Intro

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

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

Before y'all start calling your Internet service provider to inquire about more bandwidth, you lot need to know what a good upload speed for streaming is. Unfortunately, in that location'south no straightforward answer to this question.

A good upload speed allows you lot to stream the content you want to the platform of your pick without any major issues. It should likewise exist capable of delivering your content at a quality that volition non disadvantage you 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 swell answer, right? There are some generally accustomed values for good upload speeds, which are worth knowing. But nosotros'll also dig a chip deeper to notice a good upload speed for your item alive stream needs.

🤓 Understanding download/upload speeds

What do y'all think people do the most online? We know that the nearly popular website in the earth is Google. Information technology's followed past YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Wikipedia. So that's ane search engine, an encyclopedia, two social networks, and a video platform/social network.

People eat content online. They seek information technology out, identify it, so read, listen, or watch it. To be able to do that, their devices demand to ingest information, which comes to them in the class of bits. Your internet connection's download charge per unit shows you lot how many $.25 of information your computer or device can take in from the net using that connection. Usually, the rate (also referred to as bitrate) is expressed in millions of bits — or megabits — per second (Mbps).

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

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

👀 What is a good upload speed for streaming?

Streaming alive video tin can accept upwards a lot of bandwidth. Just how much volition depend on several factors. Encoding matters, but and 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 second, or fps) of your stream.

Say you desire to live stream a video of yourself interviewing someone. You're choosing betwixt Facebook Live, YouTube Live, and Twitch. Since all these platforms back up live streaming video resolution of 720p, we'll use the bitrate recommendations from each platform:

  • Facebook Live recommends a max bitrate of 4,000 kbps, plus a max audio bitrate of 128 kbps.
  • YouTube Live recommends a range betwixt 1,500 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 live video at a resolution of 720p, at 30 frames per second, you will upload up to four,160 kilobits, or 4.xvi Mbps, of data per second. So having an upload bandwidth of around iv Mbps should cover y'all, correct?

Not quite. You lot will demand to upload upwardly to four,160 kilobits of data per 2nd constantly. Because these speeds fluctuate, it'south a skilful idea to take a 35% to 40% buffer. That puts us at an upload rate of around 5,700 kilobits per second, or 5.7 Mbps. Even so, if you are certain your cyberspace connection is stable, such a buffer might not exist 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 various reasons, your Internet access provider'south declared upload bandwidth and the bodily upload speed you can accomplish with your connectedness can exist very different. That's why y'all should e'er test your upload speed using online speed tests. The number you get from these tests should be up to 5.7 Mbps if y'all want to stream 720p video at thirty frames per second.

Read subsequently: The only multistreaming guide you'll e'er need 📍

💁‍♂️ The many variables affecting upload speed requirements

The 5.vii Mbps upload speed for 720p video at thirty frames per 2nd is the upper limit. Y'all tin 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 be likewise loftier of a bitrate. You would probably be fine if you lot reduced information technology past half.

If, on the other hand, y'all want to stream video games or events with tons of visual information, 4,000 kbps is necessary. The faster the step of the visuals, the college your bitrate should be. The blazon of content you lot stream affects what a good upload speed is for you.

Let'due south stay with video games. If you're streaming games with fast-paced activity, you should ensure that your viewers encounter what's going on as clearly as possible. You might desire to stream at more than than thirty frames per 2d.

Withal, more frames per 2nd requires a higher bitrate. For Twitch, it pushes the range for 720p video to between iii,500 and 5,000 kbps. YouTube Live recommends 2,250 to 6,000 Kbps. When you factor in these requirements, that's a 6.two Mbps upload speed for Twitch and 7.4 Mbps for YouTube Live if yous want to stream 720p video at 60 frames per second. Also, keep in heed that these are just the highest optimal values.

A good upload speed for your live streaming will vary from 1 platform to another.

On Facebook, beginning streamers can only stream up to 720p video, so there's no demand to have more than 5 Mbps. In order to live stream Full Hard disk videos, yous need to utilize for their Level Upwards affiliate program.

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

YouTube Live supports 4k live streaming at 60 frames per second. It recommends a bitrate in the range of xx,000 to 51,000 kbps. You'd demand an upload speed of 68.eight Mbps to pull that off. That'southward merely above the average upload speed in the Commune of Columbia, the area with the highest median upload speed in the U.s..

Finally, your competitors might touch on your upload speed requirements. Twitch and YouTube are crowded with streamers trying to use the platforms to generate income. If you're streaming too, you cannot afford to fall behind on video quality. Better quality requires higher upload speeds, then the contest volition eventually push you to increase your upload rate.

🤩 What upload speeds should I be aiming for?

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

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

Facebook Alive:

  • Recommended max bitrate of four,000 kbps for video.
  • Recommended audio bitrate is upwardly to 128 kbps.
  • Maximum resolution is 1080p, with 60 frames reproduced per 2d. Aim for an upload speed of 6 to 7 Mbps (although Facebook limits near accounts to 720p resolution).
  • For 720p video at thirty or 60 frames per 2d, aim for an upload speed of roughly 3 to 4 Mbps.

