OBS bitrate calculator: safer upload headroom for any stream.

Enter your upload speed, platform, resolution, FPS, and safety margin. The calculator recommends a conservative video bitrate, audio bitrate, total bitrate, and short OBS settings summary.

Bitrate and upload speed calculator

Run a speed test first, use the upload number, then leave enough margin for game traffic, voice chat, household devices, and momentary network dips.

This OBS bitrate calculator turns your measured upload speed into safe video bitrate, audio bitrate, total bitrate, and a short OBS output settings summary. It is built for the platforms most new streamers use first: Twitch, YouTube Live, Kick, and TikTok Live. Pick your platform, type in your upload speed, choose a target resolution and FPS, and read the result.

What this OBS bitrate calculator returns

Video bitrate for OBS Output → Streaming.
Audio bitrate (160 Kbps default; 128 Kbps on 480p).
Total bitrate (video + audio) versus your usable upload.
Upload headroom (percentage left over after the stream).
A safety label — healthy, tight, or over budget — so you know whether to lower settings.
A short OBS settings summary you can paste into a private test.

Frequently asked questions

What bitrate should I use for OBS on Twitch?: Most new Twitch streamers do best at 720p60 around 4500 Kbps or 1080p60 around 6000 Kbps. For 936p60 (sharp gameplay without chasing 1080p), try 4500–5500 Kbps. The calculator picks a conservative video bitrate that fits your upload with at least 30% headroom.
How much upload speed do I need for OBS streaming?: Roughly: 5 Mbps upload for 480p30 / 720p30, 8 Mbps for 720p60, 10 Mbps for 936p60, and 12 Mbps or more for 1080p60. These are conservative starting points; the calculator uses your actual upload speed.
What's a good safety margin / headroom?: 30% is the recommended default. Use 40% if your connection is shared or inconsistent. Use 20% only if you are on a stable wired connection and have tested at peak hours.
Will this work for YouTube Live, Kick, TikTok Live, and Streamlabs?: Yes. Choose the platform in the form; the calculator respects each platform's max video bitrate (Twitch 6000, YouTube 9000, Kick 8000, TikTok 6000, general RTMP 6000 Kbps).

How to use the recommendation

Video bitrate: put this number in OBS Settings → Output → Streaming → Video Bitrate.
Audio bitrate: 160 Kbps is a practical default for most streams; 128 Kbps is fine for lower-resolution streams.
Total bitrate: video plus audio. This is what your connection must sustain before normal network overhead.
Headroom: if the safety state is tight or over budget, lower bitrate first, then lower FPS or resolution.

Platform recommendations and limits can change, so treat this as a conservative starting calculator. For Twitch, the tool intentionally avoids pushing beyond roughly 6000 Kbps video because many new streamers get more reliability from a stable stream than from chasing marginal quality.

Next: read how much upload speed you need to stream if you are not sure what your speed test means, run the Dropped Frames Troubleshooter or compare dropped frames vs skipped frames if OBS is already warning you, or use the OBS settings generator for encoder and preset suggestions. Twitch streamers can also use the Twitch bitrate guide for 720p, 936p, and 1080p starting points.