What Reels, TikTok and Shorts Really Deliver
Resolution, codec, bitrate and loudness of 135 public short videos, measured on 2026-10-12. With the raw data as CSV.
Key findings
- Instagram normalises audio to about -14 LUFS. 92% of Reels were within 1 LU of -14 LUFS, and none was louder than -14.0 LUFS. Mixing louder than -14 for Reels buys you nothing.
- TikTok files are not levelled. The median TikTok was -21.2 LUFS, and 80% ranged from -27.5 to -15.0 LUFS. Only 10% sat near -14.
- YouTube Shorts are the loudest and most varied: median -19.6 LUFS, 22% louder than -12 LUFS, 34% with true peaks above -1 dBTP.
- 1080p is the norm, 4K only on YouTube. 19% of Shorts were available in 4K. On Instagram 4% reached 1440p; no TikTok went above 1080p.
- Instagram's best stream is always VP9. In 100% of Reels the top quality was VP9, and H.264 was never available at that resolution. TikTok's top stream was H.265 in 88% of cases.
Why we measured this
Every guide repeats the same upload advice, but nobody publishes what the apps actually send back to viewers. We are video editors and build free tools for creators, so we pulled the delivered files of 135 public videos and measured them the way a mastering engineer would: integrated loudness per ITU-R BS.1770 (EBU R128), true peak, and the video streams on offer.
Loudness
| Median | 80% range | Within ±1 LU of -14 | True peak above -1 dBTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram Reels | -14.1 LUFS | -15.0 to -14.1 | 92% | 82% |
| TikTok | -21.2 LUFS | -27.5 to -15.0 | 10% | 24% |
| YouTube Shorts | -19.6 LUFS | -24.4 to -10.8 | 7% | 34% |
Instagram's numbers are too uniform to be chance: almost every Reel lands on -14 LUFS, and the loudest one in our sample was -14.0 LUFS. This points to Instagram measuring and turning down the audio when it processes an upload. Instagram does not document this, so treat it as our measurement, not an official spec.
TikTok and YouTube keep the level that was uploaded, at least in the files they deliver. YouTube is widely reported to adjust volume during playback instead. We did not measure playback, only the delivered files.
What this means for your mix
- For Reels, master to -14 LUFS with peaks at -1 dBTP. Anything louder is turned down and loses punch.
- For TikTok, a quiet file stays quiet in delivery. Aim for -14 LUFS as well so your video does not sound weaker than the next one.
- Check your file with our free LUFS meter before you upload.
Resolution
Instagram Reels
TikTok
YouTube Shorts
Codec and bitrate of the best stream
| Top codec | H.264 at top quality | Median bitrate | Audio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram Reels | VP9 100% | 0% | 2.1 Mbit/s | 63 kbit/s AAC |
| TikTok | H.265 (HEVC) 88%, H.264 12% | 12% | 1.1 Mbit/s | muxed AAC |
| YouTube Shorts | VP9 81%, H.264 19% | 81% | 5.7 Mbit/s | 130 kbit/s |
For editors this matters: a Reel saved in its best quality is VP9, which some editing apps and older Macs open slowly or not at all. YouTube Shorts gave the most data per second by far, roughly 5 times TikTok's median bitrate.
Method
135 public videos (51 Instagram Reels, 42 TikToks, 42 YouTube Shorts) from 20 large public accounts in media, sports, science and entertainment, recent posts as shown on each profile on 2026-10-12 (pinned posts included). We requested each video logged out from a residential connection in Switzerland, read the list of offered streams with yt-dlp, and measured the audio of the delivered file with ffmpeg's ebur128 filter (integrated loudness and true peak). Silent videos (below -60 LUFS) are excluded from loudness figures (2 in total). Apps may receive different streams than the web, and big accounts are not every creator, so read this as a snapshot, not a census. Raw data: CSV download, free to reuse with credit (CC BY 4.0).
FAQ
What loudness should I master Instagram Reels to?
-14 LUFS integrated with true peaks at -1 dBTP. In our measurement of 51 Reels, 92% were delivered at -14 LUFS (±1 LU) and none louder, so Instagram appears to turn louder audio down.
Does TikTok normalise audio?
Not in the delivered files. The TikToks we measured ranged from -27.5 to -15.0 LUFS (80% of videos), median -21.2 LUFS.
What resolution do Instagram Reels play in?
90% of the Reels we measured were available in 1080p, 4% in 1440p and 6% only in 720p.
Can I use this data?
Yes, under CC BY 4.0. Download the CSV and credit Shortform Kit with a link to this page.