It wasn’t that long ago creating YouTube videos was just a hobby. Now it’s become a lucrative gig. Thousands of content creators around the world are making a living from ad revenue, sponsorships, and business ventures. The competition is high, but here are the 20 richest YouTubers on the platform.
Top 20 Wealthiest YouTubers of 2023:
1. Jeffree Star – $200 Million
The former musician turned makeup artist, tops the YouTube rich list thanks to his brand, Jeffree Star Cosmetics. Before YouTube, Jeffree made a living doing various makeup and modeling gigs.
Back in the mid-2000’s, he gained a large following on Myspace and learned how to attract attention. He later started a YouTube channel to share his music but when that flopped he launched a business.
With 15.9 million subscribers, the channel isn’t even among the top 50 most-subscribed on YouTube, but he is the wealthiest. Jeffree Star Cosmetics makes around $100 million in annual revenue. Star makes an estimated $15 – $20 million per year. As a result, Jeffree Star has a net worth of $200 million.
2. MrBeast – $100 Million
This may come as a surprise to some, but MrBeast isn’t the richest YouTuber but he is quickly making up ground. Jimmy Donaldson enjoys creating challenge videos and giving away huge sums of money. In 2013, 13 year-old Jimmy began uploading onto YouTube as “MrBeast6000”.
MrBeast’s earlier videos were mainly gaming and commentary related and it wasn’t until 2017 that his stunt videos started to go viral. No one else on the platform was uploading content counting from 0 to 100,000 or trying to stay underwater for 24 hours.
MrBeast picked up the Red Diamond Play Button as he racked up 172 million subscribers. This fame also helped him launch other ventures such as Finger on the App, MrBeast Burger, Feastables. Forbes estimates that Donaldson earned $54 million in 2021 and around $110 million in 2022!
3. Ryan’s World – $100 Million
Ryan’s World is one of the most recognized child YouTubers around. Real name Ryan Kaji, he reviews toys, completes challenges and performs DIY science experiments. The channel was previously called Ryan ToysReview, but was renamed as the content changed.
The 11-year-old’s mother, Loann Kaji gave up her full-time job to work on her son’s million-dollar business. From 2016 to 2017, Kaji earned $11 million and was rated as the 8th highest paid YouTuber. In 2018, Ryan made $22 million and in 2019 he earned a whopping $26 million from his videos and product line.
They currently have nine channels with over 35.2 million subscribers on their main account. To expand their audience, there are now Spanish and Japanese versions of Ryan’s World. According to Celebritynetworth.com, Ryan Kaji is worth $100 million.
4. PewDiePie – $40 Million
PewDiePie is dubbed by many as the “King of YouTube.” Felix Kjellberg is an OG YouTuber, responsible for popularizing commentary and reaction videos on gaming and pop culture.
As a youngster, PewDiePie was always passionate about gaming and recorded himself playing his favorite games. It wasn’t easy at first as YouTube didn’t have the monetization feature at the time. He supported his lifestyle by selling artwork, working as a harbor captain and running a hot dog stand.
Kjellberg had the biggest YouTube channel for a long time until T-Series dethroned him after their rivalry. Still, he remains a popular figure with over 111 million subscribers and a net worth of $40 million. It’s estimated that PewDiePie currently makes around $12 million per year.
5. Markiplier – $35 Million
Markiplier uploads comedic sketches and gameplay videos. Similar to PewDiePie, Mark has a long history on YouTube. He is a pioneer of the sketch style of playing every character involved.
Throughout the years, Markiplier has run multiple YouTube channels for various reasons. The first time was when his Adsense account was banned and later set up MarkiplierGAME. He was a part of the now-deleted Unus Annus channel with Ethan Nestor-Darling.
The gamer’s main channel has 35.3 million subscribers. Mark has also found success in other ventures, such as podcasting, voice acting and selling merch. As a result of his endeavors, Markiplier has a net worth of $35 million.
6. Logan Paul – $35 Million
Logan is the big brother of Jake Paul and the siblings create similar content, consisting of pranks, challenges, and vlogs. Both of them have been involved in several controversies and dived into the world of professional boxing.
At 10 years old, Logan was already making videos and by 2015, he became infamous through Vine. He moved on to act in some television programs and even wrote a screenplay.
