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The top female YouTubers in 2026 include Chloe Ting, Aphmau, Ms Rachel, NikkieTutorials, Rosanna Pansino and Lilly Singh, each with more than 14 million subscribers. Below are 29 women leading YouTube across beauty, lifestyle, gaming, education, comedy, fitness, cooking, tech, finance, true crime and travel, with current subscriber counts, typical views and how often they work with sponsors.
Some built their audiences over a decade of weekly uploads, others broke through in the last few years. Every creator here has posted in the last six months, so this is a list of channels that are active right now, not a hall of fame.
We used ThoughtLeaders channel and video data, as of October 2026. Each creator had to be a woman leading her own channel, have uploaded within the last six months, and stand out in her category on audience size or views. "Typical views" is the ThoughtLeaders projected views figure for a new long-form video; where a channel has no current projection we show median long-form views over the last 12 months, or projected Shorts views for channels that now post mostly Shorts. "Sponsorship track record" summarizes how often sponsored segments show up in recent uploads (Strong, Middle or Little), and sponsor names come from public sponsorship detections in those uploads.
Jenn started on YouTube in 2010 with the fashion channel ClothesEncounters and grew into one of the defining lifestyle creators of the platform. Today her videos mix fashion, home, Korean recipes and life as a mother, with the calm, warm style her audience has followed for years.
Safiya makes big, ambitious experiment videos (melting every lipstick together, testing strange fashion and beauty products) with husband Tyler Williams. She uploads less often than most creators here, but her long-form videos still regularly clear millions of views.
Nikkie de Jager went from fan of YouTube makeup tutorials to one of the most recognized makeup artists in the world, collaborating with stars from Lady Gaga to Adele and launching her own Nikkie Beauty line. Her channel has shifted toward Shorts, which still pull huge numbers.
Jackie built her audience on honest product reviews and a push for shade-inclusive makeup, and she founded the home fragrance brand FORVR Mood. Her channel now leans on frequent Shorts alongside occasional long-form videos.
Bailey combined makeup tutorials with true crime storytelling in her series Murder, Mystery and Makeup, which turned her into one of the most watched beauty creators on YouTube. She is also one of the most sponsored women on this list.
Chloe Ting became a household name with her free at-home workout challenges and is now the most subscribed creator on this list. Her follow-along programs remain a go-to for people training without a gym.
Adriene Mishler has taught yoga for free on YouTube for more than a decade, and her yearly 30-day January series is a ritual for millions of viewers. Her channel is famously low on outside sponsorships.
Maddie Lymburner (MadFit) posts short, no-equipment workouts and dance workouts that are easy to fit into a busy day. She uploads consistently and keeps outside sponsorships rare.
Cassey Ho started Blogilates in 2009 to share Pilates workouts with her students and built it into a fitness community and the activewear brand POPFLEX. Most of her recent uploads are Shorts.
Whitney Simmons pairs gym and strength training content with open talk about mental health, and her "it's a beautiful day to be alive" outlook has made her a favorite in fitness. Fitness and nutrition brands are regular partners.
Aphmau (Jessica) runs one of the biggest gaming channels on YouTube, built on Minecraft roleplay series with a loyal young audience. She uploads almost daily and her long-form videos regularly reach over a million views.
Funneh and her crew (the Krew) play Roblox and Minecraft in upbeat, family-friendly videos. With frequent uploads and about a million projected views per video, she is one of the most watched women in gaming.
Lizzie (LDShadowLady) is known for creative Minecraft builds and series like Empires SMP. She posts less often than Aphmau or Funneh, but each video pulls around a million views.
Imane "Pokimane" Anys is one of the best known streamers in the world and also runs a YouTube channel with highlights and vlogs. She has moved into business with her snack brand Myna, and outside sponsorships on her uploads are rare.
Cleo Abram makes optimistic, beautifully produced explainers about technology and science in her series Huge If True. Her long-form videos typically draw millions of views, among the highest on this list.
Theoretical physicist Sabine Hossenfelder posts several science news videos a week, cutting through hype on physics, space and technology. She has the strongest sponsorship track record of any creator here.
Led by Sabrina Cruz, Answer in Progress takes on oddly specific questions with research, data and a lot of humor. Uploads are occasional but each one is a big, well-viewed deep dive.
Rachel Griffin Accurso (Ms Rachel) makes learning videos for babies and toddlers that have become a staple for parents. Her videos reach tens of millions of views, though as kids content the channel carries little sponsorship.
Justine Ezarik has been reviewing gadgets on YouTube since its early years and is still one of the go-to creators for Apple and consumer tech unboxings. Tech brands sponsor her regularly.
Simone Giertz first went viral for her joke robots and now builds clever, real inventions and products in her workshop. Her builds draw hundreds of thousands of views and a steady mix of sponsors.
Nischa Shah, a former investment banker, explains saving, investing and money habits in a calm, practical way. Her channel has grown quickly over the last two years, and fintech brands sponsor her often.
Rosanna Pansino built one of the largest baking channels on YouTube with Nerdy Nummies, themed desserts inspired by games and pop culture. She still posts long-form baking videos alongside a heavy Shorts schedule.
Pastry chef and cookbook author Claire Saffitz teaches baking on Dessert Person with patience and a good sense of humor. Kitchen and food brands are frequent sponsors.
Laura Vitale has posted Italian-American home cooking on YouTube since 2010 and still uploads several videos a week. It is one of the longest-running cooking channels on the platform.
Lilly Singh rose to fame with sketch comedy, hosted her own NBC late-night show, and keeps posting comedy and personal videos to her channel.
Brittany Broski went from viral reaction moment to full-time comedian and host. She posts less often, but her long-form episodes typically pass a million views.
Kendall Rae covers true crime and unsolved cases with a focus on the victims, and she uploads multiple times a week. She is one of the most consistently sponsored women on YouTube.
Eva zu Beck documents adventurous solo travel and overland trips to places most tourists skip, from Pakistan to remote corners of the world. She is one of the most watched women in adventure travel.
Moriah Elizabeth makes cheerful art videos, from fixing squishies to painting and drawing challenges, and her videos regularly pass a million views. Outside sponsorships on her channel are rare.
Rates for creators this size vary widely by views, category and audience. Before you reach out, it helps to know what a fair price looks like. Read how much a YouTube sponsorship costs in 2026, and how to check a YouTube sponsorship quote with AI to see whether an offer you have is in range. If you want help finding, vetting and booking creators, talk to the ThoughtLeaders team.
Chloe Ting, with 26.1M subscribers as of October 2026, followed closely by Aphmau (25.3M) and Ms Rachel (21.6M).
Aphmau, ItsFunneh, LDShadowLady and Pokimane. Aphmau, ItsFunneh and LDShadowLady each get around a million views or more on a typical long-form video.
In our data, Sabine Hossenfelder, Bailey Sarian, Kendall Rae, Nischa and iJustine have the strongest sponsorship track records on this list, with sponsored segments showing up in a large share of their recent uploads.
