Free tools/Creators
YouTube money calculator
Estimate what a channel earns from ads. RPM swings the answer more than view count does, so start there.
What you keep per 1,000 views after YouTube's cut. Your exact figure is in YouTube Studio under Analytics, Revenue.
Optional. Past a modest size this is usually the larger half of the income.
The next twelve months
Revenue each month at your growth rate. Growth compounds, so the back half of the year carries most of the total.
Runs in your browser. Nothing is sent anywhere, and nothing is stored.
How it works
Ad revenue = views divided by 1,000, times RPM. RPM is revenue per thousand views after YouTube takes its 45% share, so it is already net to you.
RPM is the variable that matters. A finance or software channel can earn several times what an entertainment channel of the same size earns, because advertisers bid far more for those viewers, and audience country matters nearly as much.
Not every view is monetized. Views from non-monetized countries, from ad blockers, or on videos flagged as unsuitable for advertisers earn nothing, which is why your real RPM sits below the CPM advertisers pay.
Past a modest size, sponsorships out-earn ad revenue for most channels, so treat the ad figure as the floor on what the audience is worth.
Worked example
A channel gets 500,000 views a month at a $4 RPM. 500,000 divided by 1,000 is 500, times $4 gives $2,000 a month. Growing 5% a month, the next twelve months come to about $31,800 rather than $24,000, because growth compounds.
Common questions
What is the difference between RPM and CPM?
CPM is what advertisers pay per thousand ad impressions, before YouTube's cut and before unmonetized views. RPM is what lands in your account per thousand video views, and it is the number to use for estimates.
What RPM should I enter?
Your own, from YouTube Studio under Analytics then Revenue. RPM varies so much by topic and viewer country that a borrowed figure will be wrong for most channels.
Do YouTube Shorts pay the same?
No. Shorts are paid from a separate pool and typically carry a far lower RPM than long-form, so estimate them separately rather than blending the two.
How many views do I need to make a living?
Work it backwards: divide your target monthly income by your RPM and multiply by 1,000. At a $4 RPM, $5,000 a month needs 1.25 million monthly views from ads alone, which is why most full-time creators sell sponsorships or products.
Are these numbers exact?
No. It is an estimate from the two figures that drive the result. Real payouts move with seasonality, watch time, ad formats and how much of your audience sees ads at all.
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