Websites Like Twitch

Top 6 Twitch Alternative Video Streaming Services You Can Use

Twitch is all the hype right now. The biggest name in live video streaming, the service is available on PC, consoles, and even your smartphones. While primarily focused towards gamers, the service also allows you to stream IRLs and more. However, with the recent change in Twitch guidelines, things have become a little tough for streamers. Moreover, the added traffic has also resulted in some downtimes for its users. As such, if you’re looking to sway away from Twitch and switch to something different, you are in the right place. Read on, as we bring to you our list of the 6 best Twitch Alternatives that you can use in 2018:
The Best Video Steaming Sites like Twitch
1. UStream (IBM Cloud Video)
Undoubtedly Twitch’s biggest competitor has got to be UStream. The San Francisco-based company Ustream is a general streaming platform, which allows viewers to find sporting events, talk shows, and private live streams, apart from the general gaming streams like Twitch. Now owned by IBM, the service is responsible for almost a third of all live business video and is used by Facebook, LinkedIn, Intuit, NASA, and Salesforce.
Similar to Twitch, UStream is also embedded into Sony’s PlayStation 4, allowing you to stream your gameplay from the console easily. Ustream also supports streams of any kind, something that Twitch has been trying to incorporate with IRL (In Real Life). Additionally, while Twitch does host a lot of gaming streams, it has seen a lot of downtimes as well. On the other hand, UStream offers a better streaming service, that rarely experiences any downtime. Also, just like Twitch, UStream also offers its native clients for smartphones such as Android and iOS.
Platforms: Web (Windows, Mac), PS4, Android, iOS
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2. (Formerly Hitbox and Azubu)
For someone who has been following the online live streaming scene, the names Azubu and Hitbox might ring a bell. Once seen as some of the best live streaming services, the two brands joined hands to produce, which goes head-to-head with Twitch. The website offers a great HTML5/JavaScript integration, thus making the end-user experience quite easy and fluid at the same time.
No matter whether you are a viewer, streamer, partner, tournament organizer or esports team, will offer features tailored just for you. The service, just like Twitch, delivers a “lean-in” experience for viewers to interact with their favorite games, players, and organizations, while empowering broadcasters with unique toolsets, superior streaming technology, chat-casting capabilities, and more. While initially brought out to broadcast streams of Project M and other eSports that Twitch doesn’t support, now boasts of higher quality eSport streams than Twitch.
Platforms: Web (Windows, Mac), Android, iOS
3. Mixer (Formerly Beam)
Formerly known as Beam, Mixer is Microsoft’s own live streaming video platform. Similar to Twitch, Mixer focuses on video gaming, including playthroughs of video games. The service boasts of exclusive features designed to allow viewers to interact with streams. Additionally, using an SDK, features can be integrated into games to allow users to affect gameplay or vote on elements using buttons displayed alongside the stream.
Mixer is a service that’s likely to appeal most to Xbox and Windows 10 players as it becomes fully integrated into Microsoft’s cross-platform plans. Similar to Twitch, there are featured streamers, streams happening at that moment and you can search by a game or by a specific channel. While Mixer supports multiple languages like Twitch, the service takes a step ahead by allowing you to search for streams based on language. However, one straight advantage Mixer has over Twitch is that it doesn’t require any third-party software to stream on the service; the Mixer client in itself is capable of streaming your gameplay online at a high video quality.
