If you're starting to create video content, you're probably wondering which is the best platform for your business or personal brand. Once you start creating content, one of the big questions that many creators and entrepreneurs face is not knowing whether to use Twitch or YouTube — especially if you want to start making money.
With the goal of optimizing your content and getting the best results, we'll answer questions like:
- What are the main differences between Twitch and YouTube?
- Who pays more — YouTube or Twitch?
- Can you stream on YouTube and Twitch at the same time?
If you don't have time to read the full post right now, don't miss my video on my YouTube channel where I cover all the details and share my experience using both platforms.
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What are the main differences between Twitch and YouTube?
The fundamental difference between YouTube and Twitch lies in why they were created. Twitch was built primarily for live streaming — in fact, it was a platform that, before Amazon acquired it in 2014 for $970 million, was created specifically for video game streaming. YouTube, on the other hand, was born as a video upload platform — but over the years, partly due to Twitch's competition, it introduced live streaming. Another major difference is that YouTube is a platform most people know, while Twitch is less well-known.
In summary, while Twitch is dedicated exclusively to live streaming, YouTube covers many more things — including live streaming.
Over time both platforms have developed more features in common — like donations, paid subscriptions, and gamification — but YouTube still has advantages that Twitch doesn't:
- Your videos rank on Google too, giving you visibility that Twitch can never offer. Let's not forget that YouTube is owned by Google and is therefore more deeply integrated into the Google ecosystem.
- Your content on YouTube has longevity. On Twitch, your content only has value while you're live — after that, almost nobody will watch a stream you did a week ago. On YouTube, your content keeps getting views indefinitely.
- YouTube has a data platform for your channel (called YouTube Studio) that is far more comprehensive than Twitch's. On YouTube you can access much more data and information than on Twitch. For those of us who are data-driven in our business, this is extremely important because it lets us build better strategies.
Who pays more — YouTube or Twitch?
A very common question is: who pays more, YouTube or Twitch? My project Passione Inter (a sports channel for Inter Milan fans — check it out if you don't know it) has been streaming daily on both YouTube and Twitch for over 2 years. In that time we've tested many monetization strategies on both platforms and the result is: YouTube wins.
For several reasons:
- YouTube lets you monetize even when you're not live. Thanks to views on previously recorded videos, you can earn revenue long after publishing. Worth noting: YouTube recently introduced the ability to receive donations not just during live streams, but also on new and older videos.
- YouTube has far more advertising compared to Twitch. Twitch has little ad inventory and doesn't pay significantly more than YouTube — in general, the better revenue comes from YouTube.
That said, don't forget that your goal shouldn't be monetization on YouTube or Twitch — but rather using these platforms for visibility and driving traffic to your own website.
In conclusion, after our experience, we've seen that YouTube pays more than Twitch. :)
Streaming on YouTube and Twitch at the same time — is it possible?
Another major dilemma when you start creating content is thinking about how to be on as many platforms as possible. With Passione Inter we've tried every possible solution — streaming on YouTube only, streaming on Twitch only, streaming on both at once.
The answer? In our case it makes no difference.
Using a tool like Streamyard or Melon, you can read comments from users on both platforms in one place — and in every interview we've done with our audience, nobody has complained about us being live on both platforms simultaneously.
It can make sense to stream only on Twitch if you want a more intimate relationship with your followers by dedicating an exclusive space just to them. However, looking at the ratio of time invested to economic return, I'm honestly not sure it's worth it.
For all the reasons I've outlined above, if I had to choose just one platform to go live on, I'd choose YouTube — especially if your channel is event-driven. With Passione Inter we are the most-watched YouTube channel in Italy during Inter matches, and the numbers that YouTube + Google give us through events are something Twitch will never match.