Logan has 23.6 million subscribers and runs a hugely successful podcast called Impaulsive. Logan has his fingers in a lot of pies from wrestling, podcasting, crypto and a sports drink company. He partnered with former boxing rival KSI to start Prime Hydration and the company is booming. Thanks to all of these ventures, Logan Paul’s wealth stands at $35 million.
7. Daniel Middleton – $35 Million
Originally known as TheDiamondMInecraft, DanTDM is another content creator who made his name and fortune playing video games. He primarily plays Minecraft, but also tries other games, like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Pokemon.
In the category for Minecraft YouTube channels, he set a Guinness World Record for the most views. Dan also broke the record for the most goals scored by a Rocket League squad of two or three players in a single game.
Dan has acquired 27.6 million subs and with this following, he published a book titled “Trayaurus and the Enchanted Crystal” in 2016. He did a book tour and starred in a YouTube Red series the following year. The British YouTuber holds a net worth of $35 million.
8. Jake Paul – $30 Million
Jake Paul is a vlogger turned celebrity boxing enthusiast. His YouTube channel is known for its pranks, controversy, and music. He is a part of Team 10, who dropped the song, It’s Everyday Bro, which received mixed reviews from listeners.
Jake first became famous on Vine and then for his role as Dirk Mann on the Disney show Bizaardvark. Paul has 20.4 million subscribers but isn’t actively uploading videos. Boxing takes up the majority of his time and has won six bouts with just one loss. YouTube and boxing give him a $30 million fortune.
9. Unspeakable – $30 Million
Unspeakable’s success is largely due to the popularity of Minecraft. His videos have gained a loyal following due to his entertaining content and his engaging personality. Apart from Minecraft gameplay, he posts videos doing silly challenges and stunts, which have helped him attract a wider audience.
Unspeakable’s decision to sell his YouTube video catalog to Spotter was a strategic move to grow his business. Spotter is one of the largest independent owners of YouTube content, has made similar deals in recent years. The lump sum Unspeakable received from Spotter was enough to help him start other ventures. According to Forbes, Unspeakable’s made $28.5 million in 2021.
10. Dude Perfect – $30 Million
Cody Jones, Tyler Toney, Garrett Hilbert, and twins Cory and Coby Cotton make up Dude Perfect. They initially gained popularity making trick shot videos. Now, they are also doing other wild challenges and fun video series.
The five members were all roommates in college at Texas A&M University. They started out recording trick shots at Tyler’s ranch. When their videos went viral, ESPN called and asked to feature them.
Dude Perfect has amassed 59.6 million subscribers. Players from several professional sports leagues have collaborated with them and they also created a mobile game. Now, the group has a $30 million fortune.
11. VanossGaming – $25 Million
VanossGaming is a Canadian YouTube gamer, DJ and creative director. Evan Fong created a YouTube account around the same time he started studying economics at college. As he began to devote more time to content creation, his parents became concerned. But everything worked out well in the end for Fong.
VanossGaming is regarded as a key figure in the video game commentary subculture. This is how he got 25.8 million subs. He also makes extra money as a DJ called Rynx. VanossGaming is worth $25 million.
12. Ninja – $25 Million
Richard Tyler Blevins is a professional gamer known for streaming Halo 3, Fortnite, PUBG, and more. Team Liquid, Cloud9, Renegades, and Luminosity Gaming were among the teams he played for.
Ninja never went to a university and began streaming in 2011. He slowly picked up viewers but his mainstream media debut didn’t come until March 2018. This was when he streamed Fortnite with Travis Scott, Drake, and JuJu Smith-Schuster.
At the time of writing, Ninja’s subscriber count is hidden, but it’s known that he reached 23.9 million in the past. Outside of YouTube, Blevins has many fans on Twitch, even becoming the most-followed channel on the platform in late 2021. Ninja holds a net worth close to $25 million.
13. Rhett and Link – $24 Million
Rhett James McLaughlin and Charles Lincoln “Link” Neal III are a comedic pair that dub themselves as the “Internetainers”. The guys have created several comedy projects, but perhaps their most successful one is the web series Good Mythical Morning.
