PlaylistTime / Creator tools / CPM and RPM
YouTube CPM calculator: CPM and RPM for creators and advertisers
Fill in any two numbers and get the third: earnings from views and RPM, or ad cost from impressions and CPM, with the creator’s share.
Views x RPM = earnings. Type any two.
Impressions x CPM = ad cost. Type any two.
This YouTube CPM calculator does the arithmetic behind YouTube ad money in both directions. Creators can turn views and RPM into earnings, or work out the RPM from earnings and views. Advertisers can turn a budget and a CPM into impressions, or find the CPM they paid. Fill in any two boxes and the third is worked out. It also shows how much of an ad's cost reaches the creator on long-form videos (55%) and why Shorts are different. There is nothing to look up: if you want an estimate for a real channel or video from its views, use the YouTube money calculator instead.
What is CPM on YouTube?
CPM (cost per mille) is what advertisers pay for 1,000 ad impressions, before YouTube takes its share. YouTube Studio also shows a playback-based CPM: the cost an advertiser pays for 1,000 video playbacks where an ad was shown. CPM is the advertiser's price, so it is always higher than what a creator earns per 1,000 views.
What is RPM on YouTube?
RPM (revenue per mille) is what a creator actually earned per 1,000 views, after YouTube's share. It counts every view, including views where no ad played, and every revenue source: ads, YouTube Premium, channel memberships, Super Chat and Super Stickers. RPM is the number to use when you want to know what views are worth to the channel.
CPM vs RPM: the difference
| CPM | RPM | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is about | The advertiser | The creator |
| Per 1,000 | Ad impressions (or monetized playbacks) | Views, all of them |
| YouTube's share | Before | After |
| Revenue sources | Ads only | Ads, Premium, memberships, Super Chat and more |
| Typical size | Higher | Lower |
Two things make RPM lower: the creator keeps 55% of net ad revenue on long-form videos, and not every view shows an ad. In AIR Media-Tech's data from 300 channels, 53% of views showed an ad.
How to calculate YouTube CPM and RPM
earnings = views / 1,000 x RPM and RPM = earnings / views x 1,000
ad cost = impressions / 1,000 x CPM and CPM = ad cost / impressions x 1,000
Worked examples
- Creator: 250,000 views at an RPM of $2.30 (the median in AIR's data) is 250 x $2.30 = $575.
- Creator, the other way: $420 from 180,000 views is $420 / 180,000 x 1,000 = an RPM of $2.33.
- Advertiser: a $900 budget at a $9 CPM buys $900 / $9 x 1,000 = 100,000 impressions. On long-form videos, 55% of the net revenue, about $495 of that $900 if no other costs come off, goes to the creators whose videos showed the ads.
How to use the calculator
Step 1: Choose RPM or CPM
Use the RPM tab for a creator’s earnings per 1,000 views, or the CPM tab for an advertiser’s cost per 1,000 ad impressions.
Step 2: Type any two numbers
Type two of the three boxes, for example views and RPM. The calculator fills in the third and highlights it.
Step 3: Read the result
The sentence under the boxes gives the answer; on the CPM tab it also shows the creator’s 55% share for long-form ads, or explains the Shorts pool.
Step 4: Share or change it
Change any number and the result updates. The page address holds your numbers, so you can share the link.
