What is Bitrate?
The amount of data transmitted per second in a stream, measured in kbps. Higher bitrate means better video quality but requires more bandwidth.
Bitrate determines your stream's video quality. Twitch recommends 3000-6000 kbps for most streamers. Too low and your stream looks pixelated; too high and viewers with slower connections can't watch smoothly (unless you have transcoding, which is guaranteed only for Partners).
A common starting point is 4500 kbps at 720p60 or 1080p30. This balances quality with accessibility for most viewers.