What is a Twitch sub badge?
A Twitch sub badge is a small icon that shows next to a subscriber’s name in your chat. Affiliates and Partners can upload their own, with a different badge for each loyalty milestone, so long-time subs can show how long they have backed the channel.
Badges are smaller than emotes, so they need different art. Ours are generated from a badge-only instruction: one simple symbol or tiny character, centred, filling about 90% of the square, with a thick outline. After that your browser shrinks it to 72, 36 and 18 px and shows each size with its file size underneath. You see the 18 px version, the one viewers actually get, before you spend time uploading anything.
How to make a sub badge with AI
Open the Sub Badge tab, describe one simple object, pick a style and press Generate. Ideas like "a pink heart with a star", "a pixel sword" or "a cat paw print" work well. The optional text box takes up to 12 characters, but a number or one or two letters is all that survives at 18 px.
The badge comes back with the background removed. Under it you get the three Twitch sizes side by side. Not clear at 18 px? Simplify the idea or switch to Bold Lines and regenerate. Badges you make while signed in are saved to My Emotes, so you can come back next week and build the 6-month and 12-month versions in the same style.
- One object per badge. A full-body character turns into a smudge at 18 px.
- Strong, high-contrast colours. Pale pastels fade into the chat background.
- Numbers and one or two letters work. Words do not.
Twitch sub badge size requirements
Twitch sub badges are square PNGs at 72×72, 36×36 and 18×18 pixels, each under 25 KB. Every badge made here downloads in all three sizes, resized in your browser with light sharpening so the 18 px file keeps its edges. The ZIP also has channel points reward icons and a Discord file. Twitch shows the 18 px version next to names, so check that one first.
Already have badge art in the wrong size? The free Twitch badge resizer makes all three sizes in one click, without uploading your file anywhere.
| Use | Sizes | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Twitch sub badge | 72, 36, 18 px | 25 KB per file |
| Channel points reward icon | 112, 56, 28 px | PNG |
| Discord emoji | 128 px | 256 KB |
Which loyalty badges should I make?
Start with a badge for new subscribers, then add the milestones you care about, such as 3, 6 and 12 months. Twitch offers slots for 2, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months and longer tiers after that. You do not have to fill every slot; a milestone you skip shows the badge before it.
A theme that grows over time works well: a small paw at 1 month, a paw with a star at 3 months, a golden paw at 6 months and a crowned paw at 12. Make each step as its own badge and keep the style fixed so the set looks connected. The Channel Kit starts you off with 1, 3 and 6 month badges.
Twitch sub badge ideas
Good sub badge ideas are simple objects that can grow as subscribers stay longer. Pick a theme that fits your channel and change one detail per milestone. Keep the colours the same and the ladder reads as one set.
| Theme | How it grows |
|---|---|
| Gems | Rough stone → cut gem → glowing crystal |
| Plants | Seed → sprout → flower → tree |
| Your mascot | Paw print → mascot face → mascot with a crown |
| Swords | Wooden sword → iron sword → flaming sword |
| Food | Cookie → cupcake → layered cake |
| Space | Star → planet → galaxy |
Best styles for sub badges
Bold Lines is the safest style for sub badges. Its extra-thick outlines and flat fill survive the drop to 18 px. Pixel is the other natural fit, since pixel art was made for tiny sizes, and Pixel badges are resized without smoothing so the squares stay sharp. 3D gives a shiny, collectible look for higher tiers. Cute and Kawaii suit cosy channels if the shape stays simple. Whatever you choose, look at the 18 px preview. If you cannot tell what it is at a glance, simplify and regenerate.
Match your badges to your emotes
Use the same style for your badges and your emotes. Make the emotes with the Twitch emote maker, then pick that style here. If your channel has a mascot, shrink it onto a badge: a tiny version of your Twitch logo or your pet from the pet emote maker works well.
The Channel Kit makes 15 matching pieces in one go for $9.99: six emotes, three sub badges, a PFP, a banner, three panels and an offline screen. The PFP is drawn first and every other piece is made from it, so the badges carry the same character.
How much does a sub badge cost?
Your first badge is free, with no sign-up. After that each badge costs 30 credits, the same as an emote. Credit packs start at $5.99 for 250 credits. You pay once and the credits never expire. See pricing. Badges paid for with credits stay private unless you share them, while the free first one is added to the public free Twitch emotes gallery after moderation.