Kick vs. Twitch: Which Should You Use?
Twitch has been the “default” streaming platform for gamers and live content creators for so long, it was hard to imagine using anything else for a while. But there’s been a recent crop of new and interesting streaming platforms, and Kick is leading the charge in many ways. But which one of these platforms should you use?
Well, that depends on what you need from a live streaming platform. In this article, we’ll break down all the major differences and how they affect you if you plan to make live streaming a hobby or even a career.
Kick vs. Twitch: Quick Overview
Twitch and Kick are both popular platforms for live streaming, but they offer different experiences for content creators and viewers.
Twitch
Twitch, launched in 2011, started primarily as a platform for gaming content but has grown to include a wide variety of streams, such as music, talk shows, and creative arts. Still, gaming is its core focus, and there’s a massive community for live gaming events and esports. A key feature is the interactive chat, where you can use emotes like Kappa and messages to engage with streamers during broadcasts.
Twitch offers monetization through subscriptions, ads, and donations, and streamers can also benefit from Twitch Prime, which provides Amazon Prime members with extra perks, such as free subscriptions to channels.
Kick
Kick is a newer platform that launched in 2023 and focuses on being more creator-friendly. It stands out by offering streamers a larger share of the revenue from tips and subscriptions compared to Twitch. Kick is designed to foster more direct interaction between streamers and their audiences, with features that enhance real-time engagement, like custom emotes, live polls, and real-time feedback.
While it’s still growing, Kick has quickly gained attention from content creators looking for better opportunities and more control over their earnings.
Twitch vs. Kick Comparison
| Feature | Twitch | Kick |
| Affiliate Requirements | Minimum of: – 50 followers – 8.5 hours/mo. of broadcast – 7 separate streaming days/mo. – Average 3+ simultaneous viewers/mo. | Minimum of: – 75 followers – 5 hours/mo. of broadcast |
| Partner Requirements | Minimum of: – 1000 followers – 25 hours/mo. of broadcast – Broadcast 12 separate days/mo. – Average 75 simultaneous viewers/mo. | Minimum of: – 75 followers – 30 hours/mo. of broadcast – 250 unique viewers separate/mo. – 3 VODs/mo. – 25 active subscribers |
| API | OAuth 2.0 | Kick DEV |
| Extensions | Located on Twitch’s Creator Dashboard | Third-party only |
| Streaming Quality | 2k (availability varies) and 1080p | 1080p |
| Toolkits | – Onboard – Most popular: Storytelling and CoinStore | – Third-party – Most popular: Kicktools Bot |
| Platform Support | – 24/7 email – Knowledge base on the website | – 24/7 email – Knowledge base on the website |
| Payments | – 50% of subscription revenue – $0.01 per bit– Pays out monthly | – 95% of subscription revenue – Pays out monthly |
| Donation/Tips | – Donations in any dollar amount – Support via Bits (Twitch’s virtual currency) | – Allows direct tipping – Donations via third-party apps |
| Ad Revenue | 30-55% of ad revenue | Still in development |
| Monthly Subscriptions | $4.99, $9.99, and $24.99 | $4.99 |
Kick vs. Twitch for Live Streamers: A Complete Breakdown
Technical Specifications
| Twitch | Kick | |
| Encoding | GPU and x264 | H.264 and x264 |
| Maximum bitrate | 6000 kbps | 8000 kbps |
| Video resolution | 720p and 1080p | 720p and 1080p |
| Frames per second (fps) | 30 or 60 | 30 or 60 |
| Audio Quality | Codec: AAC-LC. Recommended bitrate: 96 kbps Max audio bitrate: 160 kbps Sampling frequency: AAC | Codec: AAC Recommended bitrate: 128 kbps+ Max audio bitrate: 320 kbps Sampling frequency: AAC |
Audience Building: Where Can You Grow Faster?
Twitch has been around far longer than Kick, which gives it an upper hand if you’re a live streamer looking for an established live video content platform. Its user base is larger compared to Kick in all fields, including live streamers, advertisers, viewers, and subscribers.
Competition-wise, however, it’s the same on either platform. You’ll always be competing with other live streamers on other live streaming platforms, regardless of whether it’s the one you use or a competitor site.
Affiliate and Partner Benefits: Who Makes It Easier?
Twitch Affiliate status gives you the option to run ads and get ad revenue, create channel subscriptions, use features like Channel Points, and more. Once you meet the requirements for Partner status, you have to apply, and there’s no guarantee you’ll get it.
If and when you become a Partner, you get more control over your channel and ads, extra features for things like chatbots, additional emotes, extended VOD storage, and more.
