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One look at Charli D'Amelio's net worth and it's not hard to see why so many young talents are flocking to TikTok. With around USD$18 million to her name, the social media star leads the pack in income and influence alike. Say what you will about the shallow or occasionally random nature of modern fame, it definitely pays off for those who master it. So how much does TikTok pay in reality? After perusing the list below you'd think the answer is a lot, but as with most things there's a wide gap between those who make a fortune and those who don't. To put it in perspective, the average creator makes somewhere between USD$20 and USD$40 per million views, which puts most users in the lowest tier. Keep at it, though, and you might one day join the highest-earning TikTok stars below.
Highest-Paid TikTok Stars at a Glance
- Highest earner: Charli D'Amelio (USD$18 million)
- Largest TikTok audience: Khaby Lame (USD$9.9 million)
- Beauty commerce power: Mikayla Nogueira (USD$9 million)
- Breakout lifestyle brand: Alix Earle (USD$12 million)
- Commentary with cultural bite: Drew Afualo (USD$2.7 million)
The 9 Highest-Paid TikTok Stars
1. Charli D'Amelio: USD$18 million
Charli D’Amelio remains the clearest case study in how a TikTok breakout becomes a diversified consumer business. Her dance videos made her the first creator to pass 100M followers on the platform, and she still sits near the top of TikTok with 159.1M followers as of July 2026. The money now comes from a broader machine, including D’Amelio Footwear, Hulu’s The D’Amelio Show, beauty and fashion work, Dunkin’ and the wider D’Amelio Brands line. At 22, she has moved from algorithmic fame into a family-backed brand platform with genuine retail reach.
- TikTok handle: @charlidamelio
- Age: 22
- Followers: 159.1M (Jul 2026)
- Primary platform: TikTok dance and lifestyle
- Signature brand deal: Dunkin' and her own D'Amelio Brands line
- Salary source: Forbes
2. Jordan Howlett: USD$12.4 million
Jordan Howlett turned food curiosity and deadpan delivery into one of TikTok’s most bankable comedy formats. His pandemic-era fast-food secrets, POV skits and food clips gave brands a creator who could make sponsored content feel native to the feed. With about 18.8M followers and partnerships spanning DoorDash, PepsiCo and State Farm, he is built for high-volume brand work. At 29, his value sits in trust, repeatable formats and a broad audience that does not require celebrity polish.
- TikTok handle: @jordan_the_stallion8
- Age: 29
- Followers: ~18.8M
- Primary platform: TikTok food and comedy
- Signature brand deal: Partnerships with DoorDash, PepsiCo and State Farm
- Salary source: Forbes
3. Alix Earle: USD$12 million
Alix Earle made Get Ready With Me content feel like appointment viewing for the post-pandemic TikTok audience. Her beauty, lifestyle and fashion presence has expanded into the Hot Mess podcast, Reale Actives, Poppi and Amazon work, giving her a strong mix of media and commerce. Forbes lists 14.5M total cross-platform followers, with TikTok as the core platform and roughly 8M followers there. At 25, she commands this level because her audience is commercially direct, trend-sensitive and highly valuable to beauty and lifestyle brands.
- TikTok handle: @alixearle
- Age: 25
- Followers: ~8M TikTok (14.5M cross-platform)
- Primary platform: TikTok lifestyle and beauty
- Signature brand deal: Her own brand Reale Actives, plus Poppi and Amazon
- Salary source: Forbes
4. Khaby Lame: USD$9.9 million
Khaby Lame is the platform’s global language hack, using silent, deadpan reactions to mock needlessly complicated life hacks without needing a caption to land the joke. He is the most-followed person on TikTok, with 162.3M followers as of July 2026. That reach gives global brands a rare low-friction ambassador, reflected in his BOSS work with Hugo Boss and broader international appeal. His placement also shows that the biggest audience does not automatically produce the biggest creator business.
- TikTok handle: @khaby.lame
- Age: 26
- Followers: 162.3M (Jul 2026)
- Primary platform: TikTok silent comedy
- Signature brand deal: BOSS (Hugo Boss) global ambassador
- Salary source: Forbes
5. Mikayla Nogueira: USD$9 million
Mikayla Nogueira has built one of TikTok beauty’s strongest voices through direct, Boston-accented makeup reviews and a particular knack for drugstore product discovery. Her audience of about 17.4M followers gives beauty brands immediate visibility in a category where trust and conversion sit close together. The co-founder role at POV Beauty adds ownership upside beyond standard creator partnerships. At 28, she earns at this level because she sits at the intersection of influence, product education and purchase intent.
- TikTok handle: @mikaylanogueira
- Age: 28
- Followers: ~17.4M
- Primary platform: TikTok beauty and makeup
- Signature brand deal: Co-founder of POV Beauty
- Salary source: Forbes
6. Nara Smith: USD$7.5 million
Nara Smith has turned domestic ritual into highly polished TikTok programming, most notably through making everything from scratch cooking and lifestyle content. The model-turned-creator sits in a much-discussed tradwife-adjacent lane, which gives her both cultural attention and a distinctive visual identity for brands. Forbes lists 17.3M total cross-platform followers, while her TikTok audience is about 12.4M. Collaborations with Marc Jacobs point to why fashion and lifestyle marketers see value in her controlled, recognisable aesthetic.
