25 Biggest YouTube Influencers

13 min read
18 January 2022

Since YouTube’s launch in 2005, the platform has undergone significant changes. It grew from a failed video-dating website to a powerhouse of video content creators. But who are these YouTubers? You may have never heard of some of YouTube’s biggest stars, so let’s change that.

Top 15 Biggest YouTube Channels

Some of the biggest channels on YouTube belong to production companies and entertainment conglomerates like T-Series, SET India, and BANGTANTV. But for the purposes of this article, we’ll be focusing on the term “creator” rather than on companies.

Channel Name Subscriber Count Number of Videos Average Views Per Video Average Likes Per Video Average Comments Per Video
PewDiePie 110M 4,407 2.5M 232K 12K
MrBeast 68.5M 711 10M 2M 131K
dude perfect 56.7M 270 15M 478K 27K
juegagerman 44.1M 1,844 1.7M 203K 11K
whinderssonnunes 43M 395 9.6M 566K 17K
felipe neto 42.8M 2,794 4.8M 64K 2K
fernanfloo 42.8M 538 17M 1M 183K
elrubiusomg 40M 832 11.1M 1M 59K
luisito comunica 37.1M 1,017 6.5M 130K 6K
a4 34.1M 457 22.3M 813K 48K
kimberly loaiza 33.1M 173 19M 1M 101K
vegetta777 32.6M 6,699 2.1M 41K 425
carryminati 31.9M 176 14.4M 4M 281K
markiplier 29.9M 5,001 3.2M 152K 8K
sssniperwolf 29.3M 2,769 5.4M 185K 14K

Top 25 YouTube Influencers

There is room for all kinds of influencers - from entertainers to business gurus to educators. Even though it’s not the only way to earn money on YouTube, a career as a YouTube content creator is empowering, exciting, and creative. But before you start your own channel or get into influencer marketing, it’ll be useful to learn from the best.

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Where to start and how to create a YouTube channel: the first steps of a video blogger

The first thing that many people want to do is grab a camera or smartphone and start uploading videos.

Even though most popular YouTubers started as “one-man shows,” they eventually added employees to their team. If you’re also trying to expand your team and grow your account, you’ll need a tool like Onlypult to connect other people to your account. Check out Onlypult’s Posting, Builder, and Monitoring products to delegate tasks efficiently and always be informed on what is going on with your channel.

Without further ado, let’s see who the top YouTube influencers are in the list below.

1. Ninja - 24.1M Subscribers

  • Channel created: Nov 11th, 2011
  • Number of videos: 1,398
  • Average views per video: 1.7M
  • Estimated monthly earnings: $54K-$72K

Ninja (Tyler Blevins) is a major industry name in the gaming scene and one of the highest-paid influencers working directly with Battle Royale. Magazines call him “the closest thing gaming has to a crossover mainstream star.” Even though he is primarily a Twitch streamer, Ninja posts videos every other day, including YouTube shorts, the platform’s latest addition. In terms of length, most of his videos are short and snappy compilations (around or under 10 minutes) of the best moments during livestreams.

2. Chloe Ting - 21.9M Subscribers

  • Channel created: Aug 17th, 2011
  • Number of videos: 330
  • Average views per video: 6.9M
  • Estimated monthly earnings: $16.6K-$264.8K

Chloe Ting rose to fame at the height of the pandemic, finding her target audience in people desperately looking for fitness content during quarantine. She continues posting new videos that are part of her larger programs like the Get Fit Challenge, 2-Week Shred, HIIT, etc. She also branches out into healthy food recipes and vlog-style videos.

3. Good Mythical Morning - 17.2M Subscribers

  • Channel created: Sep 17th, 2008
  • Number of videos: 2,733
  • Average views per video: 2.7M
  • Estimated monthly earnings: $11.7K-$188K

Good Mythical Morning is a comedy talk show hosted by Rhett & Link, top YouTube influencers and life-long friends. The range of topics is hard to describe - they can explore new products and trends one day, conduct real experiments in hilarious ways on the next, or invite celebrity guests for some original games.

4. Vsauce - 17.1M Subscribers

  • Channel created: Jul 30th, 2007
  • Number of videos: 382
  • Average views per video: 19.3M
  • Estimated monthly earnings: $11.7K-$188K

Vsauce (Michael David Stevens) creates general educational videos, leaning heavily on science and technology topics.

Under the Vsauce umbrella, the channel host shows like D!NG (things you can Do Online Now, Guys), LÜT (cool things for sale), and DOT, where Michael asks a weird question (i.e., What is Cool?) and tries to answer it as thoroughly as possible.

