How much storage do I need?
Most streamers can start with a simple rule: plan around 4-8 GB for each hour of 1080p60 video. If you stream long sessions, stream every day, or save in higher quality, use the formula below so your archive has enough room without guessing.
Why VOD file sizes vary
Two streams with the same length can produce different file sizes. The biggest reason is video quality: 1080p60 can be 2-3 times larger than 720p30 because it has more pixels and more frames each second.
The next reason is bitrate, which is how much video data Twitch receives each second. Twitch commonly caps inbound bitrate near 6 Mbps for non-Partners, with higher options in some regions and Partner setups. Your final VOD reflects what Twitch ingested during the stream.
- Length: twice as many hours usually means about twice as much storage.
- Codec: Twitch usually delivers H.264 files. HEVC pilots exist, but you do not choose that for normal archives.
- Action density: a motion-heavy Tarkov stream can be 10-15% larger than a mostly still podcast-style stream at the same settings.
A simple estimate
For a planning number, use 6 GB per hour as a plain 1080p60 baseline. It will not match every stream, but it is close enough to choose a starter quota without building a spreadsheet.
- 1 Estimate how many hours each stream usually runs.
- 2 Multiply by how many streams you run each week.
- 3 Multiply by about 6 GB per hour for a 1080p60 estimate.
- 4 Multiply by the number of weeks you want to keep in the archive.
Worked examples
Casual streamer
3 hr per stream x 4 streams per week x 6 GB x 4 weeks = about 290 GB for a month-long rolling archive.
Marathon streamer
8 hr per stream x 5 streams per week x 6 GB x 4 weeks = about 960 GB, or roughly 1 TB for a month.
Variety streamer at 720p
3 hr per stream x 3 streams per week x 3 GB x 8 weeks = about 220 GB for 2 months.
VOD Manager auto-purge
You do not have to overshoot the number forever. VOD Manager lets you set a per-account quota, then uses oldest-first auto-purge when your archive reaches that cap. The oldest non-protected VODs are cleaned up first to make room for new streams.
If a stream matters, mark it keep forever and it is exempt from cleanup. That makes sizing a balance between how far back you want passive history and how much you are comfortable paying each month.
Provider price reality check
At 100 GB, Cloudflare R2 is about $1.50 per month, Backblaze B2 is about $0.60, AWS S3 Standard is about $2.30 before download charges, and Wasabi starts around $6.99 because of its 1 TB minimum. At 1 TB, R2 is about $15, B2 is about $6, AWS S3 is about $23 before downloads, and Wasabi is about $7.
Pick a storage provider has the fuller comparison. For sizing, the important lesson is that storage is usually affordable until you save a lot of high-quality video or download large files often.
What if I underestimate?
Raise the quota any time. Your provider charges for what you actually use; the quota is VOD Manager's safety valve to keep your archive from blowing past your comfort line. Start conservative, watch a few real VOD sizes, then adjust once you know your channel's pattern.
Related guides
Set a quota, forget the math
Connect storage once, choose the cap that fits your budget, and let VOD Manager save new streams while keeping old archives under control.