What Twitch Influencer Marketing Costs Next to YouTube Gaming

Twitch influencer marketing pays gaming streamers to feature a brand in live broadcasts, channel panels and the clips cut from them. This guide covers what gaming creators were paid on Twitch and YouTube, how far Twitch rates moved, which creators a brand can hire and which deliverables brands buy.

Key Takeaways

•  On Collabstr, YouTube gaming creators averaged $203.35 per collaboration and Twitch gaming creators averaged $165.70 (Collabstr platform data, July 2026). That is $37.65 more, and $37.65 ÷ $165.70 = 23%.

•  Twitch gaming rates rose 179% from $87.50 per collaboration in the fourth quarter of 2023 to $244.23 in the fourth quarter of 2025, then fell 56.5% in the second quarter of 2026 from the first quarter's average of $215.50 (Collabstr platform data, July 2026).

•  41% of gaming creators on Collabstr have 10,000 to 100,000 followers and 30% have fewer than 10,000, so a brief open only to creators with 100,000 followers or more can choose from the remaining 28% (Collabstr platform data, July 2026).

•  Gaming creators on Collabstr average a 6.63% verified engagement rate, the third highest of 26 content categories (Collabstr platform data, July 2026).

•  YouTube Shorts rank in the five deliverables brands most often buy from gaming creators, one of three categories where they do (Collabstr platform data, July 2026).

Say you have the average budget brands set for a gaming campaign on Collabstr, $3,373.62 in the 12 months to July 23, 2026 (Collabstr platform data, July 2026). Here is what it buys at each of this article's average rates:

1.  At the YouTube gaming average of $203.35 a collaboration, $3,373.62 ÷ $203.35 = 16 whole collaborations.

2.  At the Twitch gaming average of $165.70, it covers 20.

3.  At Twitch's highest reported quarter, $244.23, it covers 13.

That is a swing of seven collaborations on the same budget, so check the rate before you count creators.

What Gaming Influencer Marketing on Twitch and YouTube Includes

On Twitch, a brand buys a sponsored segment inside a live stream, an overlay or channel panel, or a mention during gameplay. On YouTube, it buys long videos and Shorts, YouTube's short vertical videos, which stay on the channel after they publish. Video and Shorts Video and Shorts both rank in the five deliverables brands most often buy from gaming creators on Collabstr (Collabstr platform data, July 2026).

YouTube's gaming audience is growing. YouTube Gaming reached a record 8.8 billion hours watched in 2025, up 12% from 2024, and sponsored streams on YouTube reached 4.5 million hours watched in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the live-streaming analytics firm Stream Hatchet (Stream Hatchet, 2026).

For a brand, that means the YouTube line in a gaming plan buys into watch time that grew 12% in a year.

What Gaming Creators Charge on YouTube and Twitch

YouTube gaming creators averaged $203.35 per collaboration on Collabstr and Twitch gaming creators averaged $165.70, so a YouTube gaming collaboration ran 23% higher (Collabstr platform data, July 2026). Both figures are transacted prices, meaning what the brand and the creator agreed on a collaboration that was completed, rather than a posted rate. Each platform average is the average of its quarterly figures: nine quarters for YouTube, from July 2023 to July 2026, and five for Twitch, from October 2023 to June 2026.

The two rows cover different stretches of time. In the four quarters both platforms reported, their averages were within about 1% of each other, and YouTube's earlier quarters, which Twitch has no match for, ran higher. So the 23% gap comes from YouTube's earlier, higher-priced quarters. Compare the same quarters, and the two platforms cost about the same.

A lower average price per collaboration means a fixed budget covers more Twitch collaborations. It also means every Twitch figure rests on five quarters, against nine for YouTube.

How Much Twitch Gaming Rates Move Between Quarters

Twitch gaming rates on Collabstr rose 179% from $87.50 per collaboration in the fourth quarter of 2023 to $244.23 in the fourth quarter of 2025, then fell 56.5% in the second quarter of 2026 from the first quarter's average of $215.50 (Collabstr platform data, July 2026). The math: $244.23 is $156.73 more than $87.50, and $156.73 ÷ $87.50 = 179%.

