The Difference Between a Twitch Emote and a Twitch Sub Badge
While Twitch emotes and Twitch sub badges are both important for streamers to engage their community, they serve different purposes and have distinct uses. Here's a breakdown of the differences:
What Are Twitch Emotes?
Twitch emotes are custom images or icons that viewers can use in chat to express emotions, reactions, or inside jokes. They add personality and fun to a stream’s chat.
Key Features:
- Used in Chat: Emotes can be typed in chat by subscribers or viewers with access to them.
- Global or Custom: Twitch provides global emotes accessible to all users, while custom emotes are exclusive to a specific streamer’s channel.
- Unlockable via Subscriptions: Streamers typically offer emotes as a perk for subscribing to their channel at different subscription tiers (Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3).
- Custom Designs: Streamers can create or commission unique emotes that represent their brand or community memes.
- Sizes: Twitch requires emotes in specific resolutions: 112x112, 56x56, and 28x28 pixels.
Twitch Sub Badges
Sub badges are icons displayed next to a subscriber’s username in the chat to signify their loyalty and support for the channel. They highlight how long someone has been subscribed to a streamer.
Key Features:
- Displays Loyalty: Sub badges show how long a viewer has been subscribed (e.g., 1-month, 3-month, 1-year, etc.).
- Exclusive to the Channel: Each streamer can design unique sub badges to match their brand or community theme.
- Evolves Over Time: Sub badges change based on the subscriber’s duration, allowing streamers to reward long-term supporters.
- Static (Not Usable in Chat): Unlike emotes, sub badges are static icons that appear next to the username and cannot be typed in chat.
Main Differences at a Glance:
Feature | Twitch Emote | Twitch Sub Badge |
---|---|---|
Purpose | Express emotions/reactions in chat | Show loyalty and subscription duration |
Placement | Used in chat messages | Displayed next to a username |
Who Can Use It | Subscribers, viewers with access | Exclusive to individual subscribers |
Custom Designs | Yes, for unique channel branding | Yes, evolves with subscription length |
Interactive | Yes, used actively in chat | No, static display only |
Sizes | 112x112, 56x56, 28x28 | 72x72, 36x36, 18x18 |
In short, Twitch emotes are dynamic tools for chat engagement, while sub badges are static loyalty indicators. Both are essential for streamers to build and nurture their communities, showcasing their personalities while rewarding subscriber support. A successful streamer often invests in creative designs for both!

Bring Your Streams to Life with Twitch Emotes!
Level up your channel with high-quality Twitch emotes designed to boost engagement and express personality. Choose from animated or static emotes perfect for streamers looking to connect with their audience. Compatible with Twitch and Discord, these emotes make every interaction more fun and memorable!
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Chibi Dragon Wrapped In Winter Blanket Emote Twitch - Static PNG
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Croc Emote Twitch - Static 112x112, 56x56, 28x28 PNG Transparent Background
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Panda Emote Twitch - Static 112x112, 56x56, 28x28 PNG Transparent Background
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Animated Dinosaur Roar Twitch Emote – T-Rex GIF for Twitch and Discord
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