Video streaming has become incredibly commonplace within the last decade- why wouldn’t anyone want to watch a clip at the click of a mouse? Not only is it more convenient than television, which requires you to catch a show at a specific time, but several platforms also allow you to create, and share your own videos- some sites even allow you to broadcast live! With the massive growth of the internet, it’s not surprising to know that there are countless video-streaming sites available; the most popular probably being that of Youtube.
A robust video platform, Youtube is undoubtedly one of the most-viewed websites online. Let’s take a look at some statistics- since it first went online, over 1,300,000,000 people have used the site. In fact, over five billion video clips are watched every day! As if that wasn’t impressive enough, 300 hours worth of video are uploaded onto Youtube every minute- just imagine all of the content that has been posted in the time that it has taken you to read this paragraph!
Founded in February of 2005 by three former Paypal employees, Jawed Karim, Chad Hurley, and Steve Chen, Youtube began as a technology startup. Interestingly enough, it’s initial headquarters were located above a Japanese restaurant and pizzeria in California. The first video entitled, Me at The Zoo was uploaded onto the site on April 23, 2005; it featured co-founder Karim visiting the San Diego Zoo.
From there, Youtube was opened to beta testers prior to being made available to the public. Quickly attracting users with its convenience and ease of use, over 65,000 new videos were posted every day by July of 2006. Since then, Youtube has become the second-most visited website worldwide according to various third-party analytic sites. In November of 2006, Google bought the video-streaming platform for a whopping $1.65 billion; it currently operates as one of its many subsidiaries.
Packed full with functionalities, Youtube allows its users to upload their own videos onto his or her own channel. Of course, uploaders are also capable of earning advertising revenue through advertisements placed on their videos- assuming that it contains original content. This is where the Top 10 Richest Youtubers come into play- most of these individuals have attracted such a massive following that their videos effortlessly draw in thousands and thousands of dollars, from their high view count. As their channel and overall presence grows increasingly popular, it’s not uncommon for them to also receive various endorsement deals from companies- which only increases the amount that ultimately they earn from Youtube.
Now that we’ve gone over some of the basic stuff, let’s get to the real topic- who are the top 10 richest Youtubers at the moment? What kind of content do they share and upload onto their channels? How many subscribers have they accumulated over the years? Hold on tight, for we’ll be going over the answer to all these questions- and more.
The Richest YouTubers In 2024 – Complete List
10. James Charles
James Charles is a makeup artist and beauty guru. While working in Bethlehem, New York, he started a YouTube channel, where he posts various tutorials. A tweet of him retaking his senior portrait soon went viral in the fall of 2016. From there, he became the first male ambassador for CoverGirl.
By 2019, he had accumulated more than 10 million subscribers on YouTube. That same year, he traveled to Birmingham for the opening of Morphe Cosmetic’s second UK location. He also appeared in Iggy Azalea’s “Sally Walker” music video.
More recently, he hosted the reality competition series Instant Influencer, which was released in April 2020. It eventually won him a Show of the Year Award at the 10th Streamy Awards.
As of right now, he has over 23.9 million subscribers on YouTube. Some of his most popular uploads include No More Lies (56 million views), I Bought a FAKE James Charles Palette (53 million views), Playing Among Us In Real Life 2! (49 million views), Never Enough Cover ft. Cimorelli (48 million views), and Doing Kylie Jenner’s Halloween Makeup (44 million views). He has also collaborated with many celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Kesha, JoJo Siwa, Avani Gregg, and Madison Beer, among others.
9. Evan Fong
Evan Fong is best known for his montage-style gaming videos. In 2011, he launched his YouTube channel to which he posted various content. He gained popularity soon afterward and by 2014, he had accumulated more than 10 million subscribers. That same year, he signed a contract with the multi-channel network Jetpak.
He also released a new logo for his channel—a minimalistic owl against a black background—which he is now known for.
As of writing this post, he has over 25.7 million subscribers with more than 14.9 billion combined views across his videos. Some of his most popular uploads include Gmod Sandbox – The Toys Escape! (64 million views), Good Deathrun – Spongebob Parody Map (51 million views), Vanoss Gaming Funny Moments (50 million views), Gmod: Five Minutes at Freddy’s (50 million views), and Good Shopping Mall (50 million views).
For his work on YouTube, he has received several accolades including a Shorty Award nomination for Tech and Innovation.
