Cost Per Video Calculator
What a video really costs you, and the views it needs to pay for itself.
Gear bought for this video, or a share of your kit's cost.
Scripting, filming, editing, thumbnail — all of it.
What you would charge for this time as freelance work.
Cost and break-even
How it is computed: total = equipment + software + hours × rate. Break-even views = total ÷ RPM × 1,000, shown at both ends of the range. Counting your own hours is what makes the number honest.
Same job, one API call
Runs in your browser — nothing is sent anywhere.
Questions
Should I count my own time as a cost?
Yes — price your hours at a rate you would accept as freelance work. Videos that ignore labour look profitable and are not.
Which costs go into the total?
Everything the video consumed: equipment share, software, music licences, contractors, and your own hours. The calculator takes one number — make it the honest full stack.
What does the break-even view count assume?
It divides your cost by the per-view revenue of the niche you pick — the same RPM ranges the other calculators use. A video that beats its niche average recovers cost sooner.
Related tools
- YouTube Earnings CalculatorEstimate AdSense earnings from monthly views and niche, as a range with the working shown.
- Views to Revenue CalculatorTurn a view count into an AdSense revenue range for your niche.
- CPM and RPM CalculatorWork out CPM and RPM from the same numbers, and see why RPM is always the smaller one.
- Revenue Per View CalculatorThe value of a single view, and how many views add up to a real amount.