calculator·Updated 2026-05-20

OBS Bitrate Calculator Updated 2026

Recommended CBR bitrate for OBS / Streamlabs from your upload speed, resolution, encoder, and target platform. 2026 ingest specs verified.

Client-side · Twitch / Kick / YouTube · Enhanced Broadcasting aware

Bitrate · Resolution · Headroom

Upload speed (Mbps)Real speed-test value

Mbps

Resolution + FPS

Encoder

Platform

Content type

Recommended bitrate

6,000 kbps

Twitch Affiliate: 6 Mbps cap, CBR, H.264, 2s keyframe. No server-side transcoding — viewers on slow connections see source.

Frame rate

60 fps

Keyframe

2 s

Rate control

CBR

Total stream

6,160 kbps

Audio

160 kbps AAC

Headroom

3.2× · Safe

Platform cap

6,000 kbps

No sign-up required. Use the tool, share the result, leave — no account needed.

Client-side computation. Calculations run entirely in your browser; we never see your inputs.

Embed in OBS / Discord. Append ?embed=1 to the URL for a bare iframe-ready widget.

How to use this tool

4 steps · ~1 minute

Each step is a single action — no setup, no sign-up. Outputs are client-side; nothing is uploaded.

Step 01

Enter your upload speed

Run a speed test on your actual connection. Use the upload number, not download. ISP rated max is usually optimistic.

Step 02

Pick resolution + FPS

Match your monitor / target viewer experience. 1080p60 is the Twitch sweet spot; 720p60 is better than 1080p30 for fast content.

Step 03

Pick encoder and platform

Encoder = your GPU's hardware path. Platform sets the cap (6 Mbps Twitch, 8 Mbps Kick, up to 9–51 Mbps YouTube).

Step 04

Read the bitrate and headroom

The recommended kbps is your CBR setting in OBS. The headroom stat tells you if your upload speed will hold up under load.

FAQ · methodology & caveats

Frequently asked.

Calculator outputs are estimates. Each Q below names the source data and the assumptions baked in.

What's the right bitrate for 1080p60 on Twitch?

About 6,000 kbps — Twitch caps both Affiliate and Partner at 6 Mbps. Above the cap you get auto-throttled or banned (depending on encoder). Enhanced Broadcasting (NVENC RTX 40+ or AMF RX 7000+) lifts the cap to 8 Mbps at 1080p60, 9 Mbps at 1440p60, and 10 Mbps at 4K — Twitch generates lower-quality variants via multi-encode.

Why does Twitch Partner not get a higher bitrate?

Partner status earns you guaranteed transcoding (auto-generated lower-quality variants for slow viewers) and other perks — but the bitrate cap is the same 6 Mbps as Affiliate. Many streamers assume Partner means higher bitrate; it does not.

What does Kick allow?

Kick: 1000–8000 kbps CBR only. VBR streams are rejected by the Kick ingest server. 1080p60 max. No server-side transcoding, so all viewers see source quality (good for viewer experience, bad for slow connections).

How much upload headroom do I need?

2× total stream bitrate (video + audio) is the safe target. 1.5× is workable but tight — expect occasional dropped frames during downloads or cloud sync. Below 1.5× you will drop frames consistently. Run a speed test on your own connection, not the ISP rated max.

Should I use x264 or hardware encoding?

For most modern GPUs, NVENC (RTX 40+) or AMF (RX 7000+) match x264 medium at much lower CPU cost. x264 still wins on quality-per-bitrate at "slow" preset, but the CPU cost is impractical for solo PC setups. For dual-PC streaming x264 slow is the gold standard.

What about content type?

Fast-paced gaming (FPS, racing) needs the full base bitrate. Slower content (strategy, MMO, talking heads, slots) compresses better — the calculator applies an 8–15% bitrate reduction without quality loss.

Done with the tool? Ship the channel.

Streamrise delivers real Twitch and Kick viewer floors — residential IPs, geo-targeted, with chat presence. Same engineering rigor you saw in the calculator, on the paid side. No password requested. Cancel anytime.

See Twitch viewer pricing Or Kick viewers