What are Extensions on Twitch?
Extensions are a feature added to Twitch back in 2017. In a nutshell, they’re interactive widgets which are either overlayed on top of your broadcast or appear in your panels below.
Twitch introduced Extensions to add another dimension of engagement for viewers to interact with the stream. You can download Extensions from the marketplace
.
Types of Twitch Extensions
There are an enormous amount of extensions available on the marketplace, each with a varying purpose. Here are the different categories of Twitch extension that are available to download.
- Extensions for Games
- Loyalty & Recognition
- Schedule & Countdowns
- Viewer Engagement
- Polling & Voting
- Music
- Games in Extensions
- Streamer Tools
Extensions for Games
This category revolves around extensions that work in unison with the game you are currently playing. For example, Path of Exile’s Armory Extension allows your viewers to see what gear your character is wearing in the form of a stream overlay.
Loyalty & Recognition
Want to show off your highest donators? You can find different types of leaderboards in this category which ranks users in order of things such as gifted subs or Bits.
Schedule & Countdowns
These plugins are fairly simple, they allow you to set a countdown timer for your next stream, display your weekly stream schedule or even an events calendar.
Viewer Engagement
Engagement extensions focus on getting your chat involved with the stream. This is usually in the form of a donation alert, text to speech or placing emotes on the broadcast.
Polling & Voting
Exactly what it says on the tin. This type of extension allows you to create votes for your viewers to get involved in.
Music
Music extensions allow viewers to see what song is currently playing or request a song of their own. You can also find radio extensions in this category if you don’t have a specific playlist for your stream. Alternatively, a Twitch bot will also allow you to take song requests if you don’t want to use an extension.
Games in Extensions
These are literally mini-games which viewers can play whilst watching the stream or in the panels below. They’re great to retain viewers whilst you’re AFK.
Streamer Tools
These will either make you money or provide an analytical insight to your viewership. Earn affiliate revenue through the likes of Amazon Blacksmith or sell your own branded merchandise with Design by Hümans / Teespring.
How many extensions can you have on Twitch?
As it stands, you can only have a maximum of three extensions enabled at any given time, however if you use an excessively large overlay, you can only have one.
How To Use & Install Twitch Extensions
Twitch have a full guide on how extensions work over on their help section, which you can find here.
Here Are The 10 Best (non game specific) Twitch Extensions.
1. Amazon Blacksmith
Amazon Blacksmith is exclusive to Twitch Partners and Affiliates. It’s a simple extension which appears in either the panel area below your stream or as an overlay on to your broadcast and is used to generate affiliate revenue in a non intrusive way.
Note: You’ll have to sign up for the Amazon Associates Program even if you’re already a Twitch Partner / Affiliate in order to receive commission.
The extension needs to be populated with the gear you use in your streaming or gaming setup, as long as it’s available to buy on Amazon.
When a user clicks on one of your links and lands on Amazon, a cookie is installed on their browser for 24 hours. If the user purchases the product which you referred them, you’ll earn a small percentage of money when the product is delivered.
Alternatively, if the user buys a completely different product, you may still be eligible for a reduced commission for cross-selling.
Viewers always eventually ask about what gear you use in your PC setup, so rather than have a generic written description below your stream, Amazon Blacksmith will display your list in a much nicer way and provide you with an extra opportunity to make money as you grow bigger and bigger.
You can check out the current commission rates here.
2. StreamElements Leaderboards
A large factor in subscriber retention is the feeling of investment by the subscriber. This is an amalgamation of time, money and a sprinkle of that community feel.
With StreamElements Leaderboard extension, viewers can earn points which they can spend on your store, showcase the amount of Bits they’ve donated as well as how many subs they’ve gifted.
This extension is displayed in the panel area below your stream, so it won’t take up any precious space on your broadcast. You can also set a countdown until your next stream when you’re offline, which is especially handy when you’re travelling to events and streaming outside of your usual schedule.
Streamlabs Leaderboard is also a good alternative to this, which you can download here.
3. StreamLegends
StreamLegends is literally a full blown game created within the confines of a Twitch extension. Users can create their own adventurer, kill monsters and level up their characters. It’s a great way to keep viewers watching your stream whilst you’re AFK, but be sure to direct them to it before they drop off.
4. Spotify Recently Played
Okay, this is only really useful if you play your stream music through Spotify, but this extension displays the song that is currently playing on stream, as well as some of the songs played previously.
You can also add all of these songs to a playlist for your viewers to follow.
One thing to be wary of using this extension is that if you’ve connected your Spotify account with your Facebook profile, you may accidentally leak some of your personal information such as your name or Facebook profile picture, which people could potentially reverse Google image search to find your personal profiles.
5. My Instagram
This is one of the bread and butter extensions to have for your channel. If you’re big on using social media (which you should be, as a streamer!) then this is a nice way to gain an extra couple of followers whilst you’re broadcasting.
The extension will display a snippet of your recent Instagram posts in the panel area below your stream.
You could also consider a plugin like Twitter Timeline, if you aren’t as active on Instagram.
6. Sound Alerts
Sound Alerts lets your viewers play different sound effects over your stream. You can upload your own audio clips or choose from some premade sounds in the library.
This extension is one of the many options available to streamers who want to charge Bits for an alert sound to play, assuming you don’t already get this from another plugin.
If you’re a Twitch Affiliate or Partner, having an extension like this is another way you can monetise elements of your stream.
7. Twitch Prime Reminder
People know that Twitch Prime exists, sometimes people just need a little reminder that they can use it. Having an extension like this takes away from having to give the old Twitch Prime sales pitch.
The extension itself will add an overlay with a small call to action button, reminding viewers that they have a free sub available along with other information about the benefits of Twitch Prime.
Little features like this can go a long way in converting your viewers into subscribers.
8. OWN3D Design Panels (Free & Animated)
This is one of the better Twitch extensions for new streamers as it takes away the hassle of designing the panels which live below your stream. Of course, you’ll still have to add in bits of your own information, but you can make a good first impression to viewers who land on your stream for the first time when they see professional looking, uniformly designed panels.
Traditionally, people that used Own3d for their design work will just use their website – that’s because their Twitch extension has only just been launched into beta.
The major benefit of having your panels provided by this extension is that you can have animated panels, though keep in mind they will only appear within the extension, which is the size of one panel.
9. Suggestion Box
Gather constructive suggestions for your stream with this suggestion box extension. Users can enter their feedback and submit their thoughts for you and your viewers to see. Viewers can also react with different emotes, as seen in the image above.
You may attract the odd troll every now and then, but if you have a relatively small sized viewership or you’re a variety streamer, this extension is an effective way to get some advice/inspiration.
10. Quiz Kit
Quiz Kit allows you to host your own interactive quiz. You can either make your own from scratch or pick from a variety of ready-made quizzes.
Viewers can click and choose their answers directly on your stream via an overlay, without having to rely on typing in Twitch chat. It’s a great way to get lurkers more involved in your broadcast.
Quiz Kit will also keep track of your viewer’s scores, which are visible at all times in the form of an on-screen leaderboard.
If you put your mind to it, you can use Quiz Kit in all sorts of creative ways. For example, Oldschool Runescape have been using this extension to play Pictionary with fans in a series of live streams during the Covid-19 lockdown.
It’s not the kind of overlay you need to keep active all the time, it’s more of one you install right before the stream where you intend to use it.
