Short answer: Kick is a live streaming platform where people broadcast games, music, IRL streams, just chatting and creative work in real time as viewers chat live. It passed 100 million users in April 2026. Kick has no fixed rate per 1,000 views; streamers keep 95% of $5 subscriptions and tips, and Partners earn per stream payouts based on engagement.
Kick hit 100 million users in April 2026. Viewers watched 4.5 billion hours on Kick in 2025, up 131% year over year, according to Stream Hatchet. But what is it exactly, and do you actually need to be there?
Let’s break it down.
Table of Contents
- What is Kick streaming?
- Who owns Kick?
- What can you stream on Kick?
- How does Kick discover and recommend streams?
- What do you need to start streaming on Kick?
- What’s Kick’s video quality like?
- How many people actually use Kick?
- How do you download the Kick app?
- Is Kick available on Google Play?
- Is Kick available on the App Store?
- How do you actually make money on Kick?
- How much can you realistically earn?
- Kick Affiliate vs Partner, what’s the difference?
- How many viewers do you actually need?
- Can you stream on Kick and other platforms at the same time?
- Why is audio quality critical on Kick?
- How do you go live on Kick?
What is Kick streaming?
Kick is a live streaming platform owned, through the company Easygo, by Bijan Tehrani and Ed Craven, the co-founders of Stake.com. Streamer Tyler “Trainwreckstv” Niknam backed it early on but is not listed as an owner. People broadcast content in real time, games, music, IRL streams, just chatting, creative work. Viewers watch and interact through live chat. The core appeal is simple: you go live, people watch, you talk directly to them in real time.
The difference? Kick positions itself as a creator-first alternative. Better revenue splits, lighter moderation, and faster paths to monetization. That’s it.
Who owns Kick?
Kick launched in beta in December 2022. Co-founders Bijan Tehrani and Ed Craven have personally invested nearly $1 billion into the platform since inception. That’s the kind of capital commitment that signals long-term focus, not a flash-in-the-pan project.
What can you stream on Kick?
Kick doesn’t force everything into a gaming box. Here’s what you can actually broadcast:
- Games
- IRL (In Real Life)
- Music
- Gambling
- Creative
- Alternative
How does Kick discover and recommend streams?
This is what separates Kick from Twitch. Most new streamers don’t know how critical this difference is.
Kick’s Browse page ranks streams primarily by concurrent viewer count, not channel history or follower count. Meaning, if you can get people to click on your stream in the first 10 minutes, the algorithm gives you real visibility. Momentum matters more than pedigree. In April 2026, Kick started testing a recommendation algorithm with about 10% of users, built to favor real engagement over inflated viewer numbers.
This is backward from Twitch, where established channels get placement. On Kick, you don’t need 100,000 followers to be discovered.
What do you need to start streaming on Kick?
You need:
- a Kick account,
- streaming software (OBS, Streamlabs, Restream),
- your stream key and stream URL from the creator dashboard,
- a stable internet connection. That’s it.
If you’ve streamed on Twitch before, everything ports over. Your OBS scenes, alerts, overlays, no modification needed. The technical barrier to going live is genuinely gone. The real barrier is different, getting people to watch.
What’s Kick’s video quality like?
Kick supports up to 1080p at 60fps and a bitrate of up to 8,000 kbps. Viewers can pick a lower quality to match their connection. Growing channels may only show viewers up to 720p60 until they reach Kick’s engagement threshold for 1080p.
Check your upload speed and keep your bitrate below it.
How many people actually use Kick?
Kick passed 100 million users in April 2026, three years after launch. By hours watched it is the third-largest livestreaming platform, with about 12% of the market behind Twitch and YouTube Gaming, per Stream Hatchet data.
By March 2026, months with more than 500 million hours watched had become common on Kick.
Is Kick available on Google Play?
Yes. The Kick app is available on Google Play for Android devices.
Is Kick available on the App Store?
Yes. The Kick app is available on the App Store for iPhone and iPad.
How do you actually make money on Kick?
Here’s where Kick genuinely changes the math.
1. Channel Subscriptions
Subscriptions on Kick are a flat $5 per month. You keep 95% of it, and the other 5% covers processing. That means each subscriber is worth $4.75 to you, every single month. If you have 100 subscribers, that’s $475/month. 1,000 subscribers = $4,750/month. Simple math.
For comparison: Twitch’s standard split is 50/50, rising to 60/40 or 70/30 for streamers who qualify for its Plus Program. YouTube pays creators 70% of channel membership revenue. Kick’s 95% is genuinely higher.
2. Tips (Called “Kicks”)
KICKs are Kick’s tipping currency. Viewers send them to you mid-stream, and you receive 95% of their value. Earnings are paid out through Stripe monthly, or weekly for verified streamers.
This sounds small until you realize, tips compound. A few regulars tipping every stream add up fast.
3. Kick Creator Incentive Program (KCIP)
Members of the Kick Partner Program earn revenue per stream based on organic engagement. The more real people watch, the more you earn. Getting in takes engagement and at least 25 active subscribers. Multistreaming to Twitch or YouTube cuts this payout by 50% for that session.
