I Clipped Both Kick and Twitch for 30 Days (Here's What Performed Better)

For the past month, I ran an experiment. I clipped equal amounts of content from Kick and Twitch—50 clips from each platform—and posted them all to TikTok and YouTube Shorts.

Same posting schedule. Same editing style. Same hashtags. The only difference was the source platform.

I wanted to answer a simple question: which platform is better for clippers?

The results surprised me. And they'll probably surprise you too.

Why This Matters

If you're getting into stream clipping, you have to choose which streamers to focus on. And increasingly, that means choosing between Kick and Twitch.

Kick is the new kid on the block—higher payouts for streamers, more lenient content policies, and a growing roster of big names. Twitch is the established giant—more viewers, more streamers, more content.

But which one is better for clippers? Which platform produces clips that perform better on social media?

Nobody was talking about this. Everyone was focused on which platform was better for streamers. But clippers have different needs.

So I decided to find out for myself.

The Setup

For 30 days, I clipped content from both platforms equally:

• 50 clips from Kick streamers
• 50 clips from Twitch streamers
• All posted to TikTok and YouTube Shorts
• Same posting times, same editing, same everything

I focused on mid-tier streamers (500-5,000 concurrent viewers) on both platforms. Not the biggest names, but not tiny streamers either. The sweet spot where there's enough content to clip but not so much competition that your clips get buried.

I tracked everything: views, engagement, follower growth, and which clips went viral.

Here's what I learned.

The Results: Views

Kick clips averaged 42,000 views per clip.

Twitch clips averaged 38,000 views per clip.

That's a 10.5% difference in favor of Kick. Not huge, but consistent across the entire month.

At first, I thought it was a fluke. But the pattern held. Kick clips consistently outperformed Twitch clips by a small but noticeable margin.

Why? I have a theory.

Kick content tends to be more... unfiltered. Streamers say and do things on Kick that they wouldn't do on Twitch. That translates to more shocking, more shareable moments. And shocking moments perform better on social media.

Twitch has stricter content policies. Streamers are more careful about what they say and do. That makes for a more advertiser-friendly platform, but it also makes for less viral-worthy content.

The Results: Engagement

This is where things got interesting.

Kick clips had 8.2% average engagement rate (likes, comments, shares divided by views).

Twitch clips had 6.7% average engagement rate.

That's a significant difference. Kick clips didn't just get more views—they got more engagement per view.

People weren't just watching Kick clips. They were liking them, commenting on them, and sharing them.

Again, I think this comes down to content. Kick clips tend to be more polarizing. People either love them or hate them. And polarizing content drives engagement.

Twitch clips are safer. They're funny, they're entertaining, but they're less likely to make someone feel strongly enough to leave a comment.

The Results: Virality

Here's where Kick really pulled ahead.

Out of 50 Kick clips, 7 went viral (defined as 500K+ views).

Out of 50 Twitch clips, 3 went viral.

That's more than double the viral rate for Kick.

The biggest Kick clip hit 2.1 million views. The biggest Twitch clip hit 890,000 views.

Why the difference? I think it's the same reason Kick clips get more engagement: the content is more extreme. And extreme content is more likely to go viral.

Twitch clips are consistently good. Kick clips are more hit-or-miss, but when they hit, they hit harder.

The Downsides of Kick

Before you rush off to only clip Kick content, let me tell you about the downsides.

Finding good content is harder. Twitch has way more streamers, which means way more content to choose from. Kick's roster is growing, but it's still much smaller. Some days, I struggled to find Kick content worth clipping.

The community is smaller. Fewer viewers means fewer people who already know the streamers. My Kick clips often required more context in the captions because people didn't recognize the streamers.

The content can be too extreme. Some Kick clips performed poorly because they crossed the line from "edgy" to "offensive." TikTok and YouTube have their own content policies, and some Kick content violates them. I had three Kick clips removed for policy violations. Zero Twitch clips were removed.

Streamers are less established. Many Kick streamers don't have the same level of production quality or personality development as established Twitch streamers. That makes for less consistent content.

The Downsides of Twitch

Twitch isn't perfect either.

The content is safer, but also more boring. Twitch clips are consistently decent, but they rarely blow up. They're the reliable option, not the exciting one.

More competition. Everyone clips Twitch. There are thousands of clip channels posting Twitch content daily. Standing out is harder.

Stricter DMCA enforcement. Twitch streamers are more likely to have music playing that triggers copyright claims. I had more clips muted or removed due to DMCA issues from Twitch than from Kick.

The platform is more corporate. Twitch feels like a big company now. Kick still has that scrappy underdog energy that resonates with younger audiences.

What I'm Doing Now

After this experiment, I've adjusted my strategy.

I now clip 60% Kick, 40% Twitch.

Kick gives me the viral hits and the high-engagement content. Twitch gives me the consistent, reliable content that keeps my posting schedule full.

It's a balance. I'm not abandoning either platform. But I'm leaning more heavily into Kick because the upside is higher.

My Recommendation

If you're just starting out, start with Twitch.

Why? Because there's more content, it's easier to find good moments, and the learning curve is gentler. You'll get consistent results while you figure out what works.

Once you're comfortable with clipping and you've built a small following, add Kick to the mix.

Kick is higher risk, higher reward. The clips that hit will hit harder than Twitch clips. But you'll also have more misses.

Don't go all-in on either platform. Diversify. Clip both. See what works for your audience.

The Real Lesson

Here's what this experiment taught me: the platform matters less than the content.

Yes, Kick clips performed slightly better on average. But my best Twitch clip (890K views) outperformed most of my Kick clips.

The platform gives you a slight edge, but it doesn't guarantee success. What matters is finding great moments and presenting them well.

A boring Kick clip will still flop. An amazing Twitch clip will still go viral.

Focus on the content first. The platform is just a variable.

The Future

Kick is growing fast. More streamers are moving over or streaming on both platforms. The content is getting better. The production quality is improving.

I think in six months, Kick will be even better for clippers than it is now. The platform is still finding its identity, but the trajectory is clear.

Twitch isn't going anywhere. It's still the dominant platform, and it will be for a while. But it's no longer the only game in town.

For clippers, that's good news. More platforms mean more content, more opportunities, and more ways to stand out.

My advice? Clip both. See what works for you. And adjust as the platforms evolve.

The streaming landscape is changing. The clippers who adapt will thrive.