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Twitch vs. YouTube vs. TikTok vs. Kick: Streaming Requirements Compared

The four major platforms don't all want the same thing from OBS. Here's what actually differs — bitrate ceilings, codecs, resolution, and the quirks that trip people up, especially if you're streaming to more than one at once.

At a glance

Platform	Max video bitrate	Resolution / FPS	Codec	Audio bitrate	Keyframe interval	Rate control
Twitch	6,000 kbps (same for Affiliates and Partners)	Up to 1080p, 60fps	H.264 only	160 kbps (1080p) 128 kbps (720p and under)	2 seconds (required)	CBR
YouTube	~35,000 kbps at 4K60 (much higher ceiling than the others)	Up to 4K, 60fps	H.264, H.265, or AV1	128 kbps stereo	2 seconds recommended (4s max)	CBR recommended
TikTok	~4,000–6,000 kbps	1080×1920 vertical (9:16), 30 or 60fps	H.264	128 kbps	2 seconds	CBR
Kick	1,000–8,000 kbps	Up to 1080p, 60fps	H.264 only (H.265 not supported)	Stereo, 48kHz max	2 seconds	CBR required — VBR isn't supported

What actually matters here

Twitch Partner status doesn't raise your bitrate cap. Both Affiliates and Partners are capped at 6,000 kbps — the difference between tiers is about transcoding availability (extra quality options for viewers), not how much bitrate you're allowed to send.

YouTube's ceiling is much higher than everyone else's. If you've got the upload speed for it, YouTube supports resolutions and bitrates the other three platforms simply don't — useful to know if quality is your priority and you're choosing where to focus.

TikTok LIVE is built around vertical video. A 1920×1080 landscape scene will letterbox or crop awkwardly — if TikTok is a real destination for you, it's worth setting up a separate vertical (1080×1920) scene in OBS rather than reusing your landscape one.

Kick won't accept VBR. If your encoder is set to variable bitrate (a common default in some setups), switch it to CBR before streaming to Kick — this is stricter than what Twitch or YouTube require.

Multistreaming? The strictest platform sets your ceiling

If you're sending one stream to several of these platforms at once — through a relay service like Restream, or directly from OBS — your bitrate has to satisfy the strictest one in the mix, not just your main platform. Twitch + TikTok together means capping out around 6,000 kbps even though Twitch alone would allow the same, and adding YouTube to the mix changes nothing since its ceiling is already far above the others. Kick's CBR requirement and TikTok's vertical format are the kind of platform-specific quirks that don't show up until you actually try to combine them — worth checking before you go live on more than one at a time.

Get your exact settings

These numbers are the ceiling — the calculators below turn them into the actual settings for your connection and hardware.

Stream Settings CalculatorResolution, bitrate, and encoder — including multistreaming Can My PC Handle Streaming?Check if your hardware can keep up Audio Settings HelperBitrate, filters, and track setup for your mic Storage CalculatorHow much drive space your recordings will use

Figures on this page were checked against current platform and community streaming guides. Platforms change these numbers occasionally — if something here looks off or outdated, it's worth double-checking directly with the platform before assuming this page is still current.