When it comes to live streaming the most popular platform out there is Twitch without question; however, many people are beginning to feel like Twitch is too crowded which makes it almost impossible to get noticed. If you feel this way, or are just curious about what other streaming platforms have to offer, then keep on reading.

Best Twitch Alternatives

Here is my list of the best Twitch alternatives:

1. Youtube Gaming
2. Facebook Gaming
3. DLive
4. Periscope
5. Picarto
6. Mirrativ
7. YouNow
8. LiveMe
9. Caffeine
10. GameSee

Now that you have the list, let’s go into detail about each of these live streaming platforms and what they have to offer.

Youtube Gaming

It should come as no surprise that Youtube Gaming is on this list. It is the second largest live streaming platform behind Twitch and has seen substantial growth over the past few years.

Some of this growth has to do with large streamers such as Dr. Disrespect, Valkyrae and Courage JD moving from Twitch over Youtube and taking some of their fan bases with them over to Youtube Gaming. 

Another reason is that Youtube has done a good job at merging their on-demand videos section (which is obviously what Youtube is known for) with their live streaming section.

They used to be on two separate platforms making it more difficult for users to watch videos and live streams on the same platform. 

Lastly, many streamers are finding it increasingly difficult to grow on Twitch. As you may know, Twitch does not do a great job at promoting new streamers.

So if you are new to Twitch you might find yourself getting swallowed up by these huge streamers with thousands of viewers. 

On Youtube however if you make great videos that people like then Youtube will push that content out to people more. This could then lead to an easy transition from your Youtube videos to your live streaming Youtube Gaming channel.

Similar to other live streaming platforms, there is a subscription and donation feature which will allow your viewers to support you through subs and donos.

The price and payout is similar to Twitch and those who sub get things like badges and emotes just like Twitch. 

If you want a complete comparison between Youtube Gaming and Twitch then check out this article I wrote comparing the two by clicking here.

Youtube Gaming does not have as many users on their live streaming platform when compared to Twitch; however, it could be that sweet spot between just enough viewers, and not enough competition for you to get your name out there.

And there is no doubt that over the past few years live streaming on Youtube is trending upwards.  

If you are already on another platform, but would like to try out Youtube Gaming, consider multi-streaming so you can stream to both platforms at once.

I use Streamlabs Prime when I multi-stream and it works great for me. I recommend it, and again, if you use my code here you get a discount.

Facebook Gaming

Facebook Gaming is the third largest live streaming platform out there behind Twitch and Youtube. It has only been about three years since Facebook has dove heavily into the live streaming niche so their rapid growth has been quite impressive.

Similar to Youtube Gaming, Facebook Gaming has been able to lure major streamers away from Twitch such as Disguised Toast. Moves like this have helped the platform to grow and to gain recognition in the streaming community. 

Facebook Gaming is great for mobile gamers. With just a few clicks you could be streaming straight from your phone. So Farmsville (stop sending me invites to play that game please), Word With Friends or some kind of mobile shooter, it can all be done from your phone.

It is also designed to combine social media with live streaming. So you can be a part of several groups relating to a certain game or a certain streamer and more easily swap memes, tips and tricks with others in your community. But let’s be honest, mostly memes. 

Similar to other platforms there is also a subscription and donation feature there for streamers to use. The payouts and breakdowns are similar to those of other platforms. So people who like your content can easily support your channel if they choose to do so. 

As I mentioned, of the top three streaming platforms, Facebook Gaming is the fastest growing; however, they are so new to live streaming it is tough to say if that trend will continue or if they are just seeing rapid growth because they are so new.

If you want a live streaming platform where you can upload cool memes, and pown some noobs all on the same platform, then Facebook Gaming could be worth a shot. And given the rapid growth of the platform maybe you can catch a wave and see some growth yourself.

DLive

Besides Youtube Gaming and Facebook Gaming, DLive is probably the next most recognizable platform on this list. The reason it became so popular is because this is the platform that PewDiePie used to stream on before he signed an exclusive deal with Youtube. 

DLive is unique in that it is built on blockchain meaning it is a decentralized live streaming community. So if you want to donate, subscribe, etc. you will have to buy their cryptocurrency known as Lino Points and use that to support your favorite content creators.

The cool part about this is that a little over 90% of the money gifted through subs and donations goes to the streamers and the other roughly 10% is placed in a community pot that rewards contributors to the platform on a daily basis. 

This is cool because some platforms have been known to take 50% or more of subs and donations that are contributed to the streamer. DLive believes this money belongs to the content creators which is awesome!

