OBS Bitrate Calculator for Twitch & YouTube

Pick a platform and the quality you want, and enter your upload speed. You get the bitrate, keyframe interval and rate control to type into OBS — taken from Twitch's and YouTube's own guidelines.

Your setup

Platform Quality Upload speed (Mbps)

Twitch: official encoder settings

Twitch's broadcasting guidelines list these settings for both NVIDIA NVENC and x264: constant bitrate (CBR), a 2-second keyframe interval, and the bitrates below. The “upload needed” column is our own rule of thumb (stream bitrate ≤ 75% of your measured upload, with 160 kbps audio).

Preset	Resolution	Video bitrate	Upload needed
1080p60	1920×1080	6,000 kbps	8.3 Mbps
1080p30	1920×1080	4,500 kbps	6.3 Mbps
720p60	1280×720	4,500 kbps	6.3 Mbps
720p30	1280×720	3,000 kbps	4.3 Mbps

Twitch also notes that a stable stream is better than a higher quality that drops frames. For NVENC they suggest the Quality preset and 2 B-frames; for x264, start with the veryfast preset.

YouTube: official encoder settings

YouTube's live encoder page recommends these H.264 bitrates, plus a range for HEVC (H.265) and AV1. Keyframe frequency: 2 seconds (do not exceed 4). Audio: 128 kbps stereo AAC. Rate control: CBR.

Preset	Resolution	H.264 bitrate	HEVC / AV1 range
2160p60	3840×2160	35,000 kbps	10–40 Mbps
2160p30	3840×2160	30,000 kbps	8–35 Mbps
1440p60	2560×1440	24,000 kbps	6–30 Mbps
1440p30	2560×1440	15,000 kbps	5–25 Mbps
1080p60	1920×1080	12,000 kbps	4–10 Mbps
1080p30	1920×1080	10,000 kbps	3–8 Mbps
720p60	1280×720	6,000 kbps	3–8 Mbps
720p30	1280×720	4,000 kbps	3–8 Mbps

Where to type it in OBS

Settings → Output, set Output Mode to Advanced.
On the Streaming tab: Rate Control CBR, Bitrate as shown, Keyframe Interval 2 s.
Settings → Video: Output (Scaled) Resolution and Common FPS Values as shown.
Settings → Output → Audio: Audio Bitrate as shown.

How to measure your upload speed

Use any speed test and read the upload number, not download. Test at the time of day you usually stream, and on the same computer and connection (wired if you can). Upload speeds change during the evening, which is why we keep 25% spare.

Sources

Twitch — Broadcasting Guidelines, encoder specs (stream.twitch.tv/encoding; copy kept by us on 2026-09-24).
YouTube Help — Choose live encoder settings, bitrates, and resolutions (checked 2026-09-24).
Audio 160 kbps for Twitch is the OBS default AAC bitrate; the 75% headroom rule is our own recommendation, not a platform rule.

Last checked: 2026-09-24.

FAQ

What is the best OBS bitrate for Twitch 1080p 60fps?

Twitch's guidelines list 6,000 kbps, CBR, 2-second keyframes for 1080p60. You need a steady upload of about 8.3 Mbps or more to keep headroom.

What bitrate should I use for Twitch 720p?

Twitch lists 4,500 kbps for 720p at 60 fps and 3,000 kbps for 720p at 30 fps.

What bitrate does YouTube recommend for 1080p60?

YouTube's live encoder page recommends 12 Mbps with H.264 for 1080p60, or 4 to 10 Mbps with HEVC or AV1.

My upload is slow. What should I lower first?

Lower the frame rate or resolution rather than pushing a low bitrate at 1080p60. The calculator does this for you: it steps down 1080p60 → 1080p30 → 720p60 → 720p30 until the stream fits.

Should I use CBR or VBR?

Both Twitch and YouTube recommend CBR (constant bitrate) for live streaming.