Updated November 11, 2026 · 4 min read
VIP is a special viewer status on a channel: a badge appears next to their name in chat, and everyone can see they matter to the community. It's a way to thank the people who make your channel better.
Here's who to make VIP, how to grant it and how to use the status for a livelier chat.
Below: why VIP status matters, who to give it to, how to grant and remove it, and how VIPs help make chat and TTS livelier.
VIP sits between a regular viewer and a moderator. VIPs don't punish others or manage chat, but they stand out with a badge, and the streamer can give VIPs special perks on their channel, for example in rewards, viewer games or chat TTS.
VIP is thanks everyone can see. The badge shows this person matters to the channel and motivates others to be more active. VIPs also aren't affected by slow mode, so they can keep chatting when chat is restricted.
VIP can be a step before mod: if someone handles VIP well, you can make them a moderator later.
Type /vip and the viewer's name in your chat. To remove it: /unvip and the name. You can also manage VIPs in your Twitch Creator Dashboard.
If a viewer stops being active or breaks the rules, remove the status with /unvip name or in community settings. Do it calmly, without public drama. Some streamers give VIP for a month as a reward and then rotate, so the status stays valuable.
Grant the status live and say it out loud: what the person did to earn VIP and why it matters to the channel. Viewers remember moments like that, and so does the new VIP. A small tradition helps: the new VIP picks the game or challenge for next stream.
VIP rewards contribution to the community, not money.
The number of VIP slots on Twitch is limited and grows with your channel. Even with plenty of slots, don't hand them out to everyone: if half of chat is VIP, the status means nothing. Give it for real contribution: activity, helping newcomers, supporting the channel.
In Chat2Speech you choose who's heard on stream, and one option is «only VIPs and mods». It's handy for big chats where reading every message would be too noisy: VIPs become the channel's «voices», and everyone else has a reason to earn the status.
Another option is «subs, VIPs and mods», so Twitch subscribers are heard too.
Don't hand VIP to everyone: the status is valuable only while it's rare. Explain on stream or in a panel what VIP is for, and refresh the list from time to time.
Rewards like these tie the status to channel life and give viewers a clear goal.
On a small channel, every active viewer sets the tone. VIPs often greet newcomers first, keep conversation going and answer questions while the streamer is busy in game. They create the feeling of a living community, which helps keep new viewers around.
VIP is earned by participation, while a Chat2Speech voice subscription lets any viewer be heard on stream. A viewer buys it on your channel, gets a character voice for 30 days, and you get half the price.
Type /vip and the viewer's name in your chat. To remove it: /unvip.
A moderator manages chat: deletes messages and bans. A VIP stands out with a badge and can get special perks on the channel, but doesn't moderate.
Yes. Chat2Speech has an «only VIPs and mods» setting.
Type /vip name in chat, or click the viewer's name and grant VIP. Remove it with /unvip name.
VIP is a thank-you without mod duties. It highlights active viewers and motivates the rest.
Yes. A badge appears next to the VIP's name in chat, so everyone sees the status.
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