Bitrate Calculator

Streaming

OBS Bitrate Calculator

Tell it your upload speed, where you stream and which encoder you use. You get the exact values to type into OBS: bitrate, output resolution, frame rate, keyframe interval and audio.

Your OBS settings

Streaming to
Resolution you want

Frame rate (fps)
Content

Most games, IRL, vlogs, music

Video bitrate to set

—kbps

Required upload speed

—Mbps

Output
—
Audio
—
Upload used
—
Data per hour
—

Settings → Output (Output Mode: Advanced) → Streaming

Video Encoder
—
Rate Control
CBR
Bitrate
—
Keyframe Interval
2 s
Preset
—
Audio Bitrate
—

Settings → Video

Base (Canvas) Resolution
Your monitor’s resolution
Output (Scaled) Resolution
—
Downscale Filter
Lanczos
Common FPS Values
—

How the settings are chosen

  1. Upload budget: 75% of your measured upload, minus audio, is the most your video can use without dropped frames.
  2. Platform limit: Twitch caps standard streams at 6,000 kbps. YouTube has no hard cap but publishes a recommended bitrate for each resolution.
  3. What the picture needs: the platform’s own figure where it publishes one, otherwise our bitrate model.
  4. If the resolution you want can’t get enough bitrate, the calculator steps down to the best resolution and frame rate that can. A clean 720p60 beats a blocky 1080p60.

Frequently asked questions

What bitrate should I use in OBS?

Use the lowest of three numbers: what your resolution and frame rate need, what your platform accepts, and about 75% of your upload speed minus audio. This calculator works all three out and tells you which one limits you.

Should I use CBR or VBR in OBS for streaming?

CBR (constant bitrate). Streaming platforms expect a steady stream, and CBR keeps your upload predictable. VBR, CQP and CRF are better for local recordings.

x264 or NVENC?

Hardware encoders (NVIDIA NVENC, Intel Quick Sync, AMD AMF) barely touch your CPU and are the usual choice when gaming and streaming on one PC. x264 on a fast CPU can look slightly better at the same bitrate, but costs a lot of CPU time.

What should the base and output resolution be?

Set the base (canvas) resolution to your monitor’s resolution and the output (scaled) resolution to what you stream at. OBS downscales with the filter you pick; Lanczos is the sharpest.

What keyframe interval should I use?

Two seconds. Twitch requires it, and YouTube and most other platforms recommend it.

Independent tool. Not affiliated with or endorsed by YouTube, Twitch, Discord, OBS Studio or Streamlabs; logos are trademarks of their owners and are used only to identify each platform.