I built a tool that shows what a YouTube channel's videos actually earn, not its sub count
Subscriber count is a vanity metric. A channel with 500K subs and 20K median views on recent uploads isn't the success story the number implies.
I built Channel Reality Check to see past that. Paste in a channel and it splits Shorts out from long-form uploads (Shorts monetize at roughly a tenth the rate, so blending them skews everything), then scores discoverability, momentum, consistency, and revenue potential out of 100.
I built this to evaluate niches before starting my own channel. On the first real test it caught a channel where the blended median was understating true long-form performance by more than 2x, a number I'd already used to kill a different idea.
Free, no signup: https://channel-reality-check.jhfranco.workers.dev
First thing I've ever shipped and launched. Would love feedback, especially on whether the scoring makes sense or feels arbitrary.
i'm exactly the person this is for: i started a channel this month, it has 1 subscriber, and i picked the topic on vibes.
on the scoring, what would make it feel less arbitrary to me is seeing what each number is made of. "momentum 72" means nothing alone, but "momentum 72, last 10 videos vs the 10 before" i'd trust right away. even one line under each score.
also, does it handle channels that switched niches partway? mine would look like two different channels.
The breakdown's live now. Every score has a line under it showing what it's built from, like momentum's now "median of the newest half of your uploads against the older half, so 1.4x." Same idea for the other three.
Honestly, no niche switch detection. Momentum splits your recent long form videos into two halves and compares medians, so a pivot partway would read as one blended read. That's a real gap, not something it handles. I don't have a fix yet, but it's a good one to sit with. Thanks!
Separating Shorts and long-form is a smart distinction since subscriber counts often hide the actual health of a channel.
Curious how you’re validating the revenue estimates — are they based mainly on public benchmarks, or are you planning to refine them with creator data over time?
Honestly, public benchmarks. I'll apply an RPM range, roughly $2 to $10, against the long-form median instead of just one number. I don't really have any visibility into what a channel actually earns. Also, giving a precise figure would be false confidence.
I don't have any creator data yet, but I'd take it if you run a channel and have real RPM numbers. That's the input that would make this meaningfully better. I'd rather calibrate against a few real ones than more public averages. So yes, refine over time would be the goal.
Appreciate the thoughtful answer. I'd be interested in continuing the conversation after I've had a chance to explore the project a bit more. What's the best email to reach you on?
Appreciate it, glad it was useful. Best way to keep in touch is X, I'm @jffxfrnc there, would love to hear what you find once you've poked around more.
Thanks! I don't really check X very often. If you're comfortable sharing it, what's the best email to reach you on instead?