Platforms: Windows, Xbox One
4. Mirrativ
Mirrativ (a portmanteau of mirror and narrative) is essentially a live video streaming service solely for smartphones. It combines untethered mobile broadcasting, screen sharing and social interactions into one single app. Available for both Android and iOS, the service allows smartphones users to directly share or stream their screen online for the world to watch.
Similar to Twitch, the people watching your stream on Mirrativ can interact with you in real time by submitting comments and asking questions. Viewers can also like the stream, which you’ll see as stars on your screen. Also, while Twitch does allow you to stream from your smartphone, it usually requires a third-party client and a tethered connection. On the other hand, Mirrativ opens the door to streaming mobile games without being tethered to a computer. You can further use the service to it can share anything that’s on your screen, including apps or the menus of your phone or tablet.
Platforms: Android, iOS
5. YouTube Gaming
YouTube Gaming is essentially Google’s response to Twitch. While the service looks and acts a lot like standard YouTube, it features a darker color scheme and focuses purely on live and on-demand video game videos. YouTube Gaming boasts a ton of game-related videos to explore, ranging from simple soundtrack compilations to walkthroughs, and even live reviews.
Similar to Twitch, YouTube Gaming has Recommended, Spotlight and Trending sections to allow the user to easily search for their preferred content. Additionally, to get the newest stuff as it’s happening you simply have to click on the ‘Live’ tab. While Twitch does have a lot of gamer-oriented audiences, YouTube Gaming shares a lot of audience from YouTube, which does give it some edge. Also, YouTube Gaming’s viewing experience is literally the same as YouTube, but with an added comments section to the right, allowing your viewers to interact with you. Also, like Twitch, monetization on YouTube Gaming is also quite simple.
Platforms: Web (Windows, Mac), Android, iOS
6. Periscope
Periscope is a live video streaming app for Android and iOS which was later bought by Twitter back in 2015. While Periscope was one of the major contributing factors to Mirrativ, considering Mirrativ is a hybrid of Twitch and Periscope, the Twitter-owned service is still preferred by plenty of users around the world. The service allows users to stream from their phones, pushes that stream to their connected Twitter feeds for maximum viewership.
Like Twitch, Periscope also allows viewers to interact with the stream in real time. They can leave hearts and comments as the streamer interacts with the world around him or her. Additionally, users can broadcast in their own preferred choice, that is, portrait or landscape mode. Also, similar to Twitch, streamers have the ability to save their finished streams for later consumption. Periscope also allows the user to block unwanted viewers, like Twitch. Furthermore, users can also stream from their camera, unlike Twitch which only streams the user’s screen.
SEE ALSO: How to Stream on Twitch Using a PC
The Best Twitch Alternatives You Can Use
Well, that was our list of some of the best Twitch alternatives out there. Personally, if you’re a PC gamer, I’d suggest using Mixer for its ease of use, and Mirrativ if you’re a smartphone user wanting to live video stream. Also, even if you’re a fan of Twitch, it doesn’t hurt to try out a new service once in a while. So, which one of the above live streaming services did you like? Also, did we miss out on a noteworthy service? Let us know in the comments down below.
Best Twitch Alternatives For Streaming - Online Tech Tips

