Free tool
Streaming bitrate and bandwidth calculator
Set your resolution, frame rate and audience, and see the bitrate you should encode at, the upload speed you need, and an estimate of your monthly bandwidth usage.
Your stream
1 to 730 hours (approximately one month of continuous streaming)
The average number of people watching at the same time, not the total number of unique viewers.
What you need
- Suggested video bitrate
- 5,000 kbps
- Estimated upload target (with 35% headroom)
- 7.0 Mbps
- Delivered bandwidth per viewer hour
- 2.32 GB
- Estimated monthly player bandwidth
- 2.32 TB
Based on this, the Premium plan covers your bandwidth.
Estimates use the selected bitrate and average concurrent audience. Actual usage depends on playback quality and viewing time. Allow additional capacity for network overhead.
About these numbers
How do I calculate streaming bandwidth?
Take your total bitrate in kbps, divide by 8 to get kilobytes per second, multiply by 3600 for an hour, then multiply by your hours streamed and your average concurrent viewers. A 1080p stream at 5160 kbps total uses about 2.3 GB per viewer per hour.
What upload speed do I need to live stream?
This calculator adds 35% to your total bitrate as a starting estimate. Unstable or shared connections may need more headroom. For a 1080p30 broadcast at roughly 5 Mbps, aim for 7 Mbps or more of dependable upload. Test at the time of day you actually broadcast rather than relying on the advertised figure.
Does multistreaming multiply my bandwidth usage?
Not on your connection. You upload one feed to CastNest and replication to each destination happens in our cloud, so your upload requirement is the same whether you send to two platforms or thirty.
Why is my actual bandwidth usage lower than this estimate?
The calculator assumes every viewer receives the highest quality rendition for the entire duration. Actual usage depends on the average audience, viewing time and available quality levels. Adaptive bitrate can reduce usage when viewers receive a lower rendition; network overhead can increase it.
Get ready for your next broadcast
Start a 7-day free trial on Starter, connect your destinations and go live. No card required to begin.