Short answer
Before you start
- A Twitch account and a StreamElements or Ko-fi account
- A payment provider available in your country
- OBS installed if you want on-screen alerts
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Step by step
- 01
Pick a payment path
Nicole Rojas · YouTube · 0:00 ↗Use StreamElements when you want tip moderation, an alert editor, and one page for your stream. Use Ko-fi when you want a short support page. Both send payment to your connected provider, so privacy starts there.
What you should see: You can explain where the money goes and which service will show the public page.
- 02
Check the public payment details
Nicole Rojas · YouTube · 1:32 ↗A personal PayPal account can expose identifying details during a transaction. Review your PayPal or Stripe public name, email, and receipt address. Use a business account only when it is truthful and available to you.
What you should see: Your test receipt shows the channel-facing details you intend to share.
The privacy review helps keep personal details out of a donation flow. YouTube · 3:50 ↗ - 03
Connect PayPal in StreamElements
Nicole Rojas · YouTube · 4:34 ↗Open StreamElements Dashboard, then Revenue and Tipping settings. Expand Payment Providers, choose PayPal, and finish the authorization. StreamElements documents the same path in its current help article.
What you should see: PayPal appears as a connected payment provider and the tipping page has a link.
- 04
Set the page rules
Nicole Rojas · YouTube · 5:36 ↗Choose currency, minimum and maximum amounts, preset buttons, message length, and moderation filters. Keep the first version easy to read. A smaller set of choices is easier to test on a phone.
What you should see: The page shows your currency, limits, and a message rule that you understand.
StreamElements keeps the tipping page and Twitch panel settings in one place. YouTube · 6:21 ↗ - 05
Add and test the tip alert
Nicole Rojas · YouTube · 8:08 ↗In StreamElements, edit Tip alerts, choose the visual and sound, then copy the overlay URL into OBS as a Browser Source. Test it with the built-in emulate control before a real viewer sends money.
What you should see: The alert appears inside the scene at the intended size and the sound is audible without covering the game.
The alert overlay gets a recognizable name before it is connected to OBS. YouTube · 8:51 ↗ - 06
Add the support link to Twitch
Nicole Rojas · YouTube · 9:38 ↗Put the tipping link in a panel with one sentence that says what happens after a tip. Use the same link in your profile text and stream description if those surfaces are current for your account.
What you should see: A viewer can find the link without asking in chat.
- 07
Compare Ko-fi before you publish
Nicole Rojas · YouTube · 10:38 ↗Create the Ko-fi page, connect PayPal or Stripe, and read the privacy notes from Ko-fi. Its own help page says payment providers control what information is shared.
What you should see: You can choose the link that matches your payment and privacy needs.
Ko-fi lets you set amounts, text, and membership options from its dashboard. YouTube · 13:01 ↗ - 08
Run a safe test
Nicole Rojas · YouTube · 16:14 ↗Test the link, receipt, alert, volume, and refund path while offline or with a trusted person. Keep a private note of the provider, currency, and the exact public details that appeared.
What you should see: The test does not reveal a detail you meant to keep private.
If something does not work
- A tip does not appear
- Check whether PayPal is holding the transaction for verification. StreamElements says to contact PayPal for that payment issue. Then replay the alert only after the payment state is clear.
- The alert is missing in OBS
- Confirm the Browser Source URL, source visibility, dimensions, and scene. Use the platform's test or emulate control.
- The receipt shows private details
- Stop sharing the link. Review the payment provider's public business details before creating another test.
Test before you go live
- Payment provider public details have been tested
- StreamElements or Ko-fi page opens on a phone
- Currency and limits are clear
- OBS alert has been tested
- Twitch panel has the current link
Cómo recibir donaciones en tu stream gratis y seguro con StreamElements y Ko-fi
Watch the full tutorial ↗Common questions
Do I need Twitch Affiliate to receive tips?
The Nicole tutorial presents tips as a direct payment link rather than Twitch Bits or subscriptions. Check each provider's current requirements in your country.
Does StreamElements take a cut?
StreamElements says it does not add a processing fee, while PayPal and other providers can charge their own fees. Read the current provider terms before publishing a rate.
Does Ko-fi hide my legal name?
Ko-fi says payment providers decide what they share. Its help page recommends reviewing PayPal or Stripe details, and says a PayPal Business account can let you choose the displayed name and email.
Should I use a personal PayPal account?
Test the payer-facing receipt first. If it reveals a detail you want private, stop and review another payment setup.
