Gaming Stream Revenue Estimator
Estimate your monthly gaming stream revenue from ads, subscriptions, and donations on Twitch or YouTube based on your viewer count.
How streaming revenue works
Gaming streamers on platforms like Twitch and YouTube earn money from several sources:
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Ad Revenue (CPM): Platforms pay per thousand ad impressions (CPM). Twitch gaming CPM averages $2–$5 depending on region and time of year. YouTube gaming CPM is typically $2–$7. Not all viewers see ads — ad block usage in gaming communities runs as high as 40–60%, reducing effective impressions.
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Subscriptions / Channel Memberships: Twitch Affiliates earn $2.50 per $4.99 sub (50% revenue share). Twitch Partners and YouTube Members may negotiate higher splits. Subscription conversion rates vary widely — typically 1–5% of regular viewers subscribe.
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Bits / Super Chats / Donations: Bits on Twitch are worth $0.01 each. Super Chats on YouTube vary. Direct donations through PayPal or StreamElements are 100% revenue. Estimate: 1–3% of engaged viewers donate monthly.
Typical benchmarks
- Under 10 concurrent viewers: pre-monetisation, little to no ad revenue
- 50–100 viewers: Affiliate level, earning $100–$400/month from combined sources
- 500–1,000 viewers: small partner level, $500–$3,000/month
- 5,000+ viewers: established streamer, $5,000–$30,000+/month
Important disclaimer
These are estimates based on industry averages. Actual earnings vary enormously based on niche, audience engagement, posting consistency, sponsorships, and negotiated deals. This calculator provides a rough ballpark, not a financial projection.