Estimate your monthly earnings from Twitch or YouTube based on viewers, subscribers, and content niche.
55% share, est. viewer ad rate
50% revenue share on £4.99 tier
0.5–2% of viewers, avg £5–10
Cheering — varies widely
Estimated monthly (platform only)
£375 – £1,339
Annual estimate
£4,495 – £16,064
Estimates only. Excludes sponsorships, merch, and other revenue. Actual earnings vary widely based on audience engagement, niche, and platform changes. USD amounts converted at approximate exchange rate.
Twitch pays streamers roughly $2–$5 CPM (cost per thousand ad views). However, only a fraction of viewers actually watch ads, and ad-blockers are widespread. Affiliates receive 55% of the ad revenue share. A channel with 1,000 average viewers realistically earns $200–$500/month from ads alone.
Twitch subscriptions cost $4.99, $9.99, or $24.99/month. New affiliates and most partners receive 50% of the subscription revenue. Top partners can negotiate up to 70%. Amazon Prime members get one free subscription per month, which still pays the streamer but often converts at lower rates.
YouTube pays creators through AdSense at rates that vary dramatically by niche. Finance and business content earns $10–$30+ CPM. Gaming content typically earns $2–$8 CPM. YouTube takes a 45% cut, so creators receive 55% of the gross ad revenue.
Musician Kevin Kelly's famous essay argues that a creator needs only 1,000 true fans who each spend $100/year to earn $100,000 annually. On platforms like Twitch, these are equivalent to your consistent subscribers and regular donors — far more valuable per person than casual viewers.
For most creators, brand sponsorships generate more revenue than platform ads once a channel is established. Sponsorship rates are typically $10–$50+ per 1,000 views depending on the niche and the creator's engagement rate. Mid-tier creators (10k–100k subs) often earn 3–5x more from sponsors than from YouTube ad revenue.
Streaming income is self-employment income in the UK and US. You must declare it on a self-assessment tax return. Set aside 25–35% of all earnings for income tax and National Insurance/self-employment tax. Sponsorships paid in goods (hardware, games) may also be taxable at their market value.
Estimate your potential monthly and annual earnings from Twitch or YouTube based on your viewer/subscriber counts and engagement.
Twitch: 500 avg viewers, 200 subs
Approx. £250–600/month from ads + subs
YouTube: 100k subs, 50k monthly views
Approx. £150–400/month from ads
The top 1% of Twitch streamers earn over 99% of all Twitch revenue. The median Twitch affiliate earns less than $100 per month from platform revenue alone.
The estimate models the revenue inputs shown in the calculator, such as subscriptions, advertising, donations, sponsorships, or platform income. It is a planning scenario, not a statement of actual earnings. Platform splits, regional pricing, payout thresholds, chargebacks, contracts, taxes, and payment fees can all change the amount you receive.
Gross revenue is the amount generated before deductions. A platform or payment processor may retain a share, and refunds, taxes, currency conversion, management fees, production costs, and sponsored-content expenses may reduce the amount left for you. Compare like-for-like figures and record the assumptions behind each estimate.
Use average results from several months rather than one unusually strong stream, and separate recurring income from one-off sponsorships. Create conservative, expected, and optimistic scenarios for viewers, conversion rate, churn, and ad demand. Revisit the model when platform terms or your content schedule changes, and keep business and personal money distinct.
Start with the same period and list each deduction separately, including platform shares, payment fees, refunds, taxes, production costs, and agency commissions. Do not compare a monthly gross estimate with an annual net figure. Keep invoices and payout statements so the forecast can be reconciled with actual money received.