Last Updated on 03/11/2021 by Dean
Most streaming services are paid and this has caused some people to wrongfully believe that Twitch is paid as well. This is not true! Twitch is a free live streaming platform that has some paid options to support its creators.
In this article, we’ll explore how you can support Twitch streamers, how you can watch them for free, and how Twitch streamers make money.
What is Twitch?
Twitch is the biggest live-streaming platform on earth with 3 million average concurrent viewers. This streaming giant is owned by Twitch Interactive, a subsidiary of Amazon.
Twitch houses more than 9 million active streamers and while it used to be a live-streaming platform for video games, it now houses many different types of IRL streamers as well, including Vtubers.
On Twitch you can watch a variety of individuals play video games, talk with their chat, watch them cook, peek in on their workouts and much much more.
Is Watching Streams on Twitch Free?
Yes, watching streamers on Twitch is 100% free. You don’t even need to create an account to watch Twitch streamers, you can simply head on over to Twitch.tv and pick a category/streamer you want to watch!
However, you can choose to pay to watch your favorite Twitch streamers, this is done through a subscription. When you subscribe to a Twitch streamer, you’ll pay $4.99 each month to support a certain creator.
(this doesn’t unlock any extra content, watching streams on Twitch is and will always be 100% free!)
In turn you will receive subscriber-exclusive things such as specific chat emojis, no advertisements, and more.
Sometimes streamers will also play games with subscribers, invite them to a discord call, and more.
Is Twitch Free to Subscribe?
No, you cannot subscribe to a Twitch Streamer for free. Subscribing to a Twitch streamer costs a minimum of $4.99 per month and unlocks an Ad-free experience and subscriber emojis among other things.
Do I need Amazon Prime To Watch Twitch?
No, you don’t need Amazon Prime to watch streamers on Twitch. An Amazon Prime account can be linked to Twitch so that viewers can subscribe to 1 creator every month through their prime subscription but this is not required to watch a streamer.
Amazon Prime subscriptions are only intended to support the streamer.
Is Streaming on Twitch Free?
Streaming on Twitch is 100% free. All you need to start streaming on Twitch is a Twitch account (free sign-up) and a streaming tool such as OBS, Streamlabs, or Twitch Studio.
If your dream is to become a Twitch streamer, you can get started right away without having to pay a dime.
How To Stream on Twitch
Getting started with streaming on Twitch is very easy and straight forward, here’s how you can get set up in 5 quick steps:
- Sign up and create a free Twitch account
- Pick and install a streaming software for Twitch (for example streamlabs)
- Watch guides/read up on how to get your streaming software to work with Twitch (it’s super easy!)
- Pick a video game to stream (or host a just chatting stream)
- Go live!
Why is Twitch So Popular?
Twitch’s popularity shouldn’t be so surprising considering the esports and gaming industry growing at a rapid rate in recent years.
Just 4 years ago, the market value for gaming was just 23 billion dollars. Today, the esports market is valued at more than 170 billion and is expected to grow 291 billion by 2027.
For reference, the current market value of the gaming industry is 4 times bigger than Hollywood and 3 times more than the music industry.
And since Twitch is the number 1 destination for watching gaming live streamers, it’s really no surprise that Twitch is so popular and growing at a very rapid rate.