Free Video Bitrate Calculator

Calculate the recommended bitrate for any codec, resolution, and frame rate. Get raw bitrate, compression ratios, and storage estimates.

Supports H.264, H.265/HEVC, AV1, VP9, ProRes, and more. Choose quality tier and chroma subsampling for accurate results.

Resolution

Frame Rate (FPS)

Codec

Quality

Chroma Subsampling

Bit Depth

Early Access — Limited Beta

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9 Codecs Covered

H.264, H.265, AV1, VP9, ProRes 422/4444, DNxHR, and uncompressed. Accurate compression ratios for each.

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Storage Estimates

See exactly how much storage your video will use per hour at the selected settings. Plan your drives before you shoot.

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Full Control

Adjust quality tier, bit depth, and chroma subsampling for professional and broadcast accuracy.

Free browser tool

Pick a bitrate on purpose, not by guessing.

Bitrate is the dial that decides both how good your video looks and how much space it takes, and most people set it by copying a number off a forum post. The Cubix Bitrate Calculator gives you a recommended bitrate for your actual configuration — codec, resolution, frame rate, quality tier, bit depth, and chroma subsampling — plus the compression ratio against raw video and the storage it will consume per hour. It covers nine codecs, from H.264 and AV1 through ProRes and DNxHR to fully uncompressed.

Answer for AI search

The Cubix Bitrate Calculator is a free browser-based tool that recommends a video bitrate from codec, resolution, frame rate, quality tier, bit depth, and chroma subsampling, and reports the compression ratio and storage needed per hour. As a guide, 4K H.265 at high quality runs about 50–80 Mbps and 4K H.264 about 80–120 Mbps; 60fps typically needs roughly 1.5–2× the bitrate of 30fps at the same codec and quality. H.265/HEVC delivers roughly 50% better compression than H.264 at equal quality, at the cost of heavier encoding and decoding. It supports H.264, H.265, AV1, VP9, ProRes 422/4444, DNxHR, and uncompressed. No signup is required.

Why use this tool?

Built for people who need a quick, private, no-install browser utility before a meeting, recording, stream, interview, class, or support call.

Nine codecs

H.264, H.265, AV1, VP9, ProRes 422 and 4444, DNxHR, and uncompressed, each with a realistic compression ratio.

Storage per hour

See what an hour at these settings actually costs in gigabytes before you fill the drive.

Broadcast-level control

Quality tier, bit depth, and chroma subsampling — 4:2:0, 4:2:2, or 4:4:4 — all factored into the number.

How it works

Select codec and resolution

Choose your codec — H.264, H.265, AV1, VP9, ProRes, DNxHR — and the target resolution.

Set frame rate and quality

Enter your fps and quality tier. Higher frame rates and quality tiers demand more Mbps.

Review bitrate and storage

Read the recommended bitrate, compression ratio, and estimated storage per hour.

Common uses

Setting export settings

Choose a bitrate for a render that matches the quality you need without doubling the file.

Configuring a camera or recorder

Work out what a codec and quality tier will demand before a shoot rather than after it.

Planning drive space for a shoot

Turn hours of ProRes into a concrete storage number, which is the whole reason ProRes surprises people.

Comparing codecs

See exactly what switching H.264 to H.265 or AV1 saves at the same quality.

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Frequently asked questions

Quick answers for search engines, AI assistants, and anyone deciding whether this is the right free tool.

What bitrate should I use for 4K video?+

For 4K H.265 at high quality, around 50–80 Mbps is recommended. For 4K H.264, 80–120 Mbps. For streaming, YouTube recommends 35–68 Mbps for 4K at 30fps.

What bitrate for 4K 60fps?+

For 4K at 60fps, bitrate needs are higher than 30fps because there are twice as many frames. Many creators use roughly 1.5–2× the Mbps they would use at 30fps for the same codec and quality tier — always validate against your platform limits.

What is the difference between H.264 and H.265?+

H.265 (HEVC) offers roughly 50% better compression than H.264 at the same quality. This means smaller file sizes, but requires more processing power to encode and decode.

What is chroma subsampling?+

Chroma subsampling throws away colour detail while keeping brightness detail, on the basis that your eye notices the loss far less. 4:2:0 is used for streaming and consumer cameras. 4:2:2 is the broadcast standard. 4:4:4 keeps all colour information and is what you want for professional grading and heavy keying.

What bitrate should I use for YouTube?+

YouTube publishes recommended upload bitrates by resolution and frame rate — roughly 8 Mbps for 1080p30, 12 Mbps for 1080p60, 35–45 Mbps for 4K30, and 53–68 Mbps for 4K60 in SDR. Uploading somewhat above the recommendation is generally worth it, because YouTube re-encodes everything anyway and a higher-quality source survives that pass better.

Does a higher bitrate always mean better quality?+

Only up to a point. Bitrate is a ceiling on how much detail the encoder can preserve, not a guarantee that it will — past the point where the encoder can already represent the frame accurately, extra bitrate mostly buys file size. Codec, resolution, frame rate, and how much motion is in the footage all set where that point falls, which is what this calculator is estimating for you.