- TikTok handle: @naraaziza
- Age: 24
- Followers: ~12.4M
- Primary platform: TikTok cooking and lifestyle
- Signature brand deal: Marc Jacobs collaborations
- Salary source: Forbes
7. Dixie D'Amelio: USD$7 million
Dixie D’Amelio rose alongside Charli, but her business has taken a slightly different shape across lifestyle, music and the family’s Hulu series. With 53.9M TikTok followers as of July 2026, she remains one of the platform’s larger native celebrities. D’Amelio Brands gives her a commercial base that extends beyond posting, while the family media ecosystem keeps her highly visible. Her earning power rests on recognisable name value, platform scale and a built-in connection to one of TikTok’s defining households.
- TikTok handle: @dixiedamelio
- Age: 24
- Followers: 53.9M (Jul 2026)
- Primary platform: TikTok lifestyle and music
- Signature brand deal: D'Amelio Brands (with sister Charli)
- Salary source: Forbes
8. Brooke Monk: USD$5.2 million
Brooke Monk’s appeal is grounded in relatable Gen Z comedy, lifestyle and dance content rather than a single celebrity lane. Her 47.6M TikTok followers as of July 2026 give her major reach with a young audience that advertisers struggle to access through traditional media. Doting Beauty, her lash brand, adds a direct commerce layer, while Adobe and K18 show the breadth of categories she can service. The result is a creator business built on consistency, youth-market fluency and clean brand fit.
- TikTok handle: @brookemonk_
- Age: 23
- Followers: 47.6M (Jul 2026)
- Primary platform: TikTok comedy and lifestyle
- Signature brand deal: Her own lash brand Doting Beauty, plus Adobe and K18
- Salary source: Forbes
9. Drew Afualo: USD$2.7 million
Drew Afualo brings a sharper edge to the list through comedy and feminist social commentary. She is best known for publicly dismantling misogynistic creators, a format that has made her voice distinct in a crowded commentary market. With about 8.2M followers, Spotify’s The Comment Section podcast and a NYT-bestselling book, her business is not dependent on scale alone. Her value comes from a clear point of view, loyal audience behaviour and the ability to move from TikTok into audio and publishing.
- TikTok handle: @drewafualo
- Age: 30
- Followers: ~8.2M
- Primary platform: TikTok comedy and commentary
- Signature brand deal: Spotify podcast 'The Comment Section' and a NYT-bestselling book
- Salary source: Forbes
Creator Earnings Compared
Estimated annual earnings for the biggest names on TikTok, side by side.
Highest-Paid TikTok Stars Compared
| Rank | Name | TikTok handle | Estimated earnings | Age |
| 1 | Charli D’Amelio | @charlidamelio | USD$18 million | 22 |
| 2 | Jordan Howlett | @jordan_the_stallion8 | USD$12.4 million | 29 |
| 3 | Alix Earle | @alixearle | USD$12 million | 25 |
| 4 | Khaby Lame | @khaby.lame | USD$9.9 million | 26 |
| 5 | Mikayla Nogueira | @mikaylanogueira | USD$9 million | 28 |
| 6 | Nara Smith | @naraaziza | USD$7.5 million | 24 |
| 7 | Dixie D’Amelio | @dixiedamelio | USD$7 million | 24 |
| 8 | Brooke Monk | @brookemonk_ | USD$5.2 million | 23 |
| 9 | Drew Afualo | @drewafualo | USD$2.7 million | 30 |
How This List Was Compiled
The earnings figures are drawn from Forbes Top Creators 2026, which measures creator income across platforms and businesses rather than TikTok revenue alone. We reframed that source around people who built their fame on TikTok, then added TikTok-specific follower counts from the most-followed TikTok accounts list where separately available. These are creator earnings estimates, not audited net worth figures, salaries or lifetime career totals.
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Highest-Paid TikTok Stars FAQs
Charli D'Amelio leads this TikTok-focused cut of Forbes Top Creators 2026 with USD$18 million. Her edge is not just follower count. She has converted early dance fame into D'Amelio Footwear, D'Amelio Brands, Hulu's The D'Amelio Show, Dunkin' work and wider beauty and fashion deals.
Kris Collins is not included in the supplied Forbes Top Creators 2026 subset used for this ranked article. The list focuses on TikTok-built creators present in the verified data, led by Charli D'Amelio and including Khaby Lame, Alix Earle, Jordan Howlett and others.
Khaby Lame has the largest TikTok audience in the data, with 162.3M followers as of July 2026. Earnings, however, are driven by brand mix, ownership, media deals and commercial conversion. Charli D'Amelio's footwear, family brands, Hulu profile and fashion partnerships give her a broader business base.
The figures come from Forbes Top Creators 2026 and reflect estimated creator earnings across platforms and related businesses. They should not be read as net worth, salary or TikTok ad income alone. The ranking is reframed here for creators whose public fame was built primarily through TikTok.
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