Top 10 Highest Paid YouTube Stars in the Philippines

Did you ever dream of becoming a star or a celebrity when you were a kid? Did you picture yourself appearing on TV as an actor, singer, dancer, musician, or comedian with thousands of fans screaming your name?

There must’ve been a day when you were walking around the mall and you thought to yourself: what if a talent agent discovers me right now? Or perhaps you planned on joining Pinoy Big Brother, Pilipinas Got Talent, Tawag ng Tanghalan, or StarStruck with the hopes of becoming a celebrity one day?

Lucky for you, you no longer need a TV network or a talent agency to launch you into superstardom. In this day of vlogging, viral videos, and social media, all you need is your charm and a camera. And the easiest platform that you can use? YouTube.

With over two (2) billion monthly users spending billions of hours every day watching videos, YouTube is undeniably a great place to showcase your talent. And it’s also a great avenue to make money.

Highest Paid YouTube Star in the World

Did you know that one of the highest earning YouTube stars in the world is just eight (8) years old?

The world’s highest paid YouTuber is Ryan Kaji from the YouTube children’s channel Ryan’s World — who earned a jawdropping $26 million (roughly P1.3 Billion) in 2019 alone, according to Forbes magazine. Ryan, the world’s highest-earning YouTube star began his “Ryan ToysReview” channel in 2015, featuring simple “unboxing” videos of toys and giving his comments on these toys.

Ryan now typically reviews toys sponsored by big companies, was featured in a video game entitled Race with Ryan, and has even launched his own merchandise, including his own branded toothbrush and toothpaste. As of June 2020, his YouTube channel has amassed more than 25.5 million subscribers around the world.

How about the top Filipino YouTubers? Are they earning millions as well? Based on data we gathered from social media analytics websites, it looks like most of the Top 10 Filipino YouTubers do make millions of pesos every year. Who are they? How much are they earning?

Read ahead to find out who the ten (10) top-earning Filipino video content creators who are making it big in the Philippine YouTube arena.

10 Highest Paid Filipino YouTubers in the Philippines

The earnings and channel viewership data used in the determination of rankings are derived from Social Blade and NoxInfluencer. Our list below considers two revenue streams of a YouTube channel:

1. Earnings from YouTube Partner Program (YPP); and
2. Earnings from Brand Collaborations or Sponsorships.

Under YPP, the creator’s videos are monetized when YouTube sponsored ads (mostly from Google’s own digital advertising platform Google Adsense) run on the video. When ads are shown, the creator takes a cut of the advertiser’s pay. Depending on how advertiser-friendly the channel is and overall viewership and engagement data of the channel, the YouTube video creator could get round 40-60% of the advertiser’s fee. The YPP earnings considered in our rankings use monthly viewership estimates multiplied by the Cost per Thousand Impressions (CPM) rate.

Brand sponsorships are more lucrative, since these are negotiated separately and subjectively by the YouTuber with brands or companies interested to partner with them. Data from social media analytics websites show that the top Filipino YouTubers charge as low as P100,000 to as much as P3 Million for every collaboration or partnership videos made with a brand. Since the number of sponsored videos vary from one creator to the next, only the estimated earnings for one video (not the total) are approximated in this list.

So who are the highest paid YouTube stars in the Philippines? How much do these Filipino vloggers earn on YouTube? Here are 10 of the most popular, most watched, and top earning Filipino YouTubers in the country today.

1. Raffy Tulfo in Action

The Tulfo brothers have long held a reputation — depending on who you ask — for being arbiters of peace or on-air vigilantes. Raffy Tulfo struck gold when he offered the Filipino masses a “shortcut” to justice via his radio show, Wanted sa Radyo, which has transitioned to YouTube and has amassed millions of following from Filipinos around the world.

Raffy typically interrogates opposing parties in the show, in hopes of resolving issues akin to abuse or dishonesty. Thanks to notorious and sometimes controversial cases, his videos always have a place on the YouTube trending page. The hour-long show airs on weekdays and, along with spin-offs, the channel uploads more than a hundred videos a month. The show Wanted sa Radyo is so popular the phrase “ipa-Tulfo na yan!” has become part of the local vernacular.

In an interview with Vice Ganda on the latter’s show Gandang Gabi Vice, Tulfo says he does not possess a college degree, much less a law degree. He spent four years in different universities and walked away without a diploma. Of course, he has now proven that a college degree or diploma is not a requirement to be an online sensation making lots of money.

