What does an integration cost at each channel size?
These are third-party inputs combined by us: SponsorRadar's median views of sponsored long-form videos per subscriber tier, multiplied by published CPM ranges. They are not Kiko deal data.
| Channel size (subscribers) | Median views per sponsored video (SponsorRadar) | At technology CPM $30–$60 (SponsorRadar) | At B2B, SaaS and tech CPM $30–$50 (1of10) | At AI-channel CPM $15–$30 (SponsorRadar) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10K–50K | 5,128 | $154–$308 | $154–$256 | $77–$154 |
| 50K–250K | 9,322 | $280–$559 | $280–$466 | $140–$280 |
| 250K–1M | 28,527 | $856–$1,712 | $856–$1,426 | $428–$856 |
| Over 1M | 97,490 | $2,925–$5,849 | $2,925–$4,874 | $1,462–$2,925 |
| Any size, averaging 100,000 views | 100,000 | $3,000–$6,000 | $3,000–$5,000 | $1,500–$3,000 |
| Any size, averaging 300,000 views | 300,000 | $9,000–$18,000 | $9,000–$15,000 | $4,500–$9,000 |
Read it by views, not subscribers. Developer channels often get more views per video than the tier median, so the last two rows are the better guide once you know a creator's recent median. One rate guide gives a worked tech example: a 150K-subscriber channel with a 25,000-view integration at about $1,050, range $750–$1,500 (Creator Comps). The same guide's agreed-fee data (Kolect, mostly consumer and lifestyle brands) has a median of $800 for 100K–500K subscribers and $1,800 for 1M+.
Which column to use: "Technology" is the closer match for developer and AI-coding audiences. SponsorRadar's lower "AI" row covers AI-news and AI-tools channels in general.
Format multipliers (third-party): dedicated video 2–4× an integration (1of10; Creators Agency); 2–3× in Creator Comps' summary; a sponsored Short 0.25–0.5× a long-form integration (1of10).
How do you check whether a creator quote is fair?
Turn the quote into an implied CPM, then compare it with a range. The arithmetic is the same for any format.
Implied CPM = fee ÷ expected views × 1,000
Expected views = median views of the creator's last 10 long-form videos, 30 days after publishingWorked example: a developer YouTuber quotes $15,000 for a 60–90 second integration.
| If expected views are | Implied CPM | Against the 1of10 B2B, SaaS and tech range ($30–$50) |
|---|---|---|
| 150,000 | $100 | Well above the range: ask what justifies it (launch timing, usage rights, exclusivity) |
| 300,000 | $50 | At the top of the range |
| 500,000 | $30 | At the bottom of the range |
The views figures in this table are inputs chosen to show the arithmetic. They are not benchmarks. The CPM range is third-party (1of10) and is not specific to AI or developer creators.
Before comparing, check what the quote includes. A quote that bundles usage rights, exclusivity or a second deliverable isn't comparable to a bare integration. The uplift table below is designed to separate those.
What do Kiko's own deals show?
These are pooled, anonymized fees from 257 deals Kiko negotiated or reviewed between November 2025 and October 2026. A cell is published only with at least 10 deals from at least 5 creators and 3 brands; cells below that say "insufficient data". Creator-level and brand-level rates are never published.
Fee by format and creator size band
Fees are cash fees in USD for one deliverable. They exclude product credits, ad spend and agency fees.
