What Are Stream Alerts? The Types, and When Each One Plays
Stream alerts are animated notifications that play on screen the moment something happens on your stream: a donation, a new follower, a subscription, or a gift. The best known is the donation alert, and each platform has its own events.
Types of alerts
| Alert | When it plays | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Donation alert | When a viewer sends money | Every platform, through a tip page |
| Follow alert | On a new follower | Twitch, Kick and YouTube |
| Subscription alert | On a paid or gifted subscription | Twitch, Kick and YouTube |
| Raid alert | When another streamer sends their viewers to you | Twitch |
| Tap and latest-supporter alerts | On likes and gifts | TikTok |
What an alert is made of
- The animation: a short video with a transparent background (WEBM) that plays over the stream.
- The sound: inside the file itself, or added in the alert tool.
- The text: the supporter's name and the amount, written over the design by the alert tool each time.
How alerts reach the stream
The platform itself does not show the alert. You use an alert tool connected to your account, upload the alert file for each event there, and put the tool's link into OBS as a Browser source. From then on the alert plays by itself whenever the event happens.
Which alert to start with
Start with the donation alert, since it plays at the most important moment of a stream, then add follow and subscription alerts in the same style so all your alerts read as one identity. Flix Store has ready-made donation alerts in several styles, each with a video preview to watch before you order.
Browse Flix Store's ready-made alerts, and to find the one that suits your channel read how to choose the right alert for your channel.