Twitch gaming has five quarters in this data.

A Twitch quote you get today could sit anywhere in that range, so plan the Twitch line nearer the top of it than the average.

What Could Move These Numbers

Read these figures as a pattern across quarters, and across gaming collaborations only. Five things shape them:

•  Different quarters. YouTube's average covers nine quarters and Twitch's five, and only four of them overlap. Compare the platforms across their full histories.

•  Small quarters. Three completed collaborations are enough for a quarter to count, so one large collaboration can lift its average.

•  Who was hired. A quarter in which brands hired larger creators averages higher, even if no creator changed their price.

•  Every quarter counts the same. A platform average adds up its quarterly averages and divides by the number of quarters, so a busy quarter and a quiet one count equally.

•  An unfinished quarter. The latest quarter was still running on July 23, 2026, so it covers only part of that quarter.

Which Gaming Creators You Can Hire

41% of gaming creators on Collabstr are micro creators, meaning they have 10,000 to 100,000 followers, and 30% are nano creators with fewer than 10,000. That leaves 28% at 100,000 followers or more (Collabstr platform data, July 2026). Seven in ten gaming creators sit below 100,000 followers, so a brief that asks only for larger creators is choosing from the smallest of the three groups.

Gaming creators on Collabstr average a 6.63% verified engagement rate, the third highest of 26 content categories (Collabstr platform data, July 2026). Verified means the rate is read from the creator's connected account, and engagement rate is the share of the audience that likes, comments or otherwise interacts. For a brand, that means gaming audiences interact with creators' posts more than audiences in all but two of the 26 categories.

Before you hire, run each shortlisted creator through four checks:

1.  Platform and follower count. Browse gaming creators or Twitch creators, then filter by follower count in Collabstr's search and include micro creators.

2.  Rate against the average. Compare a creator's price with average creator rates by follower count in the Twitch influencer price calculator.

3.  Recent broadcasts. Watch two or three recent streams or videos for tone, language and the games they play, so the brand fits the channel.

4.  Audience data. Ask for a screenshot of the creator's analytics showing where viewers are and when they watch.

For names to start from, see our top gaming influencers list.

What to Ask Gaming Creators to Make

Brands hiring gaming creators on Collabstr most often buy video, Reels (Instagram's short videos), Stories, video ads and Shorts, in that order (Collabstr platform data, July 2026). Gaming is one of three content categories where Shorts reach that top five.

A video, Reel, Short or video ad stays on the creator's channel after it publishes, and with usage rights in the brief, you can run it again as a paid ad. A Story disappears after 24 hours, so it is the one format of the five you cannot reuse.

A sponsored stream's value is the live moment. To get live reach and content you keep from one collaboration, build these into the brief:

•  Stream plus clips. Hire a sponsored segment on Twitch and ask for two or three short clips cut from it for Shorts or Reels.

•  Video plus live. Pair a YouTube video with a live mention, so the video carries the detail and the stream carries the moment.

•  Usage rights up front. Before the collaboration starts, name the platforms where you may reuse the content and for how many days.

How to Split a Gaming Creator Budget Between YouTube and Twitch

Split a gaming creator budget by the job each line does: YouTube for content that keeps working after it publishes, Twitch for live reach, with the Twitch line priced toward the top of its reported range. Brands posting gaming campaigns on Collabstr set an average budget of $3,373.62 per campaign in the 12 months to July 23, 2026 (Collabstr platform data, July 2026).

At Twitch's highest reported quarter, that budget covers 13 collaborations. Plan the Twitch line at 13 and add more if quotes come in lower.

Five steps turn those numbers into an allocation:

1.  Give each line a job. Decide which collaborations must produce assets you keep and which buy live reach.

2.  Price with the range. Budget YouTube at its average and Twitch at its highest reported quarter, then spend what is left over on more collaborations.

