It wasn’t that long ago that making YouTube videos were created just for fun. But now, it’s one of the highest-paying jobs on the planet. Content creators are making a living out of ad revenue, sponsorships, and using their influence to branch out to other business ventures. The competition is high, but here are the 20 of the richest YouTubers dominating the video-sharing platform right now.
Top 20 Wealthiest YouTubers of 2022:
1. Jeffree Star – $200 Million
The makeup artist and former musician is on the top of the list as he is a master of promoting his own brand, Jeffree Star Cosmetics, using his YouTube channel. He makes beauty content and shares his opinion on confidence, self-image, and fame.
Jeffree made money before YouTube by doing various makeup and modeling gigs. He also joined Myspace and gained a large following. He later started a YouTube channel to endorse his music. But when it didn’t work, he launched his own business.
With 16.1 million subscribers, he is far from being the most-subscribed YouTuber, but it’s enough to make him the wealthiest. His company alone makes him over $100 million yearly. Combine that with his other income sources, and Jeffree gets a $200 million estimated net worth.
2. PewDiePie – $40 Million
Felix Kjellberg, also known as PewDiePie, is dubbed by many as the king of YouTube. He has been on YouTube for a long time, popularizing commentary and reaction videos relating to video games and other pop culture topics.
PewDiePie was always passionate about gaming in his youth, so he recorded himself playing his favorite games. It wasn’t easy at first as YouTube didn’t have the monetization feature yet. He supported his lifestyle by selling artwork, working in the harbor, and running a hot dog stand.
He had the biggest YouTube channel for a long time until T-Series dethroned him after their rivalry. Still, he remains the most popular individual user on the site with 111 million subscribers and a net worth of approximately $40 million.
3. Markiplier – $35 Million
Markiplier is a YouTuber who makes comedic sketches and gameplay videos. Like PewDiePie, Mark has a long history on YouTube. He is a pioneer of the sketch style of playing every character involved.
He has created multiple YouTube channels throughout the years because of different reasons. The first time was when his Adsense account was banned. So, he made MarkiplierGAME. He is also a part of the now-deleted Unus Annus channel.
Now, his self-titled main channel has a subscriber count of 32.3 million. Mark has also found success in other ventures, such as podcasting and voice acting. He has a net worth of around $35 million as a result of his endeavors.
4. DanTDM – $35 Million
Originally referred to as TheDiamondMInecraft, DanTDM is another content creator who got most of his fame and fortune by playing video games. He primarily plays Minecraft, but he also tries other games, like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Pokemon.
In the category of dedicated Minecraft YouTube channel, 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 a total of 26 million subscribers. With this following, he wrote the book titled Trayaurus and the Enchanted Crystal in 2016. He did a book tour and starred in a YouTube Red series the following year. He has a net worth of nearly $35 million.
5. Ryan’s World – $32 Million
Ryan’s World is one of the most recognized YouTube accounts for children. In this channel, a child named Ryan Kaji reviews toy products, performs DIY science experiments, and completes numerous tasks.
It was previously known as Ryan ToysReview, but it was later renamed to its current moniker as Ryan tried new things. The 10-year-old’s mother had given up her full-time career to work with her son for this channel.
They currently have nine total channels, but they garnered 32 million subscribers on their main account. There’s a Spanish and Japanese version of Ryan’s World. They also sell merch, which is mainly toys and clothing. This gives Ryan a $32 million net worth at a young age.
6. Dude Perfect – $30 Million
Cody Jones, Tyler Toney, Garrett Hilbert, and twins Cory and Coby Cotton make up Dude Perfect. They gained popularity by 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 by recording trick shots at Tyler’s ranch. When their videos became viral, ESPN called them and asked to feature them.
Dude Perfect has amassed 57.3 million subscribers. Players from several professional sports leagues have collaborated with them. They also created a mobile game with the same name as their channel. Now, the group has a total of $30 million in net worth.
7. MrBeast – $25 Million
This may come as a surprise to some, but MrBeast is not the wealthiest YouTuber alive. He just likes to make philanthropy and challenge videos in which he gives away thousands, and sometimes millions, of dollars to random people and organizations.
Jimmy began posting on YouTube as MrBeast6000 when he was 13 years old. He started getting mainstream attention in 2017 when he made unique vlogs and rigorous challenges.
MrBeast is now close to getting the Red Diamond Play Button as he racked up 91.8 million subscribers. This fame also helped him launch other ventures such as Finger on the App, MrBeast Burger, Feastables. That’s why it’s not surprising that he has over $25 million in net worth.
8. VanossGaming – $25 Million
Evan Fong, popularly known as VanossGaming, is a Canadian online figure, creative director, gaming commentator, and disc jockey. He showcases most of his talents on his YouTube channel.
He created his YouTube channel around the same time he went to college to study economics. When he began to devote more time to content creation, his parents became concerned. But everything worked out in the end for Fong.
He is regarded as a key character in the expanding video game commentary subculture. This is how he got 25.6 million people to subscribe to his channel. He also makes money as a DJ called Rynx. It eventually gave him an estimated net worth of $25 million.
9. Ninja – $25 Million
Ninja, whose real name is 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.
He never went to a university and started streaming in 2011. He was slowly getting viewers at first. His mainstream media debut came in March 2018, 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. Apart from YouTube, he has many fans on Twitch, even becoming the most-followed channel on the platform in late 2021. He now has a net worth close to $25 million.
