Twitch review 2026: subs, Bits, ads and the Plus Program

Twitch keeps half of every subscription on its standard split, so $1,000 in subs pays a streamer $500 at most, and less once Twitch takes out taxes and payment costs it does not itemize. Channels that hold 100 or 300 Plus Points for three months in a row move up to 60% or 70%. Raids, emotes and Bits make Twitch a strong place to build a live community, but on fan money alone it pays less than Kick or a Patreon page. We would stream here because your viewers are here, not because of the split.

How much does Twitch take?

Twitch takes 50% of net subscription revenue on the standard split, as of October 2026. Net means Twitch first deducts sales taxes, payment processing, bank fees and currency conversion from the sub price. Its Affiliate FAQ says those costs vary by region and payment method but does not list them.

Twitch sets subscription prices, and streamers cannot change the base price. A Tier 1 sub costs $5.99 in the United States, with lower local prices in many other countries. As arithmetic on those published numbers, a US Tier 1 sub is worth at most about $3.00 to a streamer at 50/50 and about $4.19 at 70/30, before Twitch’s deductions.

How does the Twitch Plus Program work?

The Plus Program raises the subscription split to 60/40 at Level 1 or 70/30 at Level 2 for Affiliates and Partners who reach 100 or 300 Plus Points in each of three consecutive months. Twitch opened it to Affiliates on May 1, 2024.

Plus Points come only from recurring paid subscriptions. A Tier 1 renewal earns 1 point, Tier 2 earns 2 and Tier 3 earns 6. Gift subs and Prime subs earn no points. Once you qualify, gift sub revenue is paid at the higher rate, but Prime sub revenue never is.

Points reset on the first of each month, which is also when Twitch checks who qualifies. Once you are in, you keep the higher rate for 12 months from your latest qualifying date, and each further qualifying month pushes that end date out. You must accept the Monetized Streamer Agreement before the months you want counted.

As arithmetic, Level 1 means roughly 100 recurring Tier 1 subs every month for three months running. For a part-time streamer that is a real bar.

How do Twitch payouts work?

Twitch pays monthly on a Net-15 schedule, starting on the 15th of the month after you earn the money, once your balance reaches $50. Wire transfers need $100. Smaller balances roll over until they cross the threshold.

Affiliates pay those fees, and Twitch covers them for Partners. Creators who convert their payout from USD to a local currency pay a conversion fee of up to 2.5%, which streamers in eligible eurozone countries avoid by taking EUR through SEPA. Payout method changes made after the 8th of a month miss that month’s payout.

How do you make money on Twitch?

Any streamer can now switch on subs and Bits, but only Affiliates and Partners can withdraw the money. Twitch opened subs, Bits, emotes, badges and Channel Points to all streamers in the US in 2025 and worldwide from May 13, 2026. Before Affiliate, earnings sit in a Spendable Balance that can only buy gift subs, Bits and similar items on Twitch.

Twitch Affiliate requirements

Twitch invites you to the Affiliate Program once you hit all four of these within the same 30 days:

• 25 followers
• 4 hours of streaming
• streams on 4 different days
• an average of 3 concurrent viewers on 4 different days

You also need two-factor authentication. Streamers aged 13 to 17 can join with a parent’s or guardian’s consent. Twitch lowered these from 50 followers, 8 hours and 7 days in early June 2025, and invites usually arrive 24 to 48 hours after you qualify.

Twitch Partner requirements

Twitch Partner is an application, not an automatic upgrade. You complete the Path to Partner achievement, and for the two months before you apply you need at least 6 streams averaging 75 viewers in each 30-day period. Twitch says it may accept channels outside those numbers, such as creators with an established audience elsewhere. Partners get priority support, 60 days of VOD storage, custom Cheermotes and free payouts.

Bits, ads and sponsorships

Bits are Twitch’s tipping currency, and Twitch’s Partner program page puts the streamer’s share at 1 cent per Bit. Ads pay 55% of net ad revenue to Affiliates and Partners who set Ads Manager to at least 3 ad minutes per hour. Twitch folded the old Ads Incentive Program into Ads Manager, so there is nothing separate to join, and 3 minutes an hour also switches off pre-roll ads for incoming viewers.

Since August 20, 2026, Affiliates can take brand sponsorships through Twitch’s Sponsorship Portal after completing the Creator Sponsorship Certification course. Partners already had access. Twitch has not published what share, if any, it keeps from those deals.

Who is Twitch best for?

Twitch suits streamers whose audience already watches live there and who use sub emotes, badges, Bits and raids as community tools. The June 2025 requirements fit inside one 30-day window, so Affiliate is within reach for a new streamer with a handful of regular viewers.

Skip Twitch as your main income source if the cut matters most. A $10 fan payment through Patreon or Ko-fi leaves far more with you than a Twitch sub at 50/50 after unpublished deductions. Plenty of streamers can run both, keeping Twitch subs for chat perks and a membership page for their biggest supporters.

Twitch also gives you no subscriber email list. If you leave Twitch, there is no contact list to take your paying audience with you.

Twitch alternatives

• Kick pays 95% of each $5 sub. Our Twitch vs Kick comparison weighs that split against the audience.
• YouTube runs live streams next to long-form video.
• Discord sells paid community channels to US creators.
• Our best platforms for streamers ranks the options side by side.