If there ever was a cure for boredom, it has to be YouTube. We look at the top YouTubers in India to find out why they click.
YouTube, the free video streaming platform, has held its head high through the years. It has even stood tall when many other giant competitors entered the landscape ferociously. YouTube’s easy user interface and the plethora of free content makes it a bit hard to top. The platform has also spawned an era of aggressive content creation, and employment opportunity. It is perfect for those who love the limelight.
Top 10 YouTubers in India with Most Subscribers
Let us look at some of the famous YouTubers in India. Is it comedy or tech or motivational content that steals the heart of the country? Read and find out below the list of top YouTubers in India and their earnings.
1 Amit Bhadana: The Top 10 YouTuber in India 2020
Amit Bhandana is the king of comedy sketches. He is famed for content that revolves around simple, daily life situations. His keen observation and stark representation of the lower/middle-class living makes his videos a sure-fire hit. One of his best videos on YouTube examines the various characters encountered on a bus journey. Sprinkled with quirk and mischief, his YouTube channel has over 19 million subscribers.
Amit is originally a law graduate. He started his channel lowkey. His parents got to know about his venture after two years when he got famous. He is a one-man show. Amit himself, scripts, directs and edits all his content.
His popularity gained him the Best YouTuber Award at the Dada Saheb Phalke International Film Festival in Mumbai. Amit joined YouTube in 2012 and has a currently standing 19.1 million subscribers with the total views on his channel surpassing 1.46 billion. He is, therefore, the most subscribed YouTubers of India.
Amit Bandana YouTube Statistics as on 5th May 2020
- Joined YouTube on: 2012-10-24
- Subscribers: 19.2M
- Total Views: 1.47B
- Average Video Views: 27.68M
- Total Videos: 69
- Monthly Views Run rate: 30M
- Estimated YouTube Earnings: US$60k/month
- Estimated Earnings along with Influencer Program: US$240k/month
2 Ashish Chanchlani: One of the most famous YouTubers in India
One cannot talk about YouTube celebrities in India without mentioning Ashish Chanchlani. He owns one of the biggest YouTube channels in India> it goes by the name “Ashish Chanchlani Vines”. The man has over 17 million subscribers to date. His total view count stands at 1.9 billion.
Ashish is originally a Civil Engineering graduate who had a yearning for acting. This spilt over to his videos, where he portrayed unique and exciting content. His videos were relatable to a particularly young audience which fuelled his climb to the top.
Ashish made his YouTube debut in 2009 and made it to the television screens in 2016. Well executed vines and YouTube content made him an instant celebrity. His characteristic style of acting and accent makes him interesting to binge on.
Ashish Chanchalani YouTube Statistics as on 5th May 2020
- Joined YouTube on: 2009-07-06
- Subscribers: 17.6MM
- Total Views: 1.91B
- Average Video Views: 27.83M
- Total Videos: 135
- Monthly Views Run rate: 69.4M
- Estimated YouTube Earnings: US$120k/month
- Estimated Earnings along with Influencer Program: US$480k/month
3 Bhuvan Bam: One of the best known and top YouTubers of India
Youtube’s singer/stand-up/rockstar, Bhuvan Bam is well known for his YouTube channel “BB ki Vines“. The cult Indian YouTube star has a reach of 17 million subscribers. His view count spills over 2.4 billion.
Bam was a singer who started out by performing at bars in Delhi. As he shifted to YouTube performances, his fame rose. In fact, one of his best songs on YouTube was “Jeena Jeena”, got much appreciation for its composition. Along with music, his tryst with comedy was a hit. The content is known for its crass humour and originality.
He does get a lot of criticism, but he has a trusted fan base who stand by him. His sketches are famous for its fictional characters like Bancho, Fuddi and Bablu. They are all relatable and very amusing. He works the platform with a well-panned out script, witty oneliners and convincing stage performance.
Many accolades have been showered on him, including the “Most Popular YouTube Channel.” He is also a recipient of the “Global Entertainer of the Year” for the year 2019. Relatability, sarcasm and bouts of humour are what make Bhuvan Bam outshine all.
