[4][19] Winners of the categories were selected by the Streamys Blue Ribbon Panel except for the Audience Choice awards which were put to a public vote.

Rae Votta of The Daily Dot felt that 4th Streamy Awards were more polished than previous years, providing the show with a greater sense of legitimacy.

She also felt that "the most entertaining moments were off-the-cuff, organic and honest, including irreverently name-checking the sponsors and ignoring the teleprompter.

[15][26] Michael Andor Brodeur of The Boston Globe praised Grace Helbig and Hannah Hart in their role as hosts of the show, saying that they "did charmingly ironic impressions of award-show hosts, peppering their opening routine with product placements, feigning a musical number, and hacking the usual crowd roasting".

[10] Katie Buenneke, writing for the LA Weekly, criticized the amount of corporate influence on the show, contrasting the nature of YouTube as a platform for independent content creators with the "multiple shout-outs to Coca-Cola, conspicuous integration of Samsung phones, and, most insidiously, the influence of producers like Endemol, Maker Studio and Fullscreen" at the show.