PlaylistTime / Live sub count
YouTube live subscriber count, refreshed every minute
See any channel's official subscriber count update live, with its exact total views, video count and the next milestone. No made-up digits: we show what YouTube publishes.
This YouTube live subscriber count shows the channel's official subscriber number and refreshes it every 60 seconds while the page is open. Alongside it you see the exact total views, the number of public videos, views per video, the channel's age and how far it is from the next milestone. Paste an @handle, a channel link or any video link from the channel.
Every number comes from YouTube's official Data API. Many "live sub count" sites show a number ticking up one subscriber at a time for big channels. YouTube does not publish that number, so those digits are an estimate. We show the official figure, and when YouTube rounds it we show the exact range the real count must be in.
How does the live subscriber count work?
The page asks our server for the channel's statistics once a minute. Our server keeps each channel's numbers for one minute and shares them with everyone watching the same channel, so the count updates for everyone at the same time without wasting YouTube's daily allowance. When you switch to another tab the page stops asking, and when you come back it refreshes at once if the number is more than a minute old.
Worked example: what a rounded count really means
On 26 October 2026 YouTube's API returned 523,000,000 subscribers for MrBeast. YouTube rounds public counts down to three significant figures, so the real count was somewhere from 523,000,000 to 523,999,999, and the public number only changes when it passes 524,000,000. For Veritasium the API returned 21,400,000: the real count is between 21,400,000 and 21,499,999, and the public number moves in steps of 100,000. A channel with 1,234 subscribers shows as 1,230 (YouTube's own example), moving in steps of 10.
How to see a live subscriber count, step by step
1. Paste the channel
Type the @handle, paste the channel link, or paste a link to any of its videos or Shorts.
2. Press Show count
The official count appears with the channel's views, videos and next milestone.
3. Keep the page open
The numbers refresh every 60 seconds while the tab is visible. Copy the link to this count to share it or to come back to the same channel.
Why YouTube subscriber counts are rounded
Since September 2019, YouTube has shown abbreviated public subscriber counts for channels with more than 1,000 subscribers, and the API returns the same rounded figure. YouTube's API revision history says the counts are rounded down to three significant figures. In practice:
| Real subscribers | Public figure | Moves in steps of |
|---|---|---|
| 999 | 999 | 1 (exact) |
| 1,234 | 1,230 (1.23K) | 10 |
| 12,345 | 12,300 (12.3K) | 100 |
| 123,456 | 123,000 (123K) | 1,000 |
| 1,234,567 | 1,230,000 (1.23M) | 10,000 |
| 523,456,789 | 523,000,000 (523M) | 1,000,000 |
The first three rows are YouTube's own examples. The page shows this range under the count for every channel above 1,000 subscribers.
Is a live sub count exact?
Only the channel owner can see an exact real-time count: in YouTube Studio, Analytics, the Realtime card has a "See live count" link. Everyone else, including every website and app, gets the rounded public figure. A counter that shows a big channel's subscribers to the last digit is estimating the digits YouTube hides, usually from the channel's recent growth rate. That can look lively, but the digits are a guess and they jump when the public figure changes. This page never invents digits.
How to check your own exact subscriber count
- Open YouTube Studio and choose Analytics.
- On the Overview tab, find the Realtime card.
- Click See live count for your exact subscriber count, updated in real time.
Can a YouTube channel hide its subscriber count?
Not any more. In 2022 YouTube removed the setting that let channels hide their subscriber count, saying scammers used hidden counts to impersonate bigger channels in comments (reported by Tubefilter on 30 June 2022). The API still has a "hidden" flag, so if YouTube ever returns a hidden count the page says so instead of showing zero, and still shows the channel's views and videos.
