Turn upload speed into a streaming budget
Your video bitrate and audio bitrate both leave your device. Add them together, account for any separate direct uploads, then leave some upload capacity unused. The calculator separates payload demand from your chosen reserve so you can see each assumption.
At 6,000 kbps video and 96 kbps audio, one stream carries 6.096 Mbps of media. Reserving 25% of your measured upload gives a planning target of 8.128 Mbps. The 25% reserve is this tool's editable planning assumption, not a measured protocol-overhead percentage.
The hourly data estimate uses the same media bitrate and decimal GB. It excludes protocol overhead, retransmissions and other apps. A longer stream or several direct copies uses proportionally more data.
Twitch and YouTube settings need different presets
The Twitch presets represent its standard H.264 guidance: 6,000 kbps for 1080p60, 4,500 kbps for 1080p30 or 720p60, and 3,000 kbps for 720p30. They use 96 kbps audio as a starting value. Twitch Enhanced Broadcasting and other workflows can use different settings; this is not a universal platform ceiling.
YouTube publishes separate minimum and recommended live-ingest bitrates by codec. Its current 1080p60 recommendation is 17 Mbps for H.264 and 12 Mbps for AV1 / HEVC, while the published minimums are lower. The presets use recommended values, and the warning explains when an edited value falls below a selected minimum.
Choosing AV1 or HEVC here does not enable that encoder or prove it works with your platform account. Check codec support in your encoder and streaming workflow. Standard Twitch presets use H.264. YouTube's live-stream guidance is different from its recommendations for uploading a finished video file.
Direct multistreaming versus a relay service
If your computer sends one stream to a relay service which distributes it onward, it still sends one local copy. If it sends separate copies directly to three destinations at the same settings, the local media demand triples. Select the arrangement you actually use.
Different direct destinations may use different bitrates. In that case, choose Custom and enter the average per-copy video and audio bitrate for the number of outgoing copies, or calculate them separately. Enhanced Broadcasting can also create multiple local encodes; use its actual combined outgoing bitrate as one custom total instead of assuming one standard preset covers it.
Before a real broadcast, run a test with normal movement and sound, watch your encoder's dropped-frame and performance indicators, and check the platform's stream-health tools. A local bandwidth calculation does not test an ingest server, CPU/GPU capacity, or guarantee picture quality.
Streaming bitrate questions
What bitrate can a 10 Mbps upload support?
With 25% reserved, 10 Mbps leaves 7.5 Mbps for all media uploads. A standard 6,000 kbps video stream with 96 kbps audio fits that arithmetic for one copy. It does not prove the connection stays stable or the route to your ingest server can sustain the stream.
Should I always use the highest bitrate?
No. Respect the selected platform and codec guidance, your encoder's performance and the audience's playback options. More bitrate cannot fix an overloaded encoder or unstable route. Lowering resolution or frame rate may be a better choice than starving a high-resolution output.
Is the upload result a live speed measurement?
No. Enter a sustained upload result yourself, or follow the link to the site's speed test. This calculator performs no network or platform test and does not change OBS or Streamlabs settings.
Does reserve change how much data the stream uses?
No. Reserve changes the recommended available connection capacity. Estimated media data use comes from the selected video/audio bitrate and number of outgoing copies, so it does not increase when you reserve more spare bandwidth.
Published guidance behind the presets
Checked 18 October 2026. Settings remain editable because platforms, codecs and broadcast workflows change. The site is independent of Twitch, YouTube and encoder vendors.