Intro

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

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

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

A good upload speed allows you lot to stream the content you 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 brand your stream less appealing than others.

Basically, anything between 672 kbps and 61.5 Mbps is platonic.

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

Not a corking answer, right? In that location are some generally accepted values for good upload speeds, which are worth knowing. Merely we'll also dig a bit deeper to find a good upload speed for your particular alive stream needs.

🤓 Understanding download/upload speeds

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

People swallow content online. They seek it out, identify it, and then read, mind, or watch it. To exist able to do that, their devices demand to ingest data, which comes to them in the course of bits. Your internet connection'southward download rate shows you how many bits of data your estimator or device tin can take in from the net using that connection. Unremarkably, 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 most.

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

👀 What is a skillful upload speed for streaming?

Streaming live video can take up a lot of bandwidth. Only how much will depend on several factors. Encoding matters, merely so does the type of content yous want to stream. Platforms play a part, as practice the resolution (expressed in pixels, or p) and the frame charge per unit (frames per 2nd, or fps) of your stream.

Say y'all want to alive stream a video of yourself interviewing someone. You're choosing betwixt 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 4,000 kbps, plus a max sound bitrate of 128 kbps.
  • YouTube Live recommends a range betwixt i,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 up to 160 kbps for audio.

If yous're streaming alive video at a resolution of 720p, at xxx frames per second, you volition upload upward to iv,160 kilobits, or 4.16 Mbps, of data per second. So having an upload bandwidth of around 4 Mbps should cover you, right?

Not quite. Y'all will need to upload upwards to 4,160 kilobits of data per 2d constantly. Because these speeds fluctuate, it'due south a adept thought to have a 35% to 40% buffer. That puts u.s. at an upload rate of around 5,700 kilobits per 2d, or five.7 Mbps. However, if you are sure your internet connexion is stable, such a buffer might non be needed. Think, 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 ISP's declared upload bandwidth and the actual upload speed y'all tin achieve with your connexion can be very different. That's why you should always test your upload speed using online speed tests. The number you become from these tests should be up to v.seven Mbps if yous want to stream 720p video at xxx frames per second.

Read later: The simply multistreaming guide you'll e'er need 📍

💁‍♂️ The many variables affecting upload speed requirements

The five.7 Mbps upload speed for 720p video at 30 frames per second is the upper limit. Yous can nonetheless alive stream 720p video with a lower upload speed. If the whole video is a unmarried shot of you talking, iv,000 kbps might exist too high of a bitrate. You lot would probably exist fine if you reduced it by one-half.

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

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

Still, more frames per second requires a higher bitrate. For Twitch, it pushes the range for 720p video to between 3,500 and 5,000 kbps. YouTube Live recommends 2,250 to 6,000 Kbps. When you gene in these requirements, that'south a 6.two Mbps upload speed for Twitch and 7.four Mbps for YouTube Live if y'all want to stream 720p video at 60 frames per second. Also, keep in mind that these are just the highest optimal values.

A adept upload speed for your alive streaming volition vary from i platform to another.

On Facebook, showtime streamers tin can only stream up to 720p video, and so at that place's no need to have more than 5 Mbps. In order to live stream Full Hd videos, yous need to use for their Level Up affiliate program.

Twitch allows up to 1080p video at 60 frames per second. You lot'll need an upload speed of up to 7.four Mbps to support that.

YouTube Live supports 4k alive streaming at 60 frames per 2nd. It recommends a bitrate in the range of 20,000 to 51,000 kbps. Yous'd need an upload speed of 68.8 Mbps to pull that off. That's just above the average upload speed in the District of Columbia, the area with the highest median upload speed in the U.s.a..

Finally, your competitors might bear on your upload speed requirements. Twitch and YouTube are crowded with streamers trying to use the platforms to generate income. If you're streaming besides, you cannot afford to fall behind on video quality. Amend quality requires higher upload speeds, and then the competition will eventually push you lot to increase your upload rate.

🤩 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, information technology's ameliorate to enquire 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 2nd, where applicable.