| Format | Size band | Median fee | p25–p75 | Implied CPM (median) | Deals / creators / brands |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube integration (60–90 s) | A (under 25K views) | $1,200 | $800–$1,800 | $75 | 24 / 14 / 8 |
| YouTube integration (60–90 s) | B (25K–100K) | $3,500 | $2,500–$5,000 | $64 | 31 / 17 / 9 |
| YouTube integration (60–90 s) | C (100K–300K) | $9,000 | $6,500–$12,000 | $53 | 19 / 9 / 7 |
| YouTube integration (60–90 s) | D (over 300K) | $22,000 | $16,000–$30,000 | $46 | 11 / 5 / 5 |
| YouTube dedicated video | A | $2,800 | $2,000–$4,000 | $175 | 12 / 7 / 5 |
| YouTube dedicated video | B | $8,000 | $6,000–$11,000 | $145 | 14 / 8 / 6 |
| YouTube dedicated video | C | $20,000 | $15,000–$28,000 | $118 | 10 / 5 / 4 |
| YouTube dedicated video | D | Insufficient data (6 deals) | : | : | 6 / 4 / 4 |
| YouTube Shorts or TikTok | A (under 50K views) | $400 | $250–$600 | $13 | 18 / 12 / 6 |
| YouTube Shorts or TikTok | B (50K–250K) | $1,100 | $750–$1,600 | $9 | 15 / 9 / 6 |
| YouTube Shorts or TikTok | C (250K–1M) | $3,000 | $2,000–$4,500 | $7 | 10 / 6 / 4 |
| YouTube Shorts or TikTok | D (over 1M) | Insufficient data (4 deals) | : | : | 4 / 3 / 3 |
| Newsletter primary placement | A (under 25K subscribers) | $400 | $250–$650 | $33 per 1,000 subscribers | 11 / 6 / 5 |
| Newsletter primary placement | B (25K–100K) | $1,500 | $1,000–$2,200 | $27 per 1,000 subscribers | 16 / 8 / 7 |
| Newsletter primary placement | C (100K–250K) | $3,800 | $2,800–$5,000 | $22 per 1,000 subscribers | 12 / 5 / 6 |
| Newsletter primary placement | D (over 250K) | $9,000 | $7,000–$12,000 | $15 per 1,000 subscribers | 10 / 5 / 5 |
| Podcast host-read (mid-roll) | A (under 5K downloads) | Insufficient data (7 deals) | : | : | 7 / 4 / 4 |
| Podcast host-read (mid-roll) | B (5K–25K) | $600 | $400–$900 | $50 | 12 / 6 / 5 |
| Podcast host-read (mid-roll) | C (25K–75K) | $2,000 | $1,400–$2,800 | $44 | 10 / 5 / 4 |
| Podcast host-read (mid-roll) | D (over 75K) | Insufficient data (5 deals) | : | : | 5 / 3 / 3 |
Implied CPM uses each band's median views (YouTube: A 16K, B 55K, C 170K, D 480K; Shorts and TikTok: A 30K, B 120K, C 450K) or downloads (podcast: B 12K, C 45K). Kiko's developer-audience medians sit above the public technology range ($30–$60) at the small end and inside it at the large end.
Size bands
Bands are set on what a buyer can check, not on follower counts.
| Format | Measured as | Band A | Band B | Band C | Band D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube long-form | Median views of last 10 long-form videos, at 30 days | Under 25,000 | 25,000–100,000 | 100,000–300,000 | Over 300,000 |
| YouTube Shorts or TikTok | Median views of last 20 short videos | Under 50,000 | 50,000–250,000 | 250,000–1M | Over 1M |
| Newsletter | Subscribers stated by the publisher | Under 25,000 | 25,000–100,000 | 100,000–250,000 | Over 250,000 |
| Podcast | Downloads per episode at 30 days, as stated by the host | Under 5,000 | 5,000–25,000 | 25,000–75,000 | Over 75,000 |
Uplift for usage rights and exclusivity
Shown as a percentage added to the base fee for the same deliverable.
| Add-on | Median uplift | p25–p75 | Deals / creators / brands |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paid usage on the brand's handle, 30 days | 0% | 0–10% | 38 / 19 / 9 |
| Paid usage on the brand's handle, 90 days | 0% | 0–15% | 33 / 17 / 9 |
| Paid usage beyond 90 days (whitelisting) | 25% | 20–30% | 14 / 8 / 6 |
| Paid usage, 12 months | 40% | 30–55% | 11 / 6 / 5 |
| Ads from the creator's handle (Spark Ads or Partnership Ads), 30 days | 0% | 0–10% | 27 / 15 / 8 |
| Category exclusivity, 30 days | 15% | 10–25% | 22 / 13 / 8 |
| Category exclusivity, 90 days | 35% | 25–50% | 12 / 7 / 6 |
Kiko negotiates 90 days of paid usage into the base creator fee where possible, which is why the 30- and 90-day medians are 0%. Whitelisting beyond that is priced separately, typically 20–30% of the creator fee.
For the contract side of these add-ons, see the usage rights and whitelisting template.
What do third-party rate reports say?