Best Twitch Alternatives For Streaming – Online Tech Tips

Twitch is an online video streaming platform whose live-streams are viewed by more than 15 million people every day. It enables streamers of all types to produce live-broadcasted content to their viewers while collecting revenue from sponsorships, partnerships, and donations.
Amazon purchased the platform back in 2014 and has since turned it into a live-streaming pantheon with a net worth of $5 billion. It has become a mecca for game streamers and watchers the world over with continued growth almost daily. This is partly due to the lack of serious competition over the course of its ascendancy. There are chinks in this juggernauts armor, however.
The part where Twitch becomes a cause for concern is in their guidelines and follow-through. Being very lenient towards certain streamers while bringing down the hammer hard on others who violate them can leave some streamers, and viewers, feeling a bit perturbed.
So it’s a good thing there are plenty of Twitch alternatives out there, some of which you may have never heard of.
Best Twitch Alternatives For Streaming
Gaming has been Twitch’s primary source of viewership since before it was purchased by Amazon. It has since grown into a culture all its own expanding into other non-gaming areas such as art performance, cooking, podcast productions, and real life interactions.
Because of this, we have separated our list into different categories based on Twitch-like familiarities and varying approaches to streaming.
Platforms Most Like Twitch
YouTube & YouTube Gaming
Quite possibly the best Twitch alternative. You can earn revenue from streaming games, just like on Twitch, with YouTube Gaming. That, on top of regular YouTube which allows for Super Chat donations while live-streaming other activities.
Interact with your followers and viewers via the chat window and upload your most recent streams to YouTube video for fans who may have missed the show.
InstaGib TV
No need for a third-party streaming app, InstaGib TV has a built-in Caster feature that allows streamers to start streaming right from the platform. Just like Twitch, it offers an interactive, live chat window to converse with viewers.
One downside to InstaGib TV is that it does set a bandwidth limit that can only be circumvented by upgrading to a VIP account. Aside from this, InstaGib TV is still one of the more popular Twitch alternatives on the market.
Caffeine
Caffeine brings a slightly newer look to streaming by incorporating a social media-like theme into the mix. Scroll through various broadcasts in Twitter feed fashion passing through “Most Popular” and “Trending” streamers.
Caffeine doesn’t use the traditional chat window found in the aforementioned entries to this list, instead opting for chat bubbles. These will appear below the stream window similar to what you’d see in a group text. Caffeine is best used with the Chrome browser as Firefox is a bit wonky, and Edge isn’t even supported.
Mixer
The latency problems that have plagued Twitch are all but a memory once you switch to Mixer. Microsoft’s competitor to Twitch is doing quite well in recent years especially after the acquisition of two of Twitch’s primary streamers Ninja and Shroud.
Mixer has all of the things that makes Twitch a great platform, except for the viewership. Once more people find out about the Mixer Twitch alternative, it shouldn’t take long for it to give Twitch a run for its money.
For eSports Junkies
SmashCast TV
This one is too very similar to Twitch with one caveat. It prefers to focus on esports. eSports is online competitive gaming similar to how football and basketball are to actual sports.
SmashCast TV offers up similar revenue sources as Twitch but the cash output is bolstered for those who are good enough to perform in online competitions. For higher quality eSport streaming, SmashCast blows Twitch out of the water.
is more an alternative to SmashCast than it is to Twitch. Similarly, focuses heavily on the eSports factor of live-streaming, even as far as hosting their own exclusive tournaments. Fans of PUBG and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive will find to be one of Twitch’s better alternatives.
All-Purpose Streaming
Facebook Watch
Facebook Watch is Facebook’s attempt at getting in on the live-streaming hype. It’s a built-in streaming feature that can be accessed directly from your Facebook account.
Facebook Watch showcases anything and everything within the confines of its guidelines and now offers a monetization program similar to Twitch’s affiliate program. Growing an audience on Facebook Watch is as easy as making friends on Facebook.
Vimeo
Vimeo is a video sharing platform not unlike YouTube where you can develop an audience for things like business or travel. One of the cooler features of Vimeo is that it provides analytic features to help you better understand your audience and track their engagement.
Vimeo is not 100% free but it offers different pricing according to different sharing levels.
Dailymotion
Dailymotion is almost like a Vimeo carbon copy. It allows for sharing videos of all kinds as well as some live-streaming. Unlike Vimeo, Dailymotion helps users earn revenue from uploaded videos. In this it is more similar to YouTube.
They also aid in expanding your viewership to an audience all around the world by promoting your videos and streams.
Mobile Streaming
Mirrativ
Mirrativ is a streaming application solely for iPhone and Android mobile devices. You’re able to broadcast directly from your screen to viewers all over the world. Your audience can communicate with you free via comments providing a decent way to promote live interaction.
Periscope
Periscope, is your “on the go” alternative to live-streaming. It was launched back in 2015 and has been an incredibly useful tool to showcase your skills, business, and thoughts.
Live-streaming is literally a phone tap away and can be used anytime, anywhere. Think of it as a mobile broadcasting station built into your smartphone.
What do you use for live streaming? Do you use Twitch or a Twitch alternative? Let us know your preferences in the comments below.
Twitch and Beyond: The Best Video Game Live Streaming Services

