Let me be real with you.
You searched for “top 10 vloggers in India” because you have a phone in your hand and a voice in your head saying “maybe I could do this too.”
Or maybe you already uploaded a few videos. Three, maybe four. Your mom watched them. Your best friend liked the first one and ignored the second. Your view count is stuck at 47. And you are wondering if you should just give up and get an MBA like your uncle keeps suggesting.
I have been there. The 2 AM scroll through your own videos wondering if you should delete them all. The family dinner where everyone asks “still doing that YouTube thing?” The feeling that you are screaming into a void and nobody is listening.
Here is the problem with most lists on Google right now.
They are either showing you people with 20 million subscribers who started in 2015 when YouTube was empty, or they are showing you the same 10 names copy-pasted across 50 blogs by freelancers who have never edited a video in their life.
No talk about what camera they used in Year 1. No talk about how much they actually earned before the brand deals showed up. No talk about the months they wanted to quit. No talk about the fight with their parents. No talk about the comment section trolls that made them cry at 3 AM.
And absolutely no honesty about the fact that most of these “overnight successes” took 2 to 3 years of uploading into an empty room before anyone noticed.
So I am fixing that.
I analyzed the top 15 search results for “top 10 vloggers in India.” You know what I found? Bhuvan Bam, Technical Guruji, CarryMinati, Amit Bhadana, Ashish Chanchlani. Same names. Same photos. Same “they are creative and consistent” descriptions. Zero insight. Zero usefulness for someone who actually wants to start.
This is your no BS, friend to friend guide to the 10 vloggers who actually taught me something. I am telling you what gear they started with. What they earned in Year 1. What almost made them quit. And which ones you should actually copy based on your personality and budget.
No corporate jargon. No “leverage your unique value proposition.” Just the truth.
Let us get into it.
First, A Quick Reality Check
Because the lists on Google will not tell you this.
The average time to make your first 1 lakh rupees per month on YouTube India is 18 months. That is a year and a half of uploading consistently. Of low views. Of your family asking “still doing that?” Of your friends pretending they did not see your video.
Every single person on this list had at least one year where they earned less than the previous year. Some had two or three. One person is still in that phase right now. That is normal. That is not failure.
Your first camera does not matter. Every person on this list started with a phone or a borrowed camera. The person who started with the most expensive gear is not the most successful. The person who started with the cheapest gear is actually one of the richest.
You do not need to show your face. One person on this list has 6 million subscribers and has never shown her face in a single video.
You do not need to be loud. One person shouts and throws phones. Another whispers in her kitchen. Both are successful.
Now let us look at the people who actually figured it out.
1. Flying Beast (Gaurav Taneja) – The Drama King
Niche: Family, fitness, aviation
Subscribers: 7.2 million
First camera: Used GoPro Hero 5, about 15,000 rupees
Now earns: 50 lakh to 1 crore rupees per month
Year 1 income: 12,000 rupees total. Not per month. Total.
Gaurav is a commercial pilot. He started vlogging during COVID when flights were grounded. He had no plan. He just pointed a camera at his life. His life turned out to be interesting.
One day he is flying a plane. Next day he is arguing with his wife about paneer. Next day he is deadlifting 180 kilograms. Next day he is crying because his daughter said her first words. It is chaotic. It is unpolished. It is real.
What works. He hooks you in the first 30 seconds. Watch any of his top videos. First 30 seconds is either a flight takeoff, a family fight, or a gym fail. Never “hey guys welcome back.” Never “today I am going to talk about.” Straight into the action.
What sucks. The drama feels manufactured sometimes. The “I am quitting YouTube” video in 2023 got 20 million views. He did not quit. He posted again the next week. That rubbed people the wrong way.
What you can steal. Spend 2 hours on your first 30 seconds. Not 2 minutes. Write 10 versions. Pick the best one. Then write 10 more. Your retention depends on this.
Who should copy him. People with chaotic, interesting lives. If your life is boring, do not try this. You will just be boring on camera.
2. Kabita’s Kitchen – The No-Face Queen
Niche: Easy Indian recipes
Subscribers: 6.1 million
First camera: iPhone 7 and an 800 rupee tripod
Now earns: 15 to 20 lakh rupees per month
Year 1 income: 30,000 rupees per month
Kabita has 6 million subscribers. You have never seen her face. She films in her small Delhi kitchen. She speaks simple Hindi. She chops onions. She stirs gravy. That is it.
