Twitch Affiliate vs Twitch Partner. What’s the Difference and How Do You Get There?

As a regular user of Twitch, chances are you have come across both terms used all the time. “Twitch Affiliate” and “Twitch Partner.” People use the two interchangeably, even though that couldn’t be further from the truth. Each program requires a lot more from you and offers completely different rewards.

Knowing the difference between the two can help you immensely regardless of whether you are just getting started in streaming, or you are already at Affiliate level working towards becoming a Partner.

In this guide, you will find everything you need to know about both programs and how you can progress to one much faster than the other.

🎥 What Is Twitch Affiliate?

This is the first tier in the monetization process, and it basically means that Twitch recognizes your channel has gained enough momentum to start making money for itself. And once you become an affiliate, you’ll get some tools that non-affiliates just don’t have.

Getting into the Twitch Affiliate Program requires nothing more than hitting the necessary criteria for membership. If you hit all of those, Twitch will contact you to let you know you’ve been invited.

Twitch Affiliate Requirements

You need to achieve all of the following within a 30-day window:

• 50 followers
• 500 total minutes broadcast
• 7 unique streaming days
• Average of 3 concurrent viewers

These are realistic goals for any streamer with regularity. The majority of serious streamers should be able to reach Affiliate level in their first few months, sometimes even weeks. The most difficult goal to achieve will be the average number of concurrent viewers, as streaming into an empty room every day practically guarantees this will not change. This is precisely why a service such as buying Twitch viewers becomes helpful, providing your stream with the minimum amount of viewers necessary to achieve and sustain this average.

👀 What You Get as a Twitch Affiliate

As an Affiliate, the following features are unlocked on your channel:

Subscriptions – viewers can subscribe to your channel in three different tiers, including a monthly cost of $4.99, $9.99, and $24.99. The Affiliate earns 50% of each subscription, meaning you earn $2.50 from each Tier 1 subscriber.

Bits – viewers can use Bits while cheering in your chat, and you will get paid $0.01 for each bit. This is how twitch bits work.

Revenue from ads – as an Affiliate, you can have advertisements on your stream and you can make a percentage of the revenue from the ads shown during your streams.

Custom emotes – you can get up to five different custom emotes starting as an Affiliate.

Channel points – viewers can earn points while watching, and these points are used to get perks that you offer.

Commission on game purchases – when a viewer buys any game through your stream, you get a percentage of the sale made.

VOD Storage – as an Affiliate, your streams are automatically saved for 14 days before getting deleted.

Affiliate only streams – you can conduct streams which are meant for only your paying subscribers.

📅 What Is Twitch Partner?

Being in the Twitch Partner tier is the pinnacle of any Twitch creator’s success journey. This tier only goes to those creators who have established a true following and shown that they always create good content. It has many benefits, including higher income splits, more resources, and the official Twitch Partner badge, which you get along with your channel.

Unlike the Affiliate tier, becoming a Partner does not happen automatically once you meet the criteria. It requires applying via Twitch’s Path to Partner program, after which Twitch evaluates all applications. While meeting the metrics will be helpful, it won’t be enough, as Twitch also looks at the quality and consistency of the content you produce.

Twitch Partner Requirements

In order to apply for the Partner tier, you have to achieve the following numbers in a span of 30 days:

25 hours of streaming
12 unique streaming days
75 average concurrent viewers

The 75 average concurrent viewers number marks the point that most streamers have difficulty achieving. It is a considerable increase from the 3 average concurrent viewers of the Affiliate tier, and it takes a real fanbase to consistently achieve it.

What You Get as a Twitch Partner

The Partner program enhances nearly every feature you already get as an Affiliate, while also introducing additional tools and benefits that aren’t available at the Affiliate level.

Higher revenue split

Affiliates earn 70 percent of subscription money, while partners only receive 50 percent. For a channel that has 500 subscribers in Tier 1, the monthly income will be different by $500 just for subscriptions – $1,750 and $1,250 for affiliates and partners respectively.

Up to 60 custom emote slots

Compare that to 5 for Affiliates. More emotes mean more opportunities for subscribers to express their personalities within your community.

60-day VOD storage

your past streams stay on Twitch four times longer than as an affiliate.

Guaranteed transcoding

Stream quality is determined independently by the viewer and not by their internet connection. Priority transcoding for affiliates is not a sure thing. In contrast, Twitch ensures that Partners have multiple quality options available for their viewers.

Priority customer support

Partners have quick and direct access to the Twitch support team in case of any problems.

Verified badge

The purple tick icon beside your channel name tells viewers and advertisers that you have achieved the highest level of creators on the platform.

Multistreaming

streamres can stream on various channels, including YouTube and Kick, is permitted for partners if they abide by the Twitch Simulcast Policy.

