How much are top Twitch streamers really making? Disguised Toast has the answer

Virginia Glaze

Popular Hearthstone player and top Twitch streamer ‘Disguised Toast’ broke down his earnings on the platform in a recent YouTube video, which revealed some pretty major numbers.

Toast explained that streamers generate revenue in four different ways – through donations, subscriptions, advertisements, and sponsorships.

While donations and advertisements are fairly straightforward, Twitch’s subscription system features multiple tiers, which are then split either 50-50 or 70-30 with streamers depending on their status with the company.

Ninja, for example, is a top-tier streamer with over 121,000 subscribers – which means that he earns around $423,500 a month through subscriptions alone, according to Toast’s calculations. Shroud, on the other hand, reels in around $148,750 through subscriptions.

Those numbers don’t even count higher tier subscriptions, which range from $9.99 – $24.99, if offered by a partnered streamer.

Streamers can also make dough through sponsorship deals, such as being paid to play a certain game on stream. Streamers can earn as much as one cent per hour, or one dollar per viewer – which can add up to massive amounts of money through larger audiences.

Toast himself stated that he could make up to $10,000 through sponsored streams, due to his general average of 10,000 viewers.

However, many factors can go into how much partners get paid, from the amount of money a company offers them to how large (or generous) their audience is.

Toast himself makes around $2,500 monthly through donations and around $4,000 through advertisements (without spamming the ad button). Combined with his subscriber revenue, this adds up to quite a pretty penny in one month.

In sum, Twitch’s top streamers likely aren’t hurting for funds – but their deep pockets are ultimately thanks to their fans.

About The Author

Virginia Glaze is Dexerto's Entertainment Editor in the US. She expertly covers trending stories across Twitch, Kick, YouTube, and TikTok – as well as fighting games and influencer boxing. Virginia also has bylines at Red Bull, GINX, and Bandai Namco. Contact her here: virginia.glaze@dexerto.com

Sign up to Dexerto for free and receive:
Fewer Ads|Dark Mode|Deals in Gaming, TV and Movies, and Tech