How YouTube Ad Earnings Work
YouTube pays partner channels a share of the ad revenue their videos generate. Your income depends on how many views show ads and what advertisers pay for them, not on view count alone. This calculator turns a monthly view count and a CPM value into an estimate of your monthly and yearly ad income, so you can plan with a range of realistic values.
CPM and RPM. CPM is the price advertisers pay per 1,000 ad impressions. RPM is what you actually earn per 1,000 video views after YouTube's share and after counting views that showed no ad. Your RPM is shown in YouTube Studio and is usually lower than CPM. This tool treats the number you enter as gross revenue per 1,000 views and gives you the standard 55% creator share of long-form ad revenue.
What changes the number:
- Viewer location: advertisers pay more for viewers in some countries than in others.
- Topic: subjects that advertisers want to reach, such as finance or software, tend to earn more per view than others.
- Video length and watch time: longer videos can show more ads.
- Season: advertiser demand moves through the year.
- Advertiser-friendliness: content that is not suitable for ads can earn less or be limited.
How to use the result. Try a low, a middle and a high CPM. Compare the monthly figure with your costs and with other income such as sponsorships, memberships and affiliate links. Treat the answer as a planning range, not a promise.
How to Use This YouTube Earnings Calculator
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Enter Monthly Views: Your average monthly view count. If new, estimate conservatively.
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Add Subscribers: Optional. Helps calculate per-subscriber metrics.
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Set CPM: Enter gross revenue per 1,000 views, or your RPM ÷ 0.55 if you know your YouTube Studio RPM.
4
Niche and Audience (optional): These only suggest a starting CPM in the CPM box.
5
Get Results: See monthly/annual earnings, YouTube's cut, and income scenarios.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does YouTube pay per 1,000 views?
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It varies a lot. Creators are paid from ad revenue, not directly per view, and what you earn per 1,000 views (your RPM) depends on your viewers' countries, your topic, the video length, how many views show ads and the time of year. You can see your own RPM in YouTube Studio. For a rough plan, try a range of values in this calculator rather than one number.
What is the difference between CPM and RPM?
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CPM is what advertisers pay per 1,000 ad impressions. RPM is what you actually earn per 1,000 video views after YouTube's share and after counting views that did not show an ad. RPM is usually lower than CPM. This calculator treats the number you enter as gross revenue per 1,000 views and then applies the standard 55% creator share for long-form ads.
Which CPM should I enter?
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If you know your RPM from YouTube Studio, divide it by 0.55 and enter that, because the calculator then takes 55%. For example, an RPM of $4 means entering about 7.27. If you have no data yet, try a low, a middle and a high value and compare the three results.
How many subscribers do I need to earn from YouTube ads?
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YouTube's Partner Program has more than one tier. At the time of writing, ad revenue sharing needs 1,000 subscribers plus either 4,000 public watch hours in 12 months or 10 million public Shorts views in 90 days, and an earlier tier with fewer subscribers unlocks fan-funding features. Rules differ by country and change, so check YouTube Help for the current requirements.
Do Shorts pay the same as long videos?
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No. Shorts revenue is shared in a different way from long-form ads, and per-view earnings are usually much lower. This calculator's 55% split is for standard long-form ad revenue, so Shorts results will be rough.
Does the niche or audience selection change the result?
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No. Choosing a niche or audience only updates the suggested CPM in the CPM box. The result is calculated from your views and the CPM you enter.
Is this estimate accurate?
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The arithmetic is exact for the numbers you enter, but real earnings depend on factors the tool cannot know: ad-blockers, views without ads, seasonal changes, advertiser demand, policy limits on ads and the countries your viewers are in. Use it for planning, not as a forecast.
Is my data private?
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The calculation runs in your browser and your numbers are not sent to our server. The site may show ads and uses analytics, as described in our Privacy Policy.
Worked Examples
These show how the calculator's arithmetic works. The CPM values are illustrations, not typical results for any channel.
Example 1: 200,000 views a month at a $15 CPM
Gross ad revenue $3,000. YouTube keeps 45% ($1,350). Your share: $1,650 a month ($19,800 a year).
Example 2: 5,000,000 views a month at a $3 CPM
Gross ad revenue $15,000. Your share: $8,250 a month ($99,000 a year). A low CPM can still add up at high volume.
Example 3: 100,000 views a month at a $5 CPM
Gross ad revenue $500. Your share: $275 a month ($3,300 a year). If views double, the share doubles to $550. If CPM rises 50% to $7.50, it becomes $412.50.
Example 4: Turning a YouTube Studio RPM into a calculator input
If your RPM is $4 (already after YouTube's share), enter $4 ÷ 0.55 = about $7.27. With 100,000 views the calculator then shows about $400 a month, which matches 100 × $4.