AdSense vs YouTube RPM: Which Pays More? (2026)
Both AdSense (for blogs/websites) and YouTube use Google's ad network, but they pay creators differently. Blog publishers often earn higher RPM due to multiple ad placements per page, while YouTube offers larger potential audiences.
Head-to-Head Comparison
| Metric | AdSense (Blog) | YouTube Ads |
|---|---|---|
| Avg RPM (US) | $5 - $25 | $3 - $8 |
| Finance Niche RPM | $20 - $40 | $15 - $30 |
| Tech Niche RPM | $10 - $20 | $6 - $15 |
| Revenue Share | 68% to publisher | 55% to creator |
| Ad Formats | Display, native, in-content | Pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll |
| Ads Per Page/Video | 3-6 per page | 1-4 per video |
| Traffic Source | Search (Google SEO) | Search + recommendations |
| Content Shelf Life | Years (evergreen SEO) | Days to months |
| Audience Intent | High (searching for info) | Medium (browsing/watching) |
| Premium Networks | Mediavine, AdThrive ($15-$40) | YouTube only ($3-$8) |
RPM Comparison by Niche
Blog AdSense consistently outperforms YouTube RPM in most niches, primarily because blogs can display 3-6 ads per page view (header, sidebar, in-content, footer) while YouTube is limited to 1-4 ads per video. Additionally, blog readers tend to have higher commercial intent — they are actively searching for information, making them more valuable to advertisers.
Premium ad networks like Mediavine and AdThrive push blog RPM even higher ($15-$40) by running optimized ad auctions from multiple demand partners. YouTube has no equivalent premium tier for creators.
Audience Reach Potential
YouTube's massive advantage is audience scale. Building 100K monthly pageviews on a blog takes significant SEO effort over 6-12 months. A single YouTube video can achieve 100K views in days through recommendations and Shorts. For many creators, YouTube's larger audience compensates for lower per-view earnings.
The ideal approach depends on your strengths: writers and SEO experts may earn more from blogging; on-camera personalities and video creators will find YouTube more natural and potentially more lucrative at scale.
Long-Term Revenue Sustainability
Blog content, particularly evergreen articles optimized for SEO, can generate traffic and revenue for years with minimal updates. A well-written finance article from 2023 might still rank in Google and earn ad revenue in 2026.
YouTube content has a shorter active lifespan for most niches. Views peak in the first 1-2 weeks, then decline rapidly. Evergreen YouTube content (tutorials, how-tos) has longer shelf life but rarely matches the longevity of top-ranking blog posts.
The Hybrid Approach
Many successful creators run both a blog and YouTube channel on the same topics. The blog captures search traffic (higher RPM), while YouTube captures video-preferring audiences (larger scale). Content can be repurposed: a blog post becomes a video script, and video transcripts become blog posts.
Our AdSense RPM calculator and YouTube RPM calculator help you project earnings for each channel.
The Verdict
Winner: AdSense for RPM, YouTube for Scale
Blogs earn 2-3x higher RPM through AdSense, but YouTube offers much larger potential audiences and faster growth.
- Blog AdSense RPM ($5-$25) beats YouTube ($3-$8) in most niches.
- Premium blog networks (Mediavine) can reach $15-$40 RPM.
- YouTube audience growth is typically 5-10x faster than blog traffic growth.
- Best strategy: combine both for maximum diversified revenue.