YouTube Monetization Checker
Check if any YouTube channel or video is monetized — free, with the evidence laid out instead of a made-up score.
No ads, ever
We sell a tracker, not your attention. Zero banners on every page.
No login to check
Paste a channel, get an answer. 20 free checks a day, anonymously.
Signal-transparent
Every verdict shows the exact public signals behind it.
Honest about uncertainty
Four confidence levels — never a fake “95% accurate” badge.
How to check if a YouTube channel is monetized
No secret sauce — just public signals, weighed honestly.
In November 2023, YouTube removed the public flag that used to say whether a channel was monetized. Since then, no monetization checker can read the status directly — every tool infers it. The difference is whether a tool admits that. We do, and we show our work — here, and in our Chrome extension, which reads the same signals on the page you are already on.
Each check combines three kinds of public evidence. First, the subscriber count shown on the channel page, which tells us which Partner Program tiers are even possible. Second, Partner-exclusive features: a Join button for channel memberships or a store on the channel only appear on channels YouTube has accepted into the program. Third, ad delivery: we sample the channel's recent long-form videos and check whether ad placements are actually being served, including the format — pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll — and where the mid-roll breaks sit.
No single signal is conclusive — memberships exist from the 500-subscriber tier, and YouTube has run ads on non-partner channels since 2021 (late 2020 in the US). That's why results come as four confidence levels (Likely Monetized, Possibly Monetized, Likely Not Monetized, Unable to Determine) with every signal listed, so you can judge the evidence yourself.
Check a channel yourself
The same look-around the checker does, in four steps.
- Read the subscriber count. The entry bars are 500 subscribers for fan funding and 1,000 for ad revenue. A channel below them can't apply yet, although one that joined earlier may have dropped under since.
- Look for a Join button and a Store tab. The Join button sits next to Subscribe; the Store tab is in the channel's tabs, next to Videos and Shorts. Only Partner Program channels get either one, but plenty of monetized channels have neither.
- Watch for ads on long videos. Open two or three recent videos over eight minutes in a private window, with no ad blocker and without YouTube Premium. Ads on most of them is a good sign. It isn't proof, because YouTube also runs ads on channels outside the program and keeps that money.
- Skip the page-source trick. Searching the source for
is_monetization_enabledstopped working in November 2023, when YouTube removed the field. Guides that still recommend it are out of date.
Check a channel, a video or a Short
One input box, three kinds of link. Paste whichever you have.
YouTube channel monetization checker
Paste a handle, channel URL or channel ID. You get the verdict, which Partner Program tier the subscriber count allows, and every signal we read.
YouTube video monetization checker
Paste a youtube.com/watch or youtu.be link. You get that video's ad status and ad formats, plus the full check of the channel behind it.
Shorts monetization checker
Paste a Shorts link for the same video-level check. To see how far a channel is from the Shorts view thresholds, use the Shorts calculator.
Open the Shorts calculator →2026 Partner Program requirements
Two tiers, two ways into each.
| Requirement | Fan funding tier | Ad revenue tier |
|---|---|---|
| Subscribers | 500 | 1,000 |
| Long-form path | 3,000 watch hours / 12 months | 4,000 watch hours / 12 months |
| Shorts path | 3M Shorts views / 90 days | 10M Shorts views / 90 days |
| Unlocks | Memberships, Super Thanks, merch shelf | Everything, plus ad revenue share |
One monetization checker for every platform
YouTube channels and Facebook pages are checked from a link. TikTok works from its published thresholds, and websites from their own ads.txt.
Facebook monetization
Paste a page link. We read its followers and show the gap to Stars and Subscriptions, and what changed when in-stream ads ended.
Open the checker →
TikTok monetization
Creator Rewards and monetization readiness checklist.
Open the checker →
Website monetization
Detect whether any website runs AdSense or other ad networks.
