Marques Brownlee Net Worth: Growing MKBHD’s Tech Review Empire to $40 Million

Marques Brownlee, famously known as MKBHD, is a world-famous digital creator and a professional ultimate frisbee player. He earned fame on YouTube by consistently making authentic high production value tech reviews of all kinds. As of 2024, Marques Brownlee’s net worth is estimated at $40 million.

In 2013, Vic Gundotra, a former senior vice president of Google dubbed Brownlee “the best technology reviewer on the planet”. Fast forward to today, and Marques Keith Brownlee has over 22 million subscribers across different channels and a combined 4.7 billion views.

Marques Brownlee’s primary source of income is his YouTube channel, but he’s developed other sources of income, too. In this article, we’ll explore his story, success, investments, and assets to get a better picture of what he’s worth.

Marques Brownlee’s Net Worth Breakdown:

Determining Brownlee’s net worth is challenging since there are numerous sources listing different figures for his earnings. However, after thorough research, we’ve managed to uncover enough data to show us what contributes to his net worth, as well as how much he earns on average. Below you’ll find a detailed breakdown of Brownlee’s $40 million net worth.

Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) Net Worth: Early Life and Education

Marques Keith Brownlee was born in Maplewood, New Jersey, on December 3, 1993. Brownlee doesn’t discuss much of his personal life or childhood in his videos so details on those fronts are scarce.

What we do know is that in 2011 Brownlee graduated from Columbia High School. Four years later, he graduated from the Howe School at the Stevens Institute of Technology, majoring in business and information technology.

Brownlee showed interest in technology from a young age. He joined YouTube while he was still in high school, in 2008. After he graduated from the Stevens Institute of Technology, he became a full-time YouTuber, posting videos about new tech products.

In the beginning, he was producing his YouTube videos at his apartment. In 2016, he moved out and today, he works out of a studio in Kearny, New Jersey.

As for his personal life, Brownlee has been dating Nikki Hair, a professional frisbee player like himself, since 2016.

Marques Brownlee Net Worth: How He Worked His Way to YouTube Stardom

Marques Keith Brownlee’s YouTube journey began in 2008, while he was about 15 years old. This is when he officially joined YouTube and created his channel. However, he didn’t start posting on his YouTube channel until January 2009 (while still in high school).

YouTube Career Beginnings

In January 2009, Marques Brownlee posted his first video on YouTube. Soon enough, he started frequently posting technology videos, making reviews of products he owned or products that had just appeared on the market. He used screencasting to produce his early videos on the platform.

Soon enough, the tech community noticed Brownlee, and his reviews became promoted by a variety of review sites. By January 2012, Engadget featured Brownlee’s tour of the cloud storage service Insync.

The YouTuber’s breakthrough video was his review of the LG G Flex, where he performed scratch tests to check the self-healing ability of the device. He posted this video in November 2013 and it was his first and one of his most viral videos to date.

Growing Success with Tech Reviews

By the end of that year, Marques Brownlee was already very popular in the tech community, with many people following him for advice.

2014 was even more profitable and successful for the young YouTuber. Brownlee’s video review on the iPhone 6, uploaded in July, gained almost instant popularity. His scratch test and detailed review was featured on prominent sites such as Forbes, HuffPost, The Verge, Time Magazine, and more – and even appeared on NBC News and in newspapers worldwide. As of October 2024, this video has over 9.2 million views.

That same year, Marques Brownlee started a Smartphone Award Series that he has continued to produce every year since.

Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast and Interviews

In addition to posting technology reviews, Brownlee has interviewed some major names over the years. He initially did this on his YouTube channel.

Later on, he did product reviews and interviewed figures from major tech companies on his technology podcast titled Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast. Also known as WVFRM or simply Waveform, he started co-hosting the podcast in August 2019.

In December 2019, Vox Media Studios started producing a YouTube Original series called Retro Tech starring Brownlee. In the series, he interviewed fellow YouTube creators and other celebrity guests, discussing technology and its impact on modern life. It was an interesting mix-up of the casual YouTube style along with the production value of a high budget show.