Average YouTube CPM and RPM in 2026
What advertisers pay depends on the audience. Inceptly's 2025 buying data across 140 markets gave a weighted average CPM of about $10.68, with US mobile at $14.76 and US TV screens at $10.33. On the creator side, YouTube Studio CPM and RPM by niche across AIR Media-Tech's 300 channels:
| Niche | Median RPM | Middle half of channels | Studio CPM (median) | Shorts RPM, estimated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education and science | $10.22 | $2.31 - $19.50 | $5.91 | $0.07 - $0.20 |
| Cars and transport* | $5.69 | $3.17 - $9.81 | $5.88 | $0.07 - $0.20 |
| Lifestyle | $2.98 | $1.77 - $5.24 | $5.32 | $0.16 - $0.20 |
| News and politics* | $2.60 | $1.79 - $3.62 | $4.51 | $0.07 - $0.20 |
| Entertainment | $2.43 | $0.88 - $5.02 | $3.98 | $0.07 - $0.20 |
| Crafts and DIY | $2.39 | $1.00 - $3.90 | $3.42 | $0.11 |
| Tech and gadgets | $2.33 | $0.70 - $3.71 | $5.73 | $0.07 - $0.20 |
| Music | $2.28 | $1.35 - $4.16 | $4.05 | $0.97 - $1.48 |
| Food and cooking* | $2.25 | $1.50 - $3.11 | $4.04 | $0.07 - $0.20 |
| Gaming | $2.05 | $0.70 - $3.62 | $4.05 | $0.07 - $0.20 |
| Business and finance* | $2.01 | $0.73 - $5.17 | $4.84 | $0.07 - $0.20 |
| Health and sport | $1.23 | $0.72 - $1.53 | $3.54 | $0.07 - $0.20 |
| Kids and teens | $0.33 | $0.16 - $0.88 | $1.59 | $0.02 - $0.05 |
Studio CPM is before YouTube's share; RPM is after it and over all views. * Fewer than 10 channels. AIR Media-Tech, May 2025 to May 2026.
YouTube CPM by country
Advertisers pay many times more to reach viewers in some countries. Median Studio CPM by viewer country in AIR's 2025 data:
| Viewer country | Median CPM | Compared with the US |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $14.67 | 100% |
| Australia | $13.30 | 91% |
| Switzerland | $12.98 | 88% |
| Norway | $11.21 | 76% |
| New Zealand | $10.21 | 70% |
| Canada | $9.93 | 68% |
| Germany | $9.79 | 67% |
| Denmark | $9.13 | 62% |
| United Kingdom | $8.91 | 61% |
| Netherlands | $8.62 | 59% |
| Finland | $8.61 | 59% |
| Sweden | $8.16 | 56% |
| Austria | $7.36 | 50% |
| Belgium | $7.05 | 48% |
| France | $6.76 | 46% |
| Ireland | $6.65 | 45% |
| Singapore | $5.98 | 41% |
| South Korea | $5.73 | 39% |
| Japan | $5.68 | 39% |
| Argentina | $1.10 | 7% |
| Türkiye | $1.09 | 7% |
| Vietnam | $0.85 | 6% |
| Indonesia | $0.84 | 6% |
| Morocco | $0.78 | 5% |
| India | $0.74 | 5% |
| Egypt | $0.69 | 5% |
| Pakistan | $0.53 | 4% |
| Bangladesh | $0.53 | 4% |
CPM and RPM for YouTube Shorts
Shorts ads do not work per video. Ads shown between Shorts go into a Creator Pool, and each monetized creator gets 45% of the revenue allocated to them by their share of Shorts views. So there is no Shorts CPM that you can turn into a creator's earnings; tick Shorts in the calculator and it says so instead of applying the 55% share. Shorts RPM, what creators end up with per 1,000 Shorts views, was $0.02 to $1.48 depending on niche in AIR's study, a small fraction of long-form RPM.
Why is my YouTube RPM so low?
- Many views had no ad. RPM counts all views, and in AIR Media-Tech's data only 53% of views showed an ad. Ad blockers, short watch sessions and videos with limited ads all lower it.
- Your viewers are in low-CPM countries. A US view can be worth many times a view from a country where advertisers pay less (see the table above).
- Your niche. Kids and teens content had a median RPM of $0.33 in AIR's data, education and science $10.22.
- Shorts. A channel with many Shorts views has a lower overall RPM, because Shorts pay a fraction of long-form.
- The time of year. AIR's median RPM ran from $1.56 in January to $2.35 in November as ad budgets rise before the holidays.
