YouTube RPM Calculator
Estimate your monthly YouTube ad revenue from long-form videos and Shorts based on your niche, viewership, and optional revenue streams like memberships and Super Thanks.
Total across all regular videos (not Shorts)
Shorts pay $0.03–$0.10 per 1K views — significantly lower than long-form
Optional revenue streams
Monthly breakdown
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How the calculation works
RPM (Revenue Per Mille)is what YouTube pays you per 1,000 views — after YouTube takes their 45% cut. It's the most reliable metric for estimating your income because it reflects actual monetized playback rates in your geography and niche.
RPM varies significantly by niche: finance and business channels average $5–$25 RPM, while gaming and entertainment typically see $1.50–$5 RPM. Q4 (October–December) is typically 30–50% higher than Q1 due to increased advertiser spending.
YouTube Shortsearn a separate, much lower RPM ($0.03–$0.10 per 1K views) — Shorts revenue comes from the Creator Pool, not direct ad monetization. If you know your actual RPM from YouTube Studio, use the "I know my RPM" toggle for a more precise estimate.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between RPM and CPM?
CPM (Cost Per Mille) is what advertisers pay YouTube per 1,000 ad impressions — typically $3–$50 depending on niche. RPM is what you receive after YouTube's 45% cut and accounting for views with no ads. Your RPM will always be lower than CPM.
Why is my YouTube Shorts RPM so much lower?
Shorts are monetized through a Creator Pool system rather than direct ads, which results in much lower payouts ($0.03–$0.10 per 1K views vs $1.50–$30 for long-form). The real value of Shorts is subscriber growth and traffic to your long-form videos.
Where can I find my actual RPM?
In YouTube Studio → Analytics → Revenue tab. You'll see your RPM and CPM for any date range. Your actual RPM is the most accurate input for this calculator.
Why does RPM vary by season?
Advertisers increase budgets in Q4 for holiday campaigns, pushing CPM (and therefore RPM) up 30–50% in October–December. January–February are typically the slowest months. This calculator uses an annual average.
Does YouTube take 30% of channel memberships too?
Yes — YouTube keeps 30% of channel membership revenue. On iOS, Apple's 30% cut also applies, dropping your share to ~49% for mobile sign-ups. The membership calculation here uses the 70% creator share.
How do I increase my YouTube RPM?
RPM is largely determined by your content niche and audience geography — factors that change slowly. The fastest way to increase effective RPM is to create content that attracts viewers in high-CPM countries (US, UK, Canada, Australia) and in higher-CPM niches (finance, business, software). Longer videos (8–15 min) with multiple mid-roll ad slots also increase RPM.
Why is Q4 RPM so much higher?
Advertisers dramatically increase budgets in October–December for holiday campaigns. This competition for ad inventory drives CPMs up 30–60% above the annual average. If you're planning major video launches, Q4 is when they'll earn the most ad revenue per view.
How long does it take to get monetized on YouTube?
You need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 public watch hours in the last 12 months (or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days) to apply for the YouTube Partner Program. After applying, YouTube manually reviews your channel — this takes 1–4 weeks. Most channels with consistent uploads hit this in 6–18 months.