TikTok Gift Overlays: How to See Gift Animations on Your Stream (2025)

Gift animations are TikTok's engagement currency—make sure they show up on your stream so viewers know their gifts are being seen.

Source discussion: How do you see gifts on TikTok? — r/streaming. Core problem: TikTok gift animations show on viewers' phones but not in the streamer's overlay, making it hard to react to gifts and confusing viewers about what's actually visible.

The TikTok Gift Visibility Problem

When viewers send gifts on TikTok Live, two things happen:

Viewers see animated gift effects on their phone screens
You see gift notifications in the activity feed (text only)

The problem? Those animated gift effects don't automatically appear in your stream overlay. So:

Viewers expect to see gift animations on stream (like Twitch bits or YouTube superchats)
You only see text notifications in the activity feed
Your stream shows no visual reaction to gifts
Viewers think you're ignoring their gifts

This creates a disconnect: viewers are sending gifts expecting visual feedback, but your stream doesn't show what they're seeing on their phones.

Why TikTok Gifts Work Differently

TikTok's gift system is fundamentally different from Twitch or YouTube:

Gifts are visual animations that play on the viewer's device
No native overlay system to show gifts in your stream
Activity feed shows text but not the animated effects
No built-in way to capture gift animations for streaming

Unlike Twitch (where bits show as animated overlays) or YouTube (where superchats appear as on-screen alerts), TikTok gifts are viewer-side effects that don't automatically translate to stream overlays.

This is why r/streaming users ask: "How do TikTok streamers know what's actually being seen by their viewers?"

Solution 1: Use TikFinity for Gift Overlays

This sequence diagram shows the complete gift flow from viewer to streamer, highlighting the three different views: what viewers see, what the overlay shows, and what the streamer experiences.

The diagram above illustrates the gift overlay workflow. When a viewer sends a gift, TikTok shows its native animation on the viewer's device, while TikFinity/Tiktory captures the event data and triggers a custom alert in your OBS overlay. This creates a synchronized experience where viewers see TikTok's animations and your stream shows custom gift alerts.

TikFinity is the most popular solution for showing TikTok gifts on stream:

Sign up at TikFinity and connect your TikTok account
Enable gift alerts in TikFinity settings
Customize gift overlay styles (animations, sounds, positioning)
Add TikFinity browser source to OBS or TikTok Live Studio
Configure gift triggers to show alerts when gifts are sent

TikFinity gift features:

Real-time gift detection
Customizable gift alert animations
Sound effects for different gift types
Gift counter and goal widgets
Recent gifters display

Setup steps:

Create TikFinity account and link TikTok
Go to "Alerts" section and enable "Gift Alerts"
Customize alert style (position, animation, duration)
Copy browser source URL from TikFinity
Add as browser source in OBS (refresh browser cache: false, width: 1920, height: 1080)
Test by sending a gift from another account

Solution 2: Use Tiktory for Gift Notifications

Tiktory offers similar gift overlay functionality:

Create Tiktory account and connect TikTok
Set up gift widgets in Tiktory dashboard
Configure gift alert styles and triggers
Add Tiktory browser source to OBS
Position gift overlay where viewers can see it

Tiktory advantages:

Cleaner interface than TikFinity
More customization options
Better performance for some users
Integrated with other TikTok events

Tiktory setup:

Link TikTok account in Tiktory
Navigate to "Widgets" → "Gift Alerts"
Customize alert appearance and behavior
Add browser source URL to OBS
Test gift alerts with a test account

Solution 3: Monitor Activity Feed + Manual Reactions

If you can't use TikFinity or Tiktory, you can manually monitor gifts:

Keep TikTok activity feed open on a second monitor or phone
Watch for gift notifications in the feed
React verbally when you see gifts
Use OBS text sources to manually display gift information

Manual approach:

Open TikTok Live on your phone or second screen
Watch the activity feed for gift notifications
When a gift appears, react on stream
Optionally add a text overlay showing recent gifts (manually updated)

Limitations:

No automatic overlay animations
Requires constant monitoring
Easy to miss gifts during intense gameplay
Less engaging than automated alerts

This works as a temporary solution but isn't ideal for long-term streaming.