Twitch and Beyond: The Best Video Game Live Streaming Services

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Ever wanted to broadcast your play sessions to the world or watch others do the same? With the right live streaming service you can. Here are our top picks.
Why simply play a video game by yourself when you can play it to an audience? You’ve got nothing better to do while locked up in your apartment. With video game live streaming services, you can turn your hobby into an interactive performance that others can enjoy. If you become popular enough, you may even earn a living from your shows. But don’t worry; if you’re camera shy, these same services provide plenty of great ways to watch video game live streams, too. Live streaming is arguably the biggest thing happening in the gaming world right now, so there’s no better time to get on board. However, with several options to choose from, which service should you pledge allegiance to? Streaming via Twitch is a popular choice, but there are other worthwhile ‘ve tested five of the biggest streaming platforms for gamers: Caffeine, Facebook Gaming, Mobcrush, Owncast, and our Editors’ Choice pick, Twitch. Each one lets you broadcast your gameplay sessions, but they differ in their approach and feature sets. We explain the important features below and why they might matter to you, so you can figure out which service is right for from Twitch, this is an entirely new lineup of services compared to the first time we covered this category years ago. Hitbox merged with Abzu to become Smashcast, but hasn’t gained much traction. Mirrativ largely receded from Western markets as other apps adopted its mobile broadcasting features. YouTube still features plenty of video game live streaming, but there’s no longer a separate YouTube Gaming app. Steam, the biggest PC gaming digital marketplace, also has broadcasting functionality. On July 22 Microsoft shut down Mixer and encouraged users to migrate over to Facebook Gaming. Their former Mixer accounts will stay intact, but don’t expect to enjoy Mixer’s unique features on Facebook Gaming. Note that these services are only for watching and broadcasting your gameplay. To actually play video games over a streaming connection (think Google Stadia) check out the best game streaming services.
Twitch and BeyondThe best way to jump into a streaming community is to simply visit its website, start watching videos, and interact with fellow viewers in the chat. These services can be enjoyed free of charge. Some have more attractive layouts than others, but they are all visually dense and highlight many enticing videos. These services also have dedicated apps for viewing and chatting on mobile devices. Facebook Gaming is currently only on Android, but is coming soon to iOS. Certain games tend to be very popular on these platforms, such as Fortnite, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, and other battle royale games. If you’re into something more obscure, you can choose to follow streams for specific games. You can also follow specific channels and personalities. Facebook Gaming and Twitch focus on console and PC games, while Mobcrush highlights mobile games. You’ll find plenty of esports wherever you go. With in-person tournaments put on hold due to the pandemic, we’ve even put together a whole guide on how to watch esports from you aren’t a gamer, the growing amount of non-gaming content on these services may appeal to you. Twitch has a dedicated IRL tab to watch folks just hang out and talk. Twitch also has streaming rights to sports leagues like the NFL (Thursday Night Football), the WNHL, and WNSL. Caffeine places a huge emphasis on mainstream entertainment content. Along with video games, you can watch professional-quality live shows on culture and music. Hip-hop stars Drake and Offset have channels. Like a true live TV channel, though, these broadcasts aren’t archived. As an open-source platform, Owncast users can stream whatever they want, so there are plenty of music and chatting channels alongside gaming. Gamers like to experience their hobby in the highest fidelity possible. However, because streaming can put such a strain on both a machine and an internet connection, only YouTube dabbles in 4K streaming. Even 1080p resolutions and 60 frames per second frame rates aren’t always possible depending on the service. So, set your expectations accordingly.
Going LiveBefore you’re ready to make the leap to streaming yourself, you have to figure out what hardware you need. In the past, streaming was a cumbersome process. You had to physically add a capture card to your PC or deal with some clunky external capture device. But streaming tech is now more democratized than ever. Modern capture devices paired with programs like Open Broadcast Software, Streamlabs, and XSplit make the entire process pretty intuitive. Twitch even offers its own beta streaming software called Twitch Studio and rivals are slowly following suit. You can enhance your broadcasts with specialized hardware like the Elgato Stream Deck. Owncast users not only need to use this software, they also must buy a server to self-host their instance channel, which takes some hard technical nsole and mobile gamers have it even better. You can broadcast directly from your mobile device with Facebook Gaming, Mobcrush, and Twitch. Twitch is also available on several set-top boxes, and lets you stream from video game consoles (except the Nintendo Switch) don’t have to limit yourself to just one of these services. Mobcrush lets you simultaneously broadcast on Facebook, Twitch, Twitter and YouTube. It’s a convenient way to efficiently spread your profile and unify your audience. Mobcrush is so focused on broadcasters that it doesn’t even consider itself a service meant for viewers. Watching streaming channels through the mobile app is apparently only for other creators to see what might be popular for their own audiences on other platforms. Check out our detailed explainer on how to get started in game streaming for perfecting your broadcasting experience. Streaming services are about more than just technology. They’re also about cultivating and empowering a community of fans and creators. Various chat customization options let broadcasters tailor the way they interact with their audience, but the platform’s larger, social vibe colors the experience, too. Obviously, each of these communities is primarily made up of video game fans, but that doesn’t mean their cultures are entirely is the service most synonymous with game streaming, and its community is the most robust. Twitch members are the masterminds behind famous live streaming experiments, such as Twitch Plays Pokemon and the Bob Ross marathon. Twitch also has a lot of corporate support, so you’re likely to find plenty of officially sponsored video events on the service from big publishers and other game-friendly companies.
