Twitch vs YouTube in live streaming — technical differences, how to monetize content, and what to stream on each platform

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Twitch is the most popular streaming platform, but it also has quite successful rivals. Recently, many top content creators left the Amazon-owned platform for YouTube with exclusive contracts. But which one to chose for newcoming streamers? In the new article, Streams Charts will compare Twitch and YouTube based on various factors to help making the choice.

Technical aspects of Twitch / YouTube streaming

The main difference between Twitch and YouTube streaming lies in video quality. The maximum quality on Twitch is 1080p, while on YouTube one can stream in 4K with HDR, as well as broadcast in 360-degree mode. From this point of view, YouTube is superior to its competitor, but not all users have powerful enough PCs to stream videos in the best quality in the first place. As for mobile devices, their users will also avoid setting the resolution to 4K as to not waste their Internet traffic.

Twitch & YouTube live streaming integrations and extensions

Integrations are a key advantage Twitch has over YouTube. The service is a subsidiary of Amazon, so a Prime Gaming subscription (which is linked to Amazon) is available to all users. This mechanism has proven to be a win-win for viewers and Twitch streamers alike. It gives Twitch users free games, in-game items, chat emojis, and the ability to subscribe to their favorite streamers at no extra cost. Meanwhile, Amazon itself has drawn the attention of gamers to its other services as well.

In addition, Twitch provides various extensions that enhance the viewing experience and help streamers take their content to the next level. The community itself actively develops extensions thanks to new ideas, and streamers make them popular thanks to the size of their audiences. In addition, one can connect extensions to Twitch through the Google Chrome browser. By the way, Streams Charts recently released its own extension that shows channel statistics both in LIVE mode and for the last 7 and 30 days.

Try StreamsCharts Twitch extension

Twitch also offers its own extensions, as do many major channels. For example, the /MarineMammalRescue channel, which shows the life of fur seals, has an extension with information about each pet in the shelter. There are no such features on YouTube (yet).

Twitch and YouTube Live chat and streaming on mobile devices

On Twitch, chat is available both before and after streams. On Youtube, it is possible to chat only during the stream itself. The advantage of YouTube over Twitch lies in private broadcasts, i.e. the broadcasts for certain people only with link-based access. This is useful for sharing content between friends or for conducting educational lectures.

When it comes to mobile devices, anyone can start streaming on Twitch from a phone, but on YouTube, you need to have at least 1K subscribers on the channel first.

Twitch & YouTube Live structure and audience

Directories on Twitch

Twitch and YouTube are different even by the structure of streaming pages. Twitch has a general list of categories and five directories: Music, Games, IRL, Esports, and Creative. Tags are also available and they allow for more precise search settings, which greatly simplifies the search for the desired content.

Games page on YouTube

On YouTube, live streaming is divided into three categories — News, Sports, and Video Games. The platform doesn't make its sections readily accessible on the front page, making them harder to find. Additionally, the feed mixes live broadcasts with regular videos. As for the Video Games category, it allows sorting the streams by games or choosing something from the recommendations. The disadvantage of YouTube is that the platform does not differentiate between esports streaming and normal game streaming.

Content monetization on Twitch and YouTube

One can monetize content both with the help of the platforms themselves and in other ways (for example, by collecting donations). Let's check how the platforms support content creators.

YouTube monetization requirements

To monetize content on YouTube, one requires 1K subscribers and 4K Hours Watched. In case one has no active violations of the terms of service and meets the requirements, one can apply for participation in the affiliate program. Paid channel subscriptions are available on YouTube, but this feature is not yet fully implemented.

YouTube and Twitch subscriptions

For a paid subscription, content creators can provide their subscribers with special content not available to regular viewers. However, at the moment this feature is not available in all countries, as YouTube is still in the process of acquainting users with it.

Bits currency on Twitch

Twitch provides streamers with more official ways to monetize content, which are unlocked once one achieves the status of affiliate or partner of the service. For example, from a paid subscription, an affiliate receives only 40% of the revenue, and 60% goes to the platform. Partners receive 50% of the amount, and Twitch takes 50%. At the same time, some top streamers have exclusive contracts with special conditions.

Also read: how to become a Twitch affiliate or partner

Viewers can pay to subscribe to their favorite channel, as well as donate to the streamer using Bits (Twitch's special currency). In addition to the direct donation, Bits can be used for voting during broadcasts. The streamers can turn on ads during the broadcasts, providing themselves with an additional source of income. 