Aside from that, he’s also a DJ. Over the years, he has produced various tracks under the name Rynx including “Want You”, “Read My Mind”, “I’m Alright”, and “All For You.” Not only that, but he also lent his voice to the animated series Alpha Betas and Paranormal Action Squad.
8. Jimmy Donaldson
Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast, originally rose to fame for his Let’s Play videos (he mainly focused on Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and Minecraft). He gained further recognition in 2015 after poking fun at YouTube video introductions. By mid-2016, he had garnered more than 30K subscribers. That same year, he dropped out of college to pursue a full-time YouTube career.
In January 2017, he posted a video of himself counting to 100,000, which soon went viral online. He also began posting stunt videos (e.g. trying to stay underwater for 24 hours, breaking glass with dozens of megaphones) during this time.
More recently in 2020, he hosted a rock, paper, scissors competition—one that featured a grand prize of $250,000. At the time, it was the most-watched live event on YouTube with more than 660,000 concurrent viewers. Later that year, he hosted another tournament with a grand prize of $300,000, which was ultimately won by the D’Amelios.
As of 2024, he has over 104 million subscribers on his YouTube channel. His most-watched videos include I Spent 50 Hours in Solitary Confinement, $456,000 Squid Game In Real Life, Last to Leave Circle Wins $500,000, and Press This Button To Win $100,000.
7. Daniel Middleton
Daniel Middleton, better known as DanTDM, is a British YouTuber who’s best known for his video game commentaries. Over the years, he has covered many titles including Pokemon, Roblox, and Minecraft.
In 2015, he was named one of the most popular YouTubers in the world by viewership. That’s not all, he was also included in Forbes Magazine’s list of Highest-Paid YouTubers in 2017, after earning $16 million in one year.
For his gaming and presenting, he has also won a number of Kids’ Choice Awards. Not only that, but he has also set several Guinness World Records—one for “most goals scored in a game of Rocket League” and another for “most views for a Minecraft YouTube channel.”
In 2016, he also released a graphic novel titled, Trayaurus and the Enchanted Crystal, which topped The New York Times Best Seller List. He later went on a book tour across the UK and also visited the U.S. and Australia.
As of now, he has 26.2 million subscribers. Some of his most popular uploads include Minecraft – Vacation Disaster!!, How I Met Dr. Trayaurus, Minecraft – Trayaurus Goes to Prison, Minecraft – 5 Secrets About DantDM, and Best of TheDiamondMineCart.
6. Mark Fischbach
Mark Fischbach, aka Markiplier, is perhaps best known for his playthroughs of horror and indie games, including Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Happy Wheels, Five Nights at Freddy’s, and Garry’s Mod. He also hosts charity live streams on a regular basis, during which he plays games while collecting funds for different charities such as the Best Friends Animal Society, and the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Centre.
In November 2019, he and fellow YouTuber Ethan Nestor created a new YouTube channel, one where they would upload a video every day for a year; it would then be deleted along with all of its content. A huge success, they achieved more than one million subscribers within the first five days and had over 11.5 million views in the first week. The channel was later deleted a year later after a final 12-hour live stream.
In addition to YouTube, he has also hosted a number of podcasts including The Edge of Sleep and Distractible, the latter of which he worked with Bob Muyskens and Wade Barnes. In 2018, he also launched a clothing brand with fellow YouTuber Jacksepticeye. Since then, they’ve collaborated with The Oregon Trail, Five Nights at Freddy’s and Mojang Studios.
5. Felix Kjellberg
Felix Kjellberg, better known as PewdiePie, is one of the most popular gamers on YouTube. He launched his channel in 2010 and quickly became popular for his Let’s Play videos of action and horror video games. By 2013, his channel became the most-subscribed on YouTube and from 2014 to 2017, his videos were the most viewed on the site.
While his channel is no longer the most-subscribed on YouTube as of 2024, it’s still one of the most-viewed channels owned by an individual.
Over the years, he has also diversified his channel to include comedy shorts, music videos, vlogs, and formatted shows, in addition to Let’s Plays. However, he did attract media scrutiny in the late 2010s after using the racial slur “nigger.”
Regardless, he remains one of the most-watched YouTubers in the world with over 111 million subscribers and more than 28 billion views across his videos. Some of his most popular uploads include A Funny Montage, Congratulations, Bitch Lasagna, YouTube Rewind 2018, Funny Montage Number 2, Jake Paul, and The Ruby Playbutton.
