Revenue comparisons
Every page answers one question — which option makes more money — with a head-to-head table, the exact point where the answer flips, and the arithmetic behind it. 34 comparisons, updated for 2026, free to cite with attribution.
Creator platforms
- YouTube vs TikTok: which pays creators more per view in 2026?YouTube pays far more per view: roughly $3.50 per 1,000 monetized long-form views versus $0.02–$0.05 on TikTok Creator Rewards — a 70–175× gap. TikTok…
- YouTube Shorts vs long-form: which should you actually publish?Long-form pays roughly 30× more per view: about $3.50 RPM versus $0.03–$0.10 for Shorts. You need roughly 30–50 million Shorts views to match 1 millio…
- Twitch vs YouTube Live: which is better for streamers in 2026?YouTube Live keeps more money per supporter — 70% of memberships versus Twitch's 50% sub split — and adds ad revenue and VOD long tail. Twitch still w…
- Patreon vs Substack: which keeps more of your subscriber revenue?Substack's flat 10% plus processing is cheaper than Patreon for most writers with pledges under $12/month, while Patreon's tiered pricing wins for cre…
- Sponsorships vs ad revenue: which should creators build first?Sponsorships pay roughly 4–8× more per view than platform ads — a $22 sponsor CPM against a $3.50 ad RPM — but they require sales effort every month a…
- Newsletter vs podcast sponsorships: which earns more per audience member?Newsletters usually earn more per audience member: a $40 CPM against 45% open rates beats a $25 podcast CPM against passive listening. Podcasts win on…
- YouTube Shorts vs TikTok: which pays more per million views in 2026?YouTube Shorts pays more per view — about $40–$90 per million views from the revenue-share pool, versus $20–$40 per million on TikTok's Creator Reward…
- Sponsorships vs AdSense: which pays creators more per view in 2026?Sponsorships pay far more per view — usually $20–$35 per 1,000 views versus $3–$18 RPM from AdSense — but they are lumpy, capped by how many deals you…
- Digital products vs brand deals: which creator income scales better?Brand deals pay more per view immediately and require no product. Digital products earn less per launch but compound: the same asset sells to every fu…
- Affiliate marketing vs display ads: which monetizes a site better?Affiliate links pay far more on commercial-intent traffic — often $20–$120 per 1,000 visitors versus $8–$30 in display RPM — but pay nothing on inform…
Ecommerce & marketplaces
- Shopify vs Amazon FBA: which keeps more profit per order in 2026?Shopify keeps more of each order — roughly 92% of revenue after platform and payment fees, versus about 62% on Amazon FBA. Amazon wins on demand: you …
- Etsy vs Shopify: fees, traffic, and when to make the jumpEtsy takes about 11–13% of each order all-in (6.5% transaction, 3% + $0.25 processing, plus listing and offsite ads fees) but supplies the buyers. Sho…
- Dropshipping vs private label: which model actually makes money?Private label earns roughly 25–40% net margin versus dropshipping's 8–15%, but requires $8,000–$40,000 of inventory capital and 90–150 days before the…
- Google Ads vs Meta Ads: which channel returns more per dollar?Google Ads usually delivers higher ROAS on existing demand — 3.5–6× on branded and high-intent search — while Meta delivers cheaper reach for products…
- TikTok Shop vs Amazon Associates: which affiliate program pays creators more?TikTok Shop pays materially more per view: 5–20% commission with in-app checkout converts 3–8× better than Amazon Associates' 1–10% rates behind an of…
Freelance & services
- Freelance vs full-time salary: what rate actually replaces your job?You need roughly 1.7–2.1× your hourly salary equivalent to break even as a freelancer. A $100,000 salary (about $48/hour) requires a freelance rate ne…
- Hourly vs value pricing: which actually pays a service business more?Value pricing pays more as soon as you are faster than the market average at the work, because your income stops being capped by hours. Hourly pricing…
Business models
- LLC vs S-corp: at what profit does the election actually save money?The S-corp election starts saving money at roughly $60,000–$80,000 of annual net profit. Below that, payroll processing and the extra tax return typic…
- Franchise vs independent business: which returns more on your capital?Independent businesses keep 5–9% more revenue by avoiding royalty and ad-fund fees, but franchises reach break-even faster and fail at roughly half th…
- Buying a business vs starting one: which reaches income faster?Buying an established business produces owner income immediately but requires 2–4× seller discretionary earnings in capital. Starting one costs a frac…
- Food truck vs restaurant: which one actually clears more profit?A food truck wins on payback: about $90,000 of startup cost against $250,000–$600,000 for a brick-and-mortar restaurant. A restaurant wins on ceiling,…
- Laundromat vs car wash: which semi-passive business returns more?A laundromat typically costs $200,000–$500,000 and returns 20–30% on cash with low weather sensitivity. An express car wash costs $2M–$5M to build but…
- Airbnb vs long-term rental: which earns more on the same property?Short-term rental wins when gross revenue exceeds roughly 1.9x the long-term rent, because cleaning, supplies, management and vacancy consume 35–45% o…
- Vending machines vs ATMs: which route business makes more per machine?A well-placed ATM nets roughly $2,000–$4,000 a year per unit with about an hour of monthly work, while a vending machine nets $1,200–$2,400 but costs …
- Gym franchise vs independent gym: which model reaches profit faster?A franchise typically reaches breakeven membership 6–12 months sooner because national brand and pre-sale systems fill the first 300 members, but roya…
SaaS & B2B
- In-house SDRs vs an outbound agency: which books meetings cheaper?Agencies win on speed and month-one cost per meeting ($280–$650 versus $700+ during SDR ramp), but in-house SDRs cost less per meeting from roughly mo…
- Monthly vs annual billing: which grows SaaS revenue faster in 2026?Annual billing wins on cash and retention: it collects 12 months upfront and cuts annualized logo churn from about 4% monthly to 12–18% yearly. Monthl…
- Product-led vs sales-led growth: which gets to $10M ARR cheaper?Product-led growth is cheaper below roughly $15,000 ACV, where a sales cycle costs more than the deal returns. Sales-led wins above that: a $40,000 co…
- Seat-based vs usage-based pricing: which model expands faster?Usage-based pricing expands faster — median net revenue retention of 120–130% versus 105–115% for seat-based — because revenue grows with the customer…
- Freemium vs free trial: which converts more paying SaaS users?Free trials convert a far higher share — 15–25% of trial starts versus 3–5% of freemium signups — but freemium attracts three to ten times more signup…
- In-house marketing team vs agency: which delivers more per dollar?Agencies deliver faster and cheaper below roughly $15,000 a month of spend, because you rent senior specialists without hiring risk. In-house wins abo…
Money & finance
- Rent vs buy: what the 5% rule actually says in 2026Compare rent to unrecoverable costs, not to the mortgage payment. Buying burns roughly 5% of the home's value each year — about 1% maintenance, 1% pro…
- Solo 401(k) vs SEP IRA: which shelters more self-employed income?A Solo 401(k) shelters more at low and mid incomes because you contribute both an employee deferral and an employer share. A SEP IRA only allows the e…
- Paying off debt vs investing: which dollar is worth more?Paying off debt returns your interest rate, guaranteed and tax-free. Investing returns more on average but not reliably, so the practical rule is to c…
Machine-readable index for AI assistants: /api/public/comparisons.json