Top 5 Richest YouTubers

When it was first brought onto the internet in 2005, YouTube was just a way of uploading some grainy family videos or goofs with your friends that might get around 10 views. These days, it’s how most of us get our entertainment, news and more as YouTube’s reach is higher than that of cable television. With that said, there have been plenty of people to amass a big fortune thanks to YouTube. You’ll notice that the list of the richest YouTubers skews a bit older due to its time of inception compared to the richest TikTokers or Instagrammers (and most are from playing video games), and here are those five that have created the largest net worth.

5. DanTDM ($35 Million)

Dan Middleton began his YouTube channel back in 2012 under the name TheDiamondMinecart and has since changed it to DanTDM as of 2016. His videos routinely hit millions of views, and the main source of his views come from his Minecraft videos. Middleton has over 26 million subscribers with his three most watched videos all coming more than five years ago and reaching over 50 million views. Naturally, these three videos are indeed Minecraft ones.

4. Markiplier ($35 Million)

More of a variety streamer, 33 year old Mark Fischbach has been a busy man over the past decade under the name Markiplier on youTube. He is considered one of the “OGs” of YouTube that has had a steady following during his time on the platform. These days, Fischbach has over 33 million subscribers with some of his videos reaching over 100 million views. Like DanTDM, there is one game in particular that Markiplier was known most for, and that’s “Five Nights at Freddy’s”.

3. PewDiePie ($40 Million)

For several years, Felix Kjellberg was the king of YouTube. He was the most subscribed to channel on the platform beginning in 2013 and held that spot until he was overtaken by Indian record label T-Series. Of course, Kjellberg is known as PewDiePie (or Pewds to his loyal fans) that was in the spotlight on a mainstream basis, but due to some unfavorable coverage has cut down on his uploading schedule and has enjoyed a more subdued life with his now-wife Marzia Bisognin, a fellow internet personality.

2. Ryan Kaji ($50 Million)

Sometimes you catch lightning in a bottle, and that’s exactly what happened for Ryan Kaji and his family. When watching YouTube at a very young age, Kaji asked his mother why he wasn’t on YouTube playing with toys. She then quit her job and helped him make a channel and now it’s a media empire. Yes, all of that is true. Still, go call your mother and tell her that you love her despite not making you a millionaire at just a few years old. Ryan Kaji, between his YouTube channel and various merchandise, is worth $50 million.

1. Jeffree Star ($200 Million)

It might come as a surprise to see Jeffree Star at the top of the list considering that he has under 16 million subscribers, which is peanuts compared to the rest of those on the list. However, the makeup artist is also an entrepreneur and the cosmetics line that he created is bringing in around $100 million per year. When you add those two up, you get a lot of wealth. Interestingly enough, this number could be higher but Star turned down $500 million from L’Oreal for his cosmetics line.