Creator income
UGC vs brand deal vs ad revenue: net per hour.
Three common ways creators get paid have very different hours behind them. Enter a recent example of each and compare what an hour paid, not what the headline number was.
Net per hour = (income - fees - expenses) / hours, for each income type. With the example inputs: UGC $61.67, brand deal $58.75, ad revenue $8.00 an hour. Results vary. This model uses the assumptions you type in; it is not a prediction, a quote anyone has agreed to, or a promise of earnings.
Your numbers
Result
Worked example
UGC: $400.00 less $30 of costs over 6 hours is $61.67 an hour. Brand deal: $1,500.00 less a 15% agency fee ($225.00) and $100 of costs is $1,175.00 over 20 hours, $58.75 an hour. Ad revenue: 40,000 views at a $3 RPM is $120.00 over 15 hours, $8.00 an hour.
At a $30 target, the UGC job stops paying that rate after 12.3 hours and the brand deal after 39.2. These are illustrative numbers, not typical ones: a video that keeps collecting views for years, or a brand deal that takes more rounds than planned, would change the picture.
How it works
Each income type has a different shape. UGC and brand deals pay a known fee soon after delivery; ad revenue is uncertain and arrives over time as views accumulate. This tool compares one concrete example of each over the same measure, net dollars per hour, so the trade-offs are visible.
Fees apply to the UGC and brand deal rows because platforms and agencies take a share of what the brand pays. Your RPM is by definition revenue per 1,000 views after the platform's share, so no fee is taken from ad revenue; entering a gross figure would double count.
The hours-until-target lines say how long each job can run before it falls to the hourly rate you want. A fee that looks large but needs many hours may lose to a small fee that is quick to deliver, and a video that keeps earning is not captured by a single period, so rerun it with lifetime views and total hours.
Results vary. This model uses the assumptions you type in; it is not a prediction, a quote anyone has agreed to, or a promise of earnings. Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent or stored.
Methodology
For UGC and brand deals: net = fee x (1 - fee%) - expenses. For ad revenue: net = views / 1000 x RPM - expenses. Net per hour = net / hours. Hours at target = net / target hourly when net is positive. Streams with zero hours show a prompt, fees of 100% or more and negative or non-numeric inputs are rejected, and the headline names the highest net per hour among the streams you filled in.
What this does not cover
- How likely you are to win a brand deal or UGC job, or how often.
- Long-term views; enter a longer period yourself.
- Income tax and the cost of equipment.
- Any estimate of what these income types pay on average. Every number is yours.
Sources
Arithmetic on the numbers you enter. No external rate is applied, and no rate benchmark is stated as fact.
FAQ
Which pays more per hour, UGC or brand deals?
It depends on the fee, the hours, the revisions and the platform or agency cut. Enter a recent example of each and the calculator shows net dollars per hour.
Why does ad revenue show no fee?
RPM is revenue per 1,000 views after the platform takes its share, so it is already net. Entering it again would double count the cut.
Can I compare different time periods?
Yes, but be consistent. If a video keeps earning, enter lifetime views and total hours to see a lifetime figure.
Does this tell me which to choose?
No. It shows the arithmetic for the inputs you enter. Reliability, growth and enjoyment are not in the numbers.
Are the example numbers typical?
No. They are illustrative. Replace them with your own.