YouTube is currently the most popular video sharing website on the World Wide Web. Billions of people use this platform to look for how-to videos, music videos, gaming videos or anything else that they are interested in. There are many well-known YouTubers who have millions of loyal followers that are interested in their content.
Today, we are looking at the best YouTubers of 2017. We will be sorting these content creators according to the number of subscribers they have. We are excluding the official YouTube channels and music channels (VEVO), so only original content creators will be featured. We will talk about the brief biography of the people behind the channels and we will showcase their most viewed video too. We will end this toplist by giving kudos to a few additional YouTube channels that are worth mentioning.
So, without wasting any more time, let’s look at the most subscribed and best YouTubers of 2017, shall we?
6 – Smosh
- Official YouTube channel
- Number of subscribers: Over 22 million
- Total views: Over 6 billion
- Network: Defy Media
The brief history of Smosh
Smosh is an American sketch comedy channel created in 2005 by Anthony Padilla and Ian Andrew Hecox. Smosh’s repertoire of videos consist of short comedy skits, music videos and other funny content. Their first few videos had the two guys lip-syncing to famous songs. In one of their earliest videos, Anthony and Ian lip-synced to the Pokémon theme song. This was the most viewed video on YouTube for a while, but it has been removed due to copyright reasons since then.
Currently, Smosh has over 10 sub-channels that they upload videos to on a regular basis. The Smosh team has expanded to include many people who work on all types of content uploaded by this channel. Some of the most popular series on the Smosh channel are: Every Ever, If Were Real, Food Battle, Part Timers and Smosh Animated.
In 2017, June Anthony Padilla announced that he is leaving Smosh to work on his own projects. He stated that he is leaving because of lack in creative freedom. Since then, he has uploaded a few videos to his personal channel. Ian Hecox and the Smosh team continued working on the main channel and they are still uploading content on a regular basis.
Smosh’s most viewed video
As of November, 2017 the most viewed Smosh video is “Beef ‘n Go”. This skit was uploaded on May 3, 2008 and it currently has a little over 100 million views. The video is an advertisement for a fake product called Beef ‘n Go. Beef ‘n Go is a “mostly-natural 100% ground-beef meal” for people who want to eat steak on the go. You can even see Barack Obama enjoying his Beef ‘n Go, while Hillary Clinton watches jealously in the background.
5 – Dude Perfect
- Official YouTube channel
- Number of subscribers: Over 23 million
- Total views: Over 4 billion
- Network: Not part of a network
The brief history of Dude Perfect
Dude Perfect is an American YouTube channel that features a group of guys doing trick shots in various sports. The channel was created in 2009 by Cory and Coby Cotton, Garrett Hilbert, Tyler Toney and Cody Jones. The guys who are doing the trick shots in the videos are all former high school basketball players and college roommates. Since then, another member joined the team; an anonymous guy in a panda costume. The panda has become a crucial part of the Dude Perfect team and has been featured in many videos since his introduction.
The Dude Perfect team has set a plethora of world records over their lengthy career, such as the world’s longest basketball shot made with head, the world’s longest blindfolded hook shot and the world’s highest basketball shot (533 feet high). This alone shows how skilled they are at doing trick shots, as some of these world records are unbelievable.
Some of Dude Perfect’s most popular videos are the DP Battles, Bro Mo (slow motion videos), Stereotypes and World Record Shots. They have also collaborated with world renowned athletes, such as soccer legends Raheem Sterling from Manchester City and Mathieu Flamini from Arsenal. Dude Perfect even has their own line of Hasbro “toys”. Check out the official DP Flying Disc or the PerfectSmash Football on Amazon!
Dude Perfect’s most viewed video
Currently, the most viewed video on the Dude Perfect channel is Ping Pong Trick Shots 2 with over 120 million views. This is the sequel to their first ping pong trick shots video that was also very popular on YouTube. As always, the video is full of highly skilled trick shots made with ping pong balls. The video starts off with an elaborate Rube Goldberg machine and continues with the guys doing some truly impressive trick shots. You can also see them using golf clubs, various types of balls and many other things too. This might be one of Dude Perfect’s most impressive videos to date.
