Twitch vs. YouTube vs. Kick: Which platform is more suitable for a budding streamer?

Streamers, gamers, and content creators have a variety of platforms at their disposal. Twitch and YouTube (owned by Amazon and Google, respectively), being longstanding major players, continue to dominate the scene. Additionally, Kick (owned by the gambling website Stake) has entered the fray, making its mark since its late 2022 launch.

This article compares the three platforms, evaluating their strengths and weaknesses to help determine the most suitable choice for streamers just about to begin their trade.

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Which platform should new streamers choose? Exploring Twitch, YouTube, and Kick

The streaming landscape has recently undergone significant changes, with Kick emerging as a formidable player seeking to carve a niche. Twitch and YouTube, the industry's stalwarts, have maintained their presence, with the Amazon-owned platform being renowned for its established streaming capabilities over the years.

Nevertheless, minor and significant discernible nuances distinguish these platforms from one another. Let's look at some of them.

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Which platform has the best audience?

In terms of audience size, Twitch currently leads the pack with an impressive 140 million monthly users (statistics via Demandsage.com), making it the dominant force in this regard.

YouTube boasts 122 million daily users (via Globalmediainsight.com), nearly equivalent to Twitch's monthly user base. However, YouTube is primarily recognized as a video-sharing platform, and live streaming hasn't reached the same prominence as it has on Twitch.

The most recent data on Kick indicates 20 million users (via Restream.io) as of October 2023. This number suggests that aspiring streamers might have a better chance of being discovered if they start on Twitch, given its larger user base than Kick.

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Which platform offers better pay?

Twitch compensates its creators by adopting a 50-50 revenue split from all subscriptions made by streamers. Additionally, there is a 70-30 split for those enrolled in the Partner Plus program, though this applies only to the first $100,000 generated in the first year.

For creators who have monetized their channels on YouTube, the platform employs a 55-45 revenue split, with creators receiving 55% of the generated revenue. When utilizing AdSense, Google pays creators a 68% share of the generated revenue while retaining 32% of its share.

Kick stands out as the most lucrative platform for monetization, as it only deducts a 5% fee from the total subscription revenue collected by creators. Kick also offers an hourly pay of $16 through their Creator Incentive Program.

Kick's 95-5 split system (Image via Kick.com)

Therefore, new streamers might be enticed to choose this path, considering the more favorable monetization terms.

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Which platform is easier to use?

Twitch offers its software called Twitch Studio, which assists users in streaming and extends its compatibility to other consoles such as PS5 or Xbox.

Twitch offers its software for streaming (Image via Twitch)

YouTube is notably user-friendly, allowing streamers to easily go live directly from the YouTube app:

YouTube's guidelines to stream (Image via YouTube.com)

In comparison, Kick doesn't currently provide its users with a dedicated app (except the mobile app) for streaming. For those looking to stream console gameplay, users might need to install additional software to facilitate the streaming process.

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While it's challenging to definitively favor one platform over another, it's worth noting that Twitch organizes annual events such as TwitchCon.

Considering all aspects, Twitch, with its established community and events, might be the platform new streamers should lean toward for their endeavors.