When YouTube first started in 2005, there was no way of making huge amounts of money. A lot has changed since then, and YouTube stars today are capable of bringing home a ton of cash. So, we’re going to look at the top ten richest YouTubers by estimated net worth. Who do you think will be number one? Will your favorites be on this list? Only one way to find out! Stick around!
Coming in at number ten is Preston Arsement.
Better known as TBNRFrags or Preston Playz, this 27-year old is worth 20 million dollars! He is best known for gaming content, playing popular games like Minecraft, Fortnite, and Roblox. He also has a variety of other comedic videos. Preston also runs his own Minecraft server called CosmicPvP, which he also features on his YouTube channel. His most popular video is a short video called “POV: You’re Fixing Lights in Among Us…” which has over 74 million views. Preston has 32 million followers across his several channels on YouTube and also live streams on the popular website Twitch. He is also a part of the Minecraft group “The Pack,” along with other YouTubers such as MrWoofless, Vikkstar123, and Bajan Canadian. Preston currently lives in Dallas, Texas along with his wife and fellow YouTuber Brianna.
At number nine is young YouTube star Nastya.
The Russian YouTuber, whose real name is Anastasia Radzinskaya, is only seven years old and already has a net worth of over 20 million dollars! After using family savings to start the YouTube channel in 2016, Nastya’s parents eventually signed with the multi-channel YouTube network Yoola. Their channel, Like Nastya, is the third-largest children’s YouTuber in the world. It has over 83 million followers and 61 billion views! Her videos are aimed at younger children, like herself, and feature mostly silly scenarios or vlogs, in which her parents are also frequently featured. Her videos are dubbed into many languages, such as German, French, Spanish, and Korean. Nastya’s most popular video has over 899 million views. Nastya and her parents currently live in Miami, Florida.
Number eight is make-up entrepreneur James Charles.
The beauty and make-up YouTuber has a current estimated net worth of 22 million dollars. He started his channel in December of 2015 and focused mainly on step-by-step make-up tutorials. Today, his YouTube channel has over 24 million subscribers, and his most popular video, titled “No More Lies” has over 56 million views. In that video, posted in May of 2019, Charles addressed his feud with fellow make-up artist Tati Westbrook. Charles is no stranger to controversy, being accused of catfishing and messaging underage boys. Despite this, Charles has grown his brand into a great success. He became the first male brand ambassador for CoverGirl in 2016. He also collaborated with Morphe Cosmetics to create his own eyeshadow palette and make-up line. Today, James Charles lives in Los Angeles, California.
At lucky number seven is VanossGaming
Born Evan Fong, the video game YouTuber is worth approximately 25 million dollars. His channel consists of montages of him and other creators playing video games like Grand Theft Auto 5 and Garry’s Mod. He started his channel in 2011 and has grown his subscriber count to over 25 million with 14.3 billion video views. Born in Toronto, Canada, VanossGaming was at one point the most subscribed Canadian channel on YouTube, until it was surpassed in 2015 by Justin Bieber. Fong’s most popular video, a Garry’s Mod Skits and Funny moments video, has over 63 million views alone. Unlike other video game YouTubers, which often have the YouTuber’s face edited to appear on-screen, Fong instead chooses not to show his face on video. Fong also produces music under the artist name Rynx, releasing a full album in 2019 titled In Pieces. Fong currently lives in Los Angeles, California.
Sneaking in at number six is Ninja.
Another video game YouTuber, Richard Blevins, better known as Ninja, has a net worth of 25 million dollars. Starting his YouTube career in late 2011, Ninja first started live-streaming himself playing video games such as Halo and Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds, and today he’s most famous for playing Fortnite: Battle Royale. Ninja also plays video games on a professional competitive level. In fact, he was the first professional esports player to be on the cover of “ESPN The Magazine” in September of 2018. Ninja even appeared in the major motion picture Free Guy in a cameo as himself! Ninja is heavily involved in charities, raising money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the Alzheimer’s Association, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. His most popular video is from January of 2018 and has over 48 million views. It is, of course, a Fortnite video. Ninja currently lives in Chicago, Illinois with his wife, Jessica.
We’re already reaching the halfway point of our list! Have you seen your favorite YouTuber yet? Do you think you know who is the richest YouTube star is? There’s only one way to find out, so stay tuned!
At number five is Markiplier.