There are no exact numbers, but DLive is rumored to have about 3 million active users each month with around 35,000 people streaming on the platform each month. That’s a lot less competition when compared to other live streaming platforms.

Another thing I like about DLive is that people can upvote your content to help promote your stream. So if you produce quality content, people can come through and give you an upvote to help your stream get promoted on the platform.

Kinda cool and seems like a fair way for them to promote quality content. 

One last note on DLive, in the little bit that I have watched of it, it seems like it is more popular for IRL streamers than it is for video game streamers. I did see many gaming channels don’t get me wrong, but it felt like a majority of the streamers on the site are IRL streamers.

However, DLive has been around for almost 4 years now so it is definitely getting more and more popular. If you are looking for a Twitch alternative, DLive could be a good way for you to go. 

Periscope

Note: This live streaming service is scheduled to shutdown in March of 2021.

Periscope is owned by Twitter and is another cool live streaming platform. It has been around for close to 7 years now and is available on desktop and mobile.

Periscope is meant to give a live, inside look at certain events such as a sporting event or a political demonstration that may be occuring. There are a few video game streamers on the platform, but the majority of streamers on this platform are IRL (In Real Life) streamers. 

However, major events are not all that is on the platform. There are several channels that feature people cooking, dancing, making music, etc. Video games however were not one of the common things that people were doing. 

Similar to other platforms, your supporters can donate to you on this platform as well using hearts. The bigger the heart the bigger the donation. Content creators get 70% of the donations and the platform takes the other 30%. That’s not horrible, but it’s not great either. 

However, broadcasters will have to apply for the “Super Broadcaster” program in order to begin earning money through hearts on the platform.

One super cool thing about Periscope is that they have a map feature that allows you to view other live streams taking place in that area at the same time.

So let’s say you are watching a live stream of a concert in New York, you can pull up a map and it will show you other Periscope live streams taking place in that same area that you can view.

I think that is super cool.  

If you want to live stream breaking events, Periscope would be a good platform for you to checkout. 

Picarto

If you are an artist, this is the platform for you. I discovered Picarto when I was doing research for this article and it is awesome! It is a live streaming platform for artists. 

If you go to the website you will see a ton of people making cool art through photoshop, video editing, music or just ol’ fashioned pen and paper type of stuff. The focus of the platform is literally art. There is a video game section, but that is really not the focus of the platform and so that content definitely does not get pushed as hard as the art stuff.

Similar to other platforms, there is a subscription feature. People can subscribe to your channel for as little as $5 a month, 50% of that subscription goes to the content creator and the other 50% goes to Picarto.

Those who are “premium members” receive 75% of that subscription money and only 25% will go to Picarto, but that may take some time to work up to.  

Picarto is available on both desktop and mobile and so it is easily accessible regardless of where you are at.

Also, Picarto is compatible with Streamlabs OBS and so if you are already using SLOBS to stream on another platform it would be a smooth transition for you. You could even choose to upgrade to Streamlabs Prime and do a multi-stream between Twitch and Picarto.

Now that would be cool! (p.s. If you are interested in Streamlabs Prime use my code here and you get a small discount off the price).

If you are an artist of any kind, it might be worth it to check out Picarto and see what it has to offer. Again, if you aren’t ready to switch platforms just yet, you could always do a multi-stream and check multiple platforms out at once before you decide on the one for you. 

Mirrativ

Mirror + Narrative = Mirrativ. I didn’t make that up. I am not the best at math. I got that from their website. 

This streaming platform is meant for smart phones and it is meant to mirror what goes on in your daily life with you as the narrator. So you can let people see you texting, browsing online and playing mobile games all while you narrate. 

This platform is pretty new and it does not appear as though there is a subscription feature as of yet. 

One thing that is really cool about this feature is that you don’t need a streaming like SLOBS to broadcast your stream. You can adjust your camera, and position it where you want it to go all on the app. 

So this means you can stream your favorite mobile game and have a facecam all on the same app. I think that is pretty cool if you ask me. 

Mirrativ is pretty new and so for now there is not a ton going on with the platform. But if you are on your phone a lot, and are cool with other people being a part of what you do on your phone, then go ahead and narrate that mirror…see what I did there? Ok anyways next one. 

YouNow

YouNow is different from any other platform in that it’s all about, well, YOU. YouNow (my puns are getting bad). 

YouNow is full of people live chatting with viewers, singing, playing music, etc. There is no gaming, it’s just all streamers and live chatters. You can even watch, or stream yourself sleeping on YouNow if you want. 