5. Doctor Mike - 7.77M Subscribers

  • Channel created: Aug 19th, 2016
  • Number of videos: 400
  • Average views per video: 2.6M
  • Estimated monthly earnings: $7.6K-$121.7K

Doctor Mike is a board-certified family medicine physician. His success as a media personality skyrocketed after being named “Sexiest Doctor Alive” by People Magazine in 2015. But according to Mikhail Varshavski, aka Dr. Mike, his goal has always been to reach the most people possible with medical advice. Some of the most-viewed YouTube videos are about COVID, where he tackles misinformation and fake news around the topic.

6. Teachingmensfashion - 5.39M Subscribers

  • Channel created: Sep 14th, 2012
  • Number of videos: 1,733
  • Average views per video: 500K
  • Estimated monthly earnings: $2.5K-$39.5K

Teachingmensfashion was founded by two brothers - Juan Zuniga, lawyer, and Jose Zuniga, a finance student and winner of GQ’s HGQRU Style competition. Besides that, Jose is also a famous personality on Instagram.

These influencers cover topics like men’s style, grooming, gear & tech, and lifestyle. Practically all videos are under 10 minutes long, presented as tips, tricks, mistakes, and other types of lists.

7. Blogilates - 5.61M Subscribers

  • Channel created: Jun 13th, 2009
  • Number of videos: 811
  • Average views per video: 1M
  • Estimated monthly earnings: $1.3K-$20.7K

Blogilates (Cassey Ho Vinh) is a fitness channel featured in Time’s third annual list of “The 25 Most Influential People on the Internet”. Cassey is a creator of POP Pilates, which was initially just a filler term for her style of pilates but later grew into a brand name.

The style of content ranges from long (20-40 minutes) and short (3-5 minutes) fitness videos to vlogs, recipes, challenges, and educational videos. Speaking of shorter content, Cassey regularly posts 15-second YouTube shorts.

8. Bestdressed - 3.8M Subscribers

  • Channel created: Sep 27th, 2015
  • Number of videos: 208
  • Average views per video: 1.4M
  • Estimated monthly earnings: $10K-$500K

Bestdressed started as an LA-based fashion and makeup micro-influencer and is now producing videos in NYC on a wider range of topics. One of the things that made her stand out was her commitment to thrifting, “flipping” clothes, and sustainable fashion, which were not that trendy a few years ago.

While still being mainly fashion-centric, the YouTube channel also features home makeovers, advice segments, and lifestyle content.

9. Graham Stephan - 3.38M Subscribers

  • Channel created: Dec 25th, 2016
  • Number of videos: 670
  • Average views per video: 470K
  • Estimated monthly earnings: $1.8K-$29.4K

Graham Stephan is a YouTube personality best known for videos on financial independence and a frugal lifestyle. In his videos, Graham shares his tips on what he calls “Millennial Finance,” including budgeting, stock market tips, and cryptocurrency.

One of the channel’s most popular series is where Graham reacts to CNBC’s show Millennial Money. Aside from funny commentary, there is actually quite a lot of useful information on optimal ways to spend money.

10. Matt D’Avella - 3.23M Subscribers

  • Channel created: Jul 25th, 2011
  • Number of videos: 362
  • Average views per video: 625K
  • Estimated monthly earnings: $25K-$35K

Matt D’Avella has created a personal brand based on his passion for minimalism, healthy habits, and productivity. Matt graduated college with $97,500 in student debt, and after being forced into a minimalistic lifestyle, he turned the stripped-down living into a phenomenon on YouTube.

On his channel, Matt explores the intersection of getting rid of the things that you don’t use in your everyday life and the inner transformation that comes with it.

11. GaryVee - 3.21M Subscribers

  • Channel created: Oct 6th, 2007
  • Number of videos: 2,595
  • Average views per video: 105K
  • Estimated monthly earnings: $2.4K-$38.4K

GaryVee has been called the king of social media marketing. He realized how fundamental social media and celebrity marketing are to creating a profitable business model and brand familiarity very early on.

The YouTube world isn’t big on credentials, but it does value practical experience. Gary’s unique insight comes from running a full-service digital agency that services Fortune 500 clients. He posts 3 to 5 times a week on YouTube, harnessing both 15-second-long videos and 1-3-hours-long podcasts.