His name is actually Mark Edward Fischbach, and he’s reportedly worth 35 million dollars. Mark started his first YouTube channel in May of 2012. Currently, he has over 31 million subscribers, and the videos on his channel have been viewed over 17 billion times. His most popular is a video of himself saying “Meow” over various cat clips. It’s been viewed over 345 million times. Mark is, however, most known for his video game Let’s Play videos. He gained popularity playing horror games, such as Five Nights at Freddy’s and Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Mark frequently collaborates with other YouTubers, including CrankGameplays, Jacksepticeye, muyskerm, and LordMinion777. Mark has also dabbled in filmmaking, making long-form videos for his channel. Mark, along with YouTuber Ethan Nestor a.k.a. CrankGameplays, started a channel called Unus Annus, which is Latin for “One Year.” True to the channel’s name, the pair posted videos every day and then deleted the channel and all of its videos at the end of the year. Mark currently lives in Los Angeles, California with his girlfriend, Amy Nelson, and his dogs, Chica and Henry.
Coming in at number four is PewDiePie.
Swedish YouTuber, whose name is Felix Kjellberg, is worth an estimated 40 million dollars. Felix began his YouTube channel in April of 2010. His channel is currently the fourth most-subscribed channel in the world with 111 million subscribers. The most popular video on his channel is a music video called “bitch lasagna” with over 300 million views. The song is a “diss track” to rival YouTube channel, T-Series. In late 2018, T-Series was projected to surpass PewDiePie in total subscriber count. This led to various online campaigns from other YouTubers and internet personalities, encouraging viewers to subscribe to PewDiePie. The rivalry did encourage significant growth in Felix’s channel, gaining 6.6 million subscribers in one month. Other than his rivalry with T-Series, Felix is most known for video games and reaction videos. Occasionally, Felix will also live stream himself playing Minecraft. Felix splits his time between living in Brighton, United Kingdom, and in Japan with his wife Marzia and their two pugs, Edgar and Maya.
Rounding out the top three is Dude Perfect.
The channel, run by friends Garrett Hilbert, Cody Jones, Tyler Toney, and Coby and Cory Cotton, was started in 2009, and today its net worth is around 50 million dollars! It is the second-most subscribed channel in YouTube’s Sports category with over 56 million subscribers and almost 14 billion views. Their most popular video, “Water Bottle Flip 2,” has over 418 million views. The channel is most known for its trick shot compilations, where the guys accomplish seemingly impossible throwing challenges. Dude Perfect has even featured elite-level professional athletes, including Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., tennis player Serena Williams, and motorsports competitor Travis Pastrana. The crew has expanded beyond YouTube, as well, airing television shows, going on a live tour, and setting various Guinness world records. They currently hold 14 Guinness World Records. The channel is based out of Frisco, Texas.
The runner-up for richest YouTuber is… Ryan Kaji!
Another child YouTuber, Ryan Kaji is the star of the YouTube channel “Ryan’s World.” The ten-year-old has an impressive net worth of 50 million dollars! His channel has 31 million subscribers. With almost 50 billion video views, Ryan’s World is the tenth-most viewed channel on YouTube. Ryan’s most popular video has over 2 billion views alone. The channel is intended for young children, with videos of childlike vlogs and unboxing videos. Ryan’s videos have been known to affect toy sales. In fact, the channel has its own line of toys in cooperation with PocketWatch and Bonkers Toys. However, the young YouTuber has already been involved in controversies, such as sponsored videos not being disclosed, promotion of unhealthy foods, and child manipulation and labor. Still, the channel uploads videos nearly every day, with videos regularly passing the 1 million view mark. Today, Ryan and his parents live in Cypress, Texas.
And now, the richest YouTuber in the world is… Jeffree Star!
Beauty guru, make-up artist, entrepreneur, and YouTuber is, by far, the richest YouTuber with a net worth of approximately 200 million dollars! Surprisingly, he only has 16 million followers, far fewer than the other YouTubers on this list, and his videos have been viewed 2 billion times. His most popular video, “Full Face of Brands That Hate Me,” has 43 million views. So, why is Star worth so much? Well, YouTube isn’t his only creative outlet and money-making endeavor. He also had a brief music career, with his one and only album reaching number 7 on the US Billboard’s Top Electronic Albums chart. Star has also appeared in television shows and crossed over with other popular YouTubers, such as Shane Dawson. Star’s most lucrative endeavor is his own line of makeup, Jeffree Star Cosmetics. The company reportedly sells 100 million dollars of cosmetics each year. Star currently resides in Hidden Hills, California.
Well, were you right? Did you guess who the richest YouTube star is? Is your favorite YouTuber on this list or not? Leave your answers in the comments below, and be sure to subscribe for more!
2021