Open the checker →
Know the day you'll hit 1,000 subscribers
Tracker watches your channel daily and predicts your milestones.
Your channel
@yourchannel · Possibly Monetized
- Subs
- 842
- Views
- 96.4K
- Videos
- 58
Subscribers · last 14 days
Milestone predictions
- 500 subsReached 🎉
- 1,000 subsin 12 days · +14/day
- Daily automatic snapshots — no more refreshing Studio
- Milestone date predictions from your real growth curve
- Growth charts and email alerts at 90% and 100%
- Free: 2 channels, refreshed by hand. Pro: 10 channels with all of the above
Frequently asked questions
How does this YouTube monetization checker work?
We read public signals from the channel's own pages: the subscriber count on its header, whether it has memberships or its own store (Partner Program features), and whether ads actually run on its recent long-form videos. Each check shows you every signal we found — pass, fail, or unknown — instead of a bare yes/no.
Is the monetization checker accurate?
We don't claim a made-up accuracy percentage like some tools do. In late 2023 YouTube removed the public monetization flag, so every monetization checker YouTube creators can find online, including this one, infers status from public signals. We tell you our confidence level and show the evidence; the only authoritative source is the channel owner's own YouTube Studio.
Why do some non-monetized channels still show ads?
Since June 2021 (November 2020 in the US), YouTube can run ads on videos from channels that are not in the Partner Program — and the creator earns nothing from them. That's why seeing an ad is a positive signal but never proof, and why we weigh multiple signals together.
Is this channel monetized? Can I tell without a tool?
Partly. Open the channel page and look for a Join button or a Store tab — memberships and connecting a store are only offered to Partner Program channels, though from the 500-subscriber tier. Then play a few recent long-form videos and watch for ads. The old trick of searching the page source for is_monetization_enabled stopped working in November 2023; the flag is gone. A checker does the same look-around faster and shows you what it found.
Can I check if a specific video is monetized?
Yes — paste any video URL (youtube.com/watch, youtu.be, or Shorts) and you'll get the video's ad status, ad formats (pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll) and mid-roll break timestamps, plus the full channel-level check.
What are the YouTube monetization requirements in 2026?
There are two tiers. Fan funding: 500 subscribers plus 3 public uploads in 90 days, and either 3,000 watch hours in the last year or 3M Shorts views in 90 days. Full ad revenue: 1,000 subscribers, and either 4,000 public watch hours in the last year or 10M Shorts views in 90 days.
How much money does a monetized channel make?
It depends mostly on niche. Finance channels can earn $12–30 per 1,000 views, tech $8–15, gaming $2–7, entertainment $2–5. Our estimate lets you pick the niche instead of pretending one rate fits every channel.
Do I need to log in or install a yt monetization checker extension?
No login, no ads, nothing to install. Paste a channel and check — you get 20 free checks a day without an account. If you'd rather check while browsing YouTube, our free Chrome extension runs the same check on channel and video pages, from the same 20 a day.
Can I see how much a YouTube channel earns?
No. YouTube never publishes a channel's earnings, and sites that show a figure multiply estimated views by an assumed rate. What can be checked from outside is whether a channel is monetized, which is what this tool does.
Can a channel with under 1,000 subscribers be monetized?
Yes, through the 500-subscriber fan funding tier: memberships, Super Thanks, Super Chat and Shopping, but no share of ad revenue. A Join button on a channel under 1,000 subscribers means it's in the Partner Program, most likely through that tier.
Does the checker work for Shorts-only channels?
Partly. Ads are sampled on long-form videos, so a channel that only posts Shorts has no ad signal to read. The result then rests on subscribers, memberships and the store, and often comes back as Unable to Determine rather than a guess.
Why does a result say 'Possibly Monetized'?
It means the signals disagree or are individually ambiguous — for example, memberships exist from the 500-subscriber tier (below full monetization), and ads can run on non-partner channels. When the evidence is mixed, we say so instead of guessing.