YouTube Engagement Rate Calculator

Enter subscribers and video engagement to see your ER against YouTube benchmarks.

Inputs
Engagement rate
1.85%
Below average for YouTube

Formula: (likes + comments + shares + saves) / followers × 100

YouTube benchmarks
Excellent10%
Good6%
Average3%
Below avg1%

YouTube ER is usually computed against view count, not subs. Use the per-post mode and pick "reach" if you have impressions.

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What counts as a good YouTube engagement rate?

YouTube engagement rate is usually calculated two ways: against subscribers (for channel comparisons) or against views (for judging individual videos). Views-based ER is the more meaningful number on YouTube because search and recommendations bring in so many non-subscribers.

A views-based ER of 3–6% (likes + comments per view) is solid for long-form; Shorts skew higher on likes but lower on comments.

Benchmarks used by this calculator: below 1% is poor, 16% is in the average band, 6%+ is good, and 10%+ is excellent. YouTube ER is usually computed against view count, not subs. Use the per-post mode and pick "reach" if you have impressions.

How to raise your YouTube engagement rate

Ask one specific question per video

Comment prompts work when they're concrete. One clear question in the video (not just the description) reliably outperforms 'let me know your thoughts.'

Pin a comment within the first hour

A pinned comment with a question or resource gives early viewers something to reply to and seeds the comment section.

Use Shorts to feed long-form

Shorts bring in new viewers cheaply; related-video links and end screens convert them into long-form watchers, where engagement compounds.

Watch retention before engagement

If average view duration is weak, engagement will be too — viewers who bail early never reach the like button. Fix retention first.

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Frequently asked questions