Skip to Content

Twitch Vs Podcasting (COMPLETE Comparison!)

Both Twitch and podcasting are great ways to engage with your audience. But how do they compare and which is better? Keep reading to find out.

Which Is Better: Twitch Or Podcasting?

Twitch is better for those interested in streaming video games or other kinds of live content. Podcasts are better for those who want to deep-dive into certain subjects, without necessarily worrying about pacing or energy level.

You could say the real answer is “it depends”. But if you are are debating between the two, keep reading as I go over the pros and cons of each, as well as how they compare in terms of discoverability, monetization, and growth potential.

Twitch Pros & Cons

Twitch ProsTwitch Cons
Easy monetization routeBad discoverability
Easy audience engagementTime commitment
More opportunities to be creativeTechnical challenges
Easy collaborationsTrolls / harassment

When it comes to engaging with your community, it’s hard to beat Twitch. Twitch is built upon fun, tight-knit communities that just love to hang out together. This is something you won’t get on a podcast since you won’t be interacting much with your viewers.

However, although the communities are close, it’s hard to grow a community exclusively on Twitch. Their discoverability is bad and you will have to find new viewers through other platforms.

Trolls, technical challenges with being live, and a large time commitment are also things you will have to deal with on Twitch that you don’t have to deal with on a podcast.

Podcast Pros & Cons

Podcast ProsPodcast Cons
Don’t have to worry about pacing as muchBad discoverability
Don’t have to be on cameraCan be difficult to monetize
Can cover a wide range of topicsLimited interaction with audience
Low-cost production
Less competition

Discoverability is also poor on podcasts, and you likely have to grow your podcasts on others platforms just like you would with Twitch. However, there is less competition for podcasts compared to other forms of content creation like Youtube, making it easier for your podcast to stand out.

Podcasts are also easier to create since you don’t have to worry about things like video editing, pacing, or fancy equipment. It’s really easy to sit and record a topic on your mind.

Let’s dive deeper into some of the key comparisons between Twitch and podcasting below.

Discoverability

Neither Twitch nor podcasting have great discoverability. Regardless of if you choose to stream on Twitch, or start a podcast, you will most likely have to promote your content on other platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, etc.

It’s common to see both streamers and podcasters upload clips of their content to Youtube or TikTok which do a better job of putting it in front of other potential viewers / listeners.

When it comes to discoverability, I think it is a tie. They are both bad and if you plan to grow with either, you should also plan on growing other platforms as well.

Monetization

When it comes to monetization, Twitch has an edge over podcasting. Although the payouts and splits are not great on Twitch, they still have a clear path to monetization as opposed to podcasting.

With Twitch, streamers can begin earning money once they become a Twitch Affiliate. To become a Twitch Affiliate, all streamers need is:

  • 50 Followers
  • Average 3 concurrent viewers or more over the last 30 days
  • 7 unique broadcast days in the last 30 days
  • 500 total minutes broadcast in the last 30 days
Twitch Affiliate Status

Once a streamer becomes a Twitch affiliate, they can start earning money from viewers subscribing to their channel and from viewers watching the ads that Twitch runs on their channel.

Like I mentioned, the splits aren’t great as streamers earn 50% from every sub and 45% from earned ad revenue; however, the path is clear and you don’t have to search for these opportunities yourself.

With podcasting, there is no clear path to monetization. You will have to seek out ways to monetize your podcast all on your own. The most common ways that people monetize their podcasts are through:

  • Sponsorships
  • Ad reads
  • Donations (Patreaon, Ko-fi, etc.)
  • Affiliate marketing
  • Paid subscriptions
  • Selling products

As you can see, these are all things you will have to seek out yourself, or someone else will have to seek you out. Your podcasting platform itself is unlikely to pay you, unless you have an exclusive contract.

Furthermore, all the moneymaking methods I listed for a podcast, can also be done with a Twitch stream. Sponsors, affiliate marketing, donations, all these can be done on Twitch.

So given that Twitch has a clear path for monetization, and has more money making opportunities than a podcast does, I have to choose Twitch as the winner when it comes to monetization.

Growth Potential

Currently, podcasting has better growth potential than streaming on Twitch. Over the last 3 years, the number of people listening to podcasts has grown by roughly 30%. On the other hand, the number of people watching Twitch streams has decreased by 10% over the past year.

To be fair, Twitch viewership numbers may have been slightly inflated due to the pandemic and people staying inside more, but a 10% decrease in viewership is still never a good sign.

Over the last few years Twitch has seen an increase in competitors, an increase in controversy, and an increase in the number of major streamers leaving the platform to stream elsewhere.

Twitch is still at the top in regards to video game live streaming, but many people have seriously begun to question how long they will remain there given all their current issues.

Podcasting though is getting more and more popular as the years go on. Close to 40% of Americans have listened to a podcast in the past month, and this number continues to rise.

I also like that podcasting is not beholden to one platform. How it usually works is you upload your podcast to a podcast host like Buzzsprout, and then they distribute it to other platforms.

Having your content across multiple platforms mitigates your risk of losing your audience if the platform you are on loses popularity or shuts down.

When it comes to growth potential, podcasting currently has an advantage over Twitch. It is currently growing faster than Twitch and is in a better position overall right now.

Can You Podcast On Twitch?

You can podcast on Twitch. If you are interested in both podcasting and streaming on Twitch then you can live stream your podcasts on Twitch, save the live stream, and then upload your saved content to your podcasting host.

This is the best option if you are unsure where you want to create your content, or if you want to spread your podcast to as many platforms as possible.

There are many streamers today who podcast on Twitch and then upload their entire podcast, or clips of their podcast, to other platforms.

I personally think this is the way to go because you are able to extend your reach even further by creating content on multiple platforms.

In the end, whether you create a podcast or stream on Twitch will be largely dependent on the type of content that you want to create. You can also succeed at both! Best of luck to you!

Related Articles:



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.

Sources:

👋 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.