Comparative Study: Twitch & YouTube in Streaming Land

In recent years, the popularity of streaming content has exploded. This is due to the launch of platforms like Twitch and Youtube, which have made it easier for content creators/streamers to reach a wide audience. But how do these two platforms differ?

In this article, we’ll take a comprehensive look at Twitch vs. Youtube by comparing their browsing, content rule leniency, growth, and monetization. By the end, you’ll have a good understanding of which platform is right for you.

Part 1. The Key Differences Between Twitch and YouTube

Though Twitch and YouTube share some similarities, there are also some key differences between the two:

Browsing: Twitch and YouTube are search engines, but they differ in how they recommend videos to viewers. Twitch focuses on more popular streamers and doesn’t let users edit their thumbnails, while YouTube makes it easier for newbies to be found with a customizable thumbnail feature.

Content Rule Leniency: Twitch and YouTube’s content guidelines are slightly different. YouTube is more easygoing when it comes to what videos can be posted. On the other hand, Twitch has a reputation for banning streamers without any justification. Even streamers with contracts seem to be treated the same as anyone else when this happens.

Growth: YouTube offers more advantages over Twitch in terms of growth as it is more accessible and has a better algorithm that allows small content creators to grow their channels quickly. However, Twitch mainly focuses on popular content streamers and offers fewer growth opportunities for newbies.

Monetization: When it comes to monetization, both platforms offer different options for content creators. On Twitch, content creators can earn revenue from subscriptions, sponsored advertisements, donations, affiliate programs, merchandise sales, etc. On YouTube, content creators can earn revenue from direct advertisements, sponsorships, partnership programs, streams, donations, etc.

Chat and Moderation Policies: Twitch uses a time-based strict chat moderation policy and does not have the pause or rewind option. While on YouTube, the chat is arranged based on relevance and comes with only standard emojis for visual presentation.

Part 2. Comparison of Two Important Features Between Twitch and YOUTUBE: Partnership and Gaming

YouTube vs. Twitch Partnership

Affiliate programs are accessible on both Twitch and YouTube with specific requirements that you need to adhere to. These include a consistent uploading or streaming schedule, viewer engagement on your content, certain watch times, and the required number of subscribers on your channel.

Unlike YouTube, Twitch offers both affiliate and partnership programs. To learn how to join Twitch as an affiliate, read our Simple Guide to Becoming a Twitch Affiliate.

Gaming on Twitch vs. YouTube

The world of online video gaming is massive and continues to grow every year. Over the past few years, two of the biggest platforms for streaming gaming content have been Twitch and YouTube. So which platform is worth using? Let’s find out!

Algorithm: Twitch algorithm is mainly based on the number of viewers on your videos. Moreover, when browsing, it mainly suggests only the popular streamers with a strong subscriber base.

On the other hand, YouTube is owned by Google and creates more opportunities for streamers to be found. Also, its search algorithm takes into account the number of likes, comments, and shares on your video.

Streamer-Viewer Dynamics: On Twitch, viewers often get more involved with the streamer as opposed to YouTube gaming viewers, who prefer to watch videos without commentary.

Engagement Requirements For Streamers: To grow on YouTube, you need at least 4000 hours of watch time and a good number of likes, shares, and comments on your video. While on Twitch, you need at least a 20-30% engagement rate and a large number of subscribers.

Competition Level Of Streamer: YouTube has fewer streamers but a 20 times more extensive user base. The potential for growth for new streamers is much higher due to the lower competition on the platform. Additionally, the platform provides more prominent exposure for new content creators.

Verdict

Twitch is a better streaming platform if you want to cultivate a following around your content. Although creating your followers’ community at first can be difficult, it largely depends on how engaging and compelling your content is.

As a new content creator or a streamer to create and upload pre-recorded videos, YouTube is a better choice for you. Make sure to upload the most enthralling games to keep your audience captivating and interested.

Part 3. Does Twitch Or YouTube Pay More?

The amount of revenue you can make on Twitch or YouTube is directly related to your follower base. The higher the number of followers/viewers, the more you will earn. Here’s how each platform pays its streamers.

How Twitch Pay Their Streamers

There are five ways in which you can make money while streaming your content on Twitch:

Ads: You can turn on ads on your content when your stream gets the affiliate’s status. Ad revenues are based on the number of impressions (views) your content receives, and the average payout is $0.25 - $1.50 per 1,000 views.

