How to donate on YouTube Live: Super Chat vs a donation link
How to donate on YouTube Live on desktop or mobile: Super Chat, Super Stickers, memberships or the creator’s link, what the creator keeps and safety tips.
DonoLink editorial team.
This guide is for streamers in the United Kingdom. DonoLink is coming soon to donolink.co.uk; most steps work with any donation tool, and the waitlist tells you when you can start.
YouTube Live donations: the options at a glance
YouTube has several paid features in the live chat. A Super Chat is a highlighted message with an amount you choose, and a Super Sticker is an animated sticker. A channel membership is a monthly payment with perks such as badges, and during a live stream you can also gift memberships to other viewers. Super Thanks works on uploaded videos and Shorts, and on the replay once the stream has ended. Many creators also share their own donation link in the description, a pinned chat message or a chat command. YouTube itself says these fan funding features are not donation or crowdfunding tools: you pay for a message, a sticker or perks, at prices and limits that YouTube sets.
How to send a Super Chat on a computer
Sign in to YouTube, open the live stream and make sure the live chat is visible. Click the dollar sign in the chat and choose Super Chat or Super Sticker. For a Super Chat, drag the slider or type an amount and add a message if you like; for a sticker, pick a pack and then the sticker. Click ‘Buy and send’ and follow the payment steps. Depending on the amount, your message stands out more and can stay pinned at the top of the chat for a while. Your channel name, profile picture and amount are visible to everyone. YouTube sets daily and weekly spending limits that vary by country, and sends you a receipt by email.
How to donate on YouTube Live from your phone
Use the YouTube app, because Super Chats and Super Stickers are not supported in mobile browsers. Open the stream, bring up the live chat, tap the dollar sign and follow the same steps as on a computer. Check the amount on the confirmation screen before you pay. On Android, some purchases are billed through Google Play, which YouTube says does not change the price. On iPhone and iPad, Apple’s App Store fees are deducted before the creator’s share is calculated, and memberships can be priced differently depending on your country and the platform you use. If the creator has their own donation link, tap it in the description; if the payment fails in the in-app browser, open the same link in your usual browser.
Joining or gifting a channel membership
Click or tap ‘Join’ under the video or on the channel page, pick a level if there are several and pay. You must be at least 18 (19 in some countries), and memberships are only offered in certain countries and regions. The payment renews every month; you can cancel at any time at youtube.com/paid_memberships and keep the perks until the end of the billing period, without a refund for the remaining days. To gift memberships during a live stream or Premiere, choose the gifting option in the live chat, decide how many viewers receive one and pay. Only viewers who subscribe to the channel and have turned on ‘Allow gifts’ can receive them. A gift lasts up to one month, does not renew and is non-refundable.
Why is there no Super Chat button?
First, the creator has to qualify and switch it on: the channel must be in the YouTube Partner Program, the creator must be at least 18 and live where the feature is available, and Super Chat must be turned on in YouTube Studio. Some streams never show it: streams made for kids, age-restricted, private or unlisted streams, streams with a YouTube Giving fundraiser and streams with live chat turned off. On your side, a mobile browser, your country or a supervised account can hide the option. If the ‘Join’ button is missing, try the channel page or add /join to the end of the channel address. Still nothing? Ask the moderators whether the creator shares a donation link.
Safety checks before you pay
Only pay inside YouTube or through a link from the official channel: the description, the channel links or a chat message pinned by the creator, since moderators and viewers cannot pin messages. Watch out for look-alike channels and for messages that promise rewards, giveaways or refunds in return for a payment. Never share passwords, card details or verification codes in chat. A Super Chat shows your channel name, picture and amount to everyone, and the name and message you enter on a donation page may appear on stream, so leave out personal details. Super Chat and Super Sticker payments are non-refundable, even if the message is removed. Keep your receipt or payment confirmation in case you have a question.
How much does YouTube take from a Super Chat?
Creators receive 70% of the revenue from Super Chat, Super Stickers and Super Thanks, calculated after local sales tax or VAT and, for purchases on iPhone or iPad, Apple’s App Store fees. So YouTube keeps 30% of the net amount, and it currently covers transaction costs such as card fees. Memberships follow the same 70% split after applicable taxes and fees; a multi-channel network can take an extra share, and refunds come out of the creator’s part. Taxes may also apply to what the creator earns. With a donation link on a DonoLink page, you pay exactly the amount you choose, and the creator keeps it minus the 3.5% DonoLink fee and Stripe’s processing fees. Shares can change, so creators should check the current terms in YouTube Studio.
For streamers: add a donation link and alerts
Create a free DonoLink account with no subscription, finish the Stripe connection for payouts and copy your public page link from the dashboard. Put it at the top of your stream description, in your channel links and in a chat message you pin during the stream; clickable external links in video descriptions require advanced features on your channel. Linky, the DonoLink chatbot, also works on YouTube and can answer a !donate command with your link. In OBS, add the alerts browser source from your dashboard, with image, GIF, video, sound and text-to-speech, plus overlays for a donation goal, recent donations and top donors. These alerts show donations made through your page. DonoLink charges 3.5% per successful donation; Stripe’s processing fees are charged separately. If your channel qualifies, switch on Super Chat in YouTube Studio under Earn, then Supers.
Quick answers about YouTube Live donations
Can I still support a creator after the stream? Yes, with Super Thanks on the replay, a membership or the creator’s link; Super Chat only works during live streams and Premieres. Can I get my money back? Super Chats and Super Stickers are non-refundable, and a cancelled membership runs until the end of the billing period without a partial refund. Where can I see what I spent? YouTube emails a receipt for each Super Chat, and your memberships are listed at youtube.com/paid_memberships. Which option leaves the most for the creator? Usually a direct donation link: YouTube keeps 30% of the net revenue from Supers and memberships, while a DonoLink page deducts 3.5% plus Stripe’s processing fees.