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Twitch Vs Kick (Should YOU Switch?)

You have probably heard of the new, hot streaming platform called Kick. But how does it compare to Twitch and is it even sustainable?

Which Is Better For Streaming: Twitch Or Kick?

Although Kick offers less competition and more money to its streamers, they are less established than Twitch and so it is a riskier platform to stream on at this time. Twitch has improvements to make, but they are still the largest live streaming platform for gaming.

Keep reading to see the pros and cons of each platform so you can decide which one is right for you to stream on.

Twitch Pros & Cons

Twitch ProsTwitch Cons
Established brandPoor sub splits
Backed by AmazonOversaturated with streamers
Lots of streaming tools for streamers and viewersInconsistent moderation
Tons of ads

The main thing that Twitch has going for them is that they are well-established, having been around for over 10 years, and they are backed by one of the biggest companies in the world, Amazon.

They also offer the most comprehensive tools and engagement features for streamers and their viewers assuring the best live streaming experience.

Although Twitch is the most established live streaming platform, they are not without flaws. Their sub-splits are notoriously bad, 50% / 50%, especially when compared to others in the industry.

The platform has also become flooded with streamers in recent years making it very difficult for new content creators to break through and see any kind of success on the platform.

Additionally, their inconsistent moderation policies and excessive ads have chased away both streamers and viewers.

In my opinion, Twitch is currently the safest live streaming platform to be on, but this may change soon with other live streaming platforms becoming more popular. Let’s talk about Kick now.

Kick Pros & Cons

Kick ProsKick Cons
95% sub revenue to creatorsUncertain future
Less streamersLess content moderation
Owners are more involved
More transparent TOS
No ads

Kick was created as a streaming platform dedicated to providing the best experience for streamers. They offer a generous 95% / 5% sub-split, don’t run ads on your stream, and have owners that are extremely involved with streamers on the platform.

With no ads and less competition, many streamers have switched from Twitch to Kick and have seen great success. But this doesn’t mean that Kick is perfect.

Given that Kick is so new, it’s hard to know what the future holds for them. We have seen several live streaming platforms storm onto the streaming scene, only to close down shortly after (like Mixer).

With poor content moderation, no ads on the platform, and the fact that they are currently paying Amazon (Twitch’s owner) to use their streaming tech, many have wondered if the platform is even sustainable.

Kick is also owned by Stake, a gambling company, and this bothers some people who are vehemently opposed to gambling.

Although right now Kick seems like the clear winner, they may not even be around in a year or two which poses a risk for content creators. If you build an audience on a platform, and that platform shuts down, it could leave your scrambling trying to find your next move.

Now that you have an idea of what the pros and cons are for each platform, I wanted to dive deeper into some of the most important categories of a live streaming platform: discoverability, monetization, stream quality / UI, and growth.

Discoverability

Kick has a slight edge in terms of discoverability compared to Twitch. Although neither platform does much to promote your stream, Kick has less competition at the moment making it easier for people to find your stream.

Twitch has millions of streamers on the platform, and some categories like League Of Legends, have thousands of people streaming in them.

Streamers On Twitch

It’s highly unlikely your stream will get discovered with so many streamers in one category. This is why streamers who want to get discovered on Twitch must create content on other platforms like Youtube or TikTok.

Because Kick is still small, this is not an issue yet, but it will be if they continue to grow. Now they have talked about creating a system similar to TikTok where users can swipe through videos, but until that happens, their discoverability is not much better than Twitch.

Monetization

Kick has much better monetization than Twitch. Their sub-splits are almost double that of Twitch and they don’t take anything from Kicks (their version of Twitch Bits). They also allow viewers to gift subs, just like Twitch.

Twitch streamers can earn money from ads on Twitch which they can’t on Kick, but the payouts on these ads are so small, and actually deters viewers. For this reason, so many small streamers choose to disable or reduce ads shown on their streams.

As a small streamer, most of your revenue will come from gifted subs and tipping, both of which Kick offers (and at a better split). Kick is much better for earning money than Twitch and it’s not even close.

Stream Quality / UI

The stream quality of Twitch and Kick is the same, 1080p, and their UI is a tie as well. This is because Kick basically just copied Twitch’s UI when they built their website. Check out the images below to see what I mean.

Twitch Stream
Kick Stream
Twitch UI
Kick UI

They are literally almost identical in regards to layout, wording, functions, etc. This is nice because it makes switching between the two platforms super easy.

However, I wonder if Twitch could potentially sue Kick in the future for blatantly copying their design. If this happens, Kick would be forced to alter the design of their website which would impact the UI.

But until then, these two platforms are tied when it comes to stream quality and UI given the fact that Kick is just a copy of Twitch.

Growth

Twitch and Kick are tied when it comes to growth on the platform. In my opinion, both have major questions surrounding their future and their sustainability.

With Twitch, the company remains unprofitable after many years of being active. The CEO recently stepped down and there are real questions regarding the direction and future of Twitch.

Couple that with Twitch’s decision to reduce sub-splits for certain high-level streamers and there is growing concern that Twitch is beginning to falter in a major way. It’s still the largest live streaming platform for gaming, but for how much longer?

Kick on the other hand is so new that it’s hard to predict what will happen with them in the future. Will they continue to grow? Will they be sued for DMCA? Will they be unable to sustain themselves?

And if you build a community on Kick, and Kick goes away, what do you do now? At least Twitch has been around for a while and is backed by a major company.

Kick right now is a risk, but it could be a risk that pays off in the future. It’s just hard to say right now where the platform will be 2+ years from now.

I think that Twitch is less risky, but has less of an upside. Kick is more risky, but has much more of an upside. And where you decide to build your community is up to you since both have big questions about their future.

Will Kick Last And Replace Twitch?

It’s too early to decide if Kick will last and replace Twitch, but Twitch does has several problems facing them which has allowed for competitors such as Kick to enter the live streaming space and have success. However, Twitch is still the top live streaming platform and has millions of monthly users.

I think that Twitch will be hard to replace given its size, but I do think that Kick can cut into Twitch’s hold on the live streaming space.

Many streamers who were banned on Twitch have moved over to Kick causing their audience to follow them over. Kick’s owners also seem to care more about seeing the platform grow than Twitch’s owners do.

If any platform were to “replace” Twitch I think it would be Youtube because they have more money, an established platform, and tons of tools for creators.

Kick is a fun trendy platform at the moment, but only time will tell if it is a lasting trend, or just a fun new platform that is just being hyped right now.

Can You Stream To Both Twitch And Kick?

You can stream to both Twitch and Kick; however, if you are a Twitch Affiliate or a Twitch Partner, you can’t stream to the two platforms simultaneously. Your Twitch streams and your Kick streams will have to be separate.

And having two different streams, or multi-streaming, might be the safest play. This way if Kick does continue to grow, you already have an audience there.

Likewise, if Twitch declines, you will have an audience on Kick that you can turn to and won’t be starting from scratch. Streaming on both platforms is what many streamers are doing and it seems to be working.

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For even more streaming tips and how-to content check out my Youtube channel here. And if you want to check out my streams then stop by my Twitch channel here.

👋 Hey There, I'm Eric!

Since 2018, I've been making streams come true.

I like gaming, streaming and watching other people stream. I created this website to help streamers, viewers, and gamers answer questions they have regarding live streaming, gaming, and PCs. I am a Twitch affiliate and currently stream on Twitch 3 days a week. I also have a Youtube channel where I make videos about streaming. I hope you find my content helpful. Feel free to stop by one of my streams to say hi.