Solution 4: Use OBS Browser Source with Custom HTML

For advanced users, you can create custom gift overlays:

Use TikTok's API (if available) or web scraping to detect gifts
Create custom HTML/CSS/JavaScript overlay
Add as browser source in OBS
Style gift alerts to match your brand

Custom overlay benefits:

Complete control over appearance
No dependency on third-party services
Can combine with other event types
Fully customizable animations

Custom overlay challenges:

Requires programming knowledge
TikTok API access may be limited
More maintenance than ready-made solutions
Potential rate limiting issues

This approach is best for streamers with technical skills who want full control.

Best Practice: Combine Multiple Methods

The most reliable approach is to layer multiple gift detection methods:

Primary: TikFinity or Tiktory for automatic gift overlays
Backup: Activity feed monitoring on phone or second screen
Visual: Gift counter widget showing total gifts received
Audio: Gift sound alerts so you hear gifts even if you miss visual alerts

OBS setup:

Add TikFinity browser source for gift alerts
Position gift overlay in visible area (not covered by chat)
Add gift counter widget (also from TikFinity)
Configure gift sound alerts in TikFinity
Keep phone with TikTok Live open as backup monitor

This gives you:

Automatic gift detection and display
Backup monitoring if alerts fail
Visual feedback for viewers
Audio cues so you never miss a gift

Positioning Gift Overlays Correctly

Gift overlays need to be visible but not intrusive:

Good positions:

Top-center or top-right (away from chat)
Above gameplay but below webcam (if you have one)
Corner placement with transparency for non-intrusive display

Avoid:

Bottom of screen (where chat appears)
Center of gameplay (blocks important action)
Over webcam (hides your face)

TikTok-specific considerations:

TikTok's UI places chat on the right side
Gift carousel appears at bottom
Leave space for TikTok's native UI elements
Test overlay on phone to see final result

Troubleshooting Gift Overlays

Common issues and fixes:

Gifts not showing in overlay:

Check TikFinity/Tiktory account connection
Verify TikTok account is linked correctly
Refresh browser source in OBS
Check gift alert settings are enabled

Gift alerts delayed:

TikFinity server issues (common on free tier)
Internet connection problems
Browser source refresh rate too low
OBS performance bottlenecks

Gift animations not matching viewer experience:

TikTok's native animations are viewer-side only
Your overlay shows custom animations (from TikFinity/Tiktory)
This is normal—viewers see TikTok's animations, you show custom overlays
Consider explaining this to viewers so they understand

Gift counter not updating:

Refresh browser source
Check TikFinity/Tiktory dashboard for gift data
Verify account permissions
Clear browser cache

Understanding What Viewers See

It's important to understand the difference between:

What viewers see on their phones: TikTok's native gift animations
What appears in your stream overlay: Custom gift alerts from TikFinity/Tiktory
What you see in activity feed: Text notifications

These are three different things, and they don't always match. Your overlay is a representation of gifts, not the exact same animation viewers see.

Best practice: Acknowledge gifts verbally on stream, even if your overlay shows them. This ensures viewers know you're seeing and appreciating their gifts.

Final Take

TikTok gift overlays require third-party tools because TikTok doesn't provide native overlay support. TikFinity and Tiktory are the most reliable solutions, but they require setup and may have limitations.

The key is to:

Set up automated gift detection (TikFinity or Tiktory)
Position overlays where viewers can see them
Monitor activity feed as backup
React to gifts verbally on stream

Don't let TikTok's lack of native overlay support stop you from engaging with gift senders. With the right tools, you can give viewers the gift recognition they expect—and deserve.