1 of 16
HOW DO YOU GET PAID FOR YOUTUBE CONTENT? YouTube pays content producers based on: (1) Number of views [instead of likes]; (2) geolocation where viewer is watching from [I.e. you get paid more if you [if video is inappropriate, you earn less as companies don’t want to put their ads on your video]; and (4) number of ads on the video. Following are the top YouTubers, based on latest data available:
Image Credit: Creative Commons / Twitter
2 of 16
1. Ryan's World (formerly Ryan ToysReview). Net worth: $80 million. He reportedly earned $29.5 million in 2020. This toys review channel features Ryan Kaji (born: October 6, 2011, real family name: Guan), along with his mother (Loann), father (Shion), and twin sisters (Emma and Kate). Subscribers: 29.7 million. Views: 47.13 billion (as of May 24, 2021).
Image Credit: Creative Commons
3 of 16
2. Dude Perfect. Net worth: $50 million. This is a trick shot team consisting of Tyler Toney, Garrett Hilbert, Cody Jones, Cory Cotton, Coby Cotton, and Panda. The group also regularly uploads videos of "battles," where the individual members compete against one another in a good-natured game or contest usually featuring elements and creative spins on different sports and a unique set of rules. Subscribers: 56.1 million Total views: 12.96 billion
Image Credit: Creative Commons / Twitter
4 of 16
3. PewDiePie: Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg. Net worth: $40 million. Kjellberg registered his YouTube channel "PewDiePie" in 2010, and started posting Let's Play videos of horror and action video games. In 2016, Time magazine named him one of the world's 100 most influential people. Subscribers: 110 million. Total views: 27.3 billion
Image Credit: Creative Commons / Twitter
5 of 16
4. Daniel Middleton – DanTDM. Net worth: $40 million. Primarily a gamer, DanTDM is known for his video game commentaries, especially on Minecraft. Forbes named him as one of the top earners among YouTubers, bagging about $16 million in one year. Subscribers: 23 million. Views: 17 billion
Image Credit: Creative Commons / Twitter
6 of 16
5. Markiplier: Mark Edward Fischbach. Net Worth: $28 million. Fischbach is a gamer-commentator, actor, podcast host and comedian. Originally from Hawaii, he is currently based in California. He is also the co-founder of clothing company Cloak, along with fellow YouTuber Jacksepticeye. Subscribers: 29.2 million. Total views: 15.7 billion (as of May 2021)
Image Credit: Creative Commons / Twitter
7 of 16
6. Evan Fong. Net Worth: $25 million. The Canadian gained YouTube stardom by posting video games and producing music, under the name Rynx. He posts videos on YouTube of him and other creators playing various video games. He was the creative director for the video game Dead Realm. He has also voiced for the YouTube Premium series Paranormal Action Squad. Subscribers: 25 million. Total views: 12 billion
Image Credit: Creative Commons / Twitter
8 of 16
7. MrBeast. Net worth: $24 million. Jimmy Donaldson (born May 7, 1998), better known online as MrBeast, is credited with pioneering a genre of YouTube videos that focus on high cost-stunts. He pulls off elaborate challenges and large-scale sponsored giveaways (he gave $100,000 worth of items to homeless shelters in December 2018). He went viral in 2017 after his "counting to 100,000" video earned tens of thousands of views in a few days, and has become increasingly popular ever since. Subscribers: 95.87 million. Total views: 13.4 billion
Image Credit: Creative Commons / Twitter
9 of 16
8. David Dobrik. Net worth: $20 million. Dobrik is a Slovakian-American actor, social media personality, and vlogger who had begun his climb to fame on the Vine app, before moving to YouTube and creating the "Vlog Squad". In February 2020 he allegedly was worth $7 million and is now allegedly worth $20 million. Subscribers: 18 million. Views: 2.7 billion
Image Credit: Creative Commons / Twitter
10 of 16
9. Nastya: $20 million. Anastasia Radzinskaya (born January 27, 2014), also known as Nastya, Like Nastya, Like Nastya Vlog, Like Nastya Show and Stacy, is a Russian YouTuber. Like Nastya is also dubbed into German, Arabic, Bangla, French, Portuguese, Hindi, Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, Bahasa. She and her family later moved from Krasnodar Krai, Russia, to Florida, US. Subscribers: 73.6 million. Total views: 57.1 billion
Image Credit: Creative Commons / Twitter
11 of 16
10. Logan Paul. Net Worth: $19 million. Logan is Jake Paul’s older brother. Logan is also an actor and boxer as well. He started vlogging in 2015. Logan has appeared in the TV series Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and in Bizzaardvark (in which Jake had also appeared). Subscribers: 22 million. Total views: 4.8 billion
Image Credit: Creative Commons / Twitter
12 of 16
11. Jake Paul. Net Worth: $19 million. Jake Paul has become a YouTube sensation, having garnered over 20 million subscribers and 6.8 billion views in total for his channel. His music video “It’s Everyday Bro” had over 70 million views just within the first month of its release. Subscribers: 70 million. Total views: 6.8 billion
Image Credit: Creative Commons / Twitter
13 of 16
12. Jeffree Star: Net worth: $200 million (of which $18 million is from YouTube alone), Jeffrey Lynn Steininger Jr. (born November 15, 1985), known professionally as Jeffree Star. Besides being a YouTuber, makeup artist, singer and songwriter, he also owns at least 10 businesses, including Jeffree Star Cosmetics. Star is the voice behind the studio album Beauty Killer. In 2018, Forbes revealed Star had earned $18 million from his YouTube endeavors alone. Subscribers: 16.4 million. Total views: 2.5 billion
Image Credit: Creative Commons / Twitter
14 of 16
13. Lilly Singh. Net Worth: $16 million. The Canadian star, who also goes by the name Superwoman, started posting comedy videos on YouTube in 2010. She has collaborated with a host of famous personalities, including Seth Rogen, one of the wealthiest Canadian actors. She also has her own TV show and is considered one of the most powerful people in comedy. Subscribers: 14.9 million. Total views: 3.36 billion (main) 450.6 million (vlog). Read more on Lily Singh: https://gn24.ae/bc1840630544000
Image Credit: Reuters
15 of 16
14. Blippi (Stevin John). Net worth: $16 million. Blippi launched educational videos for children in 2014. One of his trademarks are his blue and orange beanie cap as well as a blue shirt, orange suspenders and a bow tie. Today, much of his earnings come from his retail empire that includes toys, accessories and digital videos. Subscribers: 11.3 million. Total views: 8 billion+
Image Credit: Creative Commons / Twitter
16 of 16
15. Smosh. Net Worth: $15 million. The duo, composed of Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox, created "smosh.com" for making flash animations (Padilla created it, Hecox joined later). They began to post videos on Smosh's YouTube channel in 2005 and quickly became one of the most popular channels. Subscribers: 25 million. Total views: 9.8 billion+
Image Credit: Smosh