Twitch streamers have many tools to monetize their broadcasts, from Bits to subscriptions or advertisements. However, donations remain one of the main income sources for content creators. Tips from viewers are important to streamers, and it is key to choose the proper service beforehand. Streams Charts has compiled a list of the most popular donation services for streamers, as well as key features that are important to pay attention to.
Streamlabs
Streamlabs is a large set of tools for channel and stream visual design. It provides you with the option to set up fancy alerts on new subscribers and donations, to set indicators for donation goals, banners, viewer counters, live chat windows, and so on. Streamlabs can also be used to make your own screensavers, logos, overlays, notification sounds and many other smart and useful features. Streamlabs is quite easy to use and works great with the biggest streaming platforms, such as Twitch, YouTube, Facebook and Trovo.
KaiCenat, DisguisedToast, Ninja and other top streamers use Streamlabs to receive donations. At the same time, the service itself does not take a penny from the money received through the links for tips from Streamlabs — only standard fees of payment systems are charged during the transfers. Viewers can select a type of payment (one-time or scheduled) and attach a text and a type of notification to the streamer (this will be displayed on the screen live).
Streamlabs is free to use, but the service has a paid subscription Streamlabs Prime, which includes a set of additional features, as well as extended access to other products of the company.
StreamElements
StreamElements is another popular service for customizing and visual design of streams. Its functions are similar to Streamlabs, but it has a number of specific features. One of them is its own SE.Pay system for processing and receiving donations from users. This system has both advantages and disadvantages. First, it only works in the USA, the UK, and a number of European countries, but it does not function in other regions yet. Secondly, money withdrawal is only possible with a bank card for now, although the developers promise to add new methods in the near future.
The main plus of the SE.Pay system is protection against malicious chargebacks. Some viewers like to troll streamers: they send large donations, get a reaction and words of gratitude, and then request a refund through the bank. In addition to spoiled mood the streamer sometimes has to pay a commission for the return transfer. So, the service SE.Pay takes care of all these costs, and also moderates and pre-screens transfers of such scammers.
The StreamElements service also has many famous clients among streamers. Among them are xQc, shroud, Amouranth, and other Twitch stars.
PayPal
PayPal is an international payment system, which works with 25 currencies in 200 countries. In addition to being integrated into Streamlabs and StreamElements, it can also act as an independent platform for donations collection.
PayPal's big advantage is the trust of customers in the service. This payment system is used in many areas, not related to streaming (for example, for purchases on the Internet). PayPal also has good technical support, capable of working quickly with a large flow of customers. On the other hand, it has far from the smallest commission for transfers and withdrawals, which depends on the place of residence of the recipient and the bank that issued the card.
Before opening an account in PayPal you need to make sure on what conditions this payment system is functioning in your country. You should also take into account that not every country offers a whole range of services to its clients in PayPal. For example, in some countries, the system allows only to receive currency money but forbids transferring it to other cards or withdrawing it in cash. Often such restrictions are due to local legislation, but sometimes there are exceptional situations. For example, in March 2022, PayPal blocked all accounts of Russians because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
DonatePay
DonatePay is another popular Russian service for collecting donations and displaying corresponding notifications on a stream. The functional range here is not as big as in the services listed above, but DonatePay is trying to attract streamers by other bonuses: a small minimum withdrawal sum and fast transfer speed, responsive support service, etc.
Commission for sending donations through DonatePay is 7%. The commission for withdrawal varies depending on the payment system. Usually the withdrawal takes from 1 to 24 hours. DonatePay has its own affiliate program, as well as a system of bonuses and discounts for attracting new streamers.
In addition to the aforementioned services, streamers also often use Patreon, Onlyfans or Boosty, services for distributing author's content on a paid subscription basis. Basically, they allow viewers to transfer a certain amount of money to their favorite streamers once a month. Depending on this amount, fans can get some bonuses or access to exclusive broadcasts. Often, top streamers choose a group of subscribers to play games together on a broadcast.
Things to consider when choosing a donation service
Choosing the right donation service is an important moment for any aspiring streamer who has decided to build a career on Twitch, YouTube, or another streaming service. Essentially, it's up to you to choose the ways and mechanisms by which viewers can financially support your activity. There are a few things to consider here:
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Donations set up. The chosen donation service must be convenient for use in all senses. It should have simple and clear settings, reliable protection against hacking and leakage of personal data, etc. Some services simply may not work in some countries (or work with limitations).
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Payment reception. There should be as many ways as possible, because this is primarily a matter of convenience for your viewers. Service must accept payments from various bank cards, e-wallets, mobile phones, in different currencies and forms (including cryptocurrency). The more this pool of options for viewers and the easier it will work, the more chances that you will get a donation.
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Money withdrawal options and conditions. While the convenience of sending money is important for viewers, the streamer should think in advance about the money withdrawal. It is necessary to link their bank accounts / wallets to the service, as well as to know in advance about the commission and the duration of the transfer, so that it would not be an unpleasant surprise. It is important to remember that each service has its own rates. Some take charge when withdrawing the total amount to the streamer's wallet, others take charge for each payment, depending on their sum. Sometimes there may be a limit on the minimum withdrawal amount, etc.
Examine these questions and choose the service you are more comfortable with. Tip: Learn about the quality of technical support in advance. Prompt problem handling is another important factor when choosing a service.