Intro

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

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

Before you showtime calling your Isp to inquire about more bandwidth, yous demand to know what a good upload speed for streaming is. Unfortunately, there'south no straightforward respond to this question.

A adept upload speed allows you to stream the content yous want to the platform of your choice without whatsoever major issues. It should also be capable of delivering your content at a quality that will non disadvantage you or make your stream less appealing than others.

Basically, anything betwixt 672 kbps and 61.v Mbps is ideal.

A good upload speed for streaming is between 672 kbps and 61.5 Mbps

Not a great reply, right? There are some generally accustomed values for skilful upload speeds, which are worth knowing. But we'll also dig a bit deeper to find a good upload speed for your particular live stream needs.

🤓 Understanding download/upload speeds

What do you recall people practice the nigh online? We know that the near pop website in the world is Google. It's followed by YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Wikipedia. So that'south 1 search engine, an encyclopedia, two social networks, and a video platform/social network.

People consume content online. They seek it out, identify it, then read, heed, or lookout man it. To be able to practice that, their devices need to ingest data, which comes to them in the form of $.25. Your net connexion'southward download rate shows yous how many bits of data your computer or device tin can take in from the internet using that connection. Commonly, the charge per unit (also referred to equally bitrate) is expressed in millions of bits — or megabits — per second (Mbps).

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

When y'all create content and desire to share it online, it's your connection's upload rate that matters the most. Information technology'due south the same as the download rate; information technology just works the other style around, showing how many bits of information yous can share per second. It's likewise 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 tin take up a lot of bandwidth. Just how much will depend on several factors. Encoding matters, simply so 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 lot want to alive 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 sound bitrate of 128 kbps.
  • YouTube Alive recommends a range between 1,500 and iv,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 30 frames per second, you will upload upward to four,160 kilobits, or four.16 Mbps, of information per 2nd. And so having an upload bandwidth of around 4 Mbps should cover y'all, right?

Not quite. You will need to upload upwards to 4,160 kilobits of information per 2d constantly. Because these speeds fluctuate, information technology's a adept idea to have a 35% to 40% buffer. That puts us at an upload charge per unit of around five,700 kilobits per 2nd, or 5.7 Mbps. Even so, if you are sure your net connection is stable, such a buffer might not be needed. Remember, a stable connectedness is equally important as upload speed!

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

For various reasons, your Internet service provider's declared upload bandwidth and the actual upload speed you can accomplish with your connection can be very different. That's why y'all should always test your upload speed using online speed tests. The number yous get from these tests should exist up to 5.seven Mbps if yous desire to stream 720p video at 30 frames per 2d.

Read later: The only multistreaming guide you'll ever demand 📍

💁‍♂️ The many variables affecting upload speed requirements

The five.seven Mbps upload speed for 720p video at 30 frames per second is the upper limit. You can still live stream 720p video with a lower upload speed. If the whole video is a unmarried shot of you talking, 4,000 kbps might be too high of a bitrate. Yous would probably be fine if y'all reduced it by half.

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

Permit'southward stay with video games. If yous're streaming games with fast-paced action, y'all should ensure that your viewers see what'southward going on as clearly as possible. You might want to stream at more than than 30 frames per 2nd.

Notwithstanding, more frames per 2d requires a college bitrate. For Twitch, it pushes the range for 720p video to between 3,500 and 5,000 kbps. YouTube Live recommends 2,250 to vi,000 Kbps. When you factor in these requirements, that'due south a vi.2 Mbps upload speed for Twitch and 7.four Mbps for YouTube Live if you want to stream 720p video at 60 frames per second. 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 some other.

On Facebook, kickoff streamers can only stream upward to 720p video, and so in that location's no need to accept more five Mbps. In guild to live stream Full HD videos, you need to apply for their Level Upwardly affiliate program.

Twitch allows up to 1080p video at 60 frames per second. You'll demand an upload speed of upwards to 7.4 Mbps to support that.

YouTube Live supports 4k alive streaming at 60 frames per second. It recommends a bitrate in the range of 20,000 to 51,000 kbps. You'd need an upload speed of 68.viii 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 of america.

Finally, your competitors might affect your upload speed requirements. Twitch and YouTube are crowded with streamers trying to apply the platforms to generate income. If you're streaming too, y'all cannot afford to fall behind on video quality. Better quality requires college upload speeds, and so the competition will eventually push you to increase your upload charge per unit.

🤩 What upload speeds should I be aiming for?