3.  Brief for micro creators. 41% of gaming creators on Collabstr have between 10,000 and 100,000 followers.

4.  Ask for clips. Add Shorts or short clips to Twitch collaborations, so a live stream also leaves you something you keep.

5.  Measure both lines the same way. Compare cost per piece of content, cost per 1,000 views and engagement rate the same number of days after each post, for example 30.

For YouTube-specific pricing and formats, see our guide to YouTube influencer marketing. For costs by platform, creator tier and content type, see the influencer marketing price guide.

What This Means for Brands

Twitch earns its place in a gaming creator plan through live reach. Price the Twitch line from what brands paid, toward the top of its reported range. On Collabstr, YouTube gaming creators averaged 23% more per collaboration and leave content that stays up, and seven in ten gaming creators sit below 100,000 followers.

A plan built on those three facts gives each platform a job, a realistic rate and a creator pool large enough to fill. On Collabstr, you see a creator's price before you hire, and payment is released when you approve the work. Start by browsing gaming creators on Collabstr.

FAQ

How Much Does Twitch Influencer Marketing Cost?

On Collabstr, Twitch gaming creators averaged $165.70 per collaboration across five reported quarters, with quarterly averages from $87.50 to $244.23 (Collabstr platform data, July 2026). A single creator's price depends on follower count, format and usage rights, so compare each quote with the range before you budget.

Do YouTube Gaming Creators Charge More Than Twitch Streamers?

Yes, on average across each platform's reported quarters. YouTube gaming creators on Collabstr averaged $203.35 per collaboration over nine quarters, 23% more than the $165.70 Twitch gaming average over five (Collabstr platform data, July 2026). YouTube collaborations also produce videos and Shorts that stay on the channel after they publish.

What Should a Gaming Brand Ask Creators to Make?

Start with the formats brands most often buy from gaming creators on Collabstr: video, Reels, Stories, video ads and Shorts (Collabstr platform data, July 2026). For a Twitch collaboration, ask for short clips cut from the sponsored segment, and write usage rights into the brief so you can reuse the content.

Is Twitch Worth Including in a Gaming Influencer Marketing Plan?

Twitch fits a plan that needs live reach and chat around a game as it happens. Price it from what brands paid, budget toward the top of its reported range and ask for clips, so the collaboration also leaves you content you keep. Measure it the same way as every other creator line.

Methodology

•  Collabstr platform data: production data generated July 23, 2026. Internal and test accounts are excluded.

•  Transacted prices: the average price on completed gaming collaborations, by platform and quarter, counting only quarters with at least three completed collaborations. YouTube gaming has nine quarters, from July 2023 to July 23, 2026, the last of them unfinished; Twitch gaming has five, from October 2023 to June 2026. Each platform average adds up its quarterly averages and divides by the number of quarters.

•  Follower groups: gaming creators by follower count on their best single platform, on July 23, 2026. Nano is under 10,000 followers, micro 10,000 to 100,000, mid 100,000 to 500,000 and macro above 500,000.

•  Engagement: average verified engagement rate of live gaming creators on July 23, 2026, ranked against 26 content categories, or niches. Verified rates are read from creators' connected accounts.

•  Deliverables: the five most common deliverables, meaning the content a brand hires a creator to make, on completed gaming collaborations with a deliverable recorded, in the 12 months to July 23, 2026.

•  Campaign budget: average budget per campaign posted for the gaming niche in the 12 months to July 23, 2026, using the total budget, or the per-creator budget multiplied by creators wanted when only that was set.

•  Budget example: illustrative. Whole collaborations at each average rate. Product you send changes the count. 

•  Third-party data: Stream Hatchet's 2025 YouTube Gaming Trends Report, live-streaming hours watched.

•  Earlier publication: Kyle Dulay first published the YouTube and Twitch gaming rate comparison in PocketGamer.biz in September 2026.

Written by Kyle Dulay

Kyle Dulay is a co-founder of Collabstr and has worked in influencer marketing for eight years. He writes the research pieces on this blog and reviews every post before publication. The figures come from Collabstr's own marketplace data, covering more than 530,000 brands and more than 1.2 million vetted creators.