Twitch is the home of video game lovers. It first appeared in 2011; over a decade later, it has millions of streamers everyday, streaming themselves doing everything from making music to household chores. Mostly, though, they play video games. A lot of video games. In 2022, Twitch averaged 7.62 million active streamers per month, with exponentially more individual streams.
The top Twitch streamers don’t earn quite as much as the top YouTubers—but they’re not far off. Some make million of dollars per year. That’s still a rarity, though. So how much does the average Twitch streamer earn?
Let’s look at Twitch streamer income, and how the Brave browser could help.
Average income of Twitch streamers, and how it varies
Twitch brought in an estimated $2.6 billion in revenue in 2021. Of course, not all of that goes to the individual streamers, but successful streamers might earn somewhere between $3,000 and $6,500 per month through subscriptions alone. There are people who make a lot more than that—and many others who make a good deal less.
Small Twitch streamers may only make a few hundred dollars per month, or not even reach the minimum withdrawal threshold of $100. People just starting out on Twitch usually don’t make anything until they reach Twitch Affiliate status.
Learn more about how to become a Twitch Affiliate.
On the other end of the spectrum, a select few elite Twitch streamers earn tens of millions of dollars per year.
Who are the top Twitch streamers?
Keeping up with who the top Twitch streamers are can be quite difficult—the results are always in flux. But there are several pages dedicated to keeping track of which Twitch streamers have the most views, followers, and hours streamed—and even who’s growing most quickly.
Twitch subscriptions: How they work and how much streamers make from them
One of the biggest sources of revenue for Twitch streamers is money from subscriptions. Anyone on Twitch can follow a streamer, but if you really enjoy their content and want to support them financially, you can subscribe directly to that streamer for a monthly fee.
The cost of a Twitch subscription ranges from roughly $5–$25 per month—with the money split evenly between streamers and Twitch itself. That means streamers earn anywhere from $2.50–$12.50 per subscription per month.
Subscriptions also offer users perks, like access to exclusive content, early access to content, subscriber-only chats, and more. One of the biggest perks of Twitch subscriptions is ad-free viewing—but watching Twitch in the Brave browser already blocks ads. With Brave, you can avoid video ads that appear at the beginning or middle of a stream, as well as display ads on the Twitch website and mobile app.
How much do Twitch streamers make per ad?
While ads provide the majority of revenue for YouTube creators, Twitch operates a little differently. Twitch itself uses video ads and display ads to earn revenue, but—because the content is live—most streamers are unwilling to put ads in the middle of their live streams. It makes more sense for streamers to promote content directly via sponsorships or affiliate links, rather than insert ads and break up the flow.
However, some streamers do show ads, which typically pay anywhere between one cent and one dollar per view, depending on the ad and the streamer. If you’ve got a large audience, your potential ad revenue could add up quickly.
Like most other social media platforms, Twitch streamers can make money in a variety of ways. Some of these include:
- Subscriptions (streamers can charge a monthly fee for access to their channel)
- Donations (viewers can send monetary donations to streamers during their streams)
- Bits (viewers can purchase and use “Bits”—Twitch’s virtual currency—to interact with streamers)
- Ads (streamers can play ads during their streams to earn revenue)
- Sponsorships (streamers can receive payment from brands to use or feature their products or services)
- Affiliate programs (streamers can use affiliate links to earn a portion of the sales from products they advertise)
- Merchandise (streamers can sell customized merchandise to fans)
It’s common for Twitch streamers to also upload their videos to other platforms, like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram to further monetize their content. Many Twitch streamers also create a Brave Rewards account in order to enroll in Brave’s Creator Program—which enables creators to earn additional tips on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, X (formerly Twitter), and more.
Brave and BAT: A new revenue stream for Twitch streamers
With the Brave browser, Twitch streamers can gain access to a new revenue stream: tips from Brave users.
Brave users can opt in to view privacy-respecting ads, and earn rewards for doing so in the form of the Basic Attention Token (BAT). Then users can tip their favorite creators—including Twitch streamers—directly and securely with BAT. Tipping with BAT lets users support Twitch streamers without going through Twitch, PayPal, or any other third-party platform or payment processor. Users can even set up recurring monthly donations, “subscribing” directly to their favorite streamers.
Brave uses BAT as part of a new, privacy-based Internet economy. No more trading away browser info to third-party data brokers. Keep tighter control of your data, and reward content creators on Twitch, YouTube, and other platforms more directly.
How to maximize your Twitch earnings
Aside from subscriptions, Twitch doesn’t pay streamers directly. Instead, Twitch streamers earn money from sponsorships, affiliate links, some advertising, and a variety of other methods. The Brave browser and its revolutionary BAT ecosystem offer yet another way for Twitch streamers to support themselves. Download Brave, sign up as a Brave Creator, and try it out today.
