ByteMate vs. StreamElements: Which Twitch Bot Fits After the Razer Acquisition?
Since Razer bought StreamElements, the old SE.Pay is being shut down – a fair moment to look at ByteMate vs. StreamElements again: a large streaming platform with loyalty points, song requests and overlays against a dashboard that puts a Twitch bot, overlays and community tools in one place. Disclosure first: ByteMate is our own tool, so this comparison also says where StreamElements comes out ahead.
What changed at StreamElements in 2026
On July 31, 2026, Razer acquired the assets of StreamElements. It keeps running as a standalone service, but two things need your attention: accepting the new privacy policy and withdrawing your SEPay balance. Legacy SE.Pay no longer receives tips and closes on December 31, 2026, and the balance is not moved for you. Card tips now go through your own Stripe account; PayPal tips work as before. Details are in the SE.Pay and Stripe FAQ, and we covered the deal in Razer acquires StreamElements.
Side by side
| StreamElements | ByteMate | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Twitch, YouTube, Kick | Twitch |
| Price | free | free, Premium from €3.99/month |
| Custom bot name | only after sponsorship campaigns, currently closed to new users | with Premium |
| Overlays | overlay editor | Overlay Builder |
| Points, store, song requests | yes | no |
| Watchtime | yes | yes, with import from StreamElements |
| Tips | PayPal and cards via Stripe, no platform fee | cards via Stripe, 5% platform fee |
StreamElements: big, free and on three platforms
StreamElements is much more than a chat bot: commands, timers and spam filters, a loyalty system where viewers earn points for watching and spend them in a store, song requests, overlays, alerts, a tipping page and sponsorships. The bot runs on Twitch, YouTube and Kick. On tips, StreamElements takes no cut – only the payment providers charge fees, a real advantage.
A custom bot name is the exception: StreamElements only offers it to creators who have completed sponsorship campaigns, and currently not to new users.
ByteMate: a Twitch bot and stream tools in one dashboard
Our tool covers the basics – commands, timers, counters, quotes, spam and word filters – and adds an Overlay Builder for OBS, alerts in chat and on screen, giveaways, polls, bingo, watchtime, statistics and a donation page in the same dashboard. Twitch moderators get access automatically, with permissions per person, and a free mobile Cockpit puts the emergency switches, title and chat on your phone. It runs on servers in Vienna, inside the EU.
Premium costs €3.99/month and gives the bot your own name; Premium+ at €4.99/month adds AI replies in chat. The limits: Twitch only, no points currency and no song requests – and on tips through our donation page we keep 5% on top of Stripe’s fees, where StreamElements keeps nothing.
Switching without losing anything
Your viewers’ watchtime comes over with the channel ID and JWT token from your StreamElements channel settings; our tool uses them once for the import and does not store them. Commands and timers you set up again. You don’t have to move everything at once: you can keep StreamElements for PayPal tips or overlays and use our tool as the bot – just don’t let both answer the same command.
FAQ
What happens to my SEPay balance?
Withdraw it yourself before December 31, 2026, with the withdraw button in StreamElements. It is not transferred to Stripe automatically.
Can I take my StreamElements watchtime with me?
Yes. The watchtime page has an import straight from StreamElements, and you can also upload a CSV file with usernames and minutes.
How much does ByteMate cost?
The core is free and has no ads. Premium is €3.99/month, Premium+ €4.99/month (yearly plans are cheaper). The one-month Premium+ trial needs a payment method and continues monthly unless you cancel first.
Who is behind the two tools?
StreamElements has been part of Razer since July 2026. Our tool is developed in Germany and hosted by netcup, a German provider, on servers in Vienna.
Conclusion
StreamElements is still a strong free platform if your community runs on points and song requests, you stream on several platforms, or you want tips without a platform fee. Our tool fits better if you only stream on Twitch and want bot, overlays, giveaways and donations in one dashboard, with your own bot name from €3.99/month. For the wider field, see the best Twitch bots in 2026, plus our comparisons with Nightbot, Fossabot and Streamlabs Cloudbot. This comparison reflects October 2026; recent changes on our side are listed under Status & Changelogs.
👉 Try ByteMate for free: bytemate.me
📖 Documentation: docs.bytemate.me