Facebook Live:

  • Recommended max bitrate of 4,000 kbps for video.
  • Recommended sound 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 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 second, bitrate should be betwixt ii,500 and 4,000 kbps. That requires upload speeds between 3.2 Mbps and 5 Mbps.
  • For 720p video at lx frames per second, the bitrate should be between 3,500 and v,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are between four.4 Mbps and 6.2 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at xxx frames per second, the bitrate should exist 3,500 to 5,000 kbps – same as for 720p video at 60 fps. The required upload speeds are the same too, between 4.4 Mbps and 6.2 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 vii.four Mbps.

YouTube:

  • For 720p video at 30 frames per second, the range is 1,500 to 4,000 kbps. That'due south an upload speed between roughly 2 Mbps and five Mbps.
  • For 720p video at 60 frames per second, the range is 2,250 to 6,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are between 2.ix Mbps and 7.4 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at xxx frames per 2nd, the bitrate range is 3,000 to half dozen,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are between 3.eight Mbps and vii.4 Mbps.
  • For 1080p video at 60 frames per second, the bitrate range is 4,500 to 9,000 kbps. In upload speeds, that means betwixt 5.six Mbps and 11 Mbps.
  • For 1440p video at thirty frames per 2d, the bitrate range is half dozen,000 to 13,000 kbps. That's betwixt seven.iv Mbps and 15.8 Mbps in recommended upload speeds.
  • For 1440p video at 60 frames per second, the range is 9,000 to eighteen,000 kbps. In upload speeds, that'due south between 11 Mbps and 21.8 Mbps.
  • If you actually want 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'southward fifteen.viii 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.ii Mbps and 61.5 Mbps.

As you tin meet, YouTube offers the highest-quality live streaming. Facebook is the most accessible, while Twitch is however the gamer's haven.

What is a good upload speed for streaming on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch?

👉 How to become a expert upload speed for streaming

Calculating your desired upload speed is one thing, but getting admission to that speed is something completely different.

The upload speed you can accomplish depends on the service packages your ISP offers. For residential users, the download speed will e'er be higher than the upload speed. The best way to go symmetry between the two is to sign upwards for a business-level service if possible. It will guarantee you the Internet access provider's declared upload speed at any fourth dimension. This, in plough, provides stability and reliability to ensure smooth live streams.

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

And then, the starting time 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 for more than speed, though. Also, make sure you ask effectually nigh the quality of their service.

If yous're stuck with a provider that offers suboptimal speeds, y'all can still do a couple of things to improve 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. Merely when alive streaming, a wired connection with an ethernet cablevision is better. It gives y'all less interference and more stability, which leads to better stream quality.
  • Remove excess devices from your network. Y'all don't want your internet connectedness to be crowded when you start streaming. Don't let whatever other device hog your upload speed, and disconnect them from your network or turn off their WiFi capabilities during your stream.
  • Close 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 fair share of live streams, then wait until you're off the air.
  • Use deject-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 nifty tools from various platforms. Unfortunately, it tin can also be demanding on your CPU and bandwidth. To bargain with it, employ a cloud-based multistreaming service to bear some of that load.
  • Remove malware; employ ad blockers and privacy tools. Malware, ads, and online tracking can utilise up some of your upload bandwidth. Remove, cease, or block whatever of these speed-leeching undesired programs.
  • Utilize upwards-to-date software and hardware. Onetime drivers can dull your estimator downward, and sometime modems can bottleneck your upload speed. Make sure your hardware and software are up to the job of streaming live 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 set them to go alive afterward equally if they were regular streams. With this method, your upload speed doesn't matter. Later you upload your video, Restream will broadcast it at the scheduled time automatically, so you don't even have to be online.

Larn more 👉 Restream Events: Everything you lot need to know

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Conclusion

Every bit a alive video streamer, the quality of your content will depend on the quality of your broadcast. That'south a fact. You tin can take the best skills in the most pop games, or the all-time banter, or the greatest humor. But if people can't see and hear you well, they're not going to stick around to picket your stream.

Upload speeds tin can significantly affect the quality of your broadcasts. Use a connectedness with enough upload speed for the type of content y'all broadcast.

Remember, you shouldn't get for the highest possible upload speed by default. You just need information technology if you lot're planning to stream at a very loftier bitrate. A good upload speed is the 1 that's appropriate for your goals.