Source-backed analysis12
Review basis
Research-based review: the AppDuo Editorial Team compiled it from official pages, documentation, app stores, press and user feedback, without hands-on testing. Every claim links to a source with the date it was checked.
12 reference sourcesInformation updated Nov 10, 2026
How we review
Kick Review
Twitch rival with a 95/5 subscription split and a contested moderation record
By AppDuo Editorial Team · Updated
- Web
- iOS
- Android
On this page
Decide at a glance
Our verdict
Kick suits streamers who want to keep nearly all of their subscription revenue and viewers who follow creators that moved there. The trade-offs are repeated criticism of loose moderation, highlighted by the 2025 French investigation, and reliance on the nearly $1 billion its founders have put in.
Best for: Streamers who meet Partner criteria and want a high revenue share
Skip it if: Brands or viewers who need a tightly moderated environment
Pros
- Creators keep 95% of subscriptions and KICKs tips
- Multistreaming is allowed, per the app-store description
- Apps for iOS, Android and Apple TV plus web; store ratings of 4.6–4.7 out of 5
Cons
- The 2025 death of streamer Jean Pormanove during a Kick broadcast led to a French investigation and a referral to regulators
- Ads do not pay creators directly, and Partner status needs an average of 75 concurrent viewers
All pros and cons · Who is it for?
Pros
- A help center with many guides for streamers
Cons
- Kick relies on money from Stake's founders; Win.gg says it ran at a loss for its first three years
- The Google Play data label differs from the privacy policy
Best for
- Viewers who want to follow big streamers broadcasting on Kick
Skip it if
- Small streamers who need income soon, since Partner thresholds are fairly high
Problems it solves
Experience & key features
What Kick is
Kick is a livestreaming platform run by Kick Streaming Pty Ltd of Australia and a direct rival to Twitch. Wikipedia dates its launch to December 2022 and Streams Charts to January 2023, with the 95/5 revenue split as the main draw. According to Wikipedia, Kick Streaming's sole shareholder is Easygo Entertainment, the company behind the crypto casino Stake run by Bijan Tehrani and Ed Craven. Streams Charts (13 April 2026) says Kick announced 100 million users, and Tehrani confirmed that he and Craven have personally invested nearly $1 billion in the platform.
Partner programme and revenue split
Kick's help center says creators keep 95% of subscription revenue ($4.75 on a $5 plan, the rest covering payment processing) and 95% of the value of KICKs received. To join the Kick Partner Program a channel must be verified and, over the last 30 days, average at least 75 concurrent viewers, stream 30 hours, hold 25 active subscriptions, reach 250 unique chatters and post 3 VODs, with at least 250 followers. Meeting these only makes a channel eligible to apply. Creators with an audience elsewhere can use Fast Track. Ads currently generate no direct payment for creators.
Controversies and risks
On 18 August 2025, French streamer Raphael Graven, known as Jean Pormanove, died during a Kick broadcast. French prosecutors opened an investigation, and Clara Chappaz, junior minister for AI and digital affairs, referred the matter to the regulator Arcom and reported it to Pharos, France's portal for illegal online content. Per NBC News, Kick said it would cooperate with authorities and banned the co-streamers in the broadcast pending the investigation. Win.gg also records long-running criticism that Kick moderates loosely and serves as a marketing channel for Stake. For users this weighs alongside price.
More analysis
Who it fits
Viewers pay nothing and can follow large streamers such as xQc or Asmongold, whom the app-store description names. Streamers who reach Partner metrics gain the most from the 95/5 split, while small channels may struggle to earn because the thresholds are fairly high. Those who prioritise tight moderation or mature creator tooling should compare Twitch and YouTube.
Screenshots
Plans & pricing
Prices last verified Nov 10, 2026
Xem miễn phí / Free viewing
PersonalFree
Watching, chatting and following channels is free. The app-store description says viewing is "ad-free", yet Kick's creator help article says platform-wide ads may run depending on location, category, channel and language, and the App Store listing notes advertising. Subscribers do not see ads on channels they subscribe to.
Đăng ký kênh / Channel subscription
Personal$5/mo
According to Kick's help center, a channel subscription is a flat $5 per month per channel. The creator receives 95% ($4.75) and $0.25 covers payment processing. In the iOS app, the US App Store in-app purchase list prices a Tier 1 subscription at $6.49.
- Free plan limits
- No payment is needed to watch. In-app purchases cover channel subscriptions and KICKs bundles (virtual currency for tipping streamers). On the US App Store, 500 KICKs cost $7.99, 1,000 KICKs $15.49 and 2,500 KICKs $37.99.
- Free trial
- No free trial
Cancellation & refunds
The pages checked do not state a dedicated refund policy for channel subscriptions. Purchases in the iOS and Android apps also fall under Apple's and Google's store rules.
