AdSense vs YouTube Revenue Comparison: Website Ads vs Video Ads Calculator
One of the most common decisions content creators face is whether to invest in a website monetized with Google AdSense (or premium ad networks) or a YouTube channel with video ads. The answer depends on your niche, audience, and content type — but the revenue math strongly favors websites in most scenarios. A well-optimized blog with a premium ad network earns $15-$40 RPM per 1,000 pageviews, while YouTube pays $3-$12 RPM per 1,000 views for the average creator. At 100,000 monthly views, that translates to $1,500-$4,000 from a blog versus $300-$1,200 from YouTube. The gap widens further in high-value niches like finance and insurance, where blog RPMs can exceed $40 while YouTube RPMs top out around $25-$35.
Both platforms derive revenue from Google's advertising ecosystem, but the mechanics differ significantly. Website display ads through AdSense or premium networks serve multiple ad units per pageview (4-8 for most sites), and header bidding technology ensures each impression is auctioned across dozens of ad exchanges simultaneously. YouTube serves fewer ads per view (1-3, depending on video length and mid-roll eligibility), and creators receive only 55% of ad revenue versus the 68-80% share that website publishers keep through premium networks. The higher ad density, better revenue share, and more competitive auction dynamics give websites a structural advantage in per-view monetization.
However, YouTube offers advantages that raw RPM comparisons miss: discoverability. YouTube's recommendation algorithm can drive millions of views to a single video with zero marketing effort, while websites require months of SEO work to build organic traffic. This calculator helps you compare both platforms side by side at various traffic levels and RPMs, so you can make an informed decision about where to focus — or whether building both a website and a YouTube channel is the optimal strategy.
Key Data & Benchmarks
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| AdSense Website RPM (average) | $5.00 - $15.00 |
| Premium Ad Network Website RPM | $15.00 - $40.00 |
| YouTube RPM (average creator) | $3.00 - $12.00 |
| Publisher Revenue Share (AdSense) | 68% of ad revenue |
| Publisher Revenue Share (Mediavine/Raptive) | 75%-80% of ad revenue |
| Creator Revenue Share (YouTube) | 55% of ad revenue |
| Ad Units Per Pageview (Website) | 4-8 units |
| Ad Placements Per Video View (YouTube) | 1-3 placements |
Revenue Examples
| Scenario | Views | RPM | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website (AdSense, 100K views) | 100,000 | $8.00 | $800.00 |
| Website (Mediavine, 100K views) | 100,000 | $22.00 | $2,200.00 |
| YouTube (General, 100K views) | 100,000 | $6.00 | $600.00 |
| YouTube (Finance, 100K views) | 100,000 | $22.00 | $2,200.00 |
| Website (Raptive, Finance, 100K views) | 100,000 | $38.00 | $3,800.00 |
Calculate Your RPM
Revenue Data
Earnings = (RPM x Page Views) / 1,000
Who Uses This Calculator?
Platform selection for new creators
Compare the revenue potential of starting a blog versus a YouTube channel in your niche, factoring in both RPM differences and the time-to-traffic for each platform to determine which offers better returns on your effort.
Dual-platform revenue optimization
For creators running both a website and YouTube channel, calculate combined revenue and identify which platform deserves more content investment based on current RPM and traffic growth rates.
Content format decision-making
Decide whether a specific topic is better served as a blog post (higher RPM, slower traffic growth) or a YouTube video (lower RPM, faster discoverability) based on the revenue math for your niche.
Revenue share comparison
Quantify the impact of YouTube's 45% platform cut versus AdSense's 32% cut and premium networks' 20-25% cut to understand how much revenue you are leaving on the table with each platform.