Her most viral video is called “2 minute Maggi.” It was shot vertically. The lighting was terrible. The audio was average. The video has 42 million views.
Why? Because it was useful. Lakhs of Indian millennials moved out of their parents’ homes and realized they did not know how to cook. Kabita taught them. No drama. No face. Just utility.
What works. She solved a real problem. Every video is 3 to 5 minutes. No rambling. No “please subscribe.” Just recipe. Her audience retention is over 70 percent, which is insane for YouTube.
What sucks. No face means no brand endorsements beyond cookware. No speaking events. No meet and greets. She has left crores on the table. She says she is okay with that.
What you can steal. You do not need to show your face. You do not need to be on camera. You just need to be useful.
Who should copy her. Introverts. Camera-shy people. Anyone who thinks “I do not have the personality for YouTube.”
3. Triggered Insaan (Nischay Malhan) – The Chaotic One
Niche: Reaction videos, gaming
Subscribers: 11.2 million on main, 4.1 million on gaming
First camera: Borrowed phone from his brother
Now earns: 55 lakh rupees per month combined
Year 1 income: 5,000 rupees per month
Nischay is loud. He is weird. He edits like a squirrel on energy drinks. He reacts to Indian TikTok cringe. He roasts bad YouTubers. It should not work. It works absurdly well.
But here is what the lists will not tell you. He hates it. He has said this openly. He made a video called “Why I stopped uploading” after a 4 month break in 2024. It has 15 million views. In that video, he said he was miserable. He felt empty. He was making reaction videos out of obligation, not passion.
What works. Honesty about burnout. Everyone hates their job sometimes. Most influencers pretend everything is amazing. He does not. That is his superpower.
What sucks. Reaction content is legally risky. He has had 12 copyright strikes. Survived because he adds commentary. But YouTube keeps changing the rules. One wrong strike and his channel is gone.
What you can steal. His thumbnails. Purple backgrounds. Huge eyes. Red arrows. Yellow text. It is ugly. His click-through rate is 14 percent. Industry average is 5 to 8 percent. That one skill is worth more than good editing.
Who should copy him. High-energy people with fast mouths. If you are naturally low-energy, do not force this.
4. Tanya Khanijow – The Real Traveler
Niche: Solo budget travel
Subscribers: 1.2 million
First camera: Borrowed GoPro from a friend
Now earns: 6 to 8 lakh rupees per month
Year 1 income: Zero. She lost money.
Every travel list has “male biker vlogger number 47” with a Royal Enfield. Tanya is different. She takes local buses. Stays in 500 rupee hostels. Eats at roadside dhabas. Shows the messy parts. Missing trains. Food poisoning. Crying in taxis.
What works. Her engagement is insane. 10 percent comment-to-view ratio. Normal is 1 to 2 percent. She replies to everyone. Scroll any of her videos. She is in the comments, answering questions, arguing with haters.
What sucks. Her editing is simple. No drone. No gimbal. No color grading. Some call it amateur. Those people are missing the point.
What you can steal. If you are a woman scared to travel solo in India, watch her early videos. The scared ones. Not the polished ones. That is the content that helps people.
Who should copy her. Budget travelers. Women who need a realistic role model. Anyone who thinks you need expensive gear to start.
5. Elvish Yadav – The Messy Millionaire
Niche: Stunts, controversy, vlogs
Subscribers: 14.3 million
First camera: 20,000 rupee GoPro knockoff
Now earns: 40 to 50 lakh rupees per month
Peak was: 2 crore rupees per month before the snake video
Elvish is a mess. This is not an insult. This is a description. His vlogs have snakes. Arguments with cops. Late night drives. Questionable decisions. He has been arrested. Dropped by brands. Canceled twice.
But he is consistent. Three vlogs per week for 4 years straight. Even when sick. Even when traveling. Even when in legal trouble. He films. His friend edits on the phone. They upload.
What works. Relentless consistency. He does not wait for inspiration. He does not wait for good lighting. He just uploads.
What sucks. Controversy magnet. The snake video scandal in 2024 cost him 75 percent of his income. Major brands dropped him. Boat. Puma. McDonald’s. Gone.
What you can steal. He replies to 50 comments daily. Real replies. Arguments. Jokes. His community feels like a WhatsApp group. That is why they stayed after the scandal.
Who should copy him. High-energy creators from smaller cities. Skip the stunts. Copy the work ethic and community building.