12. Mike Boyd - 2.72M Subscribers

  • Channel created: Oct 23rd, 2008
  • Number of videos: 108
  • Average views per video: 2.9M
  • Estimated monthly earnings: $1.8K-$28.1K

Mike Boyd is a challenge and adventure-based YouTube channel. But his most-known series is “Learn Quick,” where he documents the process of learning a new skill in a short amount of time.

The first video that reached 1 million total views was “Learn to Kickflip in 5 Hours and 47 Minutes.” This incidentally jumpstarted the whole series into success.

13. Thomas Frank - 2.3M Subscribers

  • Channel created: Dec 2nd, 2006
  • Number of videos: 261
  • Average views per video: 550K
  • Estimated monthly earnings: Around $5.5K

Thomas Frank is a productivity YouTuber that also explores topics like habits, health, and finance. Originally, the channel started as accompanying videos for study skills articles on College Info Geek. After buying some camera gear, Thomas was able to focus more on video content on what he describes as “methods of living a productive and fulfilling life.”

14. Coolirpa - 2.17M Subscribers

  • Channel created: Oct 6th, 2010
  • Number of videos: 380
  • Average views per video: 410K
  • Estimated monthly earnings: $1.9K-$10K

Coolirpa (April) is a YouTube fashionista. Her channel is centered around do-it-yourself fashion videos, often offering fashion advice and outfit tips. Some of her most popular videos are “Thrifted Transformations”, “1 Sweater, 16 Ways To Wear It!”, and “4 Ways To Transform Your Tank Top” - as you can see, people really enjoy her sewing DIYs.

A recent trend she jumped on is turning regular clothing items into trendy pieces, increasing the chances of each of her videos going viral.

15. Ali Abdaal - 2.12M Subscribers

  • Channel created: Nov 20th, 2007
  • Number of videos: 408
  • Average views per video: 345K
  • Estimated monthly earnings: $1.6K-$26.1K

Ali Abdaal is a Cambridge University medicine graduate who makes content aimed at helping people reach their full potential - leading happier, healthier, and more productive lives. He started his YouTube channel during his final years of study, promoting medical educational opportunities.

One of his later shifts manifested in videos about investment tips, earning passive income, and his wins and losses in crypto trading.

16. Dr. Sam Robbins - 1.97M Subscribers

  • Channel created: Jul 14th, 2010
  • Number of videos: 710
  • Average views per video: 240K
  • Estimated monthly earnings: $1K-$4K

Dr. Sam Robbins has a Ph.D. in Molecular and Medical Pharmacology and an M.S. in Nutrition. He describes himself as an anti-aging and hormone specialist, nutritionist, and exercise physiologist.

Dr. Robbins is not a typical medical YouTube channel. His approach is about prevention and honing in on the cause of illnesses rather than treating the symptoms.

17. Withwendy - 1.36M Subscribers

  • Channel created: Oct 4th, 2009
  • Number of videos: 291
  • Average views per video: 240K
  • Estimated monthly earnings: $5K-$20K

Withwendy (Wendy Liu) ditched her nine-to-five life at a corporate job to focus on YouTube. Now, she focuses on giving tutorials on how to make anything from a lace dress to a letterman’s jacket.

At the start of her channel, Wendy wasn’t sure she wanted to focus only on sewing. But eventually, she noticed that the audience gravitated to this type of content.

18. Nate O’Brien - 1.13M Subscribers

  • Channel created: Dec 31st, 2016
  • Number of videos: 167
  • Average views per video: 330K
  • Estimated monthly earnings: $19K-$50K

Nate O’Brien dedicated his YouTube channel to helping others achieve financial success. As a student, he posted videos to YouTube from his college dorm room but then expanded his brand and branched into 13 streams of income.

Nate’s channel highlights topics on personal finance, investing through minimalism, and only making smart purchases in life.

19. Kati Morton - 1.1M Subscribers

  • Channel created: Dec 22nd, 2011
  • Number of videos: 1,229
  • Average views per video: 76K
  • Estimated monthly earnings: $900-$4.4K

Kati Morton is a licensed therapist making mental health YouTube videos. She offers hopeful coping ideas, resources, and an online conversation forum for her YouTube followers. What also has earned her a massive online fanbase are compassionate, upbeat, and relatable vlogs.

In 2019, she received quite a lot of criticism about her being “a gossip channel in the guise of mental health advocacy.” Not only did she recover from the controversy but she also increased her YouTube following from it.

