Viewer Count vs. Users in Chat on Twitch – How the numbers work

gamepur.com:

Having people actively watching or interacting with your stream on Twitch is the key to growing on the platform. Recently, the company has made some changes to how your stream viewers are accounted for. Now, you have two different numbers to monitor when streaming: your Viewer Count and your Users in Chat.

Your Viewer Count is the number of people who are watching your stream at that moment. In order for someone to be counted towards your Viewer Count, they have to have your stream open. So, even if your stream is playing in another tab, they have your stream muted, they’re watching your stream that’s embedded on another page, or you’re featured on the front page of the site, they will still be counted towards your Viewer Count.

Users in Chat are people that have your chat open. Unlike with your Viewer Count, the person needs to be logged into a Twitch account and be connected to your chat. Otherwise, they won’t count towards the total. People who have your chat in pop-out mode will also be accounted for. You can check how many people are in your chat by clicking the Users in Chat icon, which is above the Twitch chat.