YouTube RPM and CPM explained
RPM and CPM are easy to confuse when estimating YouTube earnings. Both use a base of 1,000, but differ in whose money they measure and which denominator they use.
What is RPM?
RPM stands for Revenue Per Mille: revenue per 1,000 views from the creator's perspective. YouTube explains that it can include advertising, YouTube Premium, memberships, Super Chat, and other Analytics revenue.
What is CPM?
CPM stands for Cost Per Mille and takes the advertiser's perspective. It reflects what an advertiser pays for 1,000 ad impressions, not the creator's actual take-home earnings.
RPM and CPM at a glance
| Metric | RPM | CPM |
|---|---|---|
| Perspective | Creator revenue | Advertiser cost |
| Denominator | All views | Ad impressions / monetized playbacks |
| Revenue estimation | Useful as a direct input | Does not directly equal take-home revenue |
| Public availability | Primarily in your own Studio | Actual channel-specific values are not available externally |
Which metric should I use to estimate revenue?
If you know your actual RPM, it is the simplest input. At KRW 3,000 RPM and 1 million views, the calculation is 1,000,000 ÷ 1,000 × 3,000 = KRW 3 million.
Enter views and actual revenue to calculate your channel's RPM.
Can I see another channel's RPM?
The public YouTube Data API does not include another channel's actual RPM or AdSense payouts. Treat third-party channel earnings as estimates based on public views and assumed rates.
Why RPM changes from month to month
Ad demand, viewer countries, topic, video length, seasonality, and revenue mix can change. For long-term planning, compare several periods rather than treating one month's RPM as a constant.
Official references
Understanding YouTube RPM and CPMYouTube partner revenue sharing
Last reviewed: September 30, 2026