10. Rhett and Link – $24 Million
Rhett James McLaughlin and Charles Lincoln “Link” Neal III are a comedic pair that dubs themselves as the “Internetainers”. They have made several comedy projects together, 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. They went on to share a dorm room at North Carolina State University. They both worked in their respective fields for a period while also creating skits.
Their Rhett and Link channel has 4.99 million subscribers, while Good Mythical Morning has 17.5 million. They run five channels in total. They are also the current owners of another comedy group called Smosh. With this, the two have a combined net worth of $24 million.
11. James Charles – $22 Million
As a creator who thrives in the beauty genre, James Charles Dickinson is known for his makeup tutorials. He has stated that cosmetics is a creative expression and an art form for him.
He got into beauty by assisting a colleague with her makeup for a school dance. He eventually taught himself how to do it alone and began doing it professionally for others. James started his channel while working as a small makeup artist in New York.
James has about 24.2 million subscribers currently. After a tweet displaying his makeup made headlines, he was named CoverGirl’s first male brand ambassador. He’s over $22 million after releasing his own makeup line.
12. Jake Paul – $22 Million
Jake Paul is a vlogger who has turned his focus to celebrity boxing. 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 reactions from listeners.
He first became known on Vine and then for his role as Dirk Mann on the Disney Channel show Bizaardvark, which he played for two seasons. Paul has been the target of numerous controversies during his career as a result of his actions.
Even with the disputes, Paul has gained 20.4 million subscribers. As of his professional boxing career, he has a 5-0 record. Content creation and boxing made him one of the most prosperous YouTubers today, worth $22 million.
13. KSI – $21 Million
JJ Olatunji, alias KSI, is known for posting hilarious reactions and gaming commentary videos on his YouTube channel. He is also involved in celebrity boxing, and he releases his own music. He is also a member of the British influence group Sidemen.
In 2008, he began publishing gaming videos on YouTube, and most of them were about FIFA. He drew a large number of viewers and quickly increased his material coverage.
The JJ Olatunji channel, where he uploads his vlogs, has 14.8 million subscribers while his music account, KSI, has 23.7. JJ was the first rival of Jake Paul in their amateur boxing career. It ended with a draw, and both turned pro later on. This contributed to KSI’s current net worth of $21 million.
14. Preston Arsement – $20 Million
With multiple gaming channels, Preston Arsement is one of the leading content creators in his category. He mainly plays Minecraft, and he’s a part of The Pack, a Minecraft community he started with his friends. He also makes videos from the Minecraft server he runs.
Like many gaming creators, Preston has been a video game lover since childhood. He eventually decided to skip college and create the TBNRfrags channel with two of his friends, TBNRKenWorth and ChocoTheChocobo.
TBNRfrags has reached 7.53 million subscribers. But later on in Preston’s career, he decided to make a channel of his own. It now has 19.3 million subscribers. Arsement’s online pursuits have earned him a net worth of over $20 million.
15. Like Nastya – $20 Million
Like Nastya is the second children’s channel to make it on this 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 all of their time to caring for their daughter, eventually making a YouTube channel dedicated to her.
Fortunately, the girl is doing well now, and their efforts have earned them 89.2 million subscribers. They translated their videos into different languages. It helped Anastasia gain a net worth of approximately $20 million at eight years old.
16. David Dobrik – $20 Million
As a long-running social media personality, it’s not a shock to many that David Dobrik is one of the most affluent content creators on the planet. His YouTube channel featured individuals with whom he had previously collaborated on other platforms.
David started out on Vine. Before Vine was shut down, he had over a million followers. Because of this, he was able to shift to YouTube faster than most other influencers.
The Slovakian personality continues to grow with his 18.3 million subscribers. He made a second channel, David Dobrik Too. He uploads challenge videos and blooper clips there. David also has a podcast with Jason Nash. All of this amounts to a net worth of around $20 million.
17. 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 well-known celebrities.
Singh had planned to obtain a degree as her parents had wanted but instead chose to make YouTube videos. She decided that if her YouTube career did not take off, she would return to grad school. But her YouTube channel exceeded her expectations.
She now has 14.7 million subscribers and has been involved in projects outside of YouTube to improve her wealth. She got the chance to make music, host a talk show, and tour the world. Though she still studied for a degree, she also has a net worth close to $20 million.
18. Logan Paul – $19 Million
Logan is the big brother of Jake Paul. The siblings have a similar career and content, consisting of pranks, challenges, and vlogs. Both of them have been involved in several controversies and have dived into the world of professional boxing.
At ten years old, Logan was already making videos. In 2015, he was the most famous Vine creator. He moved on to act in some television programs and even write a screenplay.
He now has 23.4 million subscribers. Aside from his typical content, he’s a frequent guest at boxing, mixed martial arts, wrestling events. He also hosts a podcast titled Impaulsive that adds a lot to Paul’s $19 million net worth.
19. 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. He portrayed Steezy Grossman, a child born as feces.
Switching to a different look is perhaps the best decision he’s made now that he has 15.1 million subscribers on YouTube. He also makes foreign language videos and releases them to various platforms. That’s why Blippi is worth $16 million.
20. Roman Atwood – $14.5 Million
Roman Bernard Atwood was known initially for his prank videos. However, he ultimately transitioned to another content style. He made vlogs, in which he chronicles his daily activities.
While still in high school, Roman Atwood began filming and making videos. He even made The Nerd Herd DVD series. In Columbus, Ohio, he’s also worked on a number of films and commercial gigs.
His original prank channel earned 10.3 million subscribers until he stopped posting there in 2016. Now, he is active on his second channel. Overtook the first one with 15.5 million subscribers, giving Roman Atwood a 14.5 million net worth.