Earnings from Raffy Tulfo’s YouTube videos have placed him in our top spot, making him the highest paid Filipino YouTube star — with estimated earnings between P2.8 Million and P45 Million every month. Yup, that’s the estimated revenue per month, not per year.

2. CHoOx TV

Remember last year when everybody seemed to be playing Mobile Legends (ML)? Edgar Dumali, a gamer from Koronadal, South Cotabato made a career out of it.

A shy guy in real life, he initially used a voice-changer to give him the confidence to stream his ML games. But when his channel became popular and eventually reached one million subscribers, he finally revealed his real voice to express his thanks to his subscribers. Edgar’s videos typically show him playing Mobile Legends on his phone with Choox’s high-pitched voice. According to him, his personality is vastly different from the mischievous and brash Choox persona that audiences see in his videos.

Edgar disclosed that he came from a broken family and had previously taken odd jobs in a public market to get by. Now, he’s estimated to be making millions of pesos every year, with YouTube money serving as his family’s primary source of income.

Edgar’s YouTube gaming channel is estimated to net P765,000 to P12.25 Million revenue per month, making Choox the No. 2 highest paid YouTuber in the Philippines.

3. Ja Mill

The Philippine showbiz scene is typically dominated by love teams, so it comes as no surprise that real-life couple Jayzam Manabat and Camille Trinidad (hence, Ja Mill) were able to build their fandom of mandirigmas. Following in the footsteps of PrankvsPrank, the couple usually uploads pranks they set on each other and vlogs about their relationship. They also post collaborations, skits and music videos.

Ja Mill’s origin is a classic Gen Z love story. They met online. Jayzam messaged Camille out of the blue on Facebook; back when he lived in Rizal while she lived in Nueva Ecija. As of 2019, the couple – both 21 years old – live together in Jamansion: a house they drew up and designed on their own.

This love story on the air makes Ja Mill the No. 3 highest paid YouTube vlogger in the Philippines, estimated to be earning P645,000 to P10.33 Million revenue per month.

4. Cong TV

Another gamer with a quirky personality is the Philippines’ No. 4 highest paid YouTuber. Lincoln Velasquez, more popularly known as Cong, is estimated to earn P505,000 to P8.05 Million every month from YouTube ads alone.

With YouTube’s ever-changing landscape, it’s not uncommon to see creators fall off the map. But for Cong who started vlogging back in 2008, he defied the odds by keeping his channel relevant for over a decade.

Though he’s one of the country’s richest YouTubers, his hysterical vlogs echo his down-to-earth vibe. He gets into hijinks on the regular with his Team Payaman, a vlogger crew composed of his brother Junnie Boy and video editor Josh Pint among others. He maintains separate channels with his girlfriend, Viy (No. 5 highest paid YouTuber in our list), because working on different projects gives them something new to talk about every night.

5. Viy Cortez

Viy’s bubbly personality is centerstage in her vlogs, where she talks about her daily life and her business, VIYLine. She frequently collaborates with Cong TV’s Team Payaman, even naming shades of her merchandise lip tint after the group’s members.

You probably can’t tell right away, but Viy Cortez is ½ of a YouTube power couple. She’s been dating veteran YouTuber Cong Velasquez since June 2015 and it was actually him who encouraged her to start her own channel.

Cong is No. 4 in our highest paid YouTubers list, while Viy is ranked 5th with estimated YouTube earnings of P490,000 to P7.8 Million per month.

6. Niana Guerrero

At just 14 years old, Niana undoubtedly has already achieved so much. She is the proud owner of a “Diamond Play” Button — a YouTube award given to video creators who surpassed 10 million subscribers. Less than 700 channels in the world have one. More importantly, Niana is ranked 6th highest paid Filipino YouTuber, estimated to earn P470,000 to P7.48 Million from YouTube ads every month.

Niana’s channel specializes in family-friendly lifestyle and entertainment content, usually showing her dancing with older brother Ranz (10th highest paid Filipino vlogger) and younger sister Natalia. Her videos are stylistically similar to her brother’s and are mostly spoken in English to appeal to international audiences.

7. Ivana Alawi

Ivana’s been on YouTube for just over two years but she already has the 9th most subscribed channel in the Philippines. She also ranks No. 7 in our highest paid Filipino YouTubers list, with estimated monthly earnings of P465,000 to P7.42 Million.