Facebook Gaming leverages the power of its parent social network. All of your likes for gaming-related pages on regular Facebook, whether its games or publications or personalities, carry over to Facebook Gaming to flesh out your feed. All of your comments appear on both social networks, as well. You can even invite your friends to play Facebook games within the community you cultivate on these services doesn’t have to stay bound to them. A popular way broadcasters keep their fans engaged during off-hours is by setting up a Discord server where they can all interact. So, if a big personality trades one platform for another, the Discord channel stays constant while the fans transition. Twitch and YouTube feature Discord integration, as does Patreon, another alternative subscription-based revenue stream and community-building tool for broadcasters. While user communities are indeed vital, we can’t forget who is actually in charge. Years ago, we criticized the corporate coziness of the Amazon-owned Twitch and its conservative content policies. Independent developer Robert Yang spoke on how his thought-provoking LGBT games were banned alongside juvenile, fascist trash like Hatred. However, this space has just become even more corporate thanks to Facebook, Google, and Microsoft. Rupert Murdoch’s large adult son sits on Caffeine’s board of directors, a service that has a distinct and somewhat bougie community flavor thanks to its broader studio-backed entertainment channels. With more companies paying more attention, users on these services are also increasingly vulnerable to copyright takedowns. For true democratic freedom, go with Owncast, a service that lets you stream whatever you want to whoever you want without corporate oversight.
These services ask you to essentially expose yourself, to put your real face and voice online for all to see and hear. So, in a world where people get arrested for calling SWAT teams to harass streamers as a prank, staying safe should be a huge priority. Fortunately, these services all have their own anti-harassment politics. It’s just in everyone’s best interest to foster a positive community. For specific examples, learn more about the Twitch Safety Advisory Council. Spending Money, Making MoneyWe all can’t be the next PewDiePie and make millions of dollars per year shrieking in front of a microphone. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. To encourage us, video game live streaming services include avenues for streamers to get paid for their work. Typically, this involves expanding your channel’s popularity enough that you can apply for a partnership. Each of these services has their own requirements for becoming a partner. The ad revenue these services earn relies on users making videos people want to watch. So, it’s nice to see that wealth get spread around. A great way to pump more money into the ecosystem is by becoming a paid subscriber. All of these services are initially free to use, but Twitch offers premium perks to those willing to pay. For $8. 99 per month Twitch Turbo removes ads, increases broadcast storage, and gives you new emoticons. Alternatively, Amazon Prime or Prime Video subscribers also get Twitch Prime. Along with Twitch Turbo’s features, Twitch Prime gives you free, recent PC games every month. No one else does that. Facebook Gaming just has free, casual Facebook Games (including some streaming cloud games).
Viewers can support broadcasters more directly, too. Caffeine, Facebook Gaming, and Twitch allow direct donations. Donations may be in the form of mobile gaming-esque digital currency or a paid emoji you drop into the chat, but these methods ensure your money is going straight to your favorite creators. Twitch lets you subscribe to individual channels for $4. 99, $9. 99, or $24. 99 per month. A single, monthly channel subscription is included with Twitch Prime. Other services are planning similar subscription features. Owncast features no ads or direct donation options, but hopefully you’ll foster a community willing to offer financial support in one form or another. A broadcaster’s ability to cut to a paid commercial break varies from service to service. Some offer ad-free viewing to premium users or reserve ads for partners. However, there’s also nothing stopping broadcasters from linking to a Kickstarter, plugging a Patreon page, or weaving ads into a performance during a stream itself. In any case, you won’t become a millionaire overnight if a few people watch you play fighting games or shooters, but at least these services let you profit from your of ConsciousnessStop wasting time playing games while no one is watching, and hop onto one of the best video game live streaming services. Or, just kick back and enjoy the on-screen action. Read our full reviews of each of these products to help you decide the one that best fits your interests and ambitions.
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Frequently Asked Questions about websites like twitch

What is similar to Twitch?

Top 6 Twitch Alternative Video Streaming Services You Can UseUStream (IBM Cloud Video) Undoubtedly Twitch’s biggest competitor has got to be UStream. … Smashcast.tv (Formerly Hitbox and Azubu) … Mixer (Formerly Beam) … Mirrativ. … YouTube Gaming. … Periscope. … 4 Comments.Jul 2, 2018

Who is Twitch’s competition?

Twitch’s top competitors include Activision Blizzard, HUYA, Caffeine, YouTube and Metacafe. Twitch is a company that develops a social video platform and community for gamers, video game culture, and the creative arts. Activision Blizzard is a developer and publisher of interactive entertainment content and services.

Where can i stream that isn’t Twitch?

Platforms Most Like TwitchInstaGib TV. No need for a third-party streaming app, InstaGib TV has a built-in Caster feature that allows streamers to start streaming right from the platform. … Caffeine. … Mixer. … SmashCast TV.Mar 15, 2020

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