What Is 3Speak? A Beginner's Guide (2026)

3Speak is a decentralized video platform on the Hive blockchain. Here's what it is, how creators earn on it, and how it compares to the alternatives.

If you’ve been looking into decentralized video, you’ve almost certainly run into 3Speak. Here’s a clear beginner’s guide to what it is, how it pays creators, and where it fits among the alternatives.

What 3Speak is

3Speak is a video platform built on the Hive blockchain, with videos stored on IPFS (a decentralized file network). Think of it as a YouTube-style app where your channel and videos live on a public blockchain instead of one company’s servers — so you own them, and no one can demonetize you.

How creators earn on 3Speak

There are no ads in the middle. Instead:

On-chain rewards. Viewers upvote your video, and the Hive protocol pays you in HIVE/HBD.
Tips. Viewers can tip you directly.
No gatekeeping. You can earn from your first upload — there’s no Partner Program threshold.

3Speak takes a platform beneficiary cut of around 11% of a video’s rewards, so creators keep roughly 89%. (For context, YouTube keeps ~45% of ad revenue — see the payout comparison.)

Why people like it

You own your content and audience — they live on Hive.
No demonetization — income comes from the community, not advertisers.
An established community — 3Speak has the largest native Hive-video audience.

How it compares

3Speak is the incumbent, but it’s not the only Hive video app. Because everything lives on Hive, your account and videos work across apps, so you can use more than one:

igsh.tv uses your same Hive account, charges a lower 3% fee (so you keep 97%), and adds a modern player, live-chat overlay, and 10-language support.
For the full rundown, see the best 3Speak alternatives and DTube vs 3Speak vs igsh.tv.

The smart move isn’t “3Speak or something else” — it’s to publish to Hive and let several apps display your videos. It’s “use both,” not “switch.”

How to start

Create a free Hive account.
Install Hive Keychain.
Upload a video — and you’re earning on-chain.

FAQ

Is 3Speak free? Yes to use; it takes about an 11% beneficiary cut of a video’s rewards.

Is 3Speak the same as Hive? No — Hive is the underlying blockchain; 3Speak is one app built on it. igsh.tv and others are built on the same Hive data.

Can I use 3Speak and another app together? Yes — your Hive account and videos work across Hive apps, so you can cross-post freely.