These figures are third-party, not Kiko data. None of the reports has an AI-specific or developer-specific row, so the closest category is shown.
| Report (publisher, date) | Data basis, as the report describes it | Closest figure for AI and developer tools | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube Sponsorship Rates (1of10, published 2026-08-24, modified 2026-10-06) | Public creator-reported rates and marketplace listings; no sample size | B2B, SaaS and tech CPM $30–$50 per 1,000 views. Dedicated video 2–4× a 60–90 s integration; a sponsored Short 0.25–0.5× | Tech is pooled with B2B and SaaS |
| YouTube Sponsorship Rates for Brands in 2026 (Creators Agency, 2026-05-16) | Cites an index of 200,000+ videos with brand-deal signals from 12,000+ channels; does not say how the CPM ranges were derived | Tech and software mid-roll CPM $20–$60. Dedicated video 2–4× an integration | No per-niche sample size |
| YouTube Sponsorship Rates (SponsorRadar, updated November 2026; CPMs reviewed July 2026) | Median views from 1.7M detected sponsorships; CPM ranges from published deals and agency rate cards, described as benchmarks | Technology CPM $30–$60; AI CPM $15–$30. Median views per sponsored long-form video: 9,322 (50K–250K subscribers), 28,527 (250K–1M), 97,490 (over 1M) | Fees are benchmarks, not measured payments |
| YouTube sponsorship rates by channel size (Creator Comps, 2026-10-20) | ThoughtLeaders CPMs on 9,002 integrations (Aug 2024–Aug 2026); Kolect agreed fees (Aug 2025–Oct 2026) | Median integration fee $800 (100K–500K subscribers) and $1,800 (1M+), skewed to consumer brands; tech example of about $1,050 for a 25,000-view integration | No developer split; notes YouTube changed view counting on 2026-08-24 |
| Creator Rate Report 2026 (Elev8or, June 2026) | Modeled: baseline bands × niche demand index × platform index; described by the publisher as directional planning ranges | Tech and SaaS demand index 2.5×; per-post planning range for 100K–500K followers $3,750–$12,500 (Instagram-equivalent); YouTube platform index 1.7× | Not deal data; no AI or developer niche |
| Newsletter sponsorship benchmarks, Q3 2026 (Paved data, reported by PPC Land, 2026-08-30) | Paved marketplace campaigns, past 12 months; categories with 20+ campaigns | Tech newsletters $4.76 per 1,000 subscribers (flat fee, not CPM); Startups $13.28 | Read via PPC Land's report, not Paved's own document |
| How much does podcast advertising cost? (Acast, page dated 2023-11-20 but cites 2026 benchmarks) | Acast's published planning ranges | Host-read sponsorship $25–$40 CPM; business, finance and B2B shows "$40+" | Tech not broken out; page date and content don't match |
| Podcast Advertising Rates in 2026 (Castos, 2026-09-09) | Compiles Acast floors and Libsyn's last measured averages | Technology podcasts $29 CPM (Libsyn, September 2024) | The tech figure is two years old |
What the reports agree on: the ranges overlap at roughly $30–$50 CPM for tech-adjacent YouTube sponsorships (SponsorRadar's $30–$60 technology range included), and a dedicated video costs a multiple of an integration. Where they differ: the spread inside "tech" is wide ($20–$60 in one report), and no report separates developer audiences from general tech viewers. Kiko's tables do: developer channels price at $46–$75 CPM on integrations.
What moves the price for AI and developer creators?
Each of these pushes the price in the direction below, in Kiko's deals.
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Recent average views | The number most quotes are priced on; more views lower the CPM but raise the fee |
| Format | Dedicated videos take more of the creator's time and audience attention |
| Launch timing | Launch-week slots are scarce when many tools ship in the same weeks, so they cost more (see the launch playbook) |
| Usage rights | Running the video as an ad extends its value to the brand |
| Exclusivity | Blocks the creator from competing sponsors for a period |
| Deliverable bundle | Multi-video deals are priced below the sum of single reads |
Product credits matter too. AI coding demos burn inference, and creators need enough credits to build something real on camera. Credits are excluded from the fee figures above but should be budgeted. The launch brief template has a line for them.
Which AI and developer creators should you price first?
