Which social media platform pays the most in 2026?
Learn how different social media platforms pay creators in 2026.
We’ll cover:
- Which social media platforms support monetization?
- Which social media platform pays the most?
- Which social media platform pays the most for views?
- Which social media platform pays the most, full-stop?
Which social media platforms support monetization?
Here’s a checklist of the main social media platforms that support monetization:
1. YouTube
Unlike most of the platforms covered in this article, YouTube pays creators per ad view.
Ads aren’t the only way to make money on YouTube, though. Subscriptions, Super Chat, YouTube Shopping, and more help creators earn a living. The bulk of YouTube’s monetization options live in the YouTube Partner Program.
YouTube Shorts has also muscled into monetization over the past few years, establishing itself as a direct competitor to some of the short-form platforms on this list.
2. Facebook
Reels, stories, long-form videos, photos, and text posts can be monetized with ads through the Facebook Content Monetization program, which rolled out in 2025.
You can also make money on Facebook with Stars, subscriptions, the Branded Content Tool, affiliate marketing, and more.
3. Instagram
As Instagram is owned by Meta, the same parent company as Facebook, its monetization options are fairly similar. Sponsored posts and affiliate marketing are both big drivers on the platform, alongside extras like Instagram Badges. However, it doesn’t support view-based monetization like Facebook.
4. X/Twitter
X/Twitter introduced monetization in 2023, and it comes in two forms: Subscriptions and Creator Revenue Sharing. Monetization is locked behind a Premium paywall, which requires payment.
5. Snapchat
The Snapchat Monetization Program places ads between Snaps in a Public Story or within a Spotlight, and also opens up brand collabs. Creator Subscriptions are also available.
6. TikTok
TikTok offers a broad spread of monetization options, including the TikTok Creator Rewards program, brand partnerships, TikTok Shop, subscriptions, and more.
7. Twitch
Top content creators have made tons of money on Twitch, through a combination of ads, subscriptions, and sponsorships.
8. Kick
Kick is similar to Twitch, but offers more competitive subscription payouts. This has resulted in exclusivity deals on both sides.
9. Pinterest
Even though Pinterest is mainly considered a discovery platform, it still supports monetization with brand partnerships, affiliate links, and Pinterest Shopping.
Which social media platform pays the most?
According to Epidemic Sound’s own research of 1,500 monetizing creators, YouTube is the top platform for generating income (28.6%).
TikTok isn’t far behind at 18.3%, with Facebook at 16.5%, Instagram at 11.8%, and X/Twitter at 6.3%.
When asked which platforms they’d like to expand to in the next 12 months, 45% of full-time and part-time creators said YouTube. Instagram and TikTok just missed out at 41% each, with Facebook at 35%, and Snapchat at 25%.
Which social media platform pays the most for views?
Social media platforms rarely disclose how much they pay individual creators, but based on reports, YouTube pays the most for views. As more payment options become available — gifts, sponsorships, subscription models, and so on — the focus on views becomes less important.
With that in mind, let’s look at how five key social media platforms pay creators, and if they pay per view.
1. YouTube
Established YouTubers report between $5 and $15 for every 1,000 ad views on a video. This is partially based on cost per mille (CPM), which is the amount an advertiser pays a website or platform per 1,000 ad views.
Some YouTubers earn more, some less. It all depends on the traffic and effectiveness of any ad-supported video. This is calculated by revenue per mille (RPM).
Different RPM factors include which industry the video and ads target, the watch-through rate, viewers’ location, and more. RPM considers other in-platform monetization methods, like subscriptions and Super Chat.
YouTube Shorts has also stepped into monetization, with reports citing $0.13 per 1,000 views for high-performing content. That’s clearly lower than earnings on the main YouTube feed, but Shorts content relies on virality and high-volume view counts to bump those numbers up.
YouTube paid more than $100 billion to creators between 2021 and 2025.
2. Facebook
Reports suggest that Facebook Content Monetization can deliver around $0.10 per 1,000 qualifying views. The old monetization model leaned more on the type of ads being served, while the new system focuses on engagement, views, and plays.
New Facebook creators with established audiences on other platforms can earn more with Creator Fast Track. Valid for three months, creators can earn $1,000 per month if they have at least 100,000 followers on YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok; or $3,000 per month with more than one million followers on at least one of said platforms.
Facebook paid nearly $3 billion to creators in 2025, which was an all-time high for the platform.
3. TikTok
TikTok has confirmed that payouts are based on qualified views and RPM. Payments with the old monetization framework were reported between $0.02 and $0.04 per 1,000 views, while the TikTok Creator Rewards Program gives creators “the potential to earn up to 20 times as many rewards.”
4. Instagram
Instagram doesn’t pay creators for ad-supported views, instead focusing on partnerships and sponsored content. Nano-influencers with 1,000 to 10,000 followers earn between $25 and $150 per sponsored Instagram post, according to Shopify.
5. X/Twitter
X/Twitter pays per verified post impression, meaning that the user making the impression must have an X/Twitter Premium account. Reports sit around $8.50 per million verified impressions.
Which social media platform pays the most, full-stop?
YouTube makes up the largest portion of creators’ income, but that isn’t the case for everyone. Different platforms’ finances are structured differently, offering various paths to monetization.
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