- Here we look at the highest-earning YouTube stars from 2019 which is topped by a kid, Ryan Kaji this year followed by Dude Perfect.
“YouTube is the world’s most popular babysitter,” says Eyal Baumel, managing director of Yoola, specializing in digital stars, including Nastya.
According to a survey by the Pew Research Center this year, videos with children in them average almost three times as many views as other types of high-subscriber channel content. Another Pew study found that 81 percent of parents of 11 or younger children had their children watching YouTube.

You will find high-minded programming on YouTube — it’s just not making a lot of money. Between June 1, 2018, and June 1, 2019, the top ten earners from YouTube pulled in a total of $162 million, including Ryan and Nastya, as well as five gamers playing popular titles like Minecraft and Fortnite. Dude Perfect (No. 2, $20 million), shows five thirty-somethings playing with teen gadgets such as a giant Nerf ball, and Rhett and Link (No. 4, $17.5 million) performing culinary tricks such as eating Flamin’ Hot Cheetos-flavored Pop-Tarts.
Here is the list of 10 highest-paid YouTube Stars-
- Ryan Kaji- Ryan Kaji became the highest-earning YouTube stars of 2019. Eight-year-old Kaji got his start on the channel by unboxing toys on camera when he was just 3 years old. With a line of more than 100 toys, clothing items and more, a series on Nickelodeon and a contract through Hulu, he’s grown to perform science experiments and branched out beyond YouTube. His total earnings are $26 Million.
- Dude Perfect– In their 30’s, five friends — Coby Cotton, Cory Cotton, Garret Hilbert, Cody Jones, and Tyler Toney — play, perform stunts and break Guinness World Records. Previous posts, such as “Bowling Trick Shots” and “Bubble Wrap War,” helped them win a Nickelodeon TV contract The Dude Perfect Show. His total earnings are $20 million.
- Anastasia Radzinskaya– The 5-year-old from Russia has become one of the fastest-growing creators in the world, thanks to seven-language videos featuring her playing on her channels with her brother, like Nastya. Brands have noticed, with Legoland and Dannon shelling out at six figures to work with her. Her total earnings are $18 Million.
- Rhett and Link– Two of the first stars of YouTube, Rhett McLaughlin, and Link Neal, are hosting Good Mythical Morning, one of the most popular regular shows on YouTube where they eat foods such as Cheetos-flavored Pop-Tarts and sing with stars such as Kelly Rowland. We extended their comedy brand to four channels, a podcast, two books, and purchased the Smosh multichannel network for a reported $10 million earlier this year. They earn $17.5 Million.
- Jeffree Star– Jeffree Star switched to YouTube after his start as a musician on MySpace, where he found a follow-up tutorial for making up. Because of his famous lipsticks, highlighters, and eye shadow palettes, he now uses his website to vent his makeup line, which he claims makes at least eight figures in sales. The total earnings of Jeffree Star are $17 Million.
- Preston (Preston Arsement)– One of two rookies on the list this year, Preston Arsement started playing Call of Duty and soon became so successful that, in addition to his gaming content, he started posting fun pranks. His biggest money-makers outside of YouTube are the Minecraft servers that he runs for seven figures a year. Preston earns $14 Million from YouTube.
- PewDiePie (Felix Kjellberg)– One of the highest-earning YouTube stars, the gamer, who was born Felix Kjellberg, has managed to shrug off a number of controversies—including racist and anti-Semitic videos. He announced this month, though, that he’s taking a break from YouTube. PewDiePie is known for his popular videos where he makes comments while playing video games. His content has expanded into reporting and writing on internet memes and viral videos. In a month-long battle for the title of the most-subscribed-to-Youtube site, the Swedish gamer was locked up with Bollywood music company T-Series. With an aggressive campaign called “Subscribe to PewDiePie,” like hacking printers and purchasing billboard space, his loyal fans took action to protect his No. 1 spot. His earnings have dropped to $13 Million
- Markipiler (Mark Fischbach)– Mark Fischbach, more commonly known by his online name “Markiplier,” is a favorite among gaming culture sponsors. He is also promoting himself; he cofounded Cloak, a high-end clothing line for gamers, along with fellow YouTuber Jacksepticeye. He earns $13 Million from YouTube. He is tied with PewDiePie for 7th Place.
- DanTDM (Daniel Middleton)– Online known as DanTDM, Daniel Robert Middleton is a British YouTube personality, professional gamer, and blogger. His online video channels covered a lot of video games, mainly Minecraft’s popular game. For a long time, the Fortnite player was one of YouTube’s most successful. He has an audience around the world and takes his live tour around the globe to fans. Daniel earns $12 Million from YouTube.
- VanossGaming (Evan Fong)– Evan Fong, known as VanossGaming online, is a Canadian online celebrity, expert on video games, and creator of music. He shows himself and other developers playing various video games on YouTube as montage-style videos. Throughout our scoring era, he scored over 1.5 billion views for his Grand Theft Auto V and Minecraft videos. His total earnings are $11.5 million.
In the list dominated by kids for a change, we see some new entrants also. You can access the whole list here.