YouTube has long evolved from a mere video-sharing platform into a place for lucrative business. Forbes opened our eyes to how much YouTube vloggers earn when they released their first list of the world’s richest YouTubers in 2015. Since then, we’ve seen the rise and fall of these stars. However, there remain a consistent handful like Swedish gamer PewDiePie, who is probably the richest YouTuber in the world by net worth. He earned a pre-tax income of around $40 million between 2015 and 2017. Sources estimate his net worth to be between $20 million and $60 million.
Considering how these youtubers’ earnings fluctuate (due to many factors), it’s pretty hard to say how much each of them is worth. Estimates might have been easier if their only source of monetization was CPM, the main way to make money with YouTube, but many of these YouTubers increased their income through the sale of merchandise, sponsorship deals with major brands, tours and even interventions..
In the three lists that Forbes has released to date, only Smosh, Lilly Singh and, of course, PewDiePie have ever made the list. So we can say with certainty that they are among the richest youtubers in the world right now. Players like prankster Roman Atwood, old pals Rhett and Link, as well as Nerdy Nummies star Rosanna Pansino were on the top two lists. Player Markiplier appeared on the bottom two. Over the years, new stars have come under Forbes’ radar, like player DanTDM, who debuted on the 2017 list by taking the No. 1 spot with PewDiePie with a record $16.5 million. According to Forbes’ 2017 list, they are the richest YouTubers in the world.
Richest YouTubers
10. Lilly Singh – $10.5 million
The Indo-Canadian beauty is the only woman on the list. With over 10 million subscribers to her Superwoman channel, which she left after postgraduate studies, she is currently among the most successful female Youtubers. The actress began by imitating her Indian parents. Her 2015 tour grossed over $2 million on a total gross of $400,000. Singh now has her own line of lipstick, a book that managed to land on the New York Times bestseller list, and an ever-growing fan base.
9. Ryan ToysReview – $11 million
Nope! The photo is not a mistake… The talent behind Ryan Toys Review is a 6 year old who attends elementary school… and was gifted $11 million in the space of 12 months. And yes! we also sigh for our work * sigh. * Ryan does what his channel says: examine the toys. It racked up 8 billion views in 12 months. Aside from parents trying to find the best toys for their kids, we bet a lot of those views come from the parentless millennial like us, watching her talent over and over again while sulking why we don’t. never thought of starting YouTube. channel…
8. SMOSH – $11 million
Let’s take a moment of silence for this comedy duo, who split in June 2017… SMOSH, made up of top kids Ian Andrew Hecox and Daniel Anthony Padilla, was one of the first YouTube channels created in 2005, a few months after the creation of video sharing platform. The channel was actually considered the first comedy channel on YouTube. They ran at least 7 YouTube channels. Their first film, SMOSH: The Movie was released in 2015.
7. Jake Paul – $11.5 million
There are two people from the same Paul family on this list and Jake is one of them, the youngest. This is his first appearance on the list. Jake Paul’s bad boy persona angered Disney and Bizaardvark so much . However, this did little or nothing to hurt his online audience which continues to grow. Paul increases his income as an entrepreneur. He runs a digital talent management agency. Plus, he earns millions pushing merchandise
6. PewDiePie – $12 million
Felix Kjellberg, better known as PewDiePie topped the previous two lists of richest YouTubers. His earnings might have been bigger if bad behavior (including racism) hadn’t seen him lose a few perks like Google’s lucrative advertising network. He lost his YouTube show Scare PewDiePie while Disney also terminated his contract with their Maker Studios.
5. Logan Paul – $12.5 million
Logan as his brother Paul debuts on the roster. His popularity on Vine helped him achieve instant success on YouTube. Outside of YouTube, Logan Paul earns as a fashion designer.
4. Markiplier – $12.5 million
Gaming fanatic Mark Fischbach skipped a college focus on his MarkiplierGAME channel and it’s safe to say he had no regrets. His earnings jumped from $5.5 million in 2016 thanks in part to a sketch comedy tour that spanned beyond US borders. With over 20 million subscribers, it’s obvious that his Let’s Play gameplay commentary videos are loved by many.
3. Perfect Guy – $14 million
If Dude Perfect’s earnings were to be split between each of its 5 members then none of them would have made the cut for this list, but good thing they work as a group. Group 5…plus a Panda group is hugely popular with over 32 million subscribers and 5 billion views. They also have a strong presence on Instagram with over 7 million followers.
2. Evan Fong – $15.5 million
Avid gamer Evan Fong provides amazing advice on popular games (including Grand Theft Auto) via his VanossGaming channel. In addition to CPM, Fong earns 6 figures through endorsement deals.
1. DanTDM – $16.5 million
All hail the new king, Daniel Middleton, the mastermind behind DanTDM, a channel famous for its helpful Minecraft tips. YouTuber hasn’t earned this much in 12 months. Dan’s high number is partly due to those four sold-out nights at the Sydney Opera House during his world tour.