Meet This Year’s Top 10 Highest Paid YouTubers

There’s no denying the impact that social media and online content sharing have on pop culture. YouTubers and other influencers have been able to use these online platforms to turn their content into multi-million dollar businesses. Forbes recently released their 2018 list of highest paid YouTube creators and this year’s top earner is a 7-year-old toy reviewer.

Here’s how the 10 highest earning YouTube stars of 2018 rank:

1. Ryan ToysReview – $22 million 

7-year-old host, Ryan, brought in the highest YouTube earnings this past year with his toy reviews. Since his parents started his channel in 2015, he has gained over 17 million subscribers. Ryan currently has a line of collectibles on sale exclusively through Walmart.

2. Jake Paul – $21.5 million

Despite being the younger brother of the recently disgraced Logan Paul, Jake managed to build his own fan base. He received over 3.5 billion views on his channel during the Forbes scoring period (June 1, 2017 – June 1, 2018). Paul’s thriving merchandise business and daily video uploads have allowed him to build his audience.

3. Dude Perfect – $20 million

Dude Perfect is a sports-based channel ran by five men: Cory and Coby Button, Garrett Hilbert, Cody Jones, and Tyler Toney. Their channel features tons of trick shots and stunts that have gone viral earned them airtime on shows like “Good Morning America” and ESPN.

4. DanTDM – $18.5 million

Daniel Middleton was last year’s top earner. The British gamer specializes in Minecraft and has 20.7 million subscribers who support his on-camera gaming by watching his videos and shopping his merchandise.

5. Jeffree Star – $18 million

The beauty community on YouTube is home to some of today’s top influencers. Jeffree Star has over 11 million subscribers tuning in to his channel for his beauty tutorials and personal vlogs. In 2014, Star launched his own makeup brand, Jeffree Star Cosmetics. With his YouTube revenue, cosmetics earnings and sponsorships Star has earned millions.

6. Markiplier – $17.5 million

Mark Edward Fischbach has been on top of the video game sector of YouTube for the past five years. Once an aspiring biomedical engineer, Fischbach decided to pursue a YouTube career after his life took a few unexpected turns. Today, he has over 22 million subscribers.

7. VanossGaming – $17 million

Evan Fong, a Canadian gamer, is most known for his unique editing and humor. Fong rarely appears in front of the camera, but his original art and editing skills are enough to draw in an audience, plus $17 million.

8. Jacksepticeye – $16 million

Seán McLoughlin, “Jacksepticeye”, is the most popular YouTuber in Ireland. McLoughlin’s channel includes colorful video-game commentary that has fueled his growth on YouTube. He also produces content for the live-streaming platform, Twitch.

9. PewDiePie – $15.5 million

This Swedish gamer is the most followed YouTuber with over 73 million subscribers. Many people consider him to be the world’s most successful YouTuber despite his recent scandal. A sponsored video with PewDiePie could cost up to $450 million.

10. Logan Paul – $14.5 million

Earlier this year, YouTube’s Google Preferred program released the eldest Paul brother after showing an apparent suicide in one of his videos. Although his revenue took a hit, Paul’s loyal subscribers have continued to support his videos and purchase his personal merchandise.