If you drop into TikTok live streams, you’ve surely seen a shower of virtual gifts that light up the chat and make the creator smile. Among them, there’s one that always sparks curiosity: the Galaxy. How much does it actually cost, how is it paid for, and what portion reaches the streamer? Here we tell you with approximate prices in dollars and no fluff, so you don’t get lost in the cosmos of coins and diamonds.
How TikTok gifts work
TikTok boosts its creators with several tools, including its gifting system and the rewards program, which turn interaction into tangible value. Gifts are virtual items that viewers buy with coins (TikTok coins) and send during live streams; each gift has a specific cost in coins and, when received by the creator, is converted into Diamonds, an internal reward that can later be cashed out for money according to the platform’s rules.
To give you a sense of scale, there’s a very popular symbolic gift, the rose, which costs 1 coin and is roughly equivalent to $0,01; at the opposite end are premium gifts that trigger big on-screen animations and chat hype. Besides buying coins directly, there are promotional actions where some users get extra coins, like inviting friends to join or performing searches within the app. Essentially, it’s a gamified system that resembles topping up gems in Clash Royale to unlock cosmetics or upgrades: we load virtual balance and use it at key moments to support our favorites.
Price of the Galaxy and how much the creator receives
Let’s get to the point: the Galaxy costs 1.000 coins. In practice, this translates to an outlay of approximately between $12,70 and $15, since the final price varies depending on the coin package you buy. However, that is not the amount the streamer receives, because TikTok applies a 50% commission on the gift’s value when it is converted to money through the Diamonds. In round numbers, the creator ends up receiving around $7 to $8 for each Galaxy sent.
This detail is key to understanding live economy: you pay the gift price in coins (which you previously bought in a package), the system converts it to Diamonds in the creator’s account and, when the creator redeems them, TikTok keeps half. In fact, you can check your Diamonds balance from the profile settings to keep track of what you accumulate if you’re a creator.
And how does the Galaxy compare to the most expensive gifts on the platform? Here are some examples with their approximate price in dollars, so you can see how far chat celebrations can go:
- Phoenix / Adam’s Dream / Griffin (25.999 coins): approx. 345 US Dollars
- Dragon Flame (26.999 coins): approx. 359 US Dollars
- Lion / Golden Sports Car (29.999 coins): approx. 399 US Dollars
- Sam The Whale / Gorilla (30.000 coins): approx. 399 US Dollars
- Leon And Lion / Zeus (34.000 coins): approx. 450 US Dollars
- Seal And Whale (34.500 coins): approx. 458 US Dollars
- TikTok Stars (39.999 coins): approx. 532 US Dollars
- TikTok Universe (44.999 coins): approx. 560 US Dollars
As you can see, the Galaxy is a powerful gift but not the most expensive; still, it’s flashy and “aspirational” enough to set any live stream alight, kind of like dropping a legendary skin in Fortnite and making everyone turn their heads.
How to buy coins and send a gift
If you want to support your favorite creator in their next live, the process to top up and send a gift is very simple and integrated into the app. First, you need coins; then you redeem them in real time for the gift you prefer. These are the steps:
To buy coins on TikTok:
- Open your TikTok profile.
- Tap “Settings and privacy”.
- Go to “Balance”.
- Tap “Get coins”.
- Select “Top up” and choose the package you want to buy.
To send a gift during a live stream:
- During the live, tap the gift icon you’ll see next to the comments area.
- Choose the gift you want and redeem the coins to send it instantly.
A couple of practical tips: remember that the effective prices of gifts can vary slightly depending on the coin package you choose, so the cost per coin is not always identical; also, if your goal is to maximize support for the creator, knowing the effect of the commission will help you decide which gift best fits your budget. With this information clear, ready to launch a Galaxy in your next live and watch the chat go wild?
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