Twitch may not be a household name yet in the US, but it has certainly grown in popularity. And now that more and more people want to be a part of the community, they all want to know if it’s free for the users to stream. Here’s the answer:
For viewers, Twitch is completely free. People can also view content on Twitch even if they are not signed in. There are certain features that streamers can’t access for free like commenting in a chat and subscribing to a channel. Other than that, Twitch is accessible to everyone.
There’s more to Twitch than just free accessibility.
It is common to have questions in mind regarding free access to Twitch. I will help answer most of the questions that have been asked repeatedly by the general audience.
Read on to know about some free and paid benefits of using Twitch and much more.
Can You Watch Twitch Without An Account?
You can access Twitch without having an account or without signing in to the platform. You can view all types of streamers that you like on Twitch. However, for more features, you should be signed in to Twitch.
When I was new to this platform, I did not sign in or make an account. I was just curious about the life of Twitch, so I streamed on without paying or signing up on the platform.
That is how I figured out that one does not necessarily have to log in or subscribe to a channel in order to stream content.
Streamers without an account or those accessing without signing in are counted as regular viewers, and once they go offline, they are excluded from the viewer count.
Twitch Free Access Include:
There are many benefits that viewers can access for free on Twitch and here are some of those:
- Watch streamers’ content for free, see them perform music live, make art or live stream video games.
- Pay no money for viewing your favorite streamers’ content.
- Track record of the content that you’re really interested in. Get notified whenever they go live.
How Much Does it Cost to Use Twitch?
While you can sign up on Twitch for free, a tier 1 subscription costs $4.99/month for one channel. The higher tiers’ (tier 2 and 3) single subscriptions cost $9.99/month and $24.99/month.
If you choose to subscribe to two channels at tier 1, you will have to pay at least $9.98/month. The features that these subscriptions entail vary from channel to channel.
Once a viewer subscribes to a channel, a percentage of it goes to the content creator and the remaining amount goes to Twitch.
You can also gift subs to your favorite streamers. Here’s a complete guide on Twitch Gifted Subs.
What Are the Perks of Subscribing on Twitch?
Here are the many benefits of subscribing to channels on Twitch:
- You get access to custom emotes (also known as emojis).
- You get to chat with your favorite streamers.
- Ask for shoutouts from streamers.
- Access to subscribers-only chat rooms.
If you are really a big fan of a streamer you can pay for a higher tier subscription and avail more benefits. Once you pay for the higher tier subscription, you will be able to get more custom emotes and other perks that are not available for the lower tier subs.
If you want to show your true commitment to a streamer, tier 2 and tier 3 are great ways to do so.
Another way to show your commitment and loyalty to your streamer is by subscribing through Twitch Prime.
Following are the detailed benefits of subscribing on Twitch:
Emotes
They are designed emojis and every channel has unique emojis. These are only available to the subscribers of channels. And you can use these emotes in the chat room of any channel.
Badges
These badges are the special icons that are displayed alongside the subscriber’s name in the chat room.
It’s usually a star but if you are a subscriber you can customize your badge depending on the tier of your subscription. This badge represents loyalty toward a streamer.
Exclusive Chat Rooms
Subscribers have the facility to create subs-only chat rooms with streamers. These chatrooms are only accessed by high-tier subscribers.
Exclusive chat rooms are mainly used by channels that have thousands of followers.
Ad-free viewing
Many streamers reward their subscribers with ad-free views. This means viewers can stream content without having to watch the ads.
How Does Subscription Help Streamers?
Subs are a great way of appreciating your favorite streamers. Once you subscribe to a streamer’s channel, 50% of the paid amount goes to the streamer, while Twitch gets to have the rest of it.
In this way, most of the affiliates or partner streamers get to make revenue on the streaming platform through subscription money.
Subscription is also a way of community building, where streamers are appreciated for their work. As a result, they are motivated to make better content. Moreover, many of the streamers also organize giveaways or hold competitions to give merchandize prizes to reward the community.
Can I Stream on Twitch Without Subscribing?
It is fairly simple to stream on Twitch for free (without subscribing). All you have to do is access Twitch on your browser and watch all the content there is for free.
However, if you log in, you can add your favorite channels/streamers to a list and even participate in unique chat rooms.
You can even see the number of viewers on a particular channel, the comments flowing in, and watch the streamers do their thing, live.
Moreover, you won’t get to have a personalized playlist if you continue streaming without making an account on Twitch. Once you log in, you can always go back to your previous streams and watch your favorite streamers perform.
Making an account on Twitch is very easy, so I’d recommend you to sign up and stream for free while also getting personalized suggestions based on your view history.
What Is Twitch Prime?
Twitch Prime is an exclusive gaming subscription offer for people with Amazon Prime accounts. It gives access to premium content that even most paid users don’t have.