4 – Fernanfloo
- Official YouTube channel
- Number of subscribers: Over 24 million
- Total views: Over 5.7 billion
- Network: BroadbandTV
The brief history of Fernanfloo
The person behind the Fernanfloo channel is called Luis Fernando Flores Alvarado. This Salvadorian YouTuber is currently the number 10 most subscribed channel on YouTube (including VEVO and YouTube official channels). The channel was created in 2011 and it currently has over 500 videos uploaded to it. Fernanfloo’s 24 million subscriber count is three times more than the total population of his home country of El Salvador, which is impressive on its own.
Fernanfloo mostly uploads let’s play videos and compilations, as well as comedy sketches to his channel. Some of the games that you can see him play are Grand Theft Auto 5, Five Nights at Freddy’s and he also has a God of War 3 playthrough. If you want any of the games that Fernanfloo is playing, be sure to click on the links and visit their Amazon links.
Fernanfloo’s most viewed video
Even though Fernanfloo mostly uploads gameplay videos, his most viewed one isn’t necessarily gameplay. Right now, his most viewed video is “EL RAP DE FERNANFLOO !!” (The Rap of Fernanfloo). In this video, he raps about his channel and about the games he is playing. He also references online memes and other famous YouTube videos. The music for the video was created by a fellow YouTuber named BambielR4. Fernanfloo’s most viewed video has over 100 million views.
3 – ElRubiusOMG
- Official YouTube Channel
- Number of subscribers: Over 26 million
- Total views: Over 6 billion
- Network: Mixicom
The brief history of ElRubiusOMG
ElRubiusOMG, aka Rubén Doblas Gundersen is a Spanish YouTuber who uploads gameplay videos and vlogs to his channel. His channel was created in 2006 and he is currently the most subscribed YouTuber in Spain. Rubén uploads videos in Spanish, but most of his content has English subtitles, so anybody can enjoy them. Some of the games that ElRubiusOMG is playing are GTA V, Garry’s Mod, Beyond Two Souls, Happy Wheels and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Some of his videos are a few hours long, as he doesn’t cut up his gameplay videos into separate parts, but rather uploads them in one long video. He also often uploads challenge videos that he does with his friends.
Other than his YouTube channel, Rubén also did a few other public appearances and he even had a cameo appearance in the 2014 movie Torrente 5: Operación Eurovegas. ElRubiusOMG also won the 2016 “YouTuber of the Year” award at the first Play Awards ceremony in Palma de Mallorca.
ElRubiusOMG’s most viewed video
Just like our previous entry, ElRubiusOMG’s most viewed video is also a music video. This video focuses on Minecraft and it is a parody of Chayanne’s Torero song. When compared to other YouTubers’ most viewed videos, this one doesn’t have as many views. Currently, ElRubiusOMG’s most viewed video has “only” 46 million views. This is still quite impressive and we can only applaud this Spanish YouTuber for having so many subscribers to his channel.
2 – HolaSoyGerman
- Official YouTube Channel
- Number of subscribers: Over 32 million
- Total views: Over 3.2 billion
- Network: HolaSoyGerman
The brief history of HolaSoyGerman
Behind the HolaSoyGerman YouTube channel is a Chilean guy named Germán Alejandro Garmendia Aranis. The videos that are uploaded to this channel are mostly comedy related, but Garmendia is also a singer and writer. Almost all of HolaSoyGerman’s videos have English subtitles, so everybody is able to enjoy his style of comedy. This might be the reason for his large fan base, especially since this is channel is not gaming related.
Other than his YouTube career, HolaSoyGerman has also published a book called “#ChupaElPerro” and he has also voiced the character of Julian in the Spanish version of Ice Age: Collision Course. HolaSoyGerman has also had a few public appearances. His most notable one might be the Telmex Digital Village in Mexico, where an overwhelming number of people appeared. So many people wanted to see him live that there wasn’t enough room for all of his fans. This resulted in an outrage by the fans and many people got injured because of people trying to force their way into the venue.
HolaSoyGerman’s most viewed video
The most viewed video on HolaSoyGerman’s channel shows exactly what types of brothers there are. And if you have a brother, you know that all of this is very true. As always, he uses quick cuts and no fancy editing. The video is very funny and anybody can watch it, as there are English subtitles, just like most of his other videos. If you are not familiar with this YouTuber, this is a great video to start with, as you can see exactly what to expect from his other uploads.