In December 2013, he interviewed Dennis Woodside, Motorola’s CEO at the time, talking about wearable devices, Moto X, among other technologies.

In December 2015, Marques Brownlee got the chance to interview late NBA basketball player Kobe Bryant in a video posted on his YouTube channel, discussing how the tech industry has changed over his two decades in the NBA.

In March 2018, he interviewed celebrity physicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, followed by his guest appearance on Hot Ones, an internet interview show. In August of the same year, he interviewed Tesla CEO Elon Musk, subsequently creating the video titled Tesla Factory Tour with Elon Musk.

In 2019, Marques Brownlee interviewed Bill Gates and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, right before the announcement of Microsoft Surface. He also interviewed celebrities such as actor Will Smith, and by the end of 2019, he reached 10 million subscribers on YouTube.

This number made MKBHD one of the most-subscribed YouTube channels focused on technology in 2019.

Fast forward to today and Brownlee’s channel on YouTube has over 19.5 million subscribers, with his secondary channel counting 2.95 million.

Here is a full list of his YouTube channels as of 2024:

• Main channel on YouTube – Marques Brownlee
• Secondary channel (behind-the-scenes) – The Studio
• Technology podcast WVFRM Podcast
• Channel about cars – Auto Focus
• MKBHD Shorts channel

Awards and Accolades

Marques Brownlee is a major influencer in the tech industry and as such, he has won many awards over the years. Here are some of the biggest awards and accolades Brownlee has won to date:

• Featured in YouTube Rewind, a YouTube annual video discussing the most popular, viral content of the year (2018)
• Named Shorty Awards Creator of the Decade (2019)
• Honored in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in its social media category (2020)

Most recently, in May 2024, Marques Brownlee gave the commencement speech at Stevens Institute of Technology, his alma mater. The school awarded him an honorary doctorate in business administration.

Brownlee’s YouTube Earnings and Other Social Media Platform Income

Brownlee reportedly earns $700,000 on average per month through his videos on YouTube. In 2018, he accidentally revealed his ad revenue in one of his videos, sharing that he is making around $1.86 per 1,000 views on the platform.

Seeing how he has a combined 4.49 billion views on his main and secondary channels to date, this would equal $8.35 million in YouTube earnings. Of course, we have to consider that he hasn’t been earning the same throughout his entire career, and this number is pre-taxation.

That’s not the only estimate we found about his earnings on the platform, though. According to Social Blade, his main channel generates between $172,000 and $2.8 million per year. His secondary channel generates up to $132,000 annually.

Brownlee’s social media influence extends beyond YouTube. His Instagram account @mkbhd, for instance, earns him around $3,700 to $5,100 a month. His same-named TikTok account, which counts over 2 million followers, earns around $2,700 to $4,200 a month.

Furthermore, Brownlee’s podcast Waveform: The MKBHD’s Podcast, has earned him between $2.9 and $3.4 million.

When asked about his earnings, Brownlee shared that he has three different ways to make money on YouTube. The bulk of his income comes from ads that run on his videos, and 10% comes from YouTube Premium subscriptions, he shared. His most lucrative earnings, though, are deals he negotiates with brands. However, Brownlee has shared that brand partnerships “also take the most work”.

Marques Brownlee is estimated to earn between $2.06 and $2.58 million a year from his online activity, which includes his earnings from social media platforms and YouTube. In all, we estimate that he earns $8.5 million annually, which includes brand partnerships, merchandise sales, and YouTube revenue.

Other Investments, Assets, and Activities of Marques Brownlee

Marques Brownlee is a major name in the digital landscape. Millions of his net worth have come from YouTube and other social media platforms, but that’s not all that’s contributed to his net worth.

As we noted, the famous tech review expert is earning millions from merchandise sales, partnerships with brands, and more. He’s also a professional ultimate frisbee player for different leagues and has a lot invested in real estate and cars.