BB KI Vines YouTube Statistics as on 5th May 2020
- Joined YouTube on: 2015-06-20
- Subscribers: 17.1MM
- Total Views: 2.42B
- Average Video Views: 16.4M
- Total Videos: 161
- Monthly Views Run rate: 66.5M
- Estimated YouTube Earnings: US$120k/month
- Estimated Earnings along with Influencer Program: US$480k/month
4 Technical Guruji
We have to admit to being tech junkies when Technical Guruji has such a mass following. The tech review channel owned by Gaurav Chaudhary has a subscriber count of 16 million. Its views go over 1.73 billion.
Chaudhary joined YouTube in 2015 and is professionally known as Technical Guruji. He is an Indian YouTube icon based in Dubai. Although the platform has many tech reviewers, Chaudhary stands out as a YouTube tech videos producer in Hindi. He does product reviews, unboxing, gadget speculations and occasionally delves into his passion for cars. He also does giveaways often, which makes him hugely popular. The man was also featured in 30 under 30 Forbes list.
Chaudhary’s early life was spent in Ajmer, Rajasthan and shifted to Dubai in 2012. He got his degree in microelectronics from BITS Pilani, Dubai Campus. His YouTube channel kicked off while he was working for the Dubai police. His channel Technical Guruji was born in October 2015 and grew rapidly.
In September 2018, Technical Guruji ranked 9th as the most subscribed tech channel on YouTube.
Technical Guruji YouTube Statistics as on 5th May 2020
- Joined YouTube on: 2015-10-18
- Subscribers: 16MM
- Total Views: 1.74B
- Average Video Views: 577k
- Total Videos: 2.99k
- Monthly Views Run rate: 47.3M
- Estimated YouTube Earnings: US$100k/month
- Estimated Earnings along with Influencer Program: US$400k/month
5 Sandeep Maheshwari
Sandeep Maheshwari is a jack of all trades. He is a motivational speaker, entrepreneur, a photographer and even owned a company, imagebazaar.com. Maheshwari started his freelance photographer career in 2000. He was super passionate about it. It won him many awards and even secured him a Limca record for photography. After photography, he joined a marketing firm. It is from here that his motivational speaker career took off.
After tasting success, he wanted to share his story with the world. And boy, did he win at that! His speeches talk about his journey from being a clueless middle-class guy to a successful businessman. He shares about what he did right to be successful. He speaks about success and failure as two sides of a coin. His talks gathered a huge following when he started actively posting on YouTube.
The YouTube guru joined the platform in 2012 and now has over 14.5 million subscribers. His channel hits above 831.17 million views. He asks his followers to shed the thought that “Life is tough”. The new mantra of “Aasaan hai” will have to rule! He does seminars and classes on YouTube to help motivate youths.
Sandeep Maheshwari YouTube Statistics as on 5th May 2020
- Joined YouTube on: 2012-02-13
- Subscribers: 14.6M
- Total Views: 835M
- Average Video Views: 1.73M
- Total Videos: 272
- Monthly Views Run rate: 1.6M
- Estimated YouTube Earnings: US$20k/month
- Estimated Earnings along with Influencer Program: US$80k/month
6 Dr Vivek Bindra
The Indian YouTube community has yet another feather with Dr Vivek Bindra. This powerful motivational speaker has 12 million subscribers. His videos have over 713 million views. He also has an exaggerated viewer count on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Dr Vivek Bindra is one of the most popular motivational speakers in India. His inspirational speeches resonate with the hoards of viewers who watch him religiously.
Born in Delhi in 1978, Bindra owned a company named Global ACT. It was later renamed as Bada Business in 2019 and offered corporate training. He served as a trainer, for more than 1500 companies in 25 countries. Dr Vivek says his motivational speeches are heavily inspired by the Bhagvat Gita. He says, “Bhagavadgita is not a book to bow only but is a book to be brought down in life.”
Apart from social media, he is also a writer and does seminars for corporates. Vivek Bindra’s YouTube career started in 2013. His videos are defined by inspirational speeches and stories that incite awe in the audience.
He has won the Maruthi Suzuki award for a YouTuber in India who is the Best Corporate Trainer. Dr Vivek Bindra was honoured as the best motivational in India by the International Association of Lions Club.