There are around 150,000 users a day on the website, but over the past couple of years YouNow has decreased in popularity and has lost users to platforms like Twitch.

However, they have made some major changes to the platform in the last couple of years in an effort to draw some of those who have left back to the platform.  

If you want to support your favorite streamers you can use Gold Bars which are basically the in app currency of the platform.The Bars allow you to buy gifts which you can then give to your streamer. The higher tier gifted, the more bars it will cost the user. 

Unfortunately for viewers, you have to sign up to view any of the channels being broadcasted. I mean it’s not the worst thing in the world, but it’s just kind of lame if you just wanted to scroll through and check out a few channels. 

One thing that is cool about YouNow is that there is a lot of recognition both for streamers and for their supporters.

There are leaderboards that display the top broadcasters on the platform as well as the top contributors to these different channels. It’s kind of cool to have your name out there like that I think. 

In the end, if all you want to do is chat with your viewers then YouNow could be a great platform for you to explore since that is what this platform is geared towards. 

LiveMe

LiveMe is super similar to YouNow in that it is basically a bunch of chat rooms with live streamers in them. However one big difference is that on LiveMe there IS a gaming section where you can chat with people while they are gaming, but this is definitely not the main focus of the platform. 

One thing I will say though is that it does appear like LiveMe is for an older crowd, 18+ so if you are a young person trying to get through on the platform you definitely have the deck stacked against you.

LiveMe also allows for viewers to support their favorite content creators by giving them diamonds which the broadcaster can then cash out for real money. 

There is also a lot of recognition on this platform for top donors and broadcasters so if you like being recognized for your contributions to a streamer or to a channel then this is a good place to donate. 

I recommend this platform if all you want to do is chat with your viewers. It is a growing platform and so your can grow with it if you are good at chatting and hanging with viewers. 

Caffeine

Caffeine TV is kind of interesting. It is ran like a TV station. Yeah no joke. Each streamer has a “show” and people tune in at certain times to watch them. Crazy concept right? It has also attracted some celebrities to the platform. 

Caffeine is only a few years old, but has already landed some big contracts and attracted a few wealthy investors. However, as we have seen with other platforms, money doesn’t always translate to success. 

One thing that distinguishes Caffeine from other platforms is that there are no ads or subs. Streamers make money when people buy digital items on their channel. I thought this was unique. 

Caffeine also seems to vet their broadcasters. It looks like you have to apply more or less to be a broadcaster on this platform, and if you don’t meet certain requirements then you have to re-apply to stream on the platform.

That seems like a good and a bad thing to me. On one hand, that significantly reduces your competition; however, on the other hand, if you just like to casually stream like I do then it would be way unfortunate to have your channel suspended simply for not hitting certain requirements. 

Overall I think that Caffeine is very different from other platforms, but it is similar to platforms like Twitch in the sense that there seemed to be a healthy mix of gaming and IRL streaming occurring on the platform. 

I think regardless of what kind of streaming you are interested in doing, Caffeine is worth a look if you are looking for Twitch alternatives. 

GameSee.TV

GameSee is a one of its kind game streaming platform which enables users to stream their favorite games. It is a global platform for all the professional and emerging players, designed in such a way that it encourages all users with different levels of skill sets to stream and play. The interactive features validate its tagline “Play Stream Repeat”.

Unlike other platforms, GameSee provides equal opportunities for streamers as well as viewers. The coin system is one thing that makes GameSee different from other streaming platforms.

The coin system provides a chance for users to earn coins through activities such as watching live streams, live streaming on the platform and more.

GameSee another unique feature called “Games Shots”. Game Shots allows users to create a short video clip from their live streams to save and showcase their extraordinary moments on stream similar to Twitch clips or highlights.

GameSee also allows the donation of coins to streamers, interactive stickers for live chat and tournaments on the platform. Given its interactivity, GameSee is the perfect place to conduct tournaments, compete with professional gamers, host Esports events and more.

It doesn’t matter if you are a newbie or pro, GameSee will provide you a global stage to showcase and improve your gaming skills.

If you want a new, up and coming live streaming platform then GameSee might be a platform that you should consider.

As always, if you have any questions or just want to hang with me, stop by my Twitch channel here and say what’s up!

If you are starting to feel like Twitch might not be your thing, or if you are just curious what else is out there then try out some of the other platforms I mentioned above. It’s important to find a platform you like and that you feel like you can grow on. 

Whichever platform you choose, I wish you nothing but the best my friend!