This is what separates Kick from pure merit-based platforms. You get paid for time on air, not just subscriber count.
4. Sponsorships & Affiliate Deals
As your channel grows, brands approach you for sponsorships. Kick’s size makes this realistic. Kick itself has signed big sports deals, such as an Everton FC sleeve sponsorship in 2023 and a UFC partnership in 2024, which shows brands take the platform seriously. Creator deals still depend on your own audience.
Kick Affiliate vs Partner, what’s the difference?
Affiliate (Entry Level)
Requirements: 5 total streamed hours, and they can be spread over several days. That’s genuinely low.
What you get: Paid subscriptions and KICKs. Per-stream KCIP payouts are only for the Partner Program.
Time to earn money: Your first month streaming.
Partner (Higher Tier)
Followers: 250 followers minimum.
Average Concurrent Viewers: 75 average viewers.
Total Streaming Hours: 30 hours streamed.
Unique Chatters: 250 unique participants in your chat over the last 30 days.
Active Subscribers: 25 active subscribers on your channel.
VODs: 3 VODs in the past 30 days.
Verification: a verified channel with a completed profile, before you apply by email.
What you get: Per-stream KCIP payouts, the multistreaming toggle, and the option of weekly payouts as a verified streamer.
Most creators start as Affiliates. Partner status comes naturally if you’re consistent.
How many viewers do you actually need?
Here’s what nobody tells you: you don’t need big numbers to start earning.
To monetize on Kick: You need 5 hours of streaming. No follower minimum.
For comparison: Twitch Affiliates need 50 followers, 500 minutes streamed over 7 different days, and 3 average viewers in the past 30 days. Kick’s barrier is 5 total streamed hours ever. Completely different.
To earn meaningful money: it depends on how many viewers turn into subscribers and tippers, so there is no fixed rate per viewer.
But here’s the psychological win: even 20 subscribers at $5 is $95/month. That’s real income that proves streaming works for you. That proof matters more than the absolute number.
Can you stream on Kick and other platforms at the same time?
Yes. Kick allows multistreaming. Partners must switch on the Multistreaming toggle when also streaming to Twitch or YouTube, and their per-stream payout drops by 50% for that session. Short-form platforms like TikTok Live don’t need the toggle.
You can broadcast simultaneously to Kick, YouTube, and Twitch using Restream, an OBS multistreaming plugin, or similar tools. Stream once, reach three audiences.
For growth: Repurpose your stream highlights into TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels. Include your Kick channel name in captions. New viewers find you organically. Over time, external promotion converts to visibility faster on Kick than other platforms.
Why is audio quality critical on Kick?
Here’s the brutal truth: viewers will watch 480p video with perfect audio. They will not watch 1080p video with bad audio. Most new streamers focus on camera quality, lighting, overlays. But audio is what makes people stay or leave.
If you’re adding music to your streams, you have a problem: Kick’s rules ban unauthorized use of copyrighted content and the platform acts on DMCA notices. That means removed VODs and, for repeat violations, lost verification or Partner status.
This is where stream-safe music solutions matter. Mubert generates royalty-free music in 150+ genres and moods in real-time. Mubert partnered with Restream to integrate this directly into live-streaming workflows. Mubert generates 3 million unique tracks monthly. Real-time generation means you’re not repeating the same audio loop. Your stream audio stays fresh. The generated music adapts to your stream’s intensity and mood.
Here’s why that matters: Audio quality directly impacts viewer retention. Better audio = longer watch time = more tips + more KCIP income.
How do you go live on Kick?
- Create a Kick account at Kick.com if you don’t have one. Set your username.
- Fill out your profile. Add avatar, bio, links. Spend 5 minutes here.
- Go to your Creator Dashboard. Open the Channel menu and click Stream URL and Key.
- Grab your Stream Key and Stream URL. Copy both values.
- Open your streaming software (OBS, Streamlabs, etc.) and paste Stream URL + Stream Key into the streaming settings.
- Set your stream info. Name your stream, pick a category, add tags, decide if it’s 18+ or not.
- Test audio and video for 30 seconds. Make sure levels are normal.
- Hit “Start Streaming” in your software.
- Watch your stream in a separate browser window to confirm it’s live.
- Engage with chat while streaming. Answer questions, acknowledge donations, thank subs.
That’s it. You’re live.
The Bottom Line
Kick works because it solved a real problem: creators wanted better economics, clearer path to money, and faster monetization. Kick delivers on all three. The 95% subscription split is real. The lower barrier to Affiliate status is real. The audience is genuinely there, 100 million users, growing.
But what’s genuinely hard on Kick is the same as every other platform: consistency and authentic engagement. You can start streaming tomorrow and monetize within weeks. But building an audience? That takes months of showing up, being real, engaging viewers.
The barrier to going live is gone. The barrier to being watched is still real.
What’s different now is the payoff. When the math works better, when you keep more money, when the algorithm doesn’t punish new creators, that changes everything. You’re not abandoning Twitch or YouTube. You’re adding a platform where the economics work in your favor.
That genuinely matters in 2026.
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