Is it worth it?
Buying a YouTube channel: worth it, and what YouTube's rules say
Short answer: a YouTube channel is worth buying when its views do not depend on the seller's face or voice, it has no strikes, revenue is steady across the last six months, and production costs are in the P&L. It is not worth it when "passive" means freelancers you have not costed, or when a few old videos carry the channel.
What do YouTube's own pages say about selling a channel?
We found no clause in YouTube's Terms of Service, dated 15 December 2023, that addresses selling a channel.1 YouTube's help pages do describe how a channel changes owners:
- Channel ownership can be transferred only when the channel is connected to a Brand Account. Without one, managers can be changed but owners cannot.2
- A Brand Account must have one primary owner. An owner can make themself primary owner only after being an owner for 7 days or more.2
- If the primary owner account linked to the channel is deleted, the channel is deleted too.2
Two rules matter for what you are buying. The Terms of Service say a channel restricted by a strike must not use another channel to get around the restriction,1 and the Spam Policy says three strikes within 90 days may end a channel. The same policy lists "automated or synthetic mass-production", such as many near-identical videos with AI-generated scripts and imagery, among the things it does not allow.3 If the channel is faceless and produced at volume, read that section before you make an offer.
This is a summary of YouTube's pages, not legal advice. Ask a lawyer how the transfer and the payment of the price should be structured.
What do small online-business listings ask in October 2026?
Too few YouTube channels priced $10k–150k appeared in FirstPass Memo's October 2026 listing sample to publish a median (6, against a minimum of 8). Across all 36 listings in that sample, collected 6 September to 6 October 2026 from the WebsitesForSaleOnline public API, the median asking payback was 26.8 months of profit, or 2.23 times annual profit.
Payback and multiple for YouTube channels, October 2026
Not enough listings to show a fair median. Only 6 listings of this type priced $10k–150k appeared in the data we can publish (we need at least 8). Use the overall figures on Is buying a website worth it? as a rough guide, and work out payback for the listing in front of you with the true payback calculator.
Source: our aggregates of listings featured in the WebsitesForSaleOnline public API daily collections, 6 September to 6 October 2026. Empire Flippers listings are excluded. Asking prices and seller-stated profit, not sale prices; each listing is counted once, at its latest price. Full table, CSV and method: listing benchmarks.
What should you look at before the price of a YouTube channel?
Before the price of a YouTube channel, look at whether viewers come for the presenter, the channel's strikes and monetisation status, and whether a few old videos bring most views.
- Presenter. If viewers come for one person's face or voice, the channel may not survive a change of owner.
- Strikes and monetisation. Ask for a screen-share of the channel's status page and any limited-ads warnings.
- Where views come from. If a handful of old videos bring most views, the channel depends on them continuing to be recommended.
- Production cost. Writers, editors and voice artists cost money every month. Ask who does each task and what each costs.
- Revenue mix. Ad revenue, sponsors and affiliate income behave differently. Sponsors may expect the seller personally.
Checker rules that matter most for channels
- Platform dependence. Flags reliance on YouTube and ad networks.
- Owner hours. Flags more than 10 hours a week.
- Called passive, but relies on staff. Flags "passive" claims next to freelancers or staff.
- History length. Flags channels with under 12 months of revenue.
Each rule links to a page that explains it. Run them on any listing with the free red-flag checker.
A worked example
Composite example, not a real listing
Asking price: $52,000
Average monthly revenue: $2,900 (AdSense and sponsors)
Average monthly profit: $2,300
Business age: 18 months
Owner hours: 15 hours per week
Passive income: a freelance writer and editor are paid per video
What the red-flag checker returns: payback of 22.6 months on average monthly profit, and these top three flags (the benchmark comparison is left out here):
Depends on YouTube, Mediavine/ad network Medium
Ask: If YouTube changed its rules or closed the account tomorrow, what share of revenue would be at risk? Has it happened before?
Seller reports 15 hours a week Medium
Ask: Which tasks take the time, and what would it cost to hand them to a contractor?
Called passive, but relies on staff or contractors Medium
Ask: Who are the contractors, what does each cost, is that cost in the P&L, and will they stay?
Also raised: No traffic data for a traffic-driven site; No connected data source mentioned; Concentration not disclosed.
The 22.6-month payback looks short, but 15 hours a week and paid freelancers are a real cost. At $25 an hour, the owner's time alone is about $1,625 a month, which would push payback past six years. Ask what the freelancers cost and whether that is already in the $2,300.
Eight questions to send the seller
- Does the channel depend on your face or voice, and has it ever changed presenter?
- Has the channel had any strikes, demonetisation or limited-ads warnings?
- Who scripts, edits and uploads, and what does each person cost?
- How have views and revenue moved over the last 6 months?
- What share of views comes from the top 10 videos, and how old are they?
- What share of revenue is ad revenue, and what share comes from sponsors and affiliates?
- Are any sponsors booked beyond the sale date, and do they expect you personally?
- Can you share YouTube Studio analytics for 24 months, including revenue by month?
Get the YouTube channel seller checklist
Join the FirstPass Memo waitlist and the next page gives you the YouTube channel seller question checklist (web page and PDF) straight away, along with the other free files: seller question checklists for eleven business types, the 72-hour vetting plan and a deal-tracker spreadsheet. Nothing is emailed; you download them on the page.
We will write when paid memos open, and occasionally before. Unsubscribe any time by replying "stop" to hello@firstpassmemo.com. Looking at a live listing priced $10k–150k? Apply for a free beta memo instead; its confirmation page has the same downloads.
Frequently asked questions
Is buying a YouTube channel against YouTube's terms?
We found no clause in YouTube's Terms of Service, dated 15 December 2023, that addresses selling a channel, and YouTube's help pages describe how to transfer a channel's ownership through a Brand Account. The terms do bar using another channel to get around a strike. Take legal advice on your own deal.
How is a YouTube channel transferred?
Through a Brand Account. The buyer is invited as an owner, and after being an owner for at least 7 days can be made primary owner. YouTube's help page explains the steps, including opting out of channel permissions first if they are in use.
Is a faceless channel safer to buy?
It avoids the presenter problem, but YouTube's Spam Policy does not allow automated or synthetic mass-production of near-identical videos. Look at how the videos are made and how similar they are before you rely on a faceless channel's income.
Check a listing now. Paste it into the red-flag checker, and count the owner's time with the true payback calculator. For a full memo on a live listing priced $10k–150k, apply for the free beta.
FirstPass Memo is independent and is not affiliated with YouTube, Google or any marketplace. Policies are as published on the dates shown and may change. The example is a composite. This page is not investment, legal or tax advice.
Sources
- YouTube, Terms of Service, dated 15 December 2023, read 7 October 2026. Back
- YouTube Help, Change channel owners & managers with a Brand Account, read 7 October 2026. Back
- YouTube Help, Spam Policy, read 7 October 2026. Back