The short version
Enter your daily views, pick an RPM, and set what share of views actually gets monetized. The calculator multiplies it out into daily, monthly, and yearly earnings, updating live as you drag the sliders. That’s the whole tool. The interesting part is picking honest inputs.
RPM vs CPM, because everyone mixes them up
CPM is the advertiser-side number: what brands pay per 1,000 ad impressions, before YouTube takes its 45% cut. RPM is your side: revenue per 1,000 total views, after the split, including everything AdSense pays out. A channel bragging about a $20 CPM might see an $8 RPM once the cut, ad blockers, and unmonetized views are factored in.
This calculator runs on RPM because that’s the number that lands in your bank account. You’ll find your real figure in YouTube Studio under Analytics, then Revenue. Copy it into the custom field and the estimate gets close to your actual payout.
The formula underneath: monetized views divided by 1,000, times RPM. Monetized views are your daily views multiplied by the percentage slider, because not every view shows an ad.
Where the presets come from
Advertisers bid on purchase intent, which is why the niche spread is so brutal:
- Finance sits around $12 RPM. Someone watching a video about index funds might open a brokerage account worth thousands to the advertiser.
- Tech runs about $8, education around $6.
- Gaming lands near $3.50 despite huge audiences, because teenagers watching Fortnite clips don’t buy much.
- Entertainment hovers at $2.50 and music at $1.50, broad reach with low intent.
These are working averages, not guarantees. Audience geography moves them a lot: US, UK, and Australian views pay several times more than views from low-CPM regions. So does video length, since videos over 8 minutes unlock mid-roll ads.
The slider most calculators skip
That monetized-views percentage matters more than people think. Ad blockers, unfilled ad inventory, and viewers in regions with weak advertiser demand all mean a chunk of your views earns nothing. For most channels the real rate falls between 40% and 80%. The default sits at 60%, which is a reasonable middle if you haven’t checked your own analytics.
Skipping this adjustment is why so many revenue estimates run 30% to 50% high.
Common questions
How accurate is this? As accurate as your inputs. With your real RPM and monetized-view rate from Studio, the result lands close to your AdSense revenue. With guessed presets, treat it as a ballpark.
Does it include memberships, Super Chat, or sponsorships? No, ad revenue only. Brand deals, memberships, merch, and affiliate income stack on top, and for small channels they often out-earn AdSense entirely.
Why does Q4 pay so much more than January? Advertiser budgets. Brands spend heavily before the holidays, then reset in January. The same views can earn 40% more in November than in February, so run the calculator with seasonal RPMs if you’re forecasting a full year.
What RPM should a brand-new channel expect? Below niche average at first. New channels skew toward lower-paying suggested traffic and shorter videos without mid-rolls. Expect the low end of your niche’s range for the first several months after monetization.
Do Shorts views count the same? They don’t. Shorts pay from a separate revenue pool at dramatically lower rates, often under $0.10 per 1,000 views. This calculator models long-form ad revenue.
Is anything I enter uploaded? No. The math runs in your browser and nothing gets sent or stored.