Dr Vivek Bindra YouTube Statistics as on 5th May 2020
- Joined YouTube on: 2013-12-06
- Subscribers: 12.1M
- Total Views: 717M
- Average Video Views: 1.19M
- Total Videos: 456
- Monthly Views Run rate:30.6M
- Estimated YouTube Earnings: US$60k/month
- Estimated Earnings along with Influencer Program: US$240k/month
7 Nisha Madhulika
Nisha Madhulika is yet another YouTube phenomenon for the Indian audience. She has to be the most famous YouTubers in India for her recipes. This boss lady started her Youtube channel at the age of 52 and shot up to fame instantly. Her story started in 2007 with her cookery blog, which became a big hit. This encouraged her to try the video medium. Initially helped by her husband with filming and editing, she now has a crew of five to orchestrate her videos.
Her clarity in explanation and how simple she makes even complicated dishes sound is lauded. Madhulika is one of India’s top 10 YouTubers in the food recipe video category. She flaunts more than 3.6 million subscribers. She keeps a strict schedule for her week. The lady churns out three recipes a week for her growing patrons. In a week, two days are for shoots and four days for research, audience interaction, and emails. Quite the influencer, isn’t she?
Nisha Madhulika YouTube Statistics as on 5th May 2020
- Joined YouTube on: 2009-08-02
- Subscribers: 8.95M
- Total Views: 1.67B
- Average Video Views: 259k
- Total Videos: 1.55k
- Monthly Views Run rate: 81M
- Estimated YouTube Earnings: US$80k/month
- Estimated Earnings along with Influencer Program: US$320k/month
8 Sanjay Thumma: One of the Top Ten YouTubers in India 2018
Sanjay Thumma is the guy behind the very popular cookery channel Vahrevah. Thumma is known as the ‘Vah’ chef due to his mouth-watering recipes. His story begins with him selling his restaurants in the USA. He returned home to restart his life. Soon after, many friends started ringing him and asking for recipes. He responded by putting up a YouTube video. It seems like it was a great idea than explaining over the phone. The video became a surefire hit. He received a lot of positive feedback from all over.
Thumma’s humour and light conversational tone struck the audience. It was a change from the usual instructional and formal cooking videos. His videos don’t seem scripted, and there is a natural flow to it. He is one of the most popular YouTubers in India. In 2019, the channel had 1.74 million subscribers and views peaking at 400 million.
Sanjay Thumma YouTube Statistics as on 5th May 2020
- Joined YouTube on: 2006-07-06
- Subscribers: 1.94M
- Total Views: 648M
- Average Video Views: 316k
- Total Videos: 2.05k
- Monthly Views Run rate: 24.8M
- Estimated YouTube Earnings: US$50k/month
- Estimated Earnings along with Influencer Program: US$200k/month
9 Ajey Nagar: Top 10 YouTubers in India 2019
Ajey Nagar is the name behind the YouYube channel CarryMinati. He is popularly called ‘CarryMinati’, or just ‘Carry’. Carry wears many hats. He is a comedian, gamer, rapper and a YouTube personality.
He posted his first video when he was just 10. Initially, his content revolved around gaming commentary and comedy. He then shifted to satirical parodies, diss songs, and comedy while he still indulges in live gaming. Nagar stands out due to one-of-a-kind and electric commentary in Hindi. He is right one among the top 10 comedy YouTubers in India.
His popularity is such that the man has interviewed Tom Cruise and Henry Cavill. He takes huge pride in being an Indian. It is evident from his response to a video by PewDiePie. PewDiePie had posted a video where he insulted an Indian man for speaking broken English. Getting back at him, Nagar posted “Bye PewDiePie’ a parody of the same, setting things straight. His channel now has a subscribership of a staggering 10.8 million. Nagar also won the coveted Silver and Gold YouTube play buttons.
Carryminati YouTube Statistics as on 5th May 2020
- Joined YouTube on: 2014-10-30
- Subscribers: 10.8M
- Total Views: 1.02B
- Average Video Views: 12.63M
- Total Videos: 167
- Monthly Views Run rate: 41.9M
- Estimated YouTube Earnings: US$80k/month
- Estimated Earnings along with Influencer Program: US$320k/month
10 Neha Kakkar: One of the top 10 YouTubers of India 2019
Neha Kakkar is an Indian singer. She began performing at religious events at the age of four and participated in the second season of the singing reality show, Indian Idol, in which she was eliminated early. After several struggles, she made her Bollywood debut as a chorus singer in the film Meerabai Not Out.
