YouTube

YouTube creators can earn from advertising, YouTube Premium, channel memberships, viewer payments, sponsorships, affiliate sales, and products or services. Advertising revenue requires entry into the YouTube Partner Program (YPP), while external revenue such as sponsorships or affiliate sales can operate separately.

Quick Facts

Minimum Entry Setup

A dedicated camera is not required to begin. Someone who already owns a capable smartphone and computer can start without purchasing professional recording equipment.

For creators who already own a suitable smartphone and computer, paid editing software and a dedicated camera are not necessary for the initial setup.

How It Makes Money

Advertising

Creators accepted into YPP can earn from advertisements shown with their content.

For watch-page advertising, YouTube pays creators 55% of applicable net advertising revenue.

Shorts use a different system. Advertising revenue is allocated through the Shorts Creator Pool, and creators receive 45% of the revenue allocated to them based on their share of eligible views.

Memberships and viewer payments

Eligible creators can earn through:

• Channel memberships

• Super Chat

• Super Stickers

• Super Thanks

YouTube pays creators 70% of applicable net revenue from these features.

YouTube Premium

Creators can also receive revenue when YouTube Premium subscribers watch their content. Revenue is distributed based on member viewing rather than a fixed payment per view.

Revenue outside YouTube

A channel can also generate revenue through:

• sponsorships

• [Affiliate Marketing](Affiliate Marketing)

• merchandise

• digital products

• courses

• consulting or other services

• software and other creator-owned businesses

These revenue streams do not use YouTube's standard advertising revenue share.

Software & Tools

DaVinci Resolve is the lowest-cost full desktop editing option in this comparison. Blackmagic Design offers the standard version free, while Resolve Studio costs US$295.

Adobe Premiere is subscription-based. Adobe lists the individual Premiere plan at US$22.99/month under an annual commitment billed monthly.

Paid editing software is therefore an upgrade rather than a requirement for starting a channel.

Requirements

Full advertising and Premium revenue sharing

As of August 2026, new creators can qualify through either route:

Long-form

• 1,000 subscribers

• 4,000 qualified public watch hours during the previous 12 months

Shorts

• 1,000 subscribers

• 10 million qualified public Shorts views during the previous 90 days

Watch time generated through the Shorts Feed does not count toward the 4,000-hour long-form requirement.

Channels must also comply with YouTube monetization policies, have no active Community Guidelines strikes, enable 2-Step Verification, have advanced features access, and link an active AdSense for YouTube account.

Reaching the numerical threshold leads to a channel review rather than automatic YPP approval.

Earlier YPP access

In countries where the expanded YPP is available, creators can access eligible fan-funding and Shopping features earlier with:

• 500 subscribers

• 3 valid public uploads in the previous 90 days

• 3,000 valid public watch hours in the previous 12 months or

• 3 million valid public Shorts views in the previous 90 days

This tier does not provide the full advertising revenue sharing available at the higher threshold.

2027 YPP Changes

YouTube has announced higher entry requirements for new creators beginning February 1, 2027.

The new entry thresholds apply to new applicants. Existing YPP creators will not lose long-form advertising access solely because they fall below the new entry thresholds.

YouTube is also changing Shorts monetization rules in 2027, including ongoing Shorts-view requirements for Creator Pool advertising eligibility.

Risks / Things to Know

Platform dependency. Advertising and platform-based monetization depend on continued YPP eligibility and YouTube's monetization policies.

Copyright can affect monetization. Using third-party music, footage, or other copyrighted material can lead to claims or restrict revenue.

Views do not have a fixed official payout. The 55% advertising revenue share does not mean that every 1,000 views generates the same amount of money. Advertiser demand, audience, geography, content and monetized playback affect the economics.

Professional equipment is not required to start. A dedicated camera, paid editing software and studio lighting should generally be treated as upgrades when the existing setup creates a practical limitation.

Sources

YouTube Help — YouTube Partner Program overview & eligibility Current YPP eligibility requirements, account requirements and review process. https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/72851

YouTube Help — Overview of the expanded YouTube Partner Program 500-subscriber early-access requirements for eligible fan-funding and Shopping features. https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/13429240

YouTube Help — YouTube partner earnings overview Official 55% watch-page, 45% Shorts and 70% Commerce Product revenue shares. https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/72902

YouTube Help — Changes to the YouTube Partner Program Announced February 1, 2027 YPP eligibility and monetization changes. https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/12843009

Blackmagic Design — DaVinci Resolve Current DaVinci Resolve Free and DaVinci Resolve Studio US$295 pricing. https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve

Adobe — Premiere Plans Current U.S. individual Premiere pricing of US$22.99/month under an annual plan billed monthly. https://www.adobe.com/products/premiere/plans.html

Canva — Plans and Pricing Current U.S. Canva Free and Canva Pro pricing. https://www.canva.com/pricing/