you to upload your pre-recorded videos, schedule them, and prepare them to become live subsequently every bit if they were regular streams. With this method, your upload speed doesn't matter. After you upload your video, Restream will circulate it at the scheduled time automatically, and then you don't even have to be online.

Larn more 👉 Restream Events: Everything y'all need to know

Bonus tip: Thanks to our multistreaming technology, y'all 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 engagement

Accomplish a wider audience by streaming to multiple platforms simultaneously.

Get Started

Conclusion

Every bit a live video streamer, the quality of your content will depend on the quality of your circulate. That's a fact. You lot can have the best skills in the well-nigh popular games, or the best barrack, or the greatest sense of humor. Just if people can't see and hear yous well, they're non going to stick around to watch your stream.

Upload speeds tin can significantly bear on the quality of your broadcasts. Use a connection with enough upload speed for the blazon of content you broadcast.

Call back, you shouldn't go for the highest possible upload speed by default. You simply need it if you're planning to stream at a very loftier bitrate. A expert upload speed is the one that'south appropriate for your goals.