YouTube Bitrate Calculator
YouTube re-encodes everything you send it, so the rule is different from Twitch: the more (reasonable) bitrate you feed it, the better every viewer quality level looks. This calculator finds the sweet spot for your resolution — and the file size if you're uploading instead of streaming live.
Settings
Live · no signupAdvanced optionsH.264 (AVC) · Medium · 128 kbps audio
Results
1920×1080 @ 60fpsVideo Bitrate Range
Use these settings in OBS
OBS → Settings → Output → Streaming · one-click copy all below
Codec Comparison
| Codec | Bitrate | File Size | vs H.264 |
|---|---|---|---|
| H.264 (AVC)active | 12.13 Mbps | 5.08 GB | 100% |
| H.265 (HEVC) | 7.33 Mbps | 3.07 GB | 60% |
| VP9 | 7.33 Mbps | 3.07 GB | 60% |
| AV1 | 6.13 Mbps | 2.57 GB | 51% |
| ProRes 422 | 42.13 Mbps | 17.66 GB | 347% |
| ProRes 4444 | 60.13 Mbps | 25.20 GB | 496% |
Recommended Settings at a Glance
| Scenario | Video Bitrate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p 30fps live | 4,500–6,000 Kbps | YouTube's baseline recommendation |
| 1080p 60fps live | 6,000–9,000 Kbps | Most common gaming setting |
| 1440p 60fps live | 10,000–15,000 Kbps | Noticeably sharper than 1080p |
| 4K 30fps live | 25,000–35,000 Kbps | Needs ~50 Mbps upload |
| 4K 60fps live | 35,000–51,000 Kbps | Use HEVC/AV1 to cut this nearly in half |
How This Calculator Works
Unlike Twitch, YouTube has no practical bitrate cap for most creators — live streams accept up to 51,000 Kbps, and uploads far more. Because YouTube transcodes your source into every playback quality, a higher-bitrate source improves the final result at all levels. The flip side: bitrate beyond the point of diminishing returns just costs you upload bandwidth and storage.
For live streaming, YouTube's own recommendations are roughly 4,500–9,000 Kbps for 1080p, 10,000–15,000 Kbps for 1440p, and 25,000–40,000 Kbps for 4K depending on frame rate. For uploads, the same figures work as good target export bitrates in your editor.
Streaming in HEVC or AV1 (supported via YouTube's newer ingest options) delivers the same quality at 40–50% less bitrate — worth switching on if your encoder supports it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best bitrate for YouTube 1080p 60fps?
YouTube recommends 6,000–9,000 Kbps for 1080p 60fps live streams with H.264. Because YouTube transcodes your stream, going toward the top of that range improves quality for every viewer.
Is there a bitrate limit on YouTube Live?
YouTube Live accepts up to 51,000 Kbps. Very few connections need that much — 4K 60fps tops out around 40,000 Kbps with H.264 and roughly half that with HEVC or AV1.
What bitrate should I export at for YouTube uploads?
Use the same ranges as live streaming as a floor: 8,000–12,000 Kbps for 1080p, 16,000–24,000 Kbps for 1440p, and 35,000–45,000 Kbps for 4K H.264. Higher-bitrate uploads survive YouTube's re-encode better.
Why does my YouTube video look worse than the file I uploaded?
YouTube re-encodes every upload at much lower bitrates than your source. You can't prevent it, but feeding a higher-quality source (higher bitrate, or 1440p instead of 1080p — which gets the better VP9/AV1 transcode tier) noticeably improves the result.