American Ultimate Disc League

Marques Brownlee is a professional player for the New York Empire of the American Ultimate Disc League. Before this, he played for the:

• New Jersey Hammerheads (now defunct)
• New York Rumble (previously in the Major League Ultimate League)
• Garden State Ultimate between 2015 and 2017
• Philadelphia Phoenix in 2017

He started playing on the field in Ultimate for Columbia High School. After winning four straight state titles, Brownlee continued to play at Stevens Institute of Technology and embarked on his professional career in 2013 with the Hammerheads.

In July 2022, New York PoNY and Brownlee won the WFDF World Ultimate Club Championship.

 

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A post shared by Marques Brownlee (@mkbhd)

Merchandise

Marques Brownlee has a clothing line that was launched back in 2018. The collection is sold through MKBHD Merch and is available via the Cotton Bureau shop. It includes sweatshirts, t-shirts, enamel pens, notebooks, and stickers, among other products.

Endorsement Deals and Board Memberships

Brownlee has been earning millions from sponsorships and endorsement deals. While the details of each haven’t been disclosed, the famous YouTuber has collaborated with Google, Tesla, D Brand, Nike, Apple, and Atoms, among other companies.

In 2024, Brownlee joined the everyday accessories brand Ridge as their chief creative partner and board member. As part of the deal, he gets an undisclosed stake in the business, and it’s unclear if he made an actual investment or if this stake was given to him.

MKBHD’s “Panels” Mobile App Controversy and Backlash

MKBHD recently launched a wallpaper app called Panels, which offers full-resolution, high-quality art pieces for smartphones. However, his app resulted in a backlash and it hasn’t been a major success. Complaints mostly focus on the price of the app, the relatively small selection of wallpapers, and a general sense of a disappointment about the highly anticipated project.

Before long, Brownlee released an apology and explanation video about the app if you are interested in learning more about the controversy.

Real Estate Investments

Apart from his earnings from YouTube and merch, MKBHD has invested substantially in real estate properties. He owns at least one commercial office building in New Jersey worth $700,000, and a 4,000 square feet apartment in the city valued at $2 million. On top of this, he owns a luxurious villa in Austin, Texas, worth $1.5 million.

Car Collection

Brownlee has a taste for luxury. His garage boasts at least five high-end vehicles, including:

• Tesla Model S P1000D worth around $130,000
• Tesla Roadster worth around $450,000
• Range Rover Evoque worth around $90,000
• McLaren 720s worth $336,000
• Rivian R1T worth $70,000+

He’s also been reviewing BMW cars, so he probably has a car by this manufacturer in his garage, as well.

The most tech I’ve ever seen in a car: BMW i7 pic.twitter.com/kgRjMnROl1

— Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) May 19, 2023

Watches

In addition to cars, Brownlee has a penchant for exquisite timepieces. In his watch collection, you’ll find brands like Longines (valued at $6,000) and Tissot (valued at $2,000), an Apple Smartwatch, and a Tag Heuer (worth $13,000).

What Can We Learn from Marques Brownlee’s Story?

Brownlee’s YouTube journey is nothing short of astounding. He started his YouTube channel while still in high school, not knowing that it would one day become an incredibly lucrative career. Despite the slow growth and lack of experience, he was consistent about posting videos and gradually improved his content quality. This kind of long-term commitment shows the power of persistence in achieving success over time.

In addition, his love for technology is clearly evident in his content. Marques has focused on his passion for years, which is what makes his videos so engaging and authentic. This goes to show that when you align your career with what you love, the work will become more sustainable and meaningful.

From early webcam recordings at his apartment to shooting with high-end RED cameras, Marques has consistently invested in the quality of his content. His emphasis on sound, visuals, and editing teaches us the power of innovation and adaptation, both of which are vital if you want to stay relevant in a competitive industry.

Finally, Marques is widely respected for his deep technical knowledge. His attention to detail, combined with thorough research, has positioned him as an authority in the tech reviews space. This highlights how expertise, built through research and practice, can set someone apart.