The streaming scene is larger than ever, and multiple top platforms are duking it out to see which can attract more audiences. A streaming platform’s community can revolve around gaming, IRL streams, cooking, or even music, as reaching the right target audience is key. Bigo Live and Twitch Live stand out as two popular but fairly different streaming platforms with multiple differences.
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How does Bigo Live compare to Twitch?
Twitch is currently the biggest streaming platform and is commonly brought up in conversations alongside the likes of YouTube and Kick. It’s built to feel like home for gamers, but it wasn’t always like it is now. It went from a simple place for gameplay streams to today's gaming live-streaming giant. Even though the platform has expanded to music artists, cooking streams, ASMR, and just chatting hangouts, gaming remains Twitch's soul.
Bigo Live, meanwhile, does include game streaming features, but most of the action is found in live singing sessions, dance performances, cooking streams, or creators just chatting about their day in group streams. The core difference between the two platforms is that Twitch builds communities around games and creators. On the other hand, Bigo Live focuses on social engagement. It shortens the gap between the community and the creator, and overall makes things feel much more open and welcoming to all kinds of people. This elevates it to a true social platform.
Twitch streamers primarily get their income through subscriptions, which have different tiers. However, that doesn’t apply to Bigo Live. Bigo Live is a platform that lets viewers send their favorite creators virtual gifts, which also happens to be its most unique feature. The gifts viewers send can range from expensive ones to cheap ones, depending on what the viewers can afford and how much they want to show their appreciation. Platforms like LootBar also streamline the process of buying gifts, increasing overall convenience.
How are Twitch and Bigo Live’s communities different?
Twitch’s community is built around gaming, though music, art, and other creative niches are massive too. Viewers can subscribe, donate, and form fan bases around their favorite creators. This model is what turned Twitch into the most popular streaming platform with millions of daily users. However, Twitch’s audience still leans towards the younger side. This makes it lively but chaotic, with fast-moving chats, meme culture, and intense fandoms.
It is also male-dominated in gaming-heavy spaces, though it does have some big female names like Pokimane and Loserfruit. It also leans towards a Western audience, with top creators mostly in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, thanks to infrastructure and English being the go-to language.
Compared to Twitch, Bigo Live’s community is much more casual and laid-back. The platform is 18+ only, making the user base generally older and more mature. You will find many people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s with a much more balanced gender split. Instead of intense gaming communities, Bigo Live lets its users chat, sing, and hang out in casual circles.
The environment is also less competitive, giving content makers creative freedom without worrying about losing reach. Bigo has a much stronger footing in Asia, and the multi-language support makes it way more globally mixed. To support Bigo Live’s expansion from South Asia, the platform has language packs to accommodate growing demand, including English, Indonesian, Hindi, and Arabic.
How do Twitch and Bigo Live streamers make money?
The affiliate and partner program Twitch implemented lets creators earn money through their audience. As an affiliate, you earn from subscriptions, bits, donations, and ads, with subscriptions usually making the brunt of the income. Partners get extra perks like custom emotes and more ad options. Brand deals and affiliate marketing are also good options, but they depend on how engaged your audience is. The platform’s revenue split is good, but staying consistent and keeping viewers engaged is crucial.
While Twitch focuses on subscriptions and ad revenue, Bigo Live creators mainly earn through virtual gifts. Viewers buy beans, which can be converted into cash with real money, and send them to creators during live streams. Therefore, the livelier your livestream, the more likely you will receive gifts. Gifts can also be earned passively through uploaded videos, and if you have a solid following, you can land sponsored deals. Similar to Twitch, staying active and connected with your audience is key.
Which platform has better features for streamers?
Twitch gives creators a bunch of tools to connect and grow. Channel points reward viewers for tuning in, and bits and hype chat let fans show support with animated messages. Twitch Drops offers free in-game rewards for watching, while easy YouTube uploads help creators expand their audience. Twitch also has emotes and Prime Gaming perks, which are fun for the community.
Beyond that, Twitch has a sponsorship tab to help streamers connect with brands easily. Creator Profiles and StreamElements have made sponsorships and payouts much simpler. They’ve also boosted clip editing tools with automatic highlight detection and real-time clip creation for those standout moments.
Like Twitch, Bigo Live also has solid features to help creators grow and connect with their audience. The multi-guest stream lets up to 12 people join a stream for group chats or collaborations. The family systems help creators form a loyal fan base, while communities let them connect with like-minded people.
Features like player knockout give a fun way for fans to interact with the stream. Bigo Live also has privacy options like 3D avatars and private video calls, adding flexibility. It also gives detailed stats post-streaming to track engagement and growth. Streaming on PC and mobile is easy, and the connector feature allows for a seamless transition between platforms.
How do bans and content policies differ on Twitch and Bigo Live?
Twitch is very strict about its community guidelines, copyright, and bans. They have clear rules against hate speech, explicit content, harassment, and violence, and streamers are always expected to moderate their communities. Twitch now uses automated tools to detect violations, especially after past DMCA issues.
On the other hand, Bigo Live takes a slightly different approach. It has similar guidelines on paper, but offers more creative freedom thanks to its more relaxed approach in practice. The platform officially bans copyright violations and explicit content, but action is taken only when something is reported. Their bans are enforced when necessary, but the platform allows for more flexibility. It lets them balance maintaining guidelines and creating an open and less restrictive environment for its users.
Is Bigo Live better than Twitch Live?
The million-dollar question is whether Bigo Live is better than Twitch Live, but it’s hard to answer because both platforms have something unique to offer players. Thanks to their different approaches to streaming, both Bigo Live and Twitch Live have distinct user bases that want to consume differing types of content.
The one definitive advantage Bigo Live has over the opposition is the freedom viewers have when gifting their favorite creators. Not only are there various types of gifts to give, but there are ways to conveniently get a Bigo Live diamond recharge whenever the user wants. Thanks to this, sending grand and simple gifts is extremely easy, especially compared to Twitch’s simplified subscription feature that doesn’t have much room for individuality.
Conclusion
Before determining the platform you should call home, you should first decide what you want from a streaming platform. If you want an extremely popular streaming platform primarily focusing on gaming, then Twitch Live may be for you. On the other hand, if you want a platform with more content variety, you should download Bigo Live now. With multiple gifts to send, using the services of LootBar can help you show your appreciation to your favorite streamer without breaking the bank.