How accurate is the calculator?
The formulas are exact: they are the definitions YouTube uses. The answers are only as good as the numbers you put in. Use your own RPM and CPM from YouTube Studio (Analytics, Revenue tab) for your channel. The 55% share applies to net ad revenue from long-form videos on the watch page; the ad cost an advertiser pays can differ from the net revenue YouTube shares, so read the creator's share as a rough guide. It is not financial advice.
Sources
- Revenue per mille (RPM) and CPM in YouTube Analytics, YouTube Help, checked 26 Oct 2026.
- YouTube partner earnings overview (revenue shares), YouTube Help, checked 26 Oct 2026.
- YouTube monetization statistics 2026 (RPM by niche, 300 channels, May 2025 to May 2026), AIR Media-Tech, updated 1 Oct 2026.
- Which YouTube niche makes the most money in 2026 (RPM and Studio CPM by niche), AIR Media-Tech, updated 1 Jul 2026.
- How much can creators make with AdSense in 2025 (CPM by country), AIR Media-Tech, updated 27 Jun 2025.
- What is a good CPM on YouTube in 2025, Inceptly, 9 May 2025.
- Understand three-minute YouTube Shorts, YouTube Help, checked 26 Oct 2026.
Why we built this CPM and RPM calculator
CPM and RPM get mixed up all the time, and many calculators treat a CPM as if it were money per view. Nitin Raja, who builds PlaylistTime, tested a lot of these pages before building this one: after testing out a lot of websites, he found what people need and what they do not, and built around that. People need the two numbers kept apart, the sum done in whichever direction they need, and the share that reaches the creator shown plainly.
What this calculator does
- Works out the missing one of views, RPM and earnings, or impressions, CPM and ad cost, from the two you type. The box it worked out is highlighted.
- Shows the creator's 55% share of long-form ad revenue, from YouTube's partner earnings overview, and explains why Shorts are pooled instead.
- Lists published CPM and RPM figures by niche and country, with dates and links, for reference.
- What it does not do: look up any channel or video, or guess your RPM. It runs in your browser and stores nothing; the share link only holds the numbers you typed.
Why it is different
| This calculator | A typical CPM calculator | |
|---|---|---|
| Directions | Any two numbers give the third | One fixed direction |
| CPM vs RPM | Separate tools, clearly named | Often treated as the same |
| Creator share | 55% for long-form, Shorts explained | Usually missing |
| Reference figures | By niche and country, dated and linked | One average, if any |
Built by Nitin Raja. Last updated 26 October 2026.
Questions
How do you calculate CPM on YouTube?
Divide the ad cost by the number of ad impressions and multiply by 1,000. For example, $900 for 100,000 impressions is a $9 CPM. CPM is what advertisers pay, before YouTube’s share.
What is the difference between CPM and RPM on YouTube?
CPM is what advertisers pay per 1,000 ad impressions, before YouTube’s share. RPM is what the creator earns per 1,000 views, after YouTube’s share, counting all views and all revenue sources. RPM is lower.
What is a good RPM on YouTube?
In AIR Media-Tech’s Studio data from 300 monetized channels, the median long-form RPM was $2.30 per 1,000 views, from $0.33 for kids content to $10.22 for education and science. Above your niche’s median is good.
How much do creators get from YouTube ads?
55% of the net revenue from ads on their long-form videos. For Shorts, creators get 45% of the revenue allocated to them from the Shorts Creator Pool.
What is the average YouTube CPM?
Inceptly’s 2025 data across 140 markets gave a weighted average of about $10.68, with US mobile at $14.76. In YouTube Studio, median CPM by viewer country ran from $14.67 in the US to under $1 in countries such as India and Pakistan in AIR Media-Tech’s 2025 data.
Why is my RPM lower than my CPM?
Because RPM is after YouTube’s share and counts every view, including views where no ad played, while CPM is the advertiser’s price per ad impression before the share.
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