In the past, no one could have imagined that making videos and uploading them to YouTube could make people rich. However, these days, many individuals have achieved incredible success by doing just that. These individuals are part of the Top 10 Richest YouTubers in 2023.
Being a full-time YouTuber may seem like a dream job, and many people aspire to do it. However, it’s important to remember that it’s not an easy path. It takes a lot of courage to give up other things and dedicate oneself entirely to making YouTube videos. Even the Richest YouTubers in 2023 have earned a lot of money through their interesting channels.
1. Mr. Beast | $54 million
2. Jake Paul | $45 million
3. Markiplier | $38 million
4. Rhett and Link | $30 million
5. Unspeakable | $29 million
6. Nastya | $28 million
7. Ryan Kaji | $27 million
8. Dude Perfect | $20 million
9. Logan Paul | $18 million
10. Preston Arsement | $16 million
1. MrBeast
Thanks to a significant increase in views, MrBeast’s earnings in 2021 nearly doubled compared to the previous year’s top earner, Ryan Kaji, who now ranks at No. 7. In 2021, MrBeast also launched a noteworthy project called MrBeast Burger. It’s an app and menu that allows fans to order meals branded by MrBeast from 1,600 partnered restaurants across the country. With his extensive marketing efforts to his nearly 90 million YouTube subscribers, MrBeast promotes the burgers. The profits from the orders are then divided between MrBeast and the restaurants. To date, they have sold 5 million sandwiches through this operation.
2. Jake Paul
Guess who’s back? Jake Paul has returned to the list of top earners, having last appeared in 2018 with earnings of $21.5 million. His comeback is largely attributed to his boxing matches. In the past year, he had three highly publicized fights against MMA fighters, including Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley, and he emerged victorious in all of them. Boxing seems to suit Paul, as the sport has a history of controversial figures, and he himself has faced his fair share of controversies. Previously, both Jake and his brother Logan faced backlash after Logan posted a video filmed in a Japanese forest known for suicides. The backlash resulted in lost sponsors and demonetization on YouTube. However, they are now able to earn money through YouTube ads again. Jake now focuses more on promoting his boxing career and posts less frequently on the platform, which accounts for nearly 90% of his earnings.
3. Markiplier
Markiplier is a social media star who has seen a significant increase in earnings, mainly due to the strong sales of merchandise related to his Unus Annus series. Unus Annus was a collaboration with fellow YouTuber Ethan Nestor-Darling and was featured on Markiplier’s YouTube channel starting in 2019. However, a year later, Markiplier intentionally deleted all the Unus Annus videos. Now, Markiplier has set his sights on becoming a TV star. In 2021, he filmed a television adaptation of The Edge of Sleep, a post-apocalyptic thriller that he originally created as a podcast in 2019. He is currently looking for a platform, such as Netflix or Hulu, to release the series later this year. Despite his TV aspirations, Markiplier remains a popular figure on YouTube, with 31 million subscribers. He initially gained fame by recording himself playing video games like Five Nights at Freddy’s, which is about a haunted pizza place.
4. Rhett and Link
Starting with their daily talk show, Good Mythical Morning, the duo of Rhett and Link has expanded their YouTube presence into a successful empire. They now have spinoffs and brand extensions that have increased their views and earnings. One of their popular endeavors is Mythical Kitchen, a cooking series hosted by Josh Scherer. This show, which is two years old, already has 1.8 million subscribers on YouTube. Another notable initiative is their Mythical Accelerator fund, where they plan to invest $5 million in other YouTubers. In 2021, they made their first deal by contributing an undisclosed amount to an emerging YouTuber named Jarvis Johnson. Additionally, in October, they fulfilled a long-standing fan request by hosting a two-hour livestream with explicit content, departing from their usual family-friendly approach. This event attracted 70,000 ticket sales, with prices reaching up to $50 each.
5. Unspeakable
Unspeakable is obsessed with Minecraft, the popular pixelated video game loved by kids everywhere. He has over 20 million subscribers across his four YouTube channels, where he uploads videos of himself playing Minecraft and other games. Sometimes, he even does crazy things like filling a room with live alligators! Born as Nathan Graham in Houston, he has been consistently posting on YouTube for the past ten years. Last year, Unspeakable made a smart move by selling his collection of YouTube videos to a company called Spotter. Instead of waiting for ad revenue to accumulate slowly, he chose to receive a lump sum of money. Spotter is now one of the largest independent owners of YouTube content, having made various deals like the one for Unspeakable’s video catalog. Thanks to the money from Spotter, Unspeakable has managed to debut on this list of top earners.
6. Nastya
Nastya, a seven-year-old girl who moved from Russia with her parents, made a deal with Spotter last year. She sold the rights to monetize her old YouTube videos to Spotter in exchange for upfront cash. However, she still has the rights to upload and monetize any new videos she creates. Nastya has gained a massive following of 87.5 million subscribers on her Like Nastya channel, where she shares ordinary moments from her life. Some of her popular videos in 2021 included ones about decorating Halloween cupcakes and spending time with her best friends, Evelyn and Adrian. Besides the Spotter deal, Nastya and her team have been busy expanding their brand. They have launched a merchandise line and even created a collection of NFTs (non-fungible tokens).
7. Ryan Kaji
Ryan began his YouTube journey at the young age of 4 by reviewing and playing with toys. Now, at 10 years old, his parents and a team, led by former Disney executive Chris Williams, are focused on keeping his brand strong as he grows older and outgrows playing with toys. They believe that animated characters can help sustain his popularity. With the help of Williams’ company, pocket.watch, they have made some progress in this area. One of the characters, Red Titan, a child superhero resembling Ryan with a red cape, has gained enough recognition to appear as a balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for the past two years. Ryan’s main YouTube channel, called Ryan’s World, still has a massive following of 31 million subscribers. His brand also includes a wide range of merchandise and toys sold at major retailers like Target and Walmart.
8. Dude Perfect
The sports-comedy group, made up of twins Coby and Cory Cotton, Garrett Hilbert, Cody Jones, and Tyler Toney, thrives on doing daring and entertaining stunts. Their videos feature impressive feats like bench-pressing 405 pounds underwater and walking on the wings of a biplane while it’s in flight. People who enjoy watching these thrilling stunts online also have the opportunity to experience them live. The group is embarking on their third live tour, visiting 24 cities this summer. For fans who prefer to enjoy their stunts from the comfort of their own homes, Dude Perfect released a book called “101 Tricks, Tips, and Cool Stuff” last year. This 250-page book is filled with photos and provides step-by-step instructions for various tricks and activities.
9. Logan Paul
Logan, just like his brother Jake, has returned to this list after a scandal in 2017 caused both of them to take a break. Similar to Jake, Logan has shifted his focus towards boxing. Last June, he had a match against former world champion Floyd Mayweather, although it was an exhibition fight without an official winner. As Logan works on rebuilding his reputation, he made headlines by being one of the first celebrities to release NFTs (non-fungible tokens), which sold for $5 million in February. Additionally, his podcast called “Impaulsive” has been very popular, accumulating over 100 million views on YouTube in the past year.
10. Preston Arsement
Preston manages multiple YouTube channels, but his most popular one is called PrestonPlayz. As the name suggests, he spends a lot of time playing video games, particularly Minecraft. His channel, which he started four years ago, has attracted nearly 12 million subscribers. Preston does a great job of keeping his content current and interesting. In one of his latest videos, he even created a playable Minecraft version of the challenges from the popular show Squid Game.
