YouTube Shorts Income Calculator
Enter your monthly Shorts views and RPM to estimate earnings. Shorts pay far less per view than long-form videos, so they should be calculated separately.
Shorts earnings by views
Assuming a Shorts RPM of $0.02 to $0.07, earnings at common view counts look like this. RPM is an estimated range that varies by niche, audience country, and season.
| Monthly Shorts views | Estimated monthly earnings (RPM $0.02–$0.07) |
|---|---|
| 100K views | $2.00 – $7.00 |
| 500K views | $10 – $35 |
| 1M views | $20 – $70 |
| 5M views | $100 – $350 |
| 10M views | $200 – $700 |
How Shorts revenue works
Long-form videos earn from the ads shown on each video. Shorts revenue comes from ads shown between Shorts, which are pooled and then divided by each creator's share of Shorts views. As a result a single Shorts view is worth much less, and the same view count often pays only a small fraction of what long-form pays. This is why a Shorts video with a million views can earn tens of dollars rather than hundreds.
Monetizing with Shorts
Shorts-focused channels can qualify using public Shorts views over the last 90 days instead of watch hours. Tier 1 (fan funding and similar features) needs 500 subscribers and 3 million Shorts views, and tier 2 (ad revenue sharing) needs 1,000 subscribers and 10 million Shorts views. See YouTube Partner Program requirements for the full list and the application steps.
How to earn more from Shorts
- Improve retention. Show the payoff in the first second or two and keep viewers to the end.
- Lead viewers to long-form. Pointing Shorts viewers to longer videos moves them to the format that pays more per view.
- Post consistently. Individual Shorts have short lifespans, so frequency affects total views.
- Check your audience countries. A larger share of viewers in high ad-rate countries raises RPM.
FAQ
How much do 1 million Shorts views pay?
With a Shorts RPM of $0.02 to $0.07, one million views pays roughly $20 to $70. Actual RPM depends on your niche and audience countries.
Can I monetize with only Shorts?
Yes. Instead of watch hours you can meet the Shorts view requirement over the last 90 days (3 million for tier 1, 10 million for tier 2) along with the subscriber requirement.
Why is Shorts RPM lower than long-form RPM?
Shorts revenue is a pooled share of ads shown between Shorts, split by view share, so each view is worth far less than a long-form view.
Related guides
For monetization eligibility and combined long-form and Shorts earnings, use the YouTube Monetization Calculator.