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Which Live Streaming Platform Pays The Most? [2026]

Content ManagerAntonina Marć

The game live streaming community keeps growing year by year, and so does the number of platforms creators can choose from. Twitch is still one of the biggest and most recognizable names in game live streaming, but it is no longer the only serious option if your goal is to turn streaming into a side income or even a full-time job.

Today, streamers compare more than just audience size. They also look at subscription splits, ad revenue, fan support tools, discoverability, and how easy it is to unlock monetization in the first place. So, which streaming platform actually pays the most in 2026?

We’ve analysed the three biggest platforms most creators are realistically choosing between right now — Twitch, YouTube, and Kick. Let’s dive into it!

Table of contents:

Twitch.tv
YouTube Gaming
Kick.com
Huya.com
What about Trovo?

Twitch.tv

It’s probably not surprising that Twitch is the first platform we want to look at. It is still one of the most recognizable live streaming platforms in gaming and remains the default choice for many creators starting out. Twitch has many loyal fans, however, many voices criticise their approach to streamers. First, let’s discuss your options if you want to make money directly through the platform.

Affiliate Program

Let’s be honest: if you’re not at least a Twitch Affiliate, Twitch-native monetization options are still very limited. While you can earn through sponsorships, donations, or third-party tools, Twitch’s built-in monetization really starts once you unlock Affiliate status.

In 2026, the current path to Affiliate requires 25 followers, 4 streamed hours, 4 different stream days, and an average of 3 viewers across qualifying days. If you want to know more about the requirements for becoming an Affiliate, click here.

Income options as a Twitch Affiliate or Partner

So you meet all the requirements, and finally, you can start earning money on streaming games. What now? You can earn with:

Subscriptions
Bits (fan donations)
Ads

Sounds cool until it doesn’t. For many streamers, the standard subscription split is still 50/50, which means Twitch and the creator each take roughly half of a subscription. However, Twitch now also has the Plus Program, which gives qualifying creators access to improved subscription splits: 60/40 at Level 1 and 70/30 at Level 2. Twitch also removed the old $100,000 cap that used to limit 70/30 earnings.

In practice, this means Twitch can still pay well once a creator has a loyal paying audience – but for many small and mid-sized streamers, it is still not the most generous platform by default.

Twitch pros

It is the most recognizable live streaming platform for gaming audiences
It is relatively easy to explain and promote your Twitch channel across other social platforms
Twitch-native monetization becomes straightforward once you reach Affiliate
The subscription model is simple and works well for long-term community building
There are many websites where you can check Twitch stats and channel performance
It has a very distinct culture, including its own slang, emotes, and chat behavior
You can use inStreamly while streaming on Twitch to earn extra money
It remains one of the strongest platforms for live-first community interaction

Twitch cons

The default revenue split is still not very creator-friendly compared to some newer platforms
Discoverability is still one of Twitch’s weaker points
Fast-moving chats can become difficult to moderate as a channel grows
Native monetization options are limited before you reach Affiliate
Twitch’s moderation and enforcement decisions are sometimes criticized by creators
Twitch restricts promotion of certain gambling-related sites and content

YouTube Gaming

When YouTube Gaming kicked off in 2015, many people hoped it would become the real business rival to Twitch. Years later, that competition is much more real than it used to be – even if YouTube still feels fundamentally different from a live-first platform like Twitch.

Some streamers have successfully moved from Twitch to YouTube, while others use YouTube as a hybrid platform for both livestreams and long-form content. That hybrid model is exactly what makes YouTube so interesting from a monetization perspective in 2026. Let’s check its current monetization features.

YouTube Partner Program

Just like Twitch, YouTube keeps most of its native monetization tools behind a program threshold. But in 2026, the system is more layered than it used to be.

You can now join the expanded YouTube Partner Program with 500 subscribers, 3 valid public uploads in the last 90 days, and either 3,000 public watch hours in the last 12 months or 3 million valid public Shorts views in the last 90 days.

To unlock ad revenue and YouTube Premium revenue sharing, you still need the higher threshold: 1,000 subscribers and either 4,000 valid public watch hours in the last 12 months or 10 million valid public Shorts views in the last 90 days.This means YouTube is more accessible than it used to be, especially for creators who combine livestreams with regular video content.

