The best codec for live streaming depends on your goals. H.264 remains the default for compatibility, while HEVC and AV1 offer better compression if your hardware and platform support them.
H.264
- widest compatibility
- easiest safe default
HEVC
- better compression than H.264
- not as universally supported
AV1
- strongest efficiency
- best long-term option when supported
Use our codec comparison page and 4K streaming bitrate guide for more detail.