20. Neil Patel - 948K Subscribers

  • Channel created: Aug 18th, 2011
  • Number of videos: 763
  • Average views per video: 55K
  • Estimated monthly earnings: $900-$3.3K

Neil Patel teaches one new marketing strategy each day and helps brands work with influencers more efficiently. His online fame started with a website, but then he turned to YouYube as a useful educational platform for online marketers who want to learn about SEO.

Neil has been consistently posting fresh content on his YouTube channel every other day, right from the start.

21. Robin Sharma - 828K Subscribers

  • Channel created: Jul 2nd, 2008
  • Number of videos: 351
  • Average views per video: 105K
  • Estimated monthly earnings: $1.5K-$4K

Robin Sharma is referred to as one of the top 5 leadership experts on YouTube. He speaks on everything from the neuroscience, methodology, and tactics of a truly world-class morning routine to the process of handcrafting a new book.

Most of Robin’s YouTube videos are under 5 minutes long, making them very easy to digest. As one of his community projects, he started the 5 AM Club to make each day as productive, joyful, and restful as possible.

22. Marie Forleo - 730K Subscribers

  • Channel created: May 28th, 2008
  • Number of videos: 591
  • Average views per video: 109K
  • Estimated monthly earnings: $1.8K-$7K

Marie Forleo was named by Oprah as a thought leader for the next generation. As an entrepreneur, writer, and philanthropist, Marie shares her insights in the form of short advice-style videos as well as in podcasts with guests. Her YouTube channel bio proudly states that it’s the place “to become the person you most want to be.”

This YouTube channel may be useful for those who want to set more ambitious goals, get over creative blocks, and be more fun and spontaneous.

23. Brian Dean - 446K Subscribers

  • Channel created: Jan 14th, 2013
  • Number of videos: 45
  • Average views per video: 283K
  • Estimated monthly earnings: $2.6K-$10K

Brian Dean is all about actionable SEO, link building, and content marketing strategies for all types of businesses. On YouTube, he focuses on white hat case studies, real-life examples, and “in the trenches” reports from subscribers.

One of the most popular formats in the channel is “how to’s” - how to find keywords for YouTube videos, how to start (and grow) a blog, how to rank YouTube videos, etc.

24. Colin and Samir - 293K Subscribers

  • Channel created: Sep 6th, 2016
  • Number of videos: 210
  • Average views per video: 85K
  • Estimated monthly earnings: $1K-$7.1K

Colin and Samir teach other followers everything they know about the “creator economy.” Their positioning and marketing strategy consists of analyzing top YouTube influencers and breaking down what makes them successful. They also share and discuss the latest news in the social media space from a creator’s perspective.

25. Kimberly Ann Jimenez - 69.5K Subscribers

  • Channel created: Mar 30th, 2012
  • Number of videos: 244
  • Average views per video: 15K
  • Estimated monthly earnings: $500-$2K

The last creator on our list, Kimberly Ann Jimenez, is a great resource for influencers. She can help you find your perfect niche for success, start an online business from scratch, create a powerful content calendar, and a lot more.

Eight years ago, Kimberly only covered platforms like Pinterest and Facebook. As she gained her YouTube following, she started covering all topics related to working online and digital marketing.

FAQ

The most subscribed YouTube channels are PewDiePie (real name - Felix Kjellberg), MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson), and Dude Perfect (Twins Cory and Coby Cotton, Garrett Hilbert, Cody Jones, and Tyler Toney). The three top channels’ video types fit into entertainment with no specific genre.

If you have at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 valid public watch hours, here are instructions for applying for YouTube’s Partner Program:

  1. Sign in.
  2. Click on your profile and go to YouTube Studio.
  3. Go to Monetization.
  4. Go to Review Partner Program terms and click Start.

Technically, the most subscribed channel on YouTube is T-Series. But the title of the top YouTuber actually belongs to Felix Kjellberg (PewDiePie), who has been the most-subscribed channel since August 2013.

According to Forbes Magazine, the world’s highest-paid YouTube star is Ryan Kaji, also known as Ryan Toys Review. He is a nine-year-old boy from Texas who does unboxing and reviewing videos. In 2020, he reportedly made $30 million.

It’s impossible to tell how much YouTube influencers are making unless they reveal this information themselves. However, we can speculate that the highest-paid YouTubers are:

  • Mr. Beast (reportedly $24 million in yearly earnings)
  • Dude Perfect ($14 million)
  • Markiplier ($12.5 million)

One of the biggest surges in subscriber count was on Daniel “Dan” Rhodes’ channel. In April 2021, he gained 1.7M subscribers, next month - 1.6M, and 650-710K in the following months.