The duo met in first grade at a North Carolina elementary school and went on to share a dorm room at North Carolina State University. They both worked in their respective fields for a period while creating skits.
The Rhett and Link channel has over 5 million subscribers, while Good Mythical Morning has 18.4 million. They run five channels and sold the comedy channel Smosh back to the original owners. With this, Rhett and Link have a combined net worth of $24 million.
14. James Charles – $22 Million
As a creator who thrives in the beauty genre, James Charles is known for his makeup tutorials. He has stated that cosmetics are a creative expression and an art form for him.
James got into beauty through helping a friend with her makeup for a school dance. Charles eventually taught himself how to do it and began doing it professionally for others. James set up his channel while working as a small-time makeup artist in New York.
After a tweet displaying his makeup made headlines, he was named CoverGirl’s first male brand ambassador. James has around 23.9 million subscribers and is worth $22 million after releasing a makeup line.
15. KSI – $21 Million
JJ Olatunji is famous for posting hilarious reactions and commentary videos. KSI is involved in celebrity boxing, releases music and is a member of the Sidemen group.
In 2008, he began creating gaming videos on YouTube, and most of them were about FIFA. He drew a large number of viewers and quickly grew his fan base.
The JJ Olatunji channel, where he uploads his vlogs, has 16.3 million subscribers while his music account, KSI, has 24.1 million. JJ fought Logan Paul twice, the first fight ended in a draw but won the second bout. KSI’s wealth is at $21 million and is growing every year.
16. Preston Arsement – $20 Million
With multiple gaming channels, Preston Arsement is one of the leading content creators in the space. He mainly plays Minecraft, and is a part of The Pack, a Minecraft community he started with friends. He also makes videos from the Minecraft server he operates.
Like many gaming creators, Preston has been a video game lover since childhood. Preston skipped college and created the TBNRfrags channel with two friends, TBNRKenWorth and ChocoTheChocobo.
TBNRfrags has reached 7.74 million subscribers. But later on in Preston’s career, he decided to make a channel of his own. It now has 24.2 million subscribers. Arsement’s online pursuits have earned him a net worth of over $20 million.
17. Like Nastya – $20 Million
Like Nastya is the second children’s channel to make it onto the list. The channel stars a little Russian girl named Anastasia Radzinskaya, who often does toy unboxing, reviews, and travel vlogs.
At birth, Anastasia was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Her parents both worked and owned businesses that they eventually sold. They devoted their time to caring for their daughter, eventually making a YouTube channel dedicated to her.
Fortunately, Nastya is doing well now, and their efforts have earned them 106 million subscribers. Her videos are translated into multiple languages for her viewers. Anastasia has built a $20 million net worth at nine years old.
18. David Dobrik – $20 Million
As a long-running social media personality, it’s not a shock to many that David Dobrik is an affluent content creator. David’s YouTube channel features personalities he previously collaborated with on other platforms.
Similar to Logan Pual, David made his name on Vine. Before Vine was shut down, he had over a million followers. Because of this, he was able to move his audience to YouTube.
The Slovakian star continues to grow with his 17.8 million subscribers and made a second channel, David Dobrik Too. Here he uploads challenge videos and blooper clips. David also has a podcast with Jason Nash. All of this amounts to a net worth of around $20 million.
19. Lilly Singh – $20 Million
Formerly called Superwoman, Lilly Singh is an accomplished comedian and actress. Her YouTube channel is full of skits and crossovers with other celebrities.
Singh planned to get a degree but instead chose to make YouTube videos. She decided that if her YouTube career did not take off, she would return to grad school. Thankfully her success on YouTube has exceeded her expectations.
Lilly now has 14.5 million subscribers and has been involved in projects outside of YouTube. She got the chance to make music, host a talk show, and tour the world. Lilly Singh has a net worth of $20 million.
20. Blippi – $16 Million
Blippi, also referred to as Stevin John, is a popular children’s entertainer who can be seen on a handful of streaming platforms. He depicts a lively and curious character in his informative videos so that kids can relate to him.
Stevin didn’t start out as Blippi. In fact, he was far from child-friendly in his early days of playing characters. Switching to a different look is perhaps the best decision he’s made as the channel has 18.2 million subscribers. That’s why Blippi is worth $16 million.
