Earnings Per View at a Glance
Short-form video monetization is notoriously low on both platforms. Neither YouTube Shorts nor TikTok comes close to matching long-form YouTube's $1–$10 RPM. But between the two short-form formats, YouTube Shorts pays more per view in most cases — especially for creators in the YouTube Partner Program.
Full Short-Form Platform Earnings Comparison
| Format | Typical per 1K Views | Per 1M Views | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube Long-Form | $1.00 – $10.00 | $1,000 – $10,000+ | Benchmark — ad auction driven |
| YouTube Shorts (YPP) | $0.03 – $0.12 | $30 – $120 | Revenue from Shorts ad pool, shared 45% |
| TikTok Creator Fund | $0.02 – $0.04 | $20 – $40 | Fixed pool; rates declined over time |
| TikTok Creator Rewards | $0.40 – $1.00 | $400 – $1,000 | Requires 1+ min video, 10K followers, strong watch time |
How YouTube Shorts Monetization Works
YouTube Shorts operates differently from long-form YouTube. Instead of placing individual ads on each Shorts video, YouTube pools ad revenue from ads shown between Shorts in the feed, then distributes a portion of that pool to creators based on their share of total Shorts views.
Creators receive 45% of their allocated pool share (compared to 55% for long-form). The result is an effective RPM of $0.03–$0.12 per 1,000 views — very low compared to long-form, but reliably higher than TikTok's original Creator Fund.
For creators already in the YouTube Partner Program, Shorts earnings are automatic — no separate application needed.
Why TikTok Creator Rewards Can Beat YouTube Shorts
TikTok's Creator Rewards Program, for creators who qualify, can pay $0.40–$1.00 per 1,000 views — significantly more than YouTube Shorts' $0.03–$0.12. However, the key word is "qualifying." Only videos that:
- Are at least 1 minute long
- Achieve high watch-time completion rates
- Score high on TikTok's "originality" metric
- Come from accounts with 10,000+ followers
...receive the higher rate. Short clips under 60 seconds — the core TikTok format — typically earn from the old Creator Fund rates or near zero.
The Strategic Picture for Short-Form Creators
For creators posting sub-60-second content, YouTube Shorts (at $0.03–$0.12/1K) generally outpays TikTok Creator Fund ($0.02–$0.04/1K). The gap is small, but YouTube Shorts also contributes to your YouTube channel's subscriber count and watch history, helping unlock better long-form monetization over time.
For creators willing to produce 1+ minute videos with high production quality, TikTok Creator Rewards can be competitive with YouTube Shorts — and TikTok's discovery algorithm may drive faster view growth to offset the similar rates.