YouTube money calculator
Estimate what a channel earns each month from long-form views and Shorts, by niche, using RPM figures measured from real channels rather than advertiser CPM. No email required.
Your channel in a typical month
Enter monthly views and pick the niche closest to your channel.
Views drive earnings, and consistent uploads drive views. If editing is what slows your channel down, Pixel8 edits long-form videos and Shorts on a flat monthly plan.
See YouTube editingEstimates use published RPM ranges (what creators earn per 1,000 views after YouTube's share), sourced below. Real earnings depend on audience country, season, video length and how many views are monetized. Only channels in the YouTube Partner Program earn ad revenue.
How much does YouTube pay per 1,000 views?
The number that matters is RPM, revenue per 1,000 views. YouTube defines it as what you earn per 1,000 views after its revenue share, counted across all views, including ones that showed no ad. CPM is different: it is what advertisers pay per 1,000 ad impressions before YouTube takes its share. RPM is always lower, which is why calculators built on CPM overstate earnings (YouTube Help).
Across 300 channels that AIR Media-Tech manages, read directly from YouTube Studio, the median long-form RPM was about $2.30, or roughly $2,300 per million views. The median channel also monetized only 53% of its views (AIR Media-Tech).
YouTube RPM by niche in 2026
The calculator uses AIR's measured ranges: the middle half of channels in each niche, from the 25th to the 75th percentile. Influencer Marketing Hub publishes much higher estimates without a stated sample; they are shown for comparison because they are widely quoted, and they reflect what top channels report rather than the typical one.
| Niche | Measured RPM (middle half) | Median | Influencer Marketing Hub estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education and science | $2.31 to $19.50 | $10.22 | $4 to $12 |
| Lifestyle | $1.77 to $5.24 | $2.98 | $2 to $8 (lifestyle and vlogs) |
| Entertainment | $0.88 to $5.02 | $2.43 | $1 to $5 (entertainment and memes) |
| Tech and gadgets | $0.70 to $3.71 | $2.33 | $5 to $15 (tech reviews); $10 to $30 (software and AI) |
| Music | $1.35 to $4.16 | $2.28 | Not published |
| Gaming | $0.70 to $3.62 | $2.05 | $2 to $6 |
| Business and finance* | $0.73 to $5.17 | $2.01 | $15 to $40+ (finance); $8 to $25 (business) |
| Health and sport | $0.72 to $1.53 | $1.23 | Not published |
| Kids and teens | $0.16 to $0.88 | $0.33 | Not published |
Measured ranges: AIR Media-Tech, 300 channels, May 2025 to May 2026. Estimates: Influencer Marketing Hub, updated October 2026. *AIR calls the business and finance figure directional because it rests on few channels.
Shorts vs long-form earnings
Shorts are paid differently. Ad revenue from the Shorts Feed is pooled each month, part of it covers music licensing, and the rest is shared among creators by their share of engaged views. Creators keep 45% of the revenue allocated to them. Using one music track in a Short sends half of that Short's revenue to licensing (YouTube Help).
In practice that means cents per thousand views. TubeBuddy puts typical Shorts RPM at $0.03 to $0.10, and its own monetized Short earned $99.87 for 3.1 million views (TubeBuddy). Long-form watch-page ads pay creators 55% of net revenue (YouTube Help), which is why one long-form view is usually worth many Shorts views.
Who gets paid: YouTube Partner Program requirements
| Requirement | Until 31 January 2027 | From 1 February 2027 (new creators) |
|---|---|---|
| Subscribers | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| Long-form route | 4,000 watch hours in 12 months | 8,000 watch hours in 365 days |
| Shorts route | 10 million Shorts views in 90 days | 20 million Shorts views in 90 days |
| Earning from the Shorts pool each month | Partner Program membership | 10 million Shorts views in the last 90 days, every month |
Channels already in the program keep their status. A lower tier at 500 subscribers (3,000 watch hours in a year or 3 million Shorts views in 90 days) unlocks fan funding such as memberships and Super Chat, but not ad revenue, and is not changing in 2027. Sources: YouTube Partner Program overview, 2027 changes.
What moves your RPM
Audience country.Advertisers pay for purchasing power. AIR's June 2025 data put US CPM at $14.67 against $0.74 for India, and US Shorts RPM at about $0.33, double the UK's (AIR Media-Tech).
Time of year.AIR's median RPM peaked at $2.35 in November and fell to $1.56 in January, with finance channels seeing the biggest fourth-quarter lift. YouTube itself notes that many advertisers bid higher just before holidays.
Consistency. RPM sets the rate, but views set the total, and views follow regular uploads. Our YouTube statistics and channel growth guide cover what drives views; if editing is the bottleneck, see our YouTube editing service.
Frequently asked questions
How much does YouTube pay per 1,000 views?
It depends on niche, audience country and season. Across 300 channels measured by AIR Media-Tech, the median long-form RPM (what the creator keeps per 1,000 views) was about $2.30. Shorts pay far less: typically $0.03 to $0.10 per 1,000 views.
How much does YouTube pay for 1 million views?
At the median RPM of about $2.30, 1 million long-form views earns roughly $2,300. The same million views on Shorts typically earns $30 to $100. A finance or education channel with a US audience can earn several times the median.
How many views do you need to make $1,000 on YouTube?
At the median long-form RPM of about $2.30, roughly 435,000 views. In a niche with a $10 RPM it is about 100,000 views. On Shorts alone it takes 10 million views or more.
What do you need to get paid on YouTube?
To share in ad revenue you must be in the YouTube Partner Program: 1,000 subscribers plus either 4,000 qualified watch hours in the last 12 months or 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. From 1 February 2027, new creators will need 8,000 watch hours in the last 365 days or 20 million Shorts views in 90 days.
Is YouTube changing how creators get paid in 2027?
Yes. From 1 February 2027 the entry thresholds double for new Partner Program applicants, and to earn from the Shorts Creator Pool in a given month a channel will need at least 10 million qualified Shorts views over the last 90 days. Channels already in the program keep their status.
Why do YouTube money calculators give such different answers?
Most use advertiser CPM, which is what advertisers pay before YouTube's share and across monetized views only. Creators earn RPM, which is after YouTube's share and across all views. Many blogs also quote top-channel or Q4 figures. This calculator uses measured RPM ranges, which is why its numbers are lower than many others.
Does YouTube pay per subscriber?
No. Subscribers do not earn money directly. Earnings come from ads on views, YouTube Premium watch time, and fan funding such as memberships and Super Chat, where YouTube pays creators 70% of net revenue.
Figures checked on 31 October 2026. Earnings are estimates; your YouTube Studio analytics are the only exact source for your channel.