He has also won a number of awards including a Streamy Award for Best Gaming Channel and a Teen Choice Award for Choice Gamer.
4. Logan Paul
Logan Paul originally rose to fame on Vine, where he posted various comedy sketches. After the app was shut down, he launched a YouTube channel called TheOfficialLoganPaul to which he posted a variety of content. He later created a second YouTube channel for his vlogs in the summer of 2015.
As of January 2022, his channel has received more than 5.8 billion views and over 23.2 million subscribers, making him one of the most-subscribed YouTube channels on the site.
Aside from his YouTube career, he has also acted in a number of television shows including Bizaardvark and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Not only that, but he also made a couple of appearances in the films The Thinning: New World Order and The Thinning.
That’s not all, he’s also signed to WWE and has participated in a number of matches as a professional wrestler. In December 2020, it was announced that he would face Floyd Maywaether Jr., the former five-division world champion. While the fight was postponed, it later took place in June 2021 at the Hard Rock Stadium. Prior to that, he had faced off against KSI at the Staples Centre in Downtown Los Angeles.
3. Jake Paul
Jake Paul, like his brother, began his career on Vine. By the time it was discontinued, he had more than 5.3 million followers on the platform. Not long afterward, he started a YouTube channel to which he posts pranks, hip hop music, and controversies.
In 2016, he was cast in the Disney series Bizaardvark, in which he played Dirk Mann, the star of “Dare Me Bro”. In the end, he remained on the show for two seasons; he was ultimately fired by Disney after his pranks and parties generated public complaints from his neighbors.
Since then, he has launched a media company and has released several singles including “It’s Everyday Bro”. Interestingly enough, it became the third-most disliked video on the site with more than 70 million views within a month.
Not only that, but he also founded a mobile-betting company called Betr alongside Joey Levy in 2021. According to sources, he allegedly received $50 million in funding for the venture.
In addition to all that, he’s also a professional boxer. His career began in 2018 after he defeated Deji Olatunji in an amateur contest. Since then, he has won fights against mixed martial artist Ben Askren and retired basketball player Nate Robidonson.
2. Ryan Kaji
Ryan Kaji is the star of Ryan’s World, a children’s YouTube channel for those between the ages of 2 and 6. In addition to unboxing videos, they also post personal vlogs on a regular basis. The rest of his family including his mother Loann, father Shion, and twin sisters Kate and Emma also make frequent appearances.
In November 2020, one of their videos, Huge Eggs Surprise Toys Challenge received more than two billion views, making it one of the most-viewed videos on the site. Some of their other popular uploads include Giant Lightning McQueen Egg Surprise, Ryan in Giant Box Fort Maze Grandma Obby, Thomas and Friends Giant Ball Pits with Egg Surprise, and ABC Song Learn English Alphabet for Children.
According to Forbes, his channel generated more than $22 million in 2018 and 2019., making him one of the highest-paid (and youngest) stars on YouTube.
In March 2022, they also released a game called Ryan’s Rescue Squad for Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Nintendo Switch, Stadia, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows. Prior to that, they had released a game on the gaming platform Roblox.
As of 2024, his YouTube channel has over 33.3 million subscribers with more than 52 billion combined views.
1. Jeffree Star
Jeffree Star is a makeup artist and former singer. In 2009, he released his first and only studio album, Beauty Killer, which included “Lollipop Luxury (ft. Nicki Minaj)”. He then embarked on a number of world tours to promote his music.
As for his YouTube channel, he mostly posts makeup tutorials and vlogs. Launched in 2006, it has gained more than 15.9 million subscribers as of 2024. In 2020, he was also nominated for the YouTuber of the Year award at the 12th Annual Shorty Awards.
Some of his top videos include Full Face of Brands That Hate Me, We Broke Up, Kylie Skin Review with Shane Dawson, My Pink Vault Closet Tour and Shane Dawson Controls My Life For a Day. In 2018 alone, he’s said to have earned more than $18 million in revenue from his vYouTube ideos, making him the fifth highest paid YouTuber of the year.
In 2014, he also founded the company Jeffree Star Cosmetics with his business partner Jeff Cohen. Since then, they’ve released numerous products including highlighters, mirrors, lipsticks, jackets, concealers, and setting powders. They’re also known for their mystery boxes, which include a variety of items.
