If you’ve been on Twitch for a while, you have likely seen new streamers scrambling to reach affiliate level. Maybe you’ve been watching someone in the 50-100 viewer range who is desperately trying to reach partner level. One better, maybe you are right on the edge of reaching partner and you are wondering what the differences are.
In this article we are going to break down the difference between Twitch Affiliate and Twitch Partner. We are going to take a look at a few different factors:
- The Requirements to reach each both Partner & Affiliate
- The benefits of reaching Partner & Affiliate
- The % of people who reach Partner or Affiliate
- How long it takes to reach both levels
Let’s jump in and get started.
Partner & Affiliate Requirements
Below we are going to take a look at the requirements to reach both Affiliate and Partner levels on Twitch.
What Are The Requirements For Twitch Affiliate?
Affiliate is essentially a barrier which separates serious streamers from people just throwing up a stream for friends. If you are taking streaming seriously you should be able to reach affiliate relatively quickly. Below are the requirements to reach this level.
- At least 500 total minutes broadcast in the last 30 days.
- At least 7 unique broadcast days in the last 30 days.
- An average of 3 concurrent viewers or more over the last 30 days.
- At least 50 Followers.
In your Twitch account you can go to Creator Dashboard –> Insights –> Achievements and track your progress towards affiliate. Below you can see I have completed all of the affiliate challenges.
What Are The Requirements For Twitch Partner
Becoming a Twitch partner is a lot harder than getting affiliate. It is reserved for the bigger streamers on the platform. Below are the requirements to reach partner level on Twitch.
- Stream for 25 hours
- Stream on 12 Different days
- Average of 75 Viewers
- All of the above must be completed in a 30 day period
You can also see your “Path to Partner” challenge in your Twitch dashboard by going to Creator Dashboard –> Insights –> Achievements. You can see my Twitch path to partner below. Unfortunately I haven’t had much time to stream this month.
Once you have completed all of the requirements you then have to apply to be a partner. It does not automatically get handed out when you reach the criteria. Not everyone gets accepted as a partner.
Twitch are looking for top tier streamers that have an engaging stream and drive revenue. You can check out Twitch’s advice for applying to the partner program for some tips on how to get accepted.
By becoming a partner with Twitch you are representing their brand. They don’t want to bring people onto the partner program that would hurt potential advertising deals.
The best way to have a good chance at partner when you apply is by avoiding copyrighted content, keeping your stream hate free and been generally family friendly. This doesn’t mean you can’t become a partner if you occasionally swear here and there but use some common sense and know when to draw the line.
Twitch Partner & Affiliate Requirements Overview
| Twitch Requirements | Twitch Affiliate | Twitch Partner |
| Followers | 50 | 50 |
| Hours Streamed | 8 | 25 |
| Days Streamed | 7 | 12 |
| Average Viewers | 3 | 75 |
Twitch Partner & Affiliate Benefits
When you become a partner or affiliate on Twitch it comes with benefits. That’s why everyone wants to reach these levels, so they can unlock new features.
Twitch Affiliate Benefits
There is a big difference between not having affiliate status on Twitch and having affiliate status. The main difference being that once you reach affiliate status, you can make money from the platform.
Once you reach affiliate you unlock the benefits below:
- Subscribe button – Viewers can subscribe to your channel for $4.99 and you will receive 50% of that. People can also sub to you using Twitch Prime which is free for them but you still get paid.
- Bit Donations – Your viewers can now donate to you with bits on your channel. For every bit you receive you get $0.01.
- Ad Revenue – You can now play Ads on your stream which will generate you extra revenue. However if you are a small streamer ads will not make you very much money
- Emotes – Affiliates get access to emotes allowing their fans to share custom emotes in their channel. You get 5 emotes at the affiliate level.
- Channel Points – Affiliates get access to the channel point system on Twitch which allows viewers to redeem their points for rewards on your channel.
- VOD Storage – 14 Days of VOD Storage
As you can see there is a lot of extra benefits you get from becoming an affiliate on Twitch.
Benefits Of Becoming A Partner On Twitch
Now we know the benefits of becoming an affiliate on Twitch we can look at what extra benefits you will get as a partner. As a Twitch Partner you will get the benefits below:
- 60 Days of VOD Storage
- Full Access to Transcode options
- Stream Delay up to 15 Mins
- Access to 60 Emotes on your channel
- Ability to create stream teams
- Verified channel badge
- 3 Lifetime subscriptions which you can give to a friend or family member
As you can see the benefits of becoming a Partner aren’t nearly as big as the move from Non-affiliate to affiliate. The biggest thing streamers usually enjoy about becoming partner is the access to more emotes and bragging rights that they are a partner.
When you become a partner you also have the opportunity to get access to Partner-only opportunities. This includes Partner Spotlights, Meet & Greets, Partner Panels, Streamer Zones and more. This could be a great way to get exposure for you and your brand.
Does Being A Twitch Partner Get You A Higher Cut Of Subscriptions?
You may have heard about some streamers getting more than a 50% cut from subs. While you might think partners get this benefit that’s not the truth. It’s an even more exclusive group of streamers that get a higher cut of subscription revenue. To reach this status you will have to get an exclusive deal with Twitch by becoming big enough on the platform.
Is It Worth Becoming A Partner On Twitch?
While it is great to become a partner as you get some cool features, it’s not as important as people make it out to be. You can grow your audience and make just as much money by being an affiliate. Don’t let it get you down if you’re not getting accepted to the partner program right now. You can always re-apply later and you’re not missing out on that much.
What Percentage Of Streamers Reach Affiliate Status?
There are an estimated 9.2 Million active streamers on Twitch and only 1.2 Million of them are estimated to be Affiliate level. This means that only 13% of people who stream on Twitch reach affiliate status. While this seems small most streamers don’t really take streaming all that seriously and just fire up a stream to show their friends.
What Percentage Of Streamers Reach Partner Status?
Now the Twitch partner program is an even more elite group of streamers. So, how many people reach partner status? According to Twitch Tracker there was 51,500 partners in 2021. This means that less than 1% of streamers reach partner status on the platform. That might not seem like a lot but if you are consistent and create good content across multiple platforms there is no reason you can’t reach Partner status. Time to get to work…
How Long Does It Take The Average Streamer To Reach Affiliate?
It takes most streamer 1 – 2 months of consistent streaming to reach the Affiliate status. However it can be done much faster if you have a good growth strategy for your stream. Check out our guide on how to get your first 20 followers on Twitch to help you grow faster.
How Long Does It Take To reach Partner On Twitch?
While some streamers can reach Partner status in less than a year that’s not likely for most new streamers starting from scratch. The average partner will take 1-2 years before they reach Partner Status on Twitch.
How Long Does It Take To Process My Partner Application?
Twitch state that they aim to process all partner applications within one to two weeks. They say that if you have completed the path to partner achievement you should here back within 7 days.
Wrapping Up
So, that is the main differences between the Twitch Partner & Affiliate program. Hopefully you now have a better idea of the goals you need to hit and can put a plan in action to reach these levels. Best of luck on your road to partner!
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