Best YouTube Channels Ever

MrBeast

Jimmy Donaldson turned YouTube into a spectacle-industrial complex, burning millions on stunts, giveaways, and a real-life Squid Game recreation that broke view records. He didn't just make videos, he rebuilt the platform's economics around him, becoming the most-subscribed indiv

Subscribers: 300 MChannel Founded: 2012Primary Content: Stunts / PhilanthropyCultural Impact: 10/10

added by IJR

PewDiePie

Felix Kjellberg was YouTube's first true global superstar, the most-subscribed channel on the platform for nearly a decade and the face of the entire 'Let's Play' genre. His meme wars with corporate rivals (T-Series) and rise from bedroom commentary videos to gaming royalty defin

Subscribers: 111 MChannel Founded: 2010Primary Content: Gaming / CommentaryCultural Impact: 9.5/10

added by IJR

Dude Perfect

Five college roommates turned trick-shot basketball videos into a sports-entertainment empire complete with stadium tours and a theme park. Their squeaky-clean, family-friendly formula proved YouTube comedy didn't need edge to go massive.

Subscribers: 60 MChannel Founded: 2009Primary Content: Sports ComedyCultural Impact: 8/10

added by IJRDude Perfect

Markiplier

Mark Fischbach built an empire on horror game screams and heartfelt charity streams, becoming one of the most consistently beloved figures in gaming content. His annual charity livestreams have raised tens of millions, cementing him as gaming YouTube's conscience.

Subscribers: 36 MChannel Founded: 2012Primary Content: Gaming / Let's PlayCultural Impact: 8/10

added by IJRMarkiplier

Smosh

Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla were making viral sketch comedy before 'viral' was a word, launching in the site's earliest days and helping prove YouTube could sustain scripted content. Smosh outlived its creators' original partnership and even a Defy Media shutdown, a genuine sur

Subscribers: 25 MChannel Founded: 2005Primary Content: Sketch ComedyCultural Impact: 8.5/10

added by IJRSmosh

Vsauce

Michael Stevens turned 'Hey Vsauce, Michael here' into one of the internet's most recognizable openers, making mind-bending questions about existence, physics, and perception into must-watch television. His 'What If Everyone Jumped At Once' era proved educational content could go

Subscribers: 20 MChannel Founded: 2010Primary Content: Science / EducationCultural Impact: 8.5/10

added by IJRVsauce

Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell

This German studio's candy-colored animations made black holes, immune systems, and existential dread feel like beautiful bedtime stories. Their painstaking research and stunning visuals raised the bar for what educational YouTube could look like.

Subscribers: 22 MChannel Founded: 2013Primary Content: Animated ScienceCultural Impact: 8/10

added by IJR

Linus Tech Tips

Linus Sebastian scaled a garage tech-review channel into a full media company with dozens of employees, spawning spinoffs and a testing lab that rivals corporate R&D departments. His transparent, occasionally chaotic 'Labs' era made him tech YouTube's most trusted (and most self-

Subscribers: 16 MChannel Founded: 2008Primary Content: Tech ReviewsCultural Impact: 7.5/10

added by IJR

Casey Neistat

Casey Neistat's daily vlogs, shot with cinematic flair and a boosted-longboard commute through New York, essentially invented the modern YouTube vlog aesthetic. His 2016 sale of Beme to CNN and subsequent return to vlogging showed just how far a creator's brand could stretch beyo

Subscribers: 12.5 MChannel Founded: 2010Primary Content: VloggingCultural Impact: 8/10

added by IJRCasey Neistat

Ryan's World

A preschooler unboxing toys became one of the highest-earning channels in YouTube history, spawning toy lines, a Nickelodeon show, and a genre of kids' content that terrifies and fascinates parents in equal measure. Ryan Kaji's rise proved YouTube's youngest audience was also its

Subscribers: 36 MChannel Founded: 2015Primary Content: Kids / ToysCultural Impact: 7/10

added by IJR

Ninja

Tyler Blevins rode the Fortnite wave to a level of mainstream fame no gamer had reached before, culminating in a Drake collab stream that broke Twitch (and got covered on ESPN). His blue-hair brand became shorthand for the entire esports-to-celebrity pipeline.

Subscribers: 24 MChannel Founded: 2011Primary Content: Gaming / EsportsCultural Impact: 8/10

added by IJR

jacksepticeye

Seán McLoughlin's manic energy and genuine warmth made him a cornerstone of the Irish-accented Let's Play boom alongside Markiplier and PewDiePie. His annual charity events and unfiltered honesty about mental health set him apart from pure entertainment gamers.

Subscribers: 30 MChannel Founded: 2012Primary Content: Gaming / Let's PlayCultural Impact: 7/10

added by IJRJacksepticeye

Good Mythical Morning

Rhett and Link turned a daily talk show format into the longest-running scripted-ish show on YouTube, taste-testing bizarre foods and debating pop culture for over a decade. Their longevity and consistency made GMM a genuine institution rather than a fad.

Subscribers: 18 MChannel Founded: 2012Primary Content: Talk / ComedyCultural Impact: 7.5/10

added by IJRGood Mythical Morning

The Try Guys

Born from BuzzFeed video and later going independent, the Try Guys built a loyal fanbase on vulnerability and self-deprecating comedy, only to become a real-world drama story when a 2022 scandal split the group. Their public reckoning became as viral as any of their original try-

Subscribers: 8 MChannel Founded: 2018Primary Content: Comedy / LifestyleCultural Impact: 6.5/10

added by IJRThe Try Guys

Binging with Babish

Andrew Rea's calm, methodical recreations of movie and TV food turned cooking content into pop-culture storytelling, spawning an entire genre of 'foods from fiction' channels. His steady rise without gimmicks proved craftsmanship alone could build a YouTube empire.

Subscribers: 10 MChannel Founded: 2016Primary Content: CookingCultural Impact: 7/10

added by IJRBinging with Babish

Veritasium

Derek Muller's physics-teacher energy and rigorous myth-busting made complex science accessible without dumbing it down, and his willingness to publicly correct his own past videos set a new bar for scientific honesty on the platform. He's become one of the most trusted education

Subscribers: 16 MChannel Founded: 2010Primary Content: Science EducationCultural Impact: 8/10

added by IJRVeritasium

NigaHiga

Ryan Higa was one of YouTube's first breakout comedy stars, with his early 2000s sketches racking up views before 'YouTuber' was even a career. His decline in upload frequency over the years didn't erase his status as a founding father of the platform's comedy scene.

Subscribers: 21 MChannel Founded: 2006Primary Content: Comedy / SketchCultural Impact: 7/10

added by IJR

Philip DeFranco

DeFranco built one of the earliest and longest-running daily news commentary shows on YouTube, tackling internet drama and current events with a rapid-fire delivery years before news commentary became its own YouTube genre. His staying power since the mid-2000s makes him a quiet

Subscribers: 6.5 MChannel Founded: 2006Primary Content: News CommentaryCultural Impact: 7/10

added by IJRPhilip DeFranco