Bits: As a streamer on Twitch, you can also receive donations from your viewers in the form of a unique currency on the platform known as Bits. It’s important to note that Twitch takes a 29% cut-off of all donations made this way, leaving the streamer with 71% of the total donation. We have a complete guide to help you understand what Twitch Bits are and how to earn/get them for free.

Donations: Donations made through Paypal or other monetary exchange platforms benefit the streamer as they will receive 100% of the donation. This is the cheaper way of ensuring that the streamer gets the entire donation amount from the viewer.

Subscribers: Subscribers can support your channel by getting a subscription for a minimum of $4.99 per month. Twitch only takes 50% of subscription fees. This makes it much more profitable for streamers, as they can earn $2.50 per subscription per month.

Merchandise: In terms of merchandise, Twitch has an advantage over YouTube because it comes with various merchandising extensions that can help you to make sales directly to your viewers during a live stream without the need for them to leave the screen.

How YouTube Pay Their Streamers

YouTube pays its streamers in three different ways:

Ads: Once your channel reaches a specific threshold, you become eligible for displaying ads on your YouTube channel. YouTube ads pay more than Twitch. For each 1000 ad views, you will get $18, which means you can earn up to $3 to $5 per 1k video views.

Members: YouTube members are equivalent to Twitch’s subscribers. YouTube pays 70% of membership fees to the creators. The eligibility to offer channel memberships opens up at 30,000 subscribers for all types of channels, but for gaming channels, in particular, a minimum of 1,000 subscribers are required. Additionally, creators must also be a part of the YouTube Partner Program.

Super Chat: Youtube pays streamers 70% of each super chat donation made on the platform and retains 30%. While this may seem to be expensive, it helps cover the costs of hosting a Livestream. Without this donation, Youtube would not be able to function as smoothly.

Which Pays More?

Due to the lower threshold for monetization, Twitch pays more to the new content creators and offers more monetization options. However, it is difficult to grow on Twitch compared to YouTube, which has a stronger user base.

YouTube is easier to generate income in the long run as you can upload recorded gaming videos which can get more viewers as it is always available on the platform. Moreover, you can also make more from YouTube ads than on Twitch.

Video - Where Should You Stream in 2022? - Twitch vs YouTube Live

FAQs

How Much Do YouTube Gaming Streamers Make?

On YouTube, a streamer mainly gets paid based on the ads, which is $0.10 to $0.30 per ad view. Therefore, if your video gets up to 50,000 views, you can earn between $5,000 to $15,000 for that content alone.

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Why Do YouTubers Stream on Twitch?

Most YouTubers stream on Twitch because it pays better than YouTube, has a better community, extensions, and bots

Can You Stream On YouTube And Twitch At The Same Time?

Yes, by using streaming service software, you can stream on YouTube and Twitch at the same time.

Is It Easier to Grow on YouTube Gaming Than Twitch?

YouTube offers much higher viewership compared to Twitch. Therefore, there is more potential to grow depending on the quality of your content.

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve provided a complete comparison of Twitch vs. YouTube. We discussed their key differences, partnership, and monetization.

While Twitch is more popular and has more streamers, it offers less opportunity for growth. If you want to be more successful as a streamer, then you should be on YouTube.

However, both platforms have great benefits and can help you reach your goals faster. Which one you ultimately decide to use is up to you. Hopefully, you liked this article, and your queries have been resolved.

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FAQs

How Much Do YouTube Gaming Streamers Make?

On YouTube, a streamer mainly gets paid based on the ads, which is $0.10 to $0.30 per ad view. Therefore, if your video gets up to 50,000 views, you can earn between $5,000 to $15,000 for that content alone.

Why Do YouTubers Stream on Twitch?

Most YouTubers stream on Twitch because it pays better than YouTube, has a better community, extensions, and bots

Can You Stream On YouTube And Twitch At The Same Time?

Yes, by using streaming service software, you can stream on YouTube and Twitch at the same time.

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Is It Easier to Grow on YouTube Gaming Than Twitch?

YouTube offers much higher viewership compared to Twitch. Therefore, there is more potential to grow depending on the quality of your content.

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Conclusion

In this article, we’ve provided a complete comparison of Twitch vs. YouTube. We discussed their key differences, partnership, and monetization.

While Twitch is more popular and has more streamers, it offers less opportunity for growth. If you want to be more successful as a streamer, then you should be on YouTube.

However, both platforms have great benefits and can help you reach your goals faster. Which one you ultimately decide to use is up to you. Hopefully, you liked this article, and your queries have been resolved.

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