Fans pay their favorite content creators, but they get a lot of benefits in return. For example, custom emoji that can be used in chat, badges, access to a special chat, and ad-free browsing. YouTube offers pretty much the same selection of benefits for its users.

Popularity of specific content types

While Twitch and YouTube don't restrict streamers by the categories they can stream in, the popularity of certain games and categories depends heavily on the platform. On Twitch, viewers take great interest in following the IRL and PC disciplines (check out the top categories for 2021 here).

YouTube is the leader when it comes to mobile game streaming. The reason is that mobile games are currently widespread mostly in Asia and Latin America. In these countries, PC gaming is not so popular due to poor internet connection and high equipment prices, which is why Twitch did not manage to get much of a foothold in these countries. Many people started streaming on YouTube because of its availability; for example, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang gathers around 500 Average Viewers on Twitch as compared to 20K Average Viewers on YouTube. Therefore, if you are going to stream mobile games, YouTube is the way to go. The battle royale Free Fire is also very popular, especially in Latin America and Brazil. One example would be the Brazilian organization LOUD with many content creators: their main YouTube channel has 12M subscribers, while their Free Fire channel has 2.5M.

YouTube and Twitch recommendation algorithms

The video distribution format differs on Twitch and YouTube. The homepage of Twitch features channel recommendations based on one’s viewed categories, as well as recommends streamers that create content similar to that of streamers one is already following. The very bottom of the page features the top clips selected according to the same principle. There are also independent streamer recommendations in the Carousel as well as the streams from the Hype Train section (which features streams that had their viewership skyrocket within a short amount of time).

Newcomers can get noticed on Twitch thanks to various channel filters. For example, one can sort broadcasts by the number of viewers all the way to the smallest ones. At the same time, channels are selected on the main page based on the user preferences or similarities between streamers.

Twitch and YouTube stream filters and paid promotion

YouTube does not allow sorting by the number of viewers, but features regional recommendations: for example, a user from Ukraine will most often be recommended content creators from the same country. It also features algorithms that take into account the live activity on streams, pushing streams to the top accordingly. In terms of promoting newcomers, YouTube is better in that it tends to show their broadcasts in user recommendations more often as compared to Twitch.

Paid promotion on Twitch

In October 2021, Twitch launched paid stream boosting feature. This caused a lot of discussion in the community, as many felt that it was unfair to novice streamers who do not have the opportunity to promote their channel on a paid basis.

The difference in DMCA applicability on Twitch and YouTube

One of the global problems for streamers is the situation with the use of someone else’s media content on streams. If a streamer does not have an appropriate license for a third-party music, movie, or TV program, they will receive a copyright warning for using such content.

Read also: How to stream with music on Twitch according to DMCA rules

Soundtrack player for Twitch

The platform prohibits broadcasting unlicensed songs from streaming services, as well as covers, karaoke, and DJ sets. Tracking occurs thanks to special automated algorithms. As a solution, Twitch offers its own Soundtrack player. With its help, you can turn songs on during broadcasts, but you must delete all stream recordings and clips afterwards.

This approach is inconvenient for the majority of content creators, so many choose to rely on various tricks and loopholes. For example, they simply make the music very quiet or apply effects to it. There is also a way to separate the music from the game’s other sounds, and some streamers remove the music from the recording after the broadcast, leaving other audio tracks intact. 

YouTube Audio Library

YouTube is even more restrictive in this regard. The scope of music selection provided by the service is even larger than that of Twitch, so the likelihood of strikes is higher as well. This makes movies and TV series almost impossible to stream on the service, as a warning shall be immediately issued for such an activity. In addition to strikes, YouTube also removes monetization from videos or bans them in certain countries and/or around the world. Instead, YouTube offers a huge library of music tracks in YouTube Studio, which can be used both in videos and as backgrounds of broadcasts.

What to choose?

Currently, Twitch is more popular in terms of streaming – but it revolves largely around the PC disciplines. YouTube, on the other hand, features advanced technical capabilities, such as improved video quality. At the same time, the two services have different recommendation algorithms, and in case you only plan on streaming, you should definitely check out Twitch. If you want to become an all-around content creator, then YouTube is a more suitable platform due to its versatility. Your YouTube channel will allow you to both upload videos, conduct live broadcasts, and communicate with the audience through posts.

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