Twitch Alternatives: Twitch is all hype now. The biggest name in live video streaming, the service is also available on PCs, consoles and your smartphones. This service allows you to stream IRLs and more while focusing primarily on gamers.
The best twitch Alternatives
- UStream (IBM Cloud Video)
Twitch’s biggest rival is no doubt UStream, a San Francisco-based company, is a public streaming platform that allows users to view sports programs, talk shows and private live streams along with general gaming streams that twitch offers. The service, now owned by IBM, is responsible for one-third of all live business video and is used by Facebook, LinkedIn, Intuit, NASA and Salesforce.
Like the Twitch, the UStream is also integrated in Sony’s PlayStation 4, allowing it to stream easily from your gameplay console. UStream supports any type of stream that Twitch tries to integrate with IRL (in real life). While Twitch hosts a lot of gaming streams, it has also been prone to downtimes as well. On the other hand, UStream offers an excellent streaming service that feels flawless. Additionally, like Twitch, UStream caters to its native clients for smartphones such as Android and iOS.
Platforms: Web (Windows, Mac), PS4, Android, iOS
- Smashcast TV (formerly Hitbox and Asubu)
For those who follow the online live streaming, the names Asubu and Hitbox may ring the bell. As one of the best live streaming services, the two brands have teamed up to build Smashcast TV, which competes neck to neck with Twitch. The website offers great HTML5 / JavaScript integration, making the end user experience very easy and fluid at the same time.
Whether you are a spectator, streamer, partner, tournament organizer or sports team, Smashcast TV offers features designed just for you. While empowering broadcasters with unique toolsets, superior streaming technology, chat-casting capabilities and more, it delivers a lean experience for users to interact with their games, players and communities just like Twich offers. Smashcast TV, which was initially brought to the broadcast streams of Project M and other eSports that did not support Twitch, now boasts higher quality sport streams than Twitch.
Platforms: Web (Windows, Mac), Android, iOS
- Mixer (formerly beam)
Mixer, formerly known as Beam, is Microsoft’s own live streaming video platform. Like Twitch, Mixer focuses on video gaming, which includes playthroughs of video games. The service has unique features that allow viewers to interact with streams. Additionally, with an SDK, users can add features to the game to influence the gameplay or vote on the components using the buttons that are displayed along with the stream.
Mixer is a service that can make Xbox and Windows 10 players more attractive as it is fully integrated with Microsoft’s cross-platform plans. Like Twitch, there are special streamers and streams at that time, you can search with the game or a specific channel. When it supports multiple languages, such as Mixer Twitch, the service takes it a step further, allowing you to search for language-based streams. However, the direct advantage of the mixer over the Twitch is that no third-party software is required to transmit in service; Mixer Client can stream your gameplay online with high video quality.
Platforms: Windows, Xbox One
- Mirrativ
Mirrativ is a live video streaming service primarily for smartphones. It integrates unbound mobile broadcasting, screen sharing and social interaction into a single app. Available for Android and iOS, the service allows smartphone users to share or stream their screens directly to see the world.
Like Twitch, people who watch your stream on Mirrativ can communicate directly with you by submitting comments and asking questions. Viewers may like the stream by showing stars on screen. Also, when Twitch allows you to stream from your smartphone, it usually requires a third-party client and a connected connection. Mirrativ, on the other hand, opens the door to streaming mobile games without being connected to a computer. You can use the service to share anything on your screen, including apps or menus on your phone or tablet.
Platforms: Android, iOS
- YouTube Gaming
YouTube Gaming is Google’s response to Twitch. The service looks and acts like standard YouTube with introducing a darker color scheme and focusing on live, on-demand video game videos. YouTube Gaming provides a load of many game-related videos to explore everything from simple soundtrack collections to walkthroughs and live reviews.
Like Twitch, YouTube gaming recommends spotlight and trending categories, allowing users to easily search for their favourite content. Also, you need to click on the ‘Live’ tab to get the latest events. Although Twitch has a large gamer-based audience, YouTube Gaming shares the largest audience from YouTube, giving it an edge. Also, the viewing experience of YouTube Gaming is literally similar to that of YouTube, but with an additional comment section on the right, which allows your viewers to interact with you. Also, like Twitch, making money on YouTube gaming is very easy.
Platforms: Web (Windows, Mac), Android, iOS
- Periscope
Periscope is a live video streaming application for Android and iOS, later acquired by Twitter in 2015. Considering that Periscope is a major contributor to Mirrativ, a hybrid of Twitter and Periscope, the Twitter-owned service is still loved by many users around the world. This service allows users to stream from their phones, pushing that stream to their connected Twitter feeds for maximum viewership.
Like Twitch, the periscope also allows viewers to communicate live. They can provide reactions like hearts and comments when the streamer communicates with the world. Additionally, streamers can choose the orientation for streaming, i.e. in portrait or landscape mode. Also, like Twitch, streamers have the ability to preserve their finished streams for later use. Periscope allows the user to block unwanted viewers like Twitch. Also, the user can stream from their camera, unlike twitch which only streams the user’s screen,
Platforms: Android, iOS
The best Twitch alternatives you can use
Well, that’s a list of some of the best alternatives you can use if you want to try apart from twitch. Personally, You can use Mixer for its convenience if you are a PC gamer and Mirrativ if you are a smartphone user who wants to stream live video. Also, even if you are a fan of Twitch, it does not hurt to try the new service once. So, which of the above live streaming services did you like? Also, did we miss any service worth mentioning? Let us know in the comments below.
