YouTube Money Calculator
Estimate monthly and yearly YouTube ad revenue from your view count and RPM. Free, instant, no account needed.
Estimate earnings
Use average monthly views and RPM to estimate revenue range.
Estimated monthly
$350
Estimated yearly
$4,200
Likely range
$245 - $455
Estimates vary by geography, niche, seasonality, audience quality, and ad inventory.
How to Use the Calculator
Enter your monthly view count
Input your average monthly views. Find this in YouTube Studio under Analytics > Overview. If estimating for a target channel, use their publicly visible view counts divided by their upload frequency.
Set your RPM estimate
Enter your RPM (Revenue Per Mille — earnings per 1,000 views). Use your actual RPM from YouTube Studio if available, or a niche benchmark if estimating: $1–3 for general content, $3–8 for lifestyle/education, $5–15 for finance and tech.
Read your revenue range
The calculator returns a monthly estimate, annual projection, and a low-to-high range. The range accounts for seasonality and variation in advertiser spend. Use 'Calculate with live data' for channel-specific benchmarks.
Understanding YouTube RPM and CPM
Two metrics govern YouTube ad revenue: CPM and RPM. Understanding both helps you interpret your earnings accurately and set realistic growth targets.
CPM (Cost Per Mille)
What advertisers pay YouTube per 1,000 ad impressions. This is the gross rate before YouTube takes its cut. CPM is set by advertiser demand and varies by niche, geography, and season.
RPM (Revenue Per Mille)
What you (the creator) earn per 1,000 video views after YouTube's 45% revenue share. RPM is always lower than CPM and is the metric that appears in your YouTube Studio dashboard.
Typical RPM by niche
General entertainment: $1–3. Lifestyle and education: $3–8. Finance, investing, and tech: $8–20. Legal and B2B SaaS: $15–30+. High-value niches attract more advertisers, pushing RPM up.
Seasonality effect
Ad spend surges in Q4 (October–December) as brands compete for holiday budgets. Expect 30–60% higher RPM in Q4. January typically drops to the year's lowest rates as ad budgets reset.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good RPM on YouTube?
Average RPM varies widely by content niche. General entertainment channels typically see $1–3 RPM. Lifestyle, cooking, and education channels average $3–8. Finance, investing, software, and legal content can reach $10–30+ RPM because advertisers in those industries pay significantly more per ad impression. A "good" RPM is relative to your niche benchmark.
How does YouTube AdSense pay creators?
YouTube pays creators through Google AdSense. When ads are shown on (and watched during) your videos, YouTube collects the ad revenue and pays you 55% while retaining 45%. Payments are issued monthly once your balance reaches $100. Revenue is earned per 1,000 monetised views (RPM), not per subscriber.
Which YouTube niches pay the most?
The highest-paying YouTube niches are finance and investing, software and SaaS, legal, insurance, real estate, and B2B technology. These categories command high CPMs because the products and services being advertised are high-value, and advertisers pay a premium to reach audiences likely to make significant purchasing decisions.
Why does the calculator show a range instead of an exact number?
YouTube earnings fluctuate based on advertiser demand (which changes daily), the geographic mix of your viewers, video topic, ad format, viewer behaviour, and time of year. A range (low–high) is a more honest representation of what you might actually earn. The midpoint is the most likely outcome under typical conditions.
How can I increase my YouTube earnings?
The most reliable levers are: (1) increase views through consistent publishing and better SEO, (2) shift content toward higher-RPM topics within your niche, (3) improve audience retention to increase monetised view percentage, (4) enable all ad formats (including skippable and non-skippable ads), and (5) grow international audiences in premium ad markets like the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.