Start with these five. The tier range applies SponsorRadar's median views for the channel's subscriber tier to the $30–$60 technology CPM; price the real quote on each creator's own recent views. These are tier benchmarks, not any creator's rate.
| Creator | Platform | Audience | Public benchmark for that subscriber tier | Why they fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Theo – t3.gg (@t3dotgg) | YouTube | 577K subscribers (SponsorRadar) | $856–$1,712 (250K–1M tier) | Professional web developers; reads named sponsors for developer infrastructure almost every week. Check his recent median views before you compare a quote with the tier range. |
| Fireship (@Fireship) | YouTube | 4.32M subscribers (SponsorRadar) | $2,925–$5,849 (over 1M tier) | The widest developer reach, in short news explainers. Fits launch-week awareness; require on-screen sponsor wording. |
| Matt Pocock (@mattpocockuk) | YouTube | 431K subscribers (SponsorRadar) | $856–$1,712 (250K–1M tier) | TypeScript engineers follow his AI coding workflows. No third-party sponsors detected recently, so treat him as a deep-integration or partnership pitch, not a standard read. |
| Cole Medin (@ColeMedin) | YouTube | 231K subscribers (SponsorRadar) | $280–$559 (50K–250K tier) | Developers building with coding agents; sponsor chapters on most October videos. Fits agent tooling that needs a full build on screen. |
| Dreams of Code (@dreamsofcode) | YouTube | 211K subscribers (SponsorRadar) | $280–$559 (50K–250K tier) | Working backend developers; integrates databases and platforms into real builds (Neon, CodeRabbit). Fits infrastructure products. |
Full lists: AI coding tool creators, developer tool creators and AI agent creators.
Plan your campaign with Kiko
Kiko sources, prices and runs creator programs for AI and developer tool startups through creator sourcing, and runs the paid follow-on through paid amplification. Creator fees and ad spend pass through at cost, with no markup. A first program books 8–12 creators in the first 30 days, then scales the ones that convert.
You don't need us if:
- You're buying one or two reads from creators you already know.
- The creator publishes a rate card and you only need to check the implied CPM.
- You have someone in-house who can negotiate usage rights and exclusivity.
To see whether a fee pays back, run it through the creator CAC and payback calculator. For who sponsors whom, see the AI and developer creator sponsorship tracker. For channel choice in B2B tools, see the GTM tools sponsorship pilot.
Frequently asked questions
Is a dedicated video or an integrated mention better value for an AI or developer tool?
Buy a dedicated video for a launch or a complex tool, and integrations for reach. Two third-party reports put a dedicated video at 2–4 times the price of a 60–90 second integration. A dedicated video shows the product doing a full task, which suits a launch or a complex tool, while an integration buys reach at a lower implied CPM. Compare both on cost per activated user, not on views.
How much does a sponsored YouTube integration with a developer or AI creator cost in 2026?
As of November 2026, about $850–$1,700 on a 250K–1M-subscriber channel and $2,900–$5,900 on a 1M+ channel, using public technology CPMs of $30–$60 applied to median views per tier. A channel averaging 300,000 views prices at $9,000–$18,000. Kiko's own medians run $3,500 at 25K–100K views and $9,000 at 100K–300K views.
What are typical creator rates for AI tool sponsorships on YouTube Shorts and TikTok?
One third-party report prices a sponsored Short at 0.25–0.5 times a long-form integration. In Kiko's deals, a Short or TikTok costs a median of $400 under 50K views, $1,100 at 50K–250K and $3,000 at 250K–1M.
A developer YouTuber quoted us $15,000 for an integration. Is that fair?
Divide the fee by the creator's median 30-day views and multiply by 1,000. At 300,000 expected views, $15,000 is a $50 CPM, the top of one third-party range for B2B, SaaS and tech. At 150,000 views it is $100, so ask what the quote includes, such as usage rights, exclusivity or launch-week timing.
Why doesn't Kiko publish rates for individual creators?
Individual rates are private terms between a creator and a brand, and publishing them could identify Kiko's clients. Kiko publishes only pooled cells that meet its thresholds: at least 10 deals, 5 creators and 3 brands, with no brand above 40% of a cell.
How often are these benchmarks updated?
Twice a year. This release covers November 2025 to October 2026; the next lands in May 2027. Each update states its window and sample size, and third-party figures are refreshed at the same time.
Sources
- 1of10, YouTube Sponsorship Rates.
- Creators Agency, YouTube Sponsorship Rates for Brands in 2026.
- SponsorRadar, YouTube Sponsorship Rates.
- Creator Comps, YouTube sponsorship rates by channel size.
- Elev8or, Creator Rate Report 2026.
- PPC Land, Paved finds HR newsletter ad rates run 15 times higher than lifestyle lists.
- Acast, How much does podcast advertising cost?.
- Castos, Podcast Advertising Rates in 2026.