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

Which bitrates and corresponding upload rates practise the iii major streaming platforms advise streamers to utilize? We'll segment past platform, resolution, and frames per second, where applicable.

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 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 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 three.2 Mbps and 5 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 4.four Mbps and 6.two Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at 30 frames per second, the bitrate should be 3,500 to 5,000 kbps – same as for 720p video at 60 fps. The required upload speeds are the aforementioned too, between iv.4 Mbps and half dozen.2 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at sixty frames per 2d, the recommended bitrate is between 4500 and 6000 kbps. The required upload speeds are between 5.6 Mbps and 7.iv Mbps.

YouTube:

  • For 720p video at 30 frames per second, the range is 1,500 to iv,000 kbps. That's an upload speed betwixt roughly two Mbps and v Mbps.
  • For 720p video at 60 frames per second, the range is 2,250 to 6,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are between two.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 3.8 Mbps and 7.4 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at lx frames per second, the bitrate range is four,500 to 9,000 kbps. In upload speeds, that means betwixt 5.vi Mbps and 11 Mbps.
  • For 1440p video at 30 frames per second, the bitrate range is half-dozen,000 to 13,000 kbps. That's between 7.4 Mbps and 15.8 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 11 Mbps and 21.8 Mbps.
  • If you really want to alive stream 4k video, doing it at 30 frames per second will require 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 second, the recommended bitrate range is 20,000 to 51,000 kbps. You'll need an upload speed between 24.two Mbps and 61.five Mbps.

Equally you can see, YouTube offers the highest-quality live streaming. Facebook is the well-nigh accessible, while Twitch is still 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 lot tin can achieve depends on the service packages your ISP offers. For residential users, the download speed will ever be college than the upload speed. The all-time way to get symmetry between the two is to sign upwards for a business organization-level service if possible. It will guarantee you lot the ISP'southward alleged upload speed at whatsoever time. This, in plough, provides stability and reliability to ensure smooth live streams.

In terms of sheer speed, the good news is that internet connections are condign faster across the board. Technologies such as cobweb-optic internet are bringing higher speeds to your workplace or home — if cobweb is offered in your area, that is.

So, the first step in obtaining a skillful upload speed for streaming is to switch to an ISP that offers the speed y'all need. Exist prepared to pay more than for more speed, though. As well, brand certain yous ask effectually about the quality of their service.

If you're stuck with a provider that offers suboptimal speeds, you can all the same do a couple of things to amend your state of affairs:

  • Get a wired connection. Your WiFi might be great when it comes to watching YouTube videos on your smartphone or checking social media. Merely when alive streaming, a wired connection with an ethernet cablevision is better. Information technology gives you less interference and more stability, which leads to better stream quality.
  • Remove excess devices from your network. You don't want your net connection to be crowded when yous start streaming. Don't let any other device pig your upload speed, and disconnect them from your network or turn off their WiFi capabilities during your stream.
  • Close backlog programs and apps on your computer. The only matter that should be uploading when you lot stream is your encoder. Peer-to-peer networking has probably ruined its fair share of alive streams, and then expect until you lot'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 reach new audiences, saves fourth dimension, and offers swell tools from various platforms. Unfortunately, it can also be demanding on your CPU and bandwidth. To deal with it, utilise a cloud-based multistreaming service to deport some of that load.
  • Remove malware; employ advertisement blockers and privacy tools. Malware, ads, and online tracking can apply up some of your upload bandwidth. Remove, stop, or cake any of these speed-leeching undesired programs.
  • Use up-to-date software and hardware. Old drivers can dull your computer downward, and one-time modems can bottleneck your upload speed. Make certain your hardware and software are upward to the job of streaming alive video.

🔥 How to stream with a depression upload speed

With Restream Events, yous can bypass the upload speed inconveniences. How? Our characteristic allows you to upload your pre-recorded videos, schedule them, and set them to go live afterwards as if they were regular streams. With this method, your upload speed doesn't matter. After you upload your video, Restream will broadcast it at the scheduled time automatically, so you lot don't fifty-fifty have to be online.

Larn more 👉 Restream Events: Everything yous need to know

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

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Determination

Equally a live video streamer, the quality of your content volition depend on the quality of your broadcast. That's a fact. You tin have the best skills in the most popular games, or the best banter, or the greatest sense of sense of humour. But if people tin can't see and hear you well, they're not going to stick effectually to lookout your stream.

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

Remember, you shouldn't become for the highest possible upload speed by default. You only need it if you lot're planning to stream at a very high bitrate. A good upload speed is the one that's appropriate for your goals.