Video Bitrate Calculator

How to choose the right video bitrate

Bitrate is the amount of data your video uses per second of footage, measured in megabits per second (Mbps) or kilobits per second (kbps). It is the single biggest lever on the trade-off between visual quality and file size. Too low and you get blocky, smeary compression artifacts; too high and you waste storage and upload time for no visible gain.

The right number depends on three things: how many pixels you are encoding (resolution), how many times per second (frame rate), and how efficiently your codec packs them. This calculator combines all three using a bits-per-pixel model and a motion adjustment, so the recommendation matches what platforms like YouTube and Vimeo actually suggest.

Resolution and frame rate

Doubling resolution roughly quadruples the pixels, and doubling frame rate doubles them again — both demand proportionally more bitrate. A 1080p60 clip needs noticeably more than 1080p30, and 4K needs far more than 1080p at the same settings.

Codec efficiency

Codec choice matters enormously. H.265 (HEVC), VP9, and AV1 deliver the same perceived quality as H.264 at roughly half the bitrate, at the cost of slower encoding and slightly less universal playback support. If your target platform supports them, they are a free quality win.

Motion and complexity

Calm footage — a slide deck, a code editor, a static product demo — compresses extremely well and can use a lower bitrate. Fast motion, particle effects, or gameplay need more headroom to stay sharp. That is what the Low / Medium / High motion control adjusts.

Bitrate settings for YouTube, Twitch, and Vimeo

Quick reference for the most common upload and streaming targets (H.264, SDR):

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