YouTube Shorts
Revenue Calculator

YouTube Shorts pay approximately $0.03-$0.06 per 1,000 views through the Shorts revenue sharing program. This is significantly lower than long-form content ($3-5 RPM). A viral Short with 1 million views earns roughly $30-$60.

Several factors: Shorts have limited ad inventory (only between Shorts, not during), compete with free platforms like TikTok, viewers consume many Shorts quickly, and advertisers pay less for brief attention. Shorts revenue comes from a shared pool, not direct ads.

Ads play between Shorts in the feed. Revenue from these ads is pooled, then distributed to creators based on their share of total Shorts views. Of the creator pool, you get 45% (YouTube keeps 55% - inverse of long-form). Music licensing costs are deducted first if you use licensed songs.

Yes. To earn from Shorts, you must be in the YouTube Partner Program. You can qualify via: 1,000 subs + 10M Shorts views in 90 days, OR 1,000 subs + 4,000 long-form watch hours. Once in YPP, Shorts automatically earn revenue.

Yes, significantly. If your Short uses licensed music from YouTube's library, a portion of revenue goes to music rights holders before you get your share. Using original audio or royalty-free music means you keep 100% of your creator share.

We use current 2026 Shorts RPM data. Estimates are within ±30% of actual earnings. Actual revenue varies based on: music usage (reduces payout), audience location, overall Shorts ad revenue that month, and your share of total Shorts views.

Yes! The Shorts path to YPP (10M views in 90 days) can be faster than long-form (4,000 watch hours). Viral Shorts can accumulate millions of views quickly. However, you still need 1,000 subscribers, which Shorts help build through exposure.

Long-form earns 50-100x more per view. Best strategy: Use Shorts for growth and audience building, then convert viewers to long-form content for revenue. A channel with both formats typically outearns a Shorts-only channel significantly.

At average Shorts RPM ($0.04): $100 requires approximately 2.5 million views. Compare to long-form at $5 RPM where you'd only need 20,000 views. This illustrates why Shorts are better for growth than direct revenue.

Partially. Shorts views count toward total views and subscribers. However, Shorts watch time does NOT count toward the 4,000 hour YPP requirement. They have a separate metric: 10M Shorts views in 90 days for the alternative YPP path.

YouTube Shorts revenue sharing launched February 1, 2023, replacing the previous Shorts Fund (a fixed bonus pool). Now all YPP members automatically earn from Shorts views based on the ad revenue sharing model.

Yes! Enter any channel URL or @handle. We estimate Shorts revenue based on visible Shorts view counts and current RPM data. Useful for researching competitors or understanding Shorts earning potential in your niche.

Much less variation. Unlike long-form where finance earns 10x gaming, Shorts RPM is relatively flat across niches ($0.03-0.08 range). This is because ads play between Shorts, not targeted to specific content. Location still matters - US viewers pay more.

Shorts revenue is included in your regular monthly YouTube payment (21st-26th of each month). It's combined with long-form ad revenue, memberships, Super Chat, etc. You'll see Shorts revenue separately in YouTube Studio analytics.

Yes! We use current 2026 Shorts RPM data and revenue sharing percentages. The model has been stable since the February 2023 launch. We update our estimates based on creator reports and industry benchmarks quarterly.