Want to accept donations on stream without paying for it? It's totally free. Let's go step by step on doing it yourself in 15 minutes. And if you'd rather not bother, there's an easier option at the end.
The most popular free donation services are StreamElements and Streamlabs. Both free and give ready widgets. Let's use StreamElements as an example. Go to their site and sign in with your Twitch or YouTube account.
In the service dashboard find Tipping or Donation settings. Connect how viewers will send money, usually PayPal. Enter your PayPal account so donations come to you.
The service has an Overlays or Alert Box section. There you get a special link (URL) for your alert. Copy it, you'll need it for OBS. This link is unique, never show it on stream.
Open OBS Studio. In Sources click plus, choose Browser. Paste the copied link into the URL field, set width 1920 and height 1080. Click OK and the alert appears on your scene.
The service dashboard usually has a Test alert button, click it and a test alert should pop up on stream. If you see it in OBS, it works. Now every donation shows on screen.
The services themselves (StreamElements, Streamlabs) are free. You only pay the payment system fee (PayPal takes a small percent per donation), that's the bank, not the service. So connecting donations really is 100 percent free.
If these steps seem complex or you want a nice unique alert in your style (not the default one), we'll do it all for you. Set up donations, make a stylish animation for your brand, connect it to OBS. Write to us and just start streaming.