Rising Creators Forum

i'm trying to decide whether to focus on twitch or youtube for live streaming. i've done a few test streams on both and honestly can't decide

from what i can tell:
- twitch has better community features and chat culture
- youtube has better discoverability and you can monetize faster
- twitch affiliate is easier to get than youtube partner program
- youtube lets you keep vods as regular videos

which platform did you choose and why? or should i try to stream on both at the same time?

I'm gonna disagree and say youtube is better for most creators in 2025

here's why i chose youtube:
- streams automatically become vods that can get views for months/years
- better monetization (i'm making more from super chats and memberships than i ever made on twitch)
- my stream clips can go viral as shorts and bring new viewers to my live streams
- youtube's algorithm actually promotes live streams to subscribers

twitch is great if you want to be a full time streamer, but most of us have day jobs and can't stream 40 hours a week. on youtube you can stream 2-3 times per week and still grow because your content has longevity

also youtube's discoverability is way better. on twitch you're invisible unless you're in the top rows. on youtube your stream can get recommended to people who watch similar content

The only downside is youtube live chat is not as good as twitch chat. but the tradeoff is worth it for the better growth potential

if you're building a content creation business and not just streaming as a hobby, youtube is the smarter choice

Twitch is the better platform for streaming and it's not even close imo

the community on twitch is built for live streaming. people go to twitch specifically to watch live content. on youtube people are there for videos and stumble onto streams randomly

twitch features that youtube doesn't have:
- better emotes and channel points system
- raids (huge for networking with other streamers)
- better chat moderation tools
- hype trains and predictions for engagement
- the culture just understands streaming better

youtube is only better if you're already a big youtuber with an existing audience. if you're starting from zero, twitch is way easier to build a community

don't multistream to both platforms at once. it splits your audience and both platforms' algorithms will punish you for it. pick one and commit

i chose twitch and have zero regrets. 1,800 followers in 8 months and a really engaged community