On the other hand, the Kick affiliate program lets you enable subscriptions and earn revenue from subscribers. You can also use exclusive emojis and create badges for subscribers to help you engage with your audience.
Kick’s partner program gives you a few additional perks, including a verified badge, priority support, and a boost in the discovery algorithm.
Both Kick and Twitch also allow affiliates and partners to work with other live streamers on the platform to create cross-promotional opportunities.
Monetization: Who Pays More, Kick or Twitch?
Twitch offers three monthly subscription tiers for those that want to support your live streaming account: $4.99, $9.99, and $24.99. Standard creators get a 50/50 split of all subscription revenue. Once you’re accepted into Twitch’s Plus Program at level 1, you get a 60/40 split.
If you hit level 2 Partner, you can grant subscribers lifetime subscriptions, but only a limited amount based on your total number of subscribers. You could also get a 70/30 split of subscription revenue depending on your performance. Twitch allows viewers to donate to live streamers or support them via Bits, its custom virtual currency, which is essentially the same as tipping.
The platform doesn’t take any cut of donations, but you only receive $0.01 per Twitch Bit. You can also expect a takeaway between $2 and $10 per 1,000 ad views, but it varies based on ad region, type, and other factors. Despite having a more established ad system, as a Twitch creator, you don’t see much revenue from ads.
Your biggest money makers will be donations and subscriptions. Here’s a quick example of what you could make in subscriptions, donations, bits, and ads on Twitch:
- Subscriptions: 1000 subscribers at $4.99/mo will pay approximately $2,500
- Donations: 500 viewers donating $2 each will pay $1,000
- Bits: 2000 viewers giving 50 bits each will pay $1,000.
- Ads: 3000 ad views at $5 will pay $15.
In comparison, Kick pays you 95% of subscription revenue, allows you to use third-party payment apps like PayPal or Venmo to set up donation options, and lets viewers tip you directly. You receive 100% of all donations and tips.
Kick’s ad system isn’t as well-developed as Twitch’s, as the platform is still fairly new. That means making money via ads may be hit or miss. At the time of writing, there’s no real average to create a baseline pay for ads yet. Here’s a quick example of what you could make in subscriptions, donations, and bits on Twitch:
- Subscriptions: 1000 subscribers at $4.99/mo, will pay approximately $4,740
- Donations: 1000 viewers donating $5 each, will pay $5000
- Tips: 3000 viewers tipping $5 each, will pay $15,000
- Ads: No average available
As with Twitch, your biggest money makers on Kick are likely to be subscriptions and donations. Unlike Twitch, you receive 100% of your tips as well. Kick and Twitch both make payouts monthly.
Extensions: Who Offers More?
Extensions help you earn revenue, share information, and create opportunities to interact with viewers and subscribers. You can find Twitch extensions in your Creator Dashboard by clicking on the Navigation icon, then selecting My Extensions.
You can also create extensions for Twitch and earn revenue from them. Kick only offers extensions via third-party apps at this time, and it’s on the lookout for talented developers to create extensions for its platform. But if you aren’t into coding, there are plenty of third-party apps available for Kick already.
Toolkits: Who Supports Streamers Better?
Two viewer favorites in Twitch’s toolkit are Storyteller voting and the Bits store. Storyteller voting lets viewers vote to determine what happens in a live stream. They also have the option to receive bits for watching, which can then be spent in the event. If you aren’t interested in receiving rewards, no problem. Storyteller voting and the Bits store both work independently of each other, so you can still vote even if you don’t participate in rewards.
Kicktools is the go-to third-party toolkit app for Kick, according to most live streamers. It offers free and premium tools that help live streamers engage and interact with viewers and subscribers. For example, Launch is a customizable timer overlay that visually counts down to special events, milestones, and giveaways. There’s also Engage, which helps you set and monitor your chatter goals by keeping track of likes, messages, emoji use, tags, and more.
Regulations: Which Platform Is Stricter?
Twitch has been around a lot longer than Kick, and that shows in its rulebook. The platform has built out detailed community guidelines over the years, from hate speech and nudity to misinformation and even what you’re allowed to wear on stream. Twitch also regulates branded content and sponsorships. It has a mix of human moderators and automated systems reviewing content, and it isn’t shy about issuing bans or suspensions when a line is crossed.
Twitch has been known to introduce what may be seen as unusual restrictions. For instance, it attempted to restrict branded content in 2023, introducing guidelines that would force creators to reduce logos for sponsored streams to practically invisible sizes. Following significant backlash, Twitch revoked these guidelines, describing them as “bad for you and bad for Twitch.”
