PayPal Donation Alerts for Streamers
Show PayPal donations and tips on your live stream automatically. StreamAlert detects PayPal payments via your Gmail and triggers on-stream tip alerts in real time.
TL;DR: StreamAlert detects PayPal payments by parsing Gmail notification emails via OAuth 2.0, then pushes on-stream alerts to Streamlabs, StreamElements, or StreamAlert's own custom widget URL. PayPal is available in 200+ countries — accept donations from viewers worldwide. 7-day free trial.
How It Works
Connect your Gmail
Link the Gmail account that receives your PayPal payment notifications. StreamAlert uses secure OAuth 2.0 — we never see your password.
Receive a PayPal payment
Share your PayPal.me link or email with viewers. When they send a donation, PayPal sends you a confirmation email.
Alert appears on stream
StreamAlert parses the PayPal notification email, extracts the sender and amount, and pushes an on-stream alert to your Streamlabs, StreamElements, or custom widget URL overlay.
Why Use PayPal with StreamAlert?
Global Reach
PayPal operates in 200+ countries worldwide. StreamAlert detects PayPal payments via Gmail notification parsing, so streamers can accept donations from viewers anywhere in the world without geographic restrictions.
Works with Any PayPal Account
StreamAlert works with both personal and business PayPal accounts. It connects via Gmail OAuth 2.0 to read payment notifications, so streamers use their existing PayPal setup with zero additional configuration.
Secure & Private
StreamAlert parses only PayPal payment notification emails via secure OAuth 2.0. Personal emails are never accessed or stored, so streamers maintain complete privacy while receiving real-time donation alerts.
Custom Alert Design
StreamAlert lets streamers upload custom sounds, images, GIFs, and configure fonts and colors. Each PayPal alert can be styled to match the streamer's brand across Streamlabs, StreamElements, or the custom widget URL.
PayPal & Live Streaming by the Numbers
- PayPal has over 430 million active accounts worldwide (Business of Apps, 2024).
- Over 9 million unique creators stream on Twitch each month.
- Live streaming viewership exceeded 1.7 billion hours/month across Twitch, YouTube, and Kick in 2024 (Streams Charts).
- StreamAlert has processed over $2.4M in donations from 156,000+ individual donors across all platforms.
Related resources
How to Set Up Donation Alerts on Twitch with CashApp, Venmo & PayPal →What Are Stream Alerts? →Frequently Asked Questions
How does StreamAlert detect PayPal payments?
StreamAlert connects to your Gmail via OAuth 2.0 and parses PayPal payment notification emails in real time. Only PayPal payment emails are read — personal emails are never accessed.
Does it work with PayPal personal accounts?
Yes. StreamAlert works with any PayPal account — personal or business. As long as PayPal sends payment notification emails to your connected Gmail, StreamAlert detects them and triggers on-stream alerts.
Can I accept PayPal donations from international viewers?
Yes. PayPal operates in 200+ countries. Viewers anywhere in the world can send payments to your PayPal.me link or email address, and StreamAlert displays the alert on your stream in real time via your custom widget URL or OBS browser source.
Other Payment Platforms
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