Neha Kakkar YouTube Statistics as on 5th May 2020
- Joined YouTube on: 2012-10-22
- Subscribers: 9.15M
- Total Views: 794M
- Average Video Views: 16.73M
- Total Videos: 89
- Monthly Views Run rate: 10.2M
- Estimated YouTube Earnings: US$20k/month
- Estimated Earnings along with Influencer Program: US$80k/month
How much YouTubers earn in India
YouTube is much more than comic pranks and sharing recipes. There is huge money involved if you can leverage your videos right. In the digital market, YouTube is one of the most lucrative places to make money. In fact, some of the highest-paid online influencers are YouTubers. You will also see that the top highest-paid YouTubers are the ones having a large fan base.
The celebrity culture has shifted from TV screen and movies to social platforms. With constant exposure to the audience than movie stars, influencers have become the beacon of trust and entertainment for the global audience.
Many celebrities are also finding their places in the social media spaces. This is because here’s where all the buzz ergo, money is. And they don’t just do it for the fanbase and flair. A massive fan following and viral videos can earn you a pretty big paycheck through advertisements and sponsorships.
Earning of YouTubers in India
The earnings of the top YouTube income in India may surprise you. Some of the YouTubers that we discussed above like Bhuvan Bam earn millions just off their YouTube channel. His BB ki Vines has been such a hit that Bhuvan Bam rose to fame swiftly. He is now one of the most subscribed and most-watched channels on the platform in India. His two to eight minutes long videos make him around Rs 3-4 lakh per video. You weren’t expecting that, were you? With about 87 videos uploaded by Bam till date, you can extrapolate the figures. He is one of the highest-earning YouTubers in India.
Tanmay Bhat, the famed stand-up comedian and Co-founder of All India Bakchod (AIB), commented on this a while back. He said Bam is, probably, the only one “making a killing” on YouTube. He cites the reason as no investment required since Bam doesn’t have much of expenditure because he shoots his videos on his own camera phone.
It’s not the only comedy that keeps the bucks flowing. Nisha Madhulika, the food blogger, turned around her fate with YouTube in 2011. Her simple presentation and tasty North Indian food recipe videos are grabbing hit on the platforms irrespective of age group and gender. With her rising popularity, YouTube offered a proposal to monetise on it. Her first cheque was just for a sum of Rs 16,000. With a growing fan base and view counts hitting the roof, she now earns six-figure sums off the platform.
How YouTube pays money to YouTubers in India?
We admit it, making money on YouTube isn’t easy. But with good content and a dash of luck, you can turn it around easily. There are many ways to milk the YouTube money machine. The best way is to sign up Google AdSense. Signing up gives you 55 per cent from the advertising revenue on your video. The rates also change depending on the number of subscribers, viewers and where your audience is from.
Advertisers follow two cost models. One is the cost per click model, where they pay only when viewers click on the ad. In cost per view model, the viewers have to watch at least half the duration of the ad or 30 seconds for longer ads. So how much money do YouTubers make in India? Typically in India, the average RPM, which is the rate per mille or the cost per thousand, is $6-7 on Youtube.
Creators also make money through sponsored videos. These can be done by brand integrations in your videos. The trick is to make the brands visible yet not to look too sales-y and take away from the video content. Some influencers use a combination of all these to generate revenue. The catch is that only those very popular celebrities who have millions of views per videos can earn a significant income via AdSense. Influencers say that it takes time and patience to establish oneself, gain subscribers and therefore get paid enough by the platform.
Richest YouTubers in India
The richest on the platform are positively those with a huge subscriber list, and view counts. Bhuvan Bham of BB Vines takes the cake here, making him one of the richest of Indian influencers on YouTube. He is on par with Amit Bhadana, the self-titled YouTuber who is well-loved for his comedy sketches.
On the tech realm, Technical Guruji is the most popular tech-review channel from India. He is also one of the top-earning YouTubers in India. On the honour roll for the highest-paid Indian influencer on YouTube is also Ashish Chanchlani of Ashish Chanchlani Vines.
Conclusion
YouTube is a lucrative platform for money-making if you can garner a massive following, and your videos can get top view counts. It isn’t easy, but the mantra is to do what you enjoy, to be honest, and outrageous with your identity. You don’t need a production house or a team of 20 to get ace YouTube videos; it is the connection with the audience that truly pays-off(pun intended).
Very interesting article. Thank You for sharing.