Kick takes a more relaxed approach. Its community guidelines ban illegal and harmful content, but the list is shorter than Twitch’s, and it doesn’t include specific rules for branded content or sponsorships.
The most notable recent change is a policy requiring that any gambling stream on Kick must come from a gambling platform that verifies its users are at least 18 years old. Like Twitch, Kick uses both human moderators and AI to enforce its rules.
Kick vs. Twitch: Which One Should You Choose?
Kick and Twitch each have big draws. Twitch is extremely popular, which means a bigger user base and more exposure for your content. Kick gives you a higher percentage of the money you work hard for. Since both platforms have virtually the same technical specifications, it comes down to which one fits your needs best.
If you want more exposure right out of the gate and don’t mind the lower revenue return, Twitch may be best for you. It’s more established and has some big-name content creators already. For higher revenue returns and a chance to get in on a quickly growing content platform, Kick could be the better option.
We recommend the following steps when deciding which is best for you:
- Decide what type of content you want to create (e.g., audio, video, or bot).
- Compare available tools for each platform.
- Determine which platform has the technical specifications you require.
- Weigh all the pros and cons.
Kick vs. Twitch: Pros and Cons
| Kick Pros | Kick Cons |
| ✅ Better revenue split ✅ Clear rules and guidelines ✅ Slightly more permissive content rules ✅ Keep 100% of tips and donations | ❌ Fewer built-in features ❌ Smaller user base ❌ Smaller rulebook ❌ Relies heavily on third-party apps |
| Twitch Pros | Twitch Cons |
| ✅ Bigger user base ✅ More advanced streaming features ✅ Allows third-party integrations ✅ Getting to Affiliate is slightly easier | ❌ Sometimes changing rules ❌ Less forgiving bans ❌ Worse revenue split |
How to Use a VPN for Safer Live Streaming
No matter which platform you choose, you’ll be better off streaming with a VPN. Live streams are public affairs, making them an extremely personal form of entertainment. Most of your fans are strictly in it for the content, but you may also attract a small number of overly persistent followers or people looking to misuse your personal information.
Private Internet Access can help reduce your privacy and security risks by hiding your IP address and routing all your traffic through our VPN servers, encrypting your data in the process. This leaves you less exposed to cybersecurity risks while live streaming and gaming.
FAQ
That depends on your audience and your needs as a streamer. Twitch has a larger user base, a larger feature set, and brand recognition. Kick has a better revenue split, a little more freedom about what you can stream, and a similar user experience.
No, each has a different backstory. Twitch started independently as Justin.tv and grew as its own company for quite some time. It was later bought out by Amazon. Kick was founded by the owners of Stake, an online gambling platform. Kick launched right after Twitch tightened its rules on streaming gambling.
Yes, if you’re an affiliate. Even so, most people who get paid by the platform don’t get “paid to stream” by the company; they get a cut of subscription fees and direct donations. The streamer’s viewers are the ones paying.
That depends on what you mean by NSFW. Adult content involving any sort of nudity isn’t permitted on Kick. Still, there may be other forms of adult behavior that parents could find inappropriate. If you have small children, you may need to monitor content accordingly.
You need 75 followers and 5 hours of streaming time to achieve Affiliate status and enable paid subscriptions. For Partner status, you’ll need to add 30 hours per month of broadcast time, 250 unique viewers per month, 3 VODs per month, and 25 active subscribers. Kick pays 95% of subscription revenue.
Yes. Kick gives you 95% of your channel’s subscription revenue once you have Affiliate status, compared to Twitch’s 50% revenue split for affiliates. You also get 100% of all direct tips and donations on Kick. Keep in mind that Twitch has a larger audience, however, so the earning potential may be greater, even with a 50/50 split.
That depends entirely on you… and luck, and the economy, Kick’s brand awareness in your target demographic, and other factors. The people who’ve had the most success by far are live streamers who already had a pre-established audience and moved over to Kick from another live streaming platform.
Both have pros and cons. Twitch might not have been the first ever live streaming platform, but it was the site that brought live streaming to the masses. It delivers most of the world’s live content. Kick is a newer platform, with a smaller user base but a better revenue split for live streamers.
Live streamers, particularly those who game, use VPNs for a couple of reasons. For one, a good gaming VPN can help them to get smoother connections to game servers, access games from other countries, and so on. But they also use them to hide their IP address from attackers and mitigate DDoS attacks, which are bigger risks for public personalities.
Private Internet Access is a great streaming VPN for both Twitch and Kick, covering all the bases with a global network of 10-Gbps NextGen servers, offering fast connections for streaming and gaming alike. What’s more, powerful encryption and DDoS protection help to keep live streamers safe while they invite anyone around the world to watch them live.