YouTube Money Calculator
Move the slider, pick your niche and your main audience country, and see what a channel like yours can realistically make from ads.
Per day$0
Per month$0
Per year$0
Estimated ad revenue only. Sponsorships, channel memberships and Super Thanks are not included.
Not monetized yet? YouTube asks for 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours before ads turn on. Our YouTube watch hours service can shorten that road.
How to use this calculator
Three inputs, that is all. Set your average daily views with the slider or type an exact number, choose the category closest to your content, then pick the country where most of your audience lives. The daily, monthly and yearly estimates update instantly as you change anything.
How the estimate is calculated
The math behind the tool is simple: views divided by 1,000, multiplied by an RPM range for your niche, then scaled by a country factor. RPM, or revenue per mille, is what a creator actually keeps for every 1,000 video views. It already accounts for YouTube's 45 percent cut of ad revenue and for the views that never show an ad at all.
You will notice we show a range instead of a single number. Calculators that print one exact figure look confident, but they hide how much RPM really swings from month to month. A range tells you what is realistic at the low end and what is possible when things go well.
YouTube RPM by video category
Advertisers pay very different rates depending on what plays before their ad. These are typical creator-side RPM ranges for a mostly US audience:
| Category | Typical RPM (USD) |
|---|---|
| Science & Technology | $8.00 - $14.00 |
| Travel & Events | $6.50 - $11.50 |
| Education | $6.00 - $10.50 |
| Autos & Vehicles | $6.00 - $11.00 |
| Howto & Style | $5.50 - $10.00 |
| Entertainment | $4.50 - $8.50 |
| Gaming | $3.50 - $7.00 |
| People & Blogs | $3.50 - $7.00 |
| News & Politics | $3.00 - $6.50 |
| Comedy | $2.50 - $5.00 |
| Film & Animation | $2.20 - $4.50 |
| Sports | $2.00 - $4.20 |
| Pets & Animals | $1.50 - $3.20 |
| Music | $0.80 - $2.00 |
| YouTube Shorts | $0.05 - $0.15 |
Why audience country matters so much
An ad shown to a viewer in Norway or the United States can be worth ten times an ad shown in a lower income market, simply because advertisers bid more to reach those viewers. Two channels with identical views can have wildly different income if one has a mostly American audience and the other is watched mainly in South Asia. That is why the country selector changes your estimate so dramatically, and why "Worldwide mix" sits noticeably below the US baseline.
Why your real earnings will differ
A few things this calculator cannot know about your channel. Videos longer than eight minutes can run mid-roll ads, which lifts RPM well above the averages here. Ad rates climb every fourth quarter as holiday budgets flow in, then dip sharply in January. Some of your viewers use ad blockers and earn you nothing. And the mix of skippable, non-skippable and display ads on your videos shifts constantly. The estimate is a solid starting point; your AdSense report is the only final answer.
When can you actually start earning?
Ad revenue requires joining the YouTube Partner Program, and the bar is 1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 public watch hours in the last 12 months, or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days. For many channels the subscriber count is the slower half of that equation. If you want to speed it up, our YouTube subscribers service is built exactly for that stage, and there is a free YouTube subscribers option to try first. Once you are in the program, everything this calculator estimates becomes real money.
Frequently Asked Questions
How accurate is this calculator?
It gives a realistic range, not a promise. Real earnings depend on your RPM, which moves with your niche, your audience's location, the season and how many of your viewers actually see ads. Treat the numbers as a planning tool, not a paycheck.
What is the difference between CPM and RPM?
CPM is what advertisers pay for 1,000 ad impressions. RPM is what you actually keep per 1,000 video views, after YouTube takes its 45 percent share and after views without ads are counted in. RPM is always lower than CPM, and it is the number that matters for your income.
How much does YouTube pay for 1,000 views?
Anywhere from well under a dollar to over ten dollars. A gaming channel with mostly US viewers might see 3 to 7 dollars per 1,000 views, a tech channel can climb past 10, and a music channel often stays under 2.
How much money is 1 million views?
Using typical RPM ranges, a million views can pay anywhere from roughly 800 to 14,000 dollars. Niche and audience country make most of that difference, which is exactly what this calculator lets you test.
Do YouTube Shorts pay less?
Much less per view. Shorts revenue comes from a shared ad pool, and typical Shorts RPM sits around 5 to 15 cents per 1,000 views. Shorts are great for growth, but long form videos carry the ad income.