Differences between being a member of YouTube and being a Twitch subscriber

Every day there are more and more exclusivity agreements with YouTube, and renowned creators are leaving Twitch. So it is necessary to know the advantages of each platform. For example, on Twitch, “subscribing” has financial implications, but on YouTube, it’s as simple as clicking a button.

You can “follow” streamers on Twitch to receive notifications when they go live and have them appear in a place created just for the broadcasts of your choice. While YouTube offers a similar feature, it’s called “subscribe” rather than “follow.”

Twitch, however, allows users to “subscribe” to streamers for a fee. The equivalent on YouTube is called “join.” While each platform has some differences, the basic concept is the same: viewers pay a monthly fee to support the channel and, in return, receive several privileges that can vary depending on the streamers.

What is included in the Twitch subscription?

There are several ways to purchase Twitch subscriptions. First, viewers can pay for them with cash. Twitch subscriptions start at $4.99 per month. You can pay $9.99 or $24.99 for a tier 2 or tier 3 subscription.

By linking their Amazon Prime account to Twitch, viewers can subscribe to one monthly channel. In addition, viewers can receive free subscriptions if another kind of viewer donates subscriptions to a given channel’s community.

The absence of advertisements is undoubtedly the most significant advantage for a channel’s subscribers. Unfortunately, ad videos that play when a user visits a channel and at other times of the streamer’s choosing are becoming increasingly common on Twitch. By subscribing, you can avoid these interruptions as much as possible.

The other notable advantages for subscribers are subscriber badges, and custom emotes made by the streamer, sometimes with the help of designers. When a user posts in the chat, a sub badge appears next to their name. It indicates that you are an active follower of a channel and can vary depending on how long you have been a subscriber.

These are the member benefits on Twitch:

Ad-free streaming
Individual channel emotes
T-shirts for subscribers
Subscribers-only chat capability
Watch streams for subscribers only
Point multipliers on channels
Cartoon emoticons

In addition, some content creators have exclusive communities on Discord for subscribers only.

Credits: Twitch

What does a YouTube channel subscription include?

Like Twitch users, YouTube subscribers can earn “Loyalty” badges that increase in value, as well as a variety of custom emojis that can be used in the channel’s live chat during a broadcast.

When YouTubers set their comments section to “members only,” viewers can still post in the chat. In addition, content creators can offer subscriber-only broadcasts just as streamers can grant members exclusive access to different types of material.

In the end, there is hardly any difference between a Twitch subscription and a YouTube channel membership. Most of the benefits are almost identical in both cases.

The most significant change is that Twitch has increased the frequency of channel ads, making the ad-free viewing experience necessary for users who watch a channel regularly. However, people paid to become members do not suffer from intrusive ads.