What are TikTok coins?

TikTok coins are the buyer-side virtual currency that viewers purchase with real money to spend on gifts during a TikTok LIVE. Coins are bought in fixed packs through the TikTok app, sit in the viewer's in-app wallet, and are converted to diamonds on the creator's side at roughly half their original coin value when spent on a gift.

How much do TikTok coins cost?

TikTok coin pricing is approximately USD 1 per 70 coins, with bulk packs offering small discounts at higher quantities. The exact price varies by region, currency, and platform fees (App Store and Google Play take their own cut, which is why in-app coin prices are noticeably higher than buying through TikTok's web purchase page where it is available).

Why is the diamond rate roughly half the coin rate?

Because TikTok keeps approximately half of the gift value as platform revenue, leaving the other half to the creator as diamonds. A 100-coin gift produces approximately 50 diamonds, which converts to roughly USD ${(50 * DIAMOND_TO_USD).toFixed(2)} of creator income before any agency commission. The roughly 50% split is the platform's fundamental economic model — it funds the entire LIVE infrastructure.

Do unused coins expire?

TikTok coins do not have a published expiry date in most regions, but a viewer's coin balance is tied to their TikTok account — if the account is suspended, the balance is effectively frozen. Some regional rollouts have introduced inactivity policies, but as a working rule coins persist as long as the buying account remains in good standing.

Can a creator buy coins to send to themselves?

Buying coins to send to one's own LIVE is against TikTok's creator terms — it is treated as fraudulent gifting and can lead to account suspension and forfeiture of diamond balance. Partner agencies do not engage in self-gifting under any circumstance because the audit risk would jeopardise the entire roster, not just the individual creator.

Glossary entry

Coins.

<> TikTok coins are the buyer-side virtual currency of the LIVE economy. Viewers purchase coins with real money in fixed packs, then spend them on gifts during a LIVE. Coins convert to diamonds on the creator's side at roughly half their coin value — the platform's base economic split.

Quick answer

In one sentence

<> Coins are TikTok's buyer-side currency: viewers buy them with real money and spend them on LIVE gifts, with each gift converting to roughly half its coin value in diamonds on the receiving creator's side.

Coin packs — Indicative pack pricing.

The full chain — USD → coins → gifts → diamonds → USD.

<> The complete LIVE economic chain has four conversions and two parties. The viewer pays USD for coins, spends coins as gifts, the gift becomes diamonds on the creator's side at roughly half value, and diamonds are paid out monthly back to USD at approximately ${DIAMOND_TO_USD.toFixed(3)} per diamond. Across the full chain, roughly 50% of the viewer's original spend reaches the creator before any agency commission — the rest funds TikTok's platform infrastructure and payment processing.

Understanding this chain is what separates a creator who plans LIVE income from one who reacts to monthly payouts. Black Ads Agency uses the chain explicitly inside the LIVE income calculator and inside the BlackOS dashboards every managed creator sees.

Related glossary terms — Connected concepts.

Diamonds: The creator-side currency that coins convert into when spent on a gift.

Gifter: The viewer who buys coins and spends them as gifts during a LIVE.

Live Battle: The competitive format where coin spend is concentrated into short windows.

Cashback: Bonus pool paid to creators based on diamond throughput driven by coin spend.

Tier: Creator tier ladder — the income multiplier on top of base coin-to-diamond conversion.

Cashback live counter

18.8M+ Diamonds

Diamonds returned to managed creators as cashback

Cumulative cashback distributed by Black Ads Agency to managed creators since launch. Updated daily from the live ledger.

Frequently asked questions

TikTok coins are the buyer-side virtual currency that viewers purchase with real money to spend on gifts during a TikTok LIVE. Coins are bought in fixed packs through the TikTok app, sit in the viewer's in-app wallet, and are converted to diamonds on the creator's side at roughly half their original coin value when spent on a gift.

Plan income across the full chain.

Black Ads Agency runs the coin-gift-diamond-USD chain inside the BlackOS dashboards every managed creator sees — with monthly projections, not guesswork.

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