Free tool

YouTube Monetization
Calculator

Estimate what a YouTube channel earns from ads. Drag the sliders to set your views per video, how often you upload, the size of your evergreen library and your RPM — and see your projected monthly and yearly ad revenue update live.

It's free, needs no sign-up, and works for channels of any size — from your first 1,000 subscribers to a back-catalogue of thousands of videos.

Start from a real channel
Paste any YouTube channel URL or @handle. The sliders below will prefill from that channel's actual upload pace, library size and view performance — then iterate to test what more views per video would be worth.
Inputs · Volume & reach
Avg. views per video / month1,000
The average monthly views a typical upload earns. This is the number better titles, thumbnails and SEO move most.
Videos uploaded per week3
Your publishing cadence. More uploads = more new views each month — but only if quality holds.
Active monetised library50
How many videos are in your back-catalogue — your evergreen “long tail.” Prefilled with the channel's real video count; these earn on top of new uploads.
Inputs · Revenue levers
RPM — revenue per 1,000 views$2.50
What YouTube actually pays you per 1,000 views, after its 45% cut. Varies a lot by niche — finance & tech run high, entertainment & news run lower.
Avg. monthly views per library video500
Average monthly views each back-catalogue video pulls. Most are modest — a few hundred or less — but across a big library it adds up. Search-driven videos keep earning for years.
Estimated ad revenue
$95
per month · roughly $1,140/year · from 38K total monthly views
New uploads
$32
13 vids × 1,000 views
Evergreen library
$63
50 vids × 500 views
Total monthly views
38K
across the whole channel
What this estimate covers. This is ad revenue only — it doesn't include YouTube Premium payouts, channel memberships, Super Chats, merch or sponsorships, which on a healthy channel can match or exceed ad income. RPM is the biggest unknown: audience location, how many views are on mobile or embedded players, and your niche all swing it. Treat the result as a realistic middle estimate, not a guarantee — and remember the lever that moves it most isn't uploading more, it's getting each video more views through stronger titles, thumbnails and packaging.
How it works

How YouTube ad revenue is calculated

YouTube ad revenue comes down to one simple formula: views ÷ 1,000 × RPM. RPM — revenue per 1,000 views — is what you actually keep after YouTube takes its 45% share of ad income, and after counting the views that never showed an ad at all. It is the single most important number in any monetization estimate.

This calculator splits a channel's earnings into two streams. New uploads are the videos you publish this month — their revenue is your views per video, multiplied by how many you post. Evergreen library is everything you published earlier that still pulls views from search and suggested — a back-catalogue that keeps earning with no extra work. On an established channel the library often out-earns new uploads entirely.

Add the two together and you have a realistic monthly ad-revenue estimate. The calculator also projects it across a year — though remember real earnings swing with the season: Q4 (October–December) can pay double the January rate as advertiser budgets peak.

RPM benchmarks

What is a good YouTube RPM?

RPM varies more by niche than almost anything else. As a rough guide for English-language channels with a largely US, UK, Canada and Australia audience:

High RPM · $6–$15+
Finance, investing, business, tech, software, real estate
Mid RPM · $3–$6
Education, how-to, health, productivity, marketing
Lower RPM · $1–$3
Entertainment, gaming, vlogs, news, music, faith, kids

These are ad-revenue RPM ranges, not guarantees — your own figure depends on watch time, audience country, device mix and season. Once you're monetised, check the real number in YouTube Studio under Analytics → Revenue.

FAQ

YouTube monetization, answered

How much does YouTube pay per 1,000 views?
Most channels see an RPM — revenue per 1,000 views — between $1 and $5 once YouTube has taken its 45% cut of ad revenue. Finance, tech and business channels often run higher ($6–$12+); entertainment, gaming, news and faith content usually run lower ($1–$3). The calculator above lets you model any RPM so you can see your own range.
What is the difference between CPM and RPM?
CPM (cost per mille) is what advertisers pay per 1,000 ad impressions, before YouTube takes its share. RPM (revenue per mille) is what actually lands in your pocket per 1,000 video views, after the 45% platform cut and counting views that showed no ad at all. RPM is the number that matters for estimating your earnings, which is why this calculator uses it.
How many views do you need to make money on YouTube?
To earn ad revenue you first need to join the YouTube Partner Program: 1,000 subscribers plus either 4,000 valid public watch hours in the last 12 months or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days. After that, earnings scale with views — at a $2.50 RPM, 100,000 monthly views is roughly $250/month in ad revenue.
Is this YouTube monetization calculator accurate?
It gives a realistic estimate, not a guarantee. The maths is straightforward — views ÷ 1,000 × RPM — but real RPM moves with your niche, audience country, device mix and the time of year (Q4 pays far more than January). Use it to model scenarios and understand which levers matter, then check your actual RPM in YouTube Studio once you are monetised.
Does this include sponsorships and memberships?
No — this calculator estimates ad revenue only. Channel memberships, Super Chats, YouTube Premium payouts, merch and brand sponsorships are separate income streams. On many channels those combined can match or beat ad revenue, so treat this figure as one part of total monetization.
How do I increase my YouTube ad revenue?
Two levers: get more views, and earn a higher RPM. More views comes from better titles, thumbnails and SEO so each upload reaches more of its potential audience — and from building an evergreen library that keeps earning long after publish day. A higher RPM comes from longer watch time (more ad slots), audiences in higher-paying regions, and content advertisers want to run against. Komodo is built to move the first lever.

The fastest way to a bigger number? More views per video.

Komodo writes niche-aware titles, descriptions and tags, builds click-worthy thumbnails, and cuts Shorts from your long-form — the work that moves views per video, which is the lever this calculator shows matters most. Free to try, every tool unlocked.

Try Komodo free →
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