Twitch:

  • For 720p video at xxx frames per second, bitrate should be between 2,500 and iv,000 kbps. That requires upload speeds betwixt 3.2 Mbps and five Mbps.
  • For 720p video at 60 frames per second, the bitrate should be betwixt 3,500 and 5,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are betwixt 4.4 Mbps and vi.2 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at xxx frames per second, the bitrate should be 3,500 to v,000 kbps – same as for 720p video at 60 fps. The required upload speeds are the aforementioned also, betwixt 4.four Mbps and 6.2 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at 60 frames per second, the recommended bitrate is betwixt 4500 and 6000 kbps. The required upload speeds are between 5.vi Mbps and 7.4 Mbps.

YouTube:

  • For 720p video at 30 frames per 2nd, the range is 1,500 to 4,000 kbps. That's an upload speed between roughly two Mbps and 5 Mbps.
  • For 720p video at threescore frames per 2nd, the range is two,250 to 6,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are between 2.9 Mbps and 7.four 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.viii Mbps and seven.four Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at threescore frames per 2nd, the bitrate range is 4,500 to 9,000 kbps. In upload speeds, that means betwixt 5.vi Mbps and 11 Mbps.
  • For 1440p video at xxx frames per second, the bitrate range is 6,000 to xiii,000 kbps. That'due south betwixt 7.iv Mbps and xv.8 Mbps in recommended upload speeds.
  • For 1440p video at threescore frames per 2d, the range is 9,000 to 18,000 kbps. In upload speeds, that's between eleven Mbps and 21.8 Mbps.
  • If yous really desire to live stream 4k video, doing it at thirty frames per second will require a bitrate betwixt xiii,000 and 34,000 kbps. In terms of upload speed, that'south 15.viii Mbps and 41 Mbps.
  • To stream 4k video at 60 frames per second, the recommended bitrate range is xx,000 to 51,000 kbps. You lot'll need an upload speed between 24.2 Mbps and 61.5 Mbps.

As yous can run across, 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

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

The upload speed yous can achieve depends on the service packages your ISP offers. For residential users, the download speed will always be college than the upload speed. The all-time fashion to get symmetry betwixt the 2 is to sign up for a business concern-level service if possible. It will guarantee y'all the ISP'southward declared upload speed at any time. This, in plough, provides stability and reliability to ensure smoothen alive streams.

In terms of sheer speed, the proficient news is that internet connections are condign faster across the board. Technologies such every bit fiber-optic internet are bringing higher speeds to your workplace or habitation — if fiber is offered in your expanse, that is.

And so, the first step in obtaining a good upload speed for streaming is to switch to an ISP that offers the speed you need. Be prepared to pay more for more speed, though. Also, brand sure you ask around about the quality of their service.

If you're stuck with a provider that offers suboptimal speeds, y'all can yet do a couple of things to amend your situation:

  • Go a wired connection. Your WiFi might be not bad when it comes to watching YouTube videos on your smartphone or checking social media. Only when alive streaming, a wired connection with an ethernet cable is better. It gives you less interference and more stability, which leads to meliorate stream quality.
  • Remove excess devices from your network. You don't desire your internet connectedness to be crowded when you first streaming. Don't let any other device hog your upload speed, and disconnect them from your network or plough off their WiFi capabilities during your stream.
  • Shut excess programs and apps on your computer. The only thing that should exist uploading when you stream is your encoder. Peer-to-peer networking has probably ruined its off-white share of live streams, then await until you're off the air.
  • Use cloud-based multistreaming. Multistreaming, or streaming live to several platforms at the aforementioned time, is incredibly useful for content creators. Information technology helps reach new audiences, saves time, and offers great tools from various platforms. Unfortunately, it can besides exist demanding on your CPU and bandwidth. To deal with it, use a deject-based multistreaming service to carry some of that load.
  • Remove malware; use advertizement blockers and privacy tools. Malware, ads, and online tracking can use up some of your upload bandwidth. Remove, stop, or cake any of these speed-leeching undesired programs.
  • Utilize up-to-date software and hardware. Old drivers tin slow your computer downwards, and old modems tin can clogging your upload speed. Brand sure your hardware and software are up to the task of streaming alive video.

🔥 How to stream with a low upload speed

With Restream Events, you can bypass the upload speed inconveniences. How? Our feature allows you to upload your pre-recorded videos, schedule them, and fix them to go alive afterward every bit 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 yous don't even have to be online.

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

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

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Conclusion

As a live video streamer, the quality of your content will depend on the quality of your broadcast. That'southward a fact. Y'all can take the all-time skills in the nearly pop games, or the best barrack, or the greatest sense of sense of humor. But if people can't see and hear you well, they're not going to stick around to sentry your stream.

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

Recollect, you shouldn't go for the highest possible upload speed by default. You but demand information technology if yous're planning to stream at a very loftier bitrate. A good upload speed is the one that's appropriate for your goals.