Everything you need to know about Twitch subscriptions

Olivia Richman Published 21/12/2021

When it comes to Twitch, one of the most important aspects of the platform is its subscriptions. The vast majority of professional and semi-professional streamers make most of their money off of subscriptions and ad revenue. Viewers who want to support their favorite streamers can subscribe in order to do so. Looking to support one of your favorite content creators? Here’s how.

What is a Twitch subscription?

A subscription can be for one month or recurring, with viewers paying a certain amount of money to a streamer during each month of the active subscription to get access to emotes and other special benefits.

How much is a Twitch subscription?

There are three subscription tiers on Twitch. They cost progressively more, and provide more money to the streamer as they scale upwards.

Tier 1: $4.99
Tier 2: $9.99
Tier 3: $24.99

How much is 50 subs on Twitch?

If you have 50 subscribers, that means you have 50 people paying between $4.99 to $24.99 per month. The standard streaming contract on Twitch provides half of a subscription amount directly to the streamer, while Twitch itself collects the other half. This means that for the average streamer, the amount you make would depend on which tier the subscribers are. For example, if they are all Tier 1, you’d be making $249.50. 50 Tier 3 subscriptions would be $1,240.50 a month.

Bigger streamers are sometimes given more favorable deals. Top streamers can collect a higher percentage of their subscribers’ payments

What are gifted subscriptions?

This is a way for one of your viewers to gift a one-month subscription to a channel to another user. The gifted subscription works just the same as a regular subscription. The new viewer can choose to become a regular subscriber after the end of their gifted subscription month.

For streamers, the hope is that a user will like the benefits of being a subscriber enough to choose to subscribe again after their gifted month expires.

What is a Lifetime Subscriber?

A lifetime subscriber is a benefit unique to Twitch Partners. You are able to reward one of your viewers with a lifetime subscription to your channel, unlocking all of your emotes and other subscriber exclusives. You can choose the subscription level that the viewer is given from Tiers 1 through 3, which are normally worth $4.99, $9.99, and $24.99 per month, respectively.

One free lifetime subscriber is rewarded to a Twitch Partner when they reach a certain tier. There are three tiers:

50 subscribers
250 subscribers
500 subscribers

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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