Short answer
If you only want one platform, start with BTTV for the highest viewer reach. Choose 7TV when slot count, higher-quality files, zero-width combos, or multi-platform use matter more. Choose FFZ when chat customization is the real reason you are installing an extension.
BTTV wins on reach
Best default when your top priority is that the most viewers actually see the emotes.
7TV wins on scale
Best when you want more slots, better format support, and extra room for a serious library.
FFZ wins on control
Best for people who want chat customization first and emotes second.
Side-by-side comparison
| Category | 7TV | BTTV | FFZ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Large emote libraries, sharper files, zero-width combos, and multi-platform use. | Maximum viewer visibility and the safest default for a Twitch-first channel. | Power users who care more about chat customization than raw emote scale. |
| Free slots | 200-600 free channel emotes, depending on when you signed up. | 15 channel emotes plus 15 shared emotes. | 25 emote slots. |
| Paid expansion | 7TV Max at €3.99/month pushes you to 1,000+ slots. | BTTV Pro at $4.99/month gives 50 channel emotes and 50 shared. | A $5 one-time donation increases the total to 50 slots. |
| Viewer reach | Growing, but still behind BTTV for pure install-base reach. | Best viewer adoption of the three, so more people actually see the emotes. | Solid, but behind BTTV and not the obvious reach-first choice. |
| Emote quality | Supports up to 112×112 plus APNG and WebP for smoother animations. | Standard GIF-level quality. | Standard GIF-level quality. |
| Standout feature | Zero-width emotes for layered combo culture. | The strongest shared/global emote culture and the most familiar default. | Deep chat customization plus an add-on ecosystem. |
| Platform fit | Works beyond Twitch, including Discord and YouTube. | Primarily a Twitch-first choice. | Primarily a Twitch-first choice. |
| Main tradeoff | Some viewers still will not have it installed. | Tighter slot limits and weaker format flexibility than 7TV. | Less attractive if you mostly just want more emotes with minimal setup. |
Feature differences that actually change the choice
7TV
Pick 7TV when your emote set is getting big or the file quality matters.
- Free slot count is far ahead of BTTV and FFZ.
- Higher-resolution support and better animation formats help polished emotes look cleaner.
- Zero-width emotes create chat behaviors the other two platforms do not match.
- Cross-platform support matters if your community also lives on Discord or YouTube.
Watch for: Its weakness is reach. If a large share of your viewers does not have 7TV installed, your extra quality and slot count are less visible.
BTTV
Pick BTTV when you want the highest chance that viewers already use the same extension.
- Best install-base reach in the repo's source material.
- Common global emotes and familiar culture make it the least risky default.
- Good fit for a new streamer who wants a practical starting point.
- Extra chat features are mature without turning the product into a power-user project.
Watch for: The tradeoff is capacity. Free and paid slot counts are both much tighter than 7TV.
FFZ
Pick FFZ when emotes are only part of the decision and chat control is the real priority.
- More chat appearance and behavior controls than the other two.
- Add-ons make it the most flexible option for technical power users.
- A $5 one-time upgrade to 50 slots is the cheapest paid expansion in this comparison.
Watch for: If your only goal is broad emote reach or a massive library, FFZ is usually not the cleanest first choice.
Approval and moderation reality
The repo's source material does not establish a clear winner on approval speed, moderation strictness, or review policy differences between 7TV, BTTV, and FFZ. For this comparison, the reliable decision factors are reach, slot limits, file-quality support, and chat customization, not a documented moderation advantage.
Best for each use case
Best for
You are a new streamer and want one safe default
Recommendation: BTTV
It gives you the widest viewer reach, familiar emote culture, and enough free slots to start without overthinking the stack.
Best for
You already have a big emote set or plan to grow one fast
Recommendation: 7TV
The free and paid slot counts are far more generous, so you are less likely to hit a ceiling.
Best for
You care most about crisp files and smoother animated emotes
Recommendation: 7TV
The repo's source material consistently positions 7TV as the quality and format leader.
Best for
You want deep control over how Twitch chat looks and behaves
Recommendation: FFZ
FFZ wins when chat customization and add-ons matter more than pure emote distribution.
Best for
You need the cheapest way to get to 50 slots
Recommendation: FFZ
The one-time $5 upgrade beats the recurring paid tiers if all you want is more room.
Best for
You stream or moderate across Twitch, Discord, and YouTube
Recommendation: 7TV
It is the only option in this repo's source material framed as a real multi-platform play.
When using more than one still makes sense
The practical mixed setup is still simple: keep your core, most important emotes on BTTV for reach, use 7TV when you need more space or want the cleaner format support, and add FFZ only if the chat customization layer matters to you. The downside is admin overhead, because you are managing separate dashboards instead of one source of truth.
Next step
Build the emotes before you pick the upload stack
Start from your own face, mascot, or inside joke and turn it into a readable emote set sized for extension platforms.