Stream delay controls

useful for gaming in an environment where you don’t want the live stream of your game being used against you.

Stream teams

They can establish official teams for Twitch streaming on behalf of other content creators.

Affiliate vs Partner — Side by Side:

🎮 How to Reach Twitch Affiliate Faster

Affiliate is all about hitting numbers. Here is how to hit the numbers fast and not waste months streaming to nothing.

Consistently stream at scheduled times – Twitch favors consistency. The viewers who have found your channel before will be more likely to return knowing when to expect you. Schedule your streams in such a way that you can realistically commit to it and make sure to be consistent with your timings. Two or three streams per week should be enough.

Choose a less saturated category to stream – streaming Fortnite is basically a losing battle due to the sheer number of similar channels. Choose a different category that has low competition but you like playing. Read our guide on the best time to stream on twitch.

Don’t stop talking – the silence of a stream discourages viewers from staying there. Keep narrating yourself, asking questions, commenting, reacting. One of the easiest ways to retain your audience.

Build an audience on other platforms as well – share clips and highlight videos on social media. It will help you to attract more people to your streams and keep them active. Fast Affiliate is achieved only by those people who actively use more than one platform.

Use viewer boost to achieve your minimums – getting to 3 average simultaneous viewers is probably the hardest thing for most of the streamers who just started.

Building up a channel from scratch is a long process. With the help of a boost service from Streamerplus you’ll give your channel the required head start.

How to Reach Twitch Partner

But becoming a Twitch Partner is an even more difficult task altogether, and there is no automation involved in reaching the necessary numbers. In this section we will provide guidelines for applying to become Twitch Partner successfully.

Be ready for an evaluation well ahead of applying

since Twitch’s manual review process evaluates your channel in totality, streamers who apply for Partner status right when they manage to barely reach the minimum number of viewers often end up getting rejected. As far as general advice goes, most successful applicants have been recommending that one stays above the requirements for at least a month before applying.

Create an atmosphere of professionalism on your channel

production is an important factor when applying to become Twitch Partner. A consistent visual appearance, custom overlays, quality audio — all this indicates that you are serious about what you are doing and have invested significant resources into your work.

Build your community of viewers

a channel that has an active chat, people making in-jokes, and returning viewers for every stream is completely different from a channel which meets just the bare minimum requirements. Engaged community is important for Twitch as its presence implies more stable financial support for streamers.

Keep track of your growth and highlight it

many streamers share their growth statistics with the reviewing committee in their applications to Twitch Partner program. It is not necessarily required, but it can only benefit you to highlight that.

Apply to Partner through the “Path to Partner” dashboard

once you reach the required numbers you will notice “Path to Partner” section in your Twitch Creator Dashboard.

Re-apply if you fail

rejection means that you do not meet the required criteria yet. However, Twitch provides you with detailed explanations why you were turned down and gives you an opportunity to re-apply 30 days later.

Which One Should You Focus On Right Now?

As a newcomer, Affiliate is all that matters. It is realistic, it provides access to the resources needed to monetize, and the experience of reaching Affiliate status itself instills the discipline required to become a Partner.

Should you already be Affiliate, there is some distance between Affiliate and Partner, but it is definitely crossable. The distinction between the Affiliates that go on to become Partners and those that don’t lies not so much in talent, but in the capacity for patience and discipline. The ones who manage to reach Partner status are those that approach Affiliate status as a serious business venture from day one.

Both statuses are worth striving for, but Affiliate is where it starts, and Partner is where the proper income begins. The progression from Affiliate to Partner can be a tremendously gratifying experience for any

Frequently Asked Question

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Is it possible to skip Affiliate and become Partner directly?

Technically it is possible, if you already have a lot of views from other platform sources. For the most part, Affiliate is a mandatory stage, since the skills that will help become successful Partners should be acquired at this stage.

How long does it usually take to advance from Affiliate to Partner?

This depends greatly on the personal efforts of each individual. Some people manage to reach this goal within six months, while others require two or even three years. It all depends on consistency, growing off-platform and community engagement development.

Does Twitch reject any Partner applications for meeting metrics criteria?

No. However, this means that reaching this point allows a person to apply, but not necessarily guarantees the approval.

What will happen to me if I lose my viewership and fall below required numbers as Partner?

As a Partner, you cannot be deprived of your Partner status for one single bad month. If the channel does not maintain the quality and violates rules for a long time, then Twitch might decide to review the channel’s status, although this happens rarely.

Are Partners guaranteed a 70/30 revenue split as a minimum?

Yes, since the standard Partner contract is 70%. Of course, some very high volume Partners have their own agreement with Twitch, which can result in different percentages.

Can an Affiliate stream on another platform along with Twitch?

Of course, because Affiliates do not have any limitations regarding this aspect. Partners have some restrictions according to the Simulcast Guidelines of Twitch.