1 – PewDiePie
- Official YouTube Channel
- Number of subscribers: Over 57 million
- Total views: Over 16 billion
- Network: Not part of a network
The brief history of PewDiePie
If you have ever been to YouTube or heard anything about this video sharing platform, you have most probably heard about PewDiePie. The person behind this channel is a Swedish guy named Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg and he has currently the most subscribed channel on YouTube. Felix has been dominating the YouTube scene with his wacky personality and sometimes outrageous content. Most of the time, PewDiePie uploads let’s plays of various games, but he also has videos where he interacts with his fans. PieDiePie got famous because of his horror let’s plays, but he also uploads many other types of videos too.
The channel started out in 2006 as a place where Felix uploaded his gameplay videos. Some of his most famous series are Happy Wheels, Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Telltale’s The Walking Dead. His latest series is his playthrough of South Park: Fractured But Whole. If you’re interested in the games, be sure to check out their Amazon page.
Other than gameplay videos, he also uploads vlogs, such as his “Fridays with PewDiePie” series, where he showcases weird stuff that he found online. You can also see Felix’s girlfriend Marzia in some of his videos.
PewDiePie was dropped by his network (Maker Studios) in 2017 after he took a joke too far. He was accused of being anti-Semitic because of a few videos that he uploaded. There was a huge controversy over this incident and many YouTubers created videos talking about the situation.
PewDiePie’s most viewed video
PewDiePie’s most viewed video to date is entitled “A Funny Montage” and it’s exactly what you would expect. This 10 minute long video showcases some of Felix’s best gaming moments. You can see him get scared in Amnesia, play games with his girlfriend and you can even hear him read fan fiction. This is a great entry point to the PewDiePie channel, as what you see here is what you can expect. All in all, this video is great and you should watch it if you haven’t already. You are surely going to be laughing out loud from the first minute.
Honorable Mentions
whinderssonnunes
- Official YouTube Channel
- Number of subscribers: Over 24 million
- Total views: Over 2 billion
- Network: Not part of a network
The brief history of whinderssonnunes
Whindersson Nunes Batista is the guy behind this comedy channel. He is a Brazilian singer and comedian who has created the whinderssonnunes channel back in 2013. This is the most subscribed channel in Brazil and the channel is currently the 13th most subscribed on YouTube (including VEVO and YouTube official channels). This is actually Whindersson’s second YouTube channel, as his first one got hacked and deleted. On the whinderssonnunes channel, you can find vlogs, comedy sketches, movie reviews and parodies. Whindersson uses quick cuts and his videos are pretty simple; he is usually shirtless in a messy room.
The reason why we are only featuring this channel as an honorable mention is because the videos on the channel are all in Portuguese, without English subtitles. whinderssonnunes does not cater to an international audience, unlike HolaSoyGerman, who uses English subtitles on all of his videos. Even though Fernanfloo doesn’t have English subtitles either, his videos can still be enjoyed, even without knowing what he is saying.
whinderssonnunes’s most viewed video
The most viewed video on the channel is called “qual é a senha do Wi-Fi”, which translates to “what is the Wi-Fi password”. This is a parody to Adele’s Sorry and you can hear Whindersson sing about not knowing the password to the Wi-Fi. He wears a wig and makeup in an attempt to look like Adele. This video has over 60 million views and 2 million likes.
BlameSociety
- Official YouTube Channel
- Number of subscribers: Over 240,000
- Total views: Over 141 million
- Network: ScreenwaveMedia
The brief history of BlameSociety
This channel is one of my personal favorites, so I had to feature them as an honorable mention. They are not one of the most subscribed channels, but they surely are funny. The BlameSociety channel started off with the Chad Vader series. This featured Lord Chad Vader, the day shift manager in his everyday adventures in a local supermarket. Since then, the channel has expanded their repertoire of videos and they have created new series.
Welcome to the Basement is one of the shows on the channel and it’s great for those who like watching movies with witty commentary. Beer and Board Games features four people drinking beer and playing various board games. Amongst the games that they have played so far are Cards Against Humanity, Monopoly and many other indie board and card games. If you want to see which some of the best toys of 2017 are, be sure to read our article about it by clicking here!
BlameSociety’s most viewed video
The most viewed video on the channel is Chad After Dentist, a spoof of David After Dentist. This is a spoof of the viral video of the kid in the car after being drugged at the dentist. The video got watched almost 14 million times.
This video doesn’t highlight the best part of this channel; originality. If you’re interested in BlameSociety’s best series, check out the first seasons of Welcome to the Basement or Beer and Board Games!