Bilibili Just Started Courting YouTubers Directly — So I Compared What Each Platform Actually Pays
China's Bilibili relaunched its international app this month and is reportedly reaching out to creators, MrBeast included, with a new global monetization program. Before anyone switches platforms or splits their upload schedule, here's an honest, numbers-first comparison of what each one actually offers a creator in 2026.
The trigger for this comparison is recent, not theoretical. Bilibili relaunched its international app in August 2026 with a notable change: it removed the passport/ID verification requirement that used to gate overseas creators out, and it's reportedly courting Western YouTubers to publish on the platform directly. That's a meaningfully different pitch than "China has a YouTube clone" — it's a direct, active attempt to pull creators and their audiences away from YouTube specifically.
Head-to-head: what the numbers actually say
| Metric | YouTube | Bilibili |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly active users | ~2.5 billion | 376 million |
| Daily active users | Not disclosed publicly | 115.2 million |
| Avg. daily time spent | ~30–40 min (est.) | ~97–119 min |
| Annual creator payouts | $30B+ (Partner Program) | $1.1B (2025, all streams) |
| New international CPM (reported) | Varies by niche/region | ~$0.70 per 1,000 views |
| Minimum to monetize | 500 subs + 3,000 watch hrs (or Shorts equivalent) | 1,000 followers + 100,000 views |
| Signature engagement feature | Comments, Community tab | Danmaku (real-time bullet comments) |
Bilibili isn't trying to out-scale YouTube. It's trying to out-engage it — offering a smaller, younger, far more time-invested audience in exchange for less competition per creator.
Where each platform actually wins
Should you actually cross-post?
For most creators outside of China-specific niches, the realistic move isn't choosing one platform over the other — it's treating Bilibili as a genuine second distribution channel rather than a replacement. YouTube remains the platform with proven infrastructure and the larger addressable audience; Bilibili currently offers something YouTube can't right now, which is a fast-growing, actively recruiting platform with meaningfully less competition per creator. The catch is real: content, titles, and tags generally need at least light localization to perform well on Bilibili, and its uncapped income streams (fan charging, live gifts, brand deals) take time to build regardless of platform, the same way they would on YouTube.
Related on EarnGuide
If Bilibili specifically is new territory for you, our full breakdown of how creators actually earn on Bilibili covers the five real income streams and what's required to unlock each one.
References used in this guide
- ProPakistani — Bilibili's international expansion and reported $0.70/1,000 views program, August 2026: propakistani.pk
- Engadget — Bilibili's international app relaunch and ID verification removal, August 2026: engadget.com
- 7zi — 2025/2026 side-by-side comparison of YouTube and Bilibili revenue and engagement figures: 7zi.com
- Sekkei Digital Group — Bilibili vs YouTube audience and monetization comparison, 2026: sekkeidigitalgroup.com
FAQ
Final thoughts
This isn't really a "which platform wins" question — it's a distribution question. YouTube is the safer, larger, better-understood bet. Bilibili is the higher-engagement, lower-competition opportunity that's actively trying to make itself easier to enter right now. The creators who benefit most from this moment won't be the ones picking a side — they'll be the ones treating Bilibili as free upside on content they're already making.
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