In 2016, Amazon Prime existed on its own offering various streaming services, but after that Amazon started expanding its services and extended to Twitch. When the merger was finalized, Twitch users could avail of exclusive premium membership offers on the platform.
If you’re a big fan of Twitch and have access to Amazon Prime, you should definitely consider linking your account to Twitch Prime.
Once you link your Twitch and Amazon Prime accounts, you get to save $5 by getting one free subscription for a month. You even get to expand your storage to 60 days instead of 14.
How to Link Amazon Prime to Twitch?
Here’s what you need to do link your Amazon Prime account to Twitch:
- Go to gaming.amazon.com.
- If you already have an Amazon Prime subscription, press Connect to your Twitch account.
- Now Sign in to your Amazon Prime account.
- Last, connect to your Twitch account and press Confirm.
If you’re not on Amazon Prime, here’s what you do:
- Sign up on Amazon Prime and start your 30-day free trial.
- Sign in to your Amazon Prime account.
- Then sign in to your Twitch account and select Confirm.
- Review the information and press Start your 30-day free trial.
Is Twitch Prime Free?
Well, Twitch Prime is free but to access its monthly subscription features, you need to have an Amazon Prime account, which costs $12.99/month.
You can even access Twitch Prime with Prime video. It costs $8.99/month.
What Are the Added Benefits of Using Twitch Prime?
Using Twitch Prime has many benefits, here are some of those:
- Subscribe to one streamer for free for a month.
- You get an exclusive chat badge which shows you’re a member of Twitch Prime.
- Choose free games every month to stream for free for forever.
- Access to exclusive emotes (famously known as emojis).
Does Twitch Offer Free Prime Access?
Generally, Twitch Prime is not free if you don’t have Amazon Prime. For Amazon Prime, you need to pay $12.99/month. If you don’t have Twitch Prime, you can get Twitch Turbo which will cost you approx $8.99 per month.
In case you have an Amazon prime account, you can get to enjoy one free subscription every month. That means you can subscribe to any one channel of your liking per month.
Having a Prime account on Amazon can get you a free Twitch sub each month. So you can use it on a streamer of your liking. You can say that your Twitch premium account is free but you have to eventually pay for Amazon Prime depending on the package which is more suitable for you.
If you already have an Amazon prime account then you can also avail yourself of Twitch prime benefits without any hurdles.
You can decide which streamer you want to sub. One month you can sub to Ninja, next month you can sub to some cooking streamers. The choice is totally yours.
Twitch prime comes with another small perk called Twitch Turbo.
Twitch Turbo gives you the ability to decide the color of your name within the chat. You can choose any color of your liking.
When I was reading about Amazon Prime’s perks and benefits, I realized that if you have access to Amazon prime, you can easily avail free sub opportunities without directly having to access Twitch prime.
Is Streaming Free on Twitch?
Streaming on Twitch is completely free. You don’t have to pay a single penny to stream content on Twitch; however, you have to pay for the software that you use while streaming.
So if you are really eager for streaming, you can start immediately on Twitch.
But if you are serious about streaming on twitch, you must know that it is a very slow process and takes a lot of time, effort, and energy.
The account-making process is free. It will cost you nothing if you ever want to give it a try.
How Much Does it Cost to Use Twitch?
It does not cost any money for watching and streaming on twitch. You can create your account and start streaming, it is totally free.
You have to pay only if you want to subscribe to someone’s channel or if you want to donate to it.
Do We Have to Pay for Twitch Extensions?
Twitch extensions are free to use. You can also download them for free. There are thousands of Twitch extensions to download from.
You can add any of your extensions that you find interesting. These extensions are very helpful for the streamers in guiding and making things easier for them.
Is Streaming Software On Twitch Free?
Some of the software is completely free to use but there is also other advanced software that you have to pay to get access to it.
There is some software that has trial versions that are completely free to use, but if you want to upgrade, you will have to pay for it.
Thankfully there is some streaming software that offers you free access and also has quality features.
I use both types of software, some of them are free and some of them are stream lab prime. If you want to start your channel and you are new at streaming then I will recommend that it’s best to use free stream software.
It is better to try and gain experience with free software rather than spending money on paid software.
Here is a summary of the items that Twitch offers you for free:
- View streamers’ content for free.
- You can sign up on Twitch completely free of cost.
- You can avail access to thousands of extensions for free.
- Free access to different ranges of software, all for free.
- You can have free access to Twitch Prime if you have an Amazon Prime account.
Conclusion
Twitch is absolutely free for viewers and they do not have to pay a single dime to make an account on it or stream content without signing in.
However, if they choose to subscribe or donate to their favorite streamers, then they have to pay an amount that is different for each sub.