Subscriber milestones and Creator Awards
The milestone bar uses steps of 1, 2 and 5 at each size: 100, 200, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000 and so on. It measures progress with the public figure, so "to go" is an upper bound: the real count may already be closer. YouTube's Creator Awards are given at these subscriber counts:
| Award | Subscribers |
|---|---|
| Silver | 100,000 |
| Gold | 1,000,000 |
| Diamond | 10,000,000 |
| Red Diamond | 100,000,000 |
Exact total views and video count
Unlike subscribers, the total views and the video count come back exact. Total views add up every view of every public video in every format. YouTube's API documentation says that from 24 August 2026 a view counts as soon as a video starts to play, for long videos, Lives and Shorts alike, so totals grow faster than under the older rules. The video count includes only public videos, so private and unlisted uploads are not counted, even for the owner.
How to compare live subscriber counts
To put two or three channels side by side, with views, videos and upload pace as well, use compare YouTube channels. Each column uses the same official numbers as this page.
How accurate is this live subscriber count?
- Subscribers: exactly YouTube's public figure, at most about a minute old. For channels over 1,000 subscribers that figure is rounded down, and the real count is in the range shown.
- Views and videos: exact as YouTube reports them; YouTube itself may update totals with a delay.
- Refresh: every 60 seconds while the page is visible. A faster refresh would show nothing new, because our server keeps each channel's answer for a minute.
Sources
- YouTube Data API revision history, 10 September 2019: subscriber counts are rounded down to three significant figures for channels above 1,000 subscribers.
- YouTube Data API: channels resource (subscriberCount, viewCount and the 24 August 2026 view-counting change, videoCount; page last updated 15 October 2026).
- YouTube Help: Check your YouTube subscriber count (public count examples and the Realtime live count, checked 26 October 2026).
- YouTube Creator Awards (award levels, checked 26 October 2026).
- Tubefilter, 30 June 2022: channels can no longer hide their subscriber counts.
Why we built this live subscriber count
Search for a live sub count and you find counters ticking up one subscriber at a time for channels whose real count YouTube does not publish. 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. The honest version is simpler: the official number, refreshed on time, with a plain explanation of what the rounding hides and the exact range it leaves.
What this page measures
- Subscribers, total views and public video count from YouTube's official Data API, refreshed every 60 seconds and shared by all visitors watching the same channel.
- The range the real subscriber count is in, worked out from YouTube's rounding rule.
- Views per video (total views divided by public videos), the channel's age from its creation date, and milestone progress.
- What it does not measure: the exact live count of a large channel (only its owner can see that), subscriber history, or forecasts.
Why it is different
| This page | Typical live counters | |
|---|---|---|
| Subscriber digits | Official figure plus the exact range | Often estimated digits shown as live |
| Refresh | Every 60 s, paused in background tabs | Every second, including invented ticks |
| Views and videos | Exact official totals | Often shown, sometimes estimated |
| Explains rounding | Yes, with YouTube's own rule | Rarely |
Questions
Is this YouTube subscriber count live?
Yes. It shows YouTube's official public subscriber count and refreshes it every 60 seconds while the page is open. YouTube itself rounds counts above 1,000, so the public figure changes in steps.
Why does the subscriber count not change every second?
YouTube publishes subscriber counts above 1,000 rounded down to three significant figures. A channel with 21.4 million subscribers only shows a new number when it passes 21.5 million. Counters that tick every second are estimating the hidden digits.
How accurate are live sub count websites?
For channels above 1,000 subscribers no website can see the exact count, because YouTube only publishes the rounded figure. Exact-looking digits are estimates. This page shows the official figure and the range the real count lies in.
How do I see my exact subscriber count?
In YouTube Studio, open Analytics, find the Realtime card on the Overview tab and click See live count. Only the channel owner can see the exact number.
How does YouTube round subscriber counts?
Down to three significant figures for channels above 1,000 subscribers: 1,234 shows as 1.23K, 12,345 as 12.3K and 123,456 as 123K.
Can a channel hide its subscriber count?
Not since 2022, when YouTube removed the setting to stop scammers using hidden counts to impersonate bigger channels. If YouTube ever returns a hidden count, this page says so instead of showing zero.
How often does the count refresh?
Every 60 seconds while the page is visible. It pauses when you switch tabs and refreshes as soon as you come back.
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Built by Nitin Raja. Last updated 26 October 2026.