The Filipino-Morrocan model, actress and, most recently, singer regularly posts lifestyle, entertainment, and beauty vlogs. Wanting to be an actress since childhood, Ivana has had several false starts, at one point even auditioning for Pinoy Big Brother but eventually getting rejected.

It wasn’t until she embraced her self-proclaimed “hubadera” image that she was able to sign a contract with her dream network, ABS-CBN. Despite her looks, Ivana famously does not have a boyfriend, a topic she explores in her latest single, Sana All.

8. Zeinab Harake

Yes, Zeinab Harake is her real name. That’s the first thing this Lebanese-Filipina vlogger wants you to know. She’s also the 8th highest earning Filipino YouTuber, with estimated monthly YouTube revenues of P450,000 to P7.22 Million.

She started uploading videos to bare her “kalog” self to the world. Zeinab’s only been vlogging for just a few years but she’s already taking the heat from netizens. Her controversial pranks include telling her parents she’s COVID positive and cutting a friend’s hair while he’s sleeping. This seemed to have worked as Zeinab’s YouTube career is showing no signs of slowing.

9. Alex Gonzaga

Unlike other Filipino YouTube stars who became showbiz celebrities after their stint as a famed vlogger, Alex Gonzaga’s experience is the reverse. She started as a celebrity managed by a TV network (just like her older sister Toni Gonzaga, an ABS-CBN talent) then pursued vlogging and found instant success as a YouTuber.

With her comedic videos, Alex paved the way for local celebrity lifestyle vlogs. She endeared millions of fans with her authenticity — keeping her peppy, chatty self whether she’s talking to her family, fellow YouTube stars, or ordinary people in the streets.

She has undeniably made a name as an actress and singer and now as the Philippines’ 9th highest paid YouTuber with estimated monthly YouTube earnings of P405,000 to P6.47 Million.

10. Ranz Kyle

Ranz Kyle Guerrero and his sister Niana (No. 6 in our Highest Paid Filipino YouTubers list) are pioneers of #SiblingGoals. During his early days in YouTube, Ranz simply posted dance videos with his dance troupe Chicser, but it wasn’t until 2015 – when he first danced with Niana – that his channel took off and became popular even in other countries.

He’s now a full-time YouTuber and posts wholesome content with his siblings and family. Ranz acts occasionally: he played a supporting role in the teleserye Ang Panday in 2016 and starred in Ex Ko ang Idol Niyo, a Wattpad-based mini series, in 2015.

The entire Guerrero siblings seem to have cashed in on the YouTube bandwagon. Younger sister Niana has her own channel (that is fast catching up with Ranz in terms of number of subscribers) while youngest sister Natalia only has one uploaded video in her channel, but already boasts of more than 411,000 subscribers.

Ranking Methodology

As explained earlier, this listing of top-earning Filipino YouTubers considers only two (2) revenue streams: monetization from YouTube ads via the YouTube Partner Program and sponsorship earnings from partner companies.

The “YouTube Ads revenue” was calculated using a CPM rate of P13.00 to P200.00, based on data from Social Blade, while “Sponsorship Revenue” was computed based on P200.00 to P500.00 CPM rate estimated by Nox Influencer.

Details of each channel’s monthly average video views and uploads came from their June 2020 channel data. For simplicity purposes, all US dollar estimates were converted to Philippine Peso using $1.00 = P50.00 exchange rate.

Scope of YouTube Channels Analyzed

Didn’t find in the list other YouTube channels you expected to see? We analyzed dozens of YouTube channels but only those that meet the following criteria were included in the rankings:

1. The YouTube creator is located in the Philippines. We only identified YouTube content creators that are based in the Philippines as specified on their YouTube page. Other Filipino YouTube vloggers based in other countries (for example, Guava Juice, Bretman Rock, etc.) are excluded.
2. Uploaded content must be original. Channels that merely compile viral videos or create lyric videos (e.g. SuperbLyrics) are not included as their uploads may contain copyrighted content.
3. Creators must be known natural persons. Channels with undisclosed creators (e.g XDJames, Faviso, MechanicZ, etc.) are not yet included.
4. The channel’s content must not be classified as for kids. As of 2020, YouTube Kids only allows limited advertising. Advertisements targeting children are prohibited, affecting the revenue of children-themed channels (such as Little Big Toys, TinoKidsTV, etc.).

Did we miss other top-rated Filipino vloggers or YouTubers that you think should be part of this list? Drop us a comment below and we’ll check and might include them in the next update!