Live Streaming on Twitch Vs. YouTube: What’s the Difference?

Whether you provide live make-up tutorials, or stream your gaming, you can have an audience on a streaming platform. But, out of the two major streaming hosting platforms--Twitch and YouTube--which one is best for you? Let’s see how they differ.

Twitch vs. YouTube

YouTube

 Believe it or not, YouTube was actually the first of the two platforms to introduce live streaming to the public. In 2008, YouTube launched their live streaming feature and the concept absolutely took off. It allowed their wide range of creators to display themselves to their audience in their own unique ways.

 This history of having a wide range of content on YouTube has led to a modern live streaming platform that doesn’t have any one particular reputation for any specific type of content. It is the go-to platform for YouTubers who want to keep the majority of their video content in one singular place.

YouTube Livestream Pros and Cons

 YouTube is powered by Google--the owner of YouTube. This means the search function of YouTube is bar-none the best in the world. It allows for easier searchability of new creators and smaller streams. The YouTube algorithm is also quite a bit more forgiving to smaller creators.

 When it comes to revenue, you will still need to meet the standards for the YouTube Partner Program. This means a minimum of 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours. But once you do you can then begin earning money from ad revenue, as well as direct channel memberships and audience donations. YouTube tends to offer more money per 1,000 views on ads, but does take a larger cut of donations.

Twitch

Twitch burst onto the scene in 2011. It was predominantly designed to be a platform for gamers to play e-Sports, and showcase new games alongside their own gameplay. Games like Minecraft, Five Nights at Freddy’s, and more recently Among Us, made Twitch the go-to platform for gamers.

 Despite this reputation, Twitch does have a wide range of non-gaming content creators. You can watch live wildlife streams, hydraulic press content, and much more!

Twitch Pros and Cons

Twitch, as we said, is a gamer’s haven. This makes the large majority of content centered around gaming. However, that doesn’t mean any gamer can grow there. Twitch is notoriously very harsh on smaller streamers. It tends to not promote smaller streams nearly as much as YouTube. Your growth here will be a lot slower.

 In terms of revenue, you will need to be an Affiliate or a Partner--both require different minimum subscriber counts and watch hours. The standards for these are incredibly stringent, requiring a certain amount of stream hours per month, views per month, subscribers, etc,. Payment here works similarly to YouTube, but twitch does take a smaller cut of subscriber earnings.

Which is Best for You?

 Now that we know what the basic differences are between the two, which one is best for you? Well, ultimately both platforms are extremely valuable resources for anyone wanting to make a living as a content creator. However, you should consider the advantages and disadvantages of both. YouTube is more rewarding and easier to grow on--But Twitch can have a much more stable income stream down the road. In the end, most successful live streamers actually stream on both.

 At BeatsBackground we offer our expertise on live streaming, as well as our services, providing royalty-free and DMCA free music for your live stream background. No matter which platform you choose, we can make sure the background music always sets the proper mood for your audience and your content.