Privacy
The privacy policy (updated 19 May 2026) names Kick Streaming Pty Ltd as data controller. It lists account details, user content, IP addresses, device information, approximate location and cookies as collected, and creators who cash out go through third-party verification of ID and tax numbers. It discloses third-party ad networks, sharing a user ID or hashed email with Google and ad partners, payments via Stripe and PayPal, and age assurance via K-ID. The minimum age is 13. Access, correction and deletion requests are made by email, though Kick says it may not be able to delete all public information because of content licences. The App Store label says email and phone number are linked to you and used for advertising, while Google Play's Data safety section says no data is collected, which contradicts the policy.
Kick alternatives
Frequently asked questions
Is Kick free?
Watching and chatting are free. Kick's help center lists channel subscriptions at a flat $5 a month ($6.49 in the iOS app), and KICKs are sold in the app, from $7.99 for 500 on the US App Store.
How much do streamers earn on Kick?
According to the help center, creators keep 95% of subscriptions and 95% of KICKs value. Ads do not pay extra directly.
Does Kick show ads?
Possibly. The app-store text says ad-free, but Kick's help article says platform-wide ads can run depending on location, category and channel; subscribers do not see ads on channels they subscribe to.
Who owns Kick?
The privacy policy names Kick Streaming Pty Ltd (Australia) as data controller. According to Wikipedia, its sole shareholder is Easygo Entertainment, the company behind Stake; sources disagree on each founder's share of Easygo.
Review evidence & sources12
Scores
- Ease of use
- 7.3
- Features
- 7.5
- Value for money
- 7.8
- Performance
- 6.5
- Support
- 6.0
- Privacy & security
- 5.0
Why this score
The apps offer categories, a following feed and events like other livestream services. Some Google Play reviews complain of repeated sign-ins with an emailed code; no independent usability data was found. The interface is English-only.
Why this score
Channel subscriptions, KICKs, events, multistreaming, a Partner programme and Fast Track. Compared with Twitch or YouTube the creator tooling is younger, and the pages checked give no full comparison.
Why this score
Free to watch; subscriptions are $5 a month on the web with $4.75 going to the creator, a very high share. Marked down because the same tier costs $6.49 in the iOS app, ads now run despite the "ad-free" pitch, and ads earn creators nothing extra.
Why this score
High store ratings (4.7 App Store, 4.6 Google Play), and Streams Charts says over 500 million hours watched in a month had become routine by March 2026. Yet the most-upvoted Google Play reviews describe crashes, lost positions in VODs and no background playback on Android. No independent stability or latency measurements were found.
Why this score
A help center with many guides and an email contact for privacy requests; no chat or phone channel appears on the pages checked. Kick's replies to Google Play reviews are mostly boilerplate.
Why this score
The policy discloses sharing a user ID or hashed email with Google and ad partners and creator ID collection via third parties, while the Google Play label claims no data is collected, an inconsistency. Deletion can be requested but may not cover all public content.
What users say
- App Store (US)4.7/5 · 148,000
- Google Play (US)4.6/5 · 330,000
Sources
- Vendor-providedKick homepageNov 10, 2026
- Vendor-providedKick Privacy Policy (updated 2026-05-19)Nov 10, 2026
- Vendor-providedKick Partner Terms and ConditionsNov 10, 2026
- Vendor-providedKick help center: revenue splitNov 10, 2026
- Vendor-providedKick help center: Partner ProgramNov 10, 2026
- Vendor-providedKick help center: advertising for creatorsNov 10, 2026
- storeApp Store listing (US)Nov 10, 2026
- storeGoogle Play listingNov 10, 2026
- pressStreams Charts (2026-04-13)Nov 10, 2026
- pressWin.gg: A history of KickNov 10, 2026
- pressNBC News (2025-08-20)Nov 10, 2026
- Community-reportedWikipedia: Kick (service)Nov 10, 2026
Specs & compatibility
- Developer
- Kick Streaming Pty Ltd
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Launched
- 2022
- Category
- Entertainment
Capabilities
- Mobile app
- Real-time collaboration
Platforms
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Interface languages
- English
Integrations
- Stripe
- PayPal
- Apple TV
Support
- Help center
Change history
- Update.Kick updated its privacy policy.
- Update.Streams Charts reported Kick's announcement of 100 million users in three years.
- Update.Streamer Jean Pormanove died during a Kick broadcast; France opened an investigation and referred the matter to regulators.
Full change history (5)
- Company.xQc signed a non-exclusive $100 million deal with Kick, per Streams Charts.
- Launch.Kick launched as a Twitch alternative with a 95/5 subscription split (Streams Charts dates it to January 2023).
About the author
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