Income options as a YouTube Partner

As a Partner, you get paid for your content with the help of:

Ads & YouTube Premium
Super Chat & Super Stickers
Memberships
YouTube Shopping & BrandConnect
Super Thanks

This is where YouTube becomes very interesting. The platform does not rely on one monetization model only. Instead, it gives creators a mix of ad revenue, fan funding, and commerce tools.
One important detail is that YouTube’s splits depend on the feature. For fan funding tools like channel memberships, Super Chat, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks, creators receive 70% of net revenue after taxes and fees. That makes these features attractive for creators with loyal communities.

YouTube also pays creators from YouTube Premium watch time, which means viewers can support your content even when they are not seeing ads.

And unlike older versions of the Partner Program, monetization tools like memberships and fan funding are no longer locked behind an extremely high subscriber count. That makes YouTube much more realistic for smaller creators than it used to be.

YouTube Gaming Pros

Strong monetization mix: ads, YouTube Premium, fan funding, memberships, and shopping
Great long-term value because livestreams can support your wider video strategy
Better discoverability through search, recommendations, and evergreen content
Lower entry barrier to some monetization tools than before
Clearer monetization structure than older versions of the program
You can keep building value from content after the stream ends
You can use inStreamly while streaming on YouTube

YouTube Gaming cons

It still feels less live-native than Twitch
Ad revenue and discovery depend heavily on content format and consistency
Live streams alone may not perform as well as a broader YouTube content strategy
Monetization is powerful, but the system is more complex than Twitch’s
It may take longer to build a loyal live audience if your channel started as VOD-first

Youtube Gaming pros and cons

Kick.com

This is one of the newest streaming platforms, so don’t feel bad if you’ve never heard about it. The launch was announced in 2022 by a former Twitch streamer, Tyler “Trainwreckstv“. Kick hopes to overthrow Twitch by introducing enticing policies and programs. The platform is still beta-testing, so no details about the future models are known, but here is what we know.

Kick policies

95/5 subscription revenue split
Creator status and subscription access can be unlocked after 5 streamed hours
Strong creator-first positioning
Multistreaming-friendly ecosystem
Clear monetization-focused branding

This is the biggest reason why many streamers ask whether Kick pays the most. On paper, a 95/5 subscription split is far more generous than Twitch’s default split and more aggressive than what most creators think of when comparing traditional platforms.

Still, money split is not everything. Kick is attractive because it lowers the barrier to monetization, but creators should also think about audience size, platform culture, long-term discoverability, and how stable the ecosystem feels compared to Twitch or YouTube.

In other words: if you are looking at raw subscription split alone, Kick is extremely hard to beat. If you are thinking about the full creator business, the answer becomes more complicated.

Huya.com

Huya.com is an excellent platform if you are Chinese or know Mandarin! Otherwise, you will have little fun there.

Huya still operates and remains a major game live streaming platform in China. That said, it is much more region-specific than Twitch, YouTube, or Kick, so for most English-speaking creators it is not the most practical platform to compare directly. It is still worth knowing about, especially if your audience is in China or you are interested in the Asian live streaming market.

huya versus twitch revenue comparison

What about Trovo?

Trovo used to be one of the more interesting smaller alternatives in the game streaming space, especially because of its lower monetization thresholds and creator-focused positioning.

However, as of 2026, Trovo has announced that its live streaming services will cease on June 30, 2026, so it is no longer a serious long-term option for new streamers choosing a platform today.

Summary

So which streaming platform pays the most in 2026? The shortest answer is: it depends on what kind of income you mean.

If you are looking mainly at raw subscription split, Kick is the most generous of the three. If you are thinking long-term and want to combine livestreams with ads, memberships, fan funding, search discovery, and evergreen content, YouTube may offer the most complete monetization system. And if your priority is live-first culture, recognizable streaming identity, and a platform built around community interaction, Twitch still remains one of the strongest choices — even if it is not always the most creator-friendly by default.

Data comparison

March 2026 data based on StreamCharts

Do you have any thoughts on the subject? Be sure to share them with us on our Discord server (and in the future comments section we are working on)!

Content ManagerAntonina Marć

I can honestly say my passion is creating valuable content for gamers, streamers and brands interested in gaming. Outside of work, I'm a tabletop RPG Master, a LARPer, a comic book freak and the biggest dachshund lover you'll ever meet.