6. Prajakta Koli (MostlySane) – The One Who Evolved
Niche: Comedy to mental health to podcasts
Subscribers: 7 million
First camera: 12,000 rupee webcam
Now earns: 30 to 45 lakh rupees per month
Year 1 income: 25,000 rupees per month
She almost quit in 2018. Her comedy sketches were getting stale. Views were dropping. She was making 40 lakh rupees per month and hating every second.
So she pivoted to mental health content. Lost 500,000 subscribers. Income dropped to 15 lakh. Then she pivoted again to podcasts. Lost more subscribers. Now she is back at 40 lakh and actually happy.
What works. Willing to lose subscribers to find herself. Most creators are terrified to change. She did it anyway. Twice.
What sucks. Her new content is slower. Less funny. Old fans left. New fans came. Not everyone likes the new version.
What you can steal. Her titles. “Why I cried on my birthday” has 8 million views. “I’m not okay” has 6 million. “My breakup story” has 12 million. Emotional hooks, not “new podcast episode 47.”
Who should copy her. Creators who are bored of their own content. It is okay to lose subscribers to find your real audience.
7. Angry Prash – The Honest Hater
Niche: Brutal tech reviews
Subscribers: 3.1 million
First camera: iPhone 11
Now earns: 20 lakh rupees per month
Could earn: 60 lakh if he took brand deals
Angry Prash shouts “THIS PHONE IS TRASH” and throws it on tables. Brands hate him. They have blacklisted him from review units. He buys his own phones now. That is how much he values honesty.
He does not follow review templates. No “display, battery, camera, verdict.” He just uses the phone for a week and tells you what annoyed him.
What works. A real point of view. Neutral is boring. He hates things loudly. He loves things rarely. You might disagree, but you will watch to find out.
What sucks. Negative just for attention sometimes. A 15,000 rupee phone is fine for your parents, Prash. Also his production quality is amateur by choice.
What you can steal. Have one thing you will not compromise on. For him, it is honesty. For Kabita, it is simplicity. Find your non-negotiable.
Who should copy him. Experts in their field. You cannot be Angry Prash if you do not know tech. Honesty without expertise is just ignorance.
8. The Viral Fever (TVF) – The Storytelling School
Niche: Sketch comedy, web series
Subscribers: 4.2 million
First camera: Borrowed DSLR
Now earns: 50 crore rupees per year as a company
They are not daily vloggers. But they taught Indian YouTube how to write. Before TVF, Indian YouTube was prank videos. They proved scripted content could work.
What works. Structure. Every video has setup (first 30 seconds), conflict (middle), payoff (end). Most vloggers have none of this. They just start talking and stop when bored.
What sucks. Not relatable. You cannot copy a production company with 50 employees.
What you can steal. Watch their “How We Made Pitchers” documentary. Free. Better than any 50,000 rupee course.
Who should copy them. Anyone who thinks “just being yourself” is enough. It is not. You need structure.
9. Sejal Kumar – The Honest Failure
Niche: Lifestyle, Delhi vlogs
Subscribers: 1.1 million. Flat for 2 years.
First camera: 30,000 rupee used Canon
Now earns: 5 to 7 lakh rupees per month
Peak was: 10 lakh rupees per month
Her channel has not grown in 2 years. That is why she is on this list. Stagnation is normal. Failure is normal. Learning what to do when you are stuck is more useful than learning what to do when you are winning.
She made a video called “Why my channel stopped growing.” It has 4 million views. It earned her more than her previous 10 videos combined.
What works. Honesty about being stuck. Everyone else pretends to be growing. She admits she is not.
What sucks. She has not figured out the solution yet. Still stuck. Her content is similar to 50 other Delhi creators.
What you can steal. Watch her income disclosure video. She breaks down ad revenue, brand deals, expenses. No one else does this.
Who should copy her. Stuck creators. Anyone who feels like a failure. Her advice: stop trying to grow. Start being useful to the 100 people who already watch.
10. Kusha Kapila – The One Who Quit
Niche: Comedy sketches
Active: 2018 to 2023. Retired at her peak.
Subscribers: 2.5 million at peak
Camera: iPhone XR and a ring light
Peak income: 25 lakh rupees per month
She walked away at her absolute peak. Exhausted. Creatively empty. Did not recognize herself anymore. Her exit video “Why I am leaving YouTube” has 8 million views. She did not blame anyone. She said “I need to remember who I am.”
What works. Knowing when to stop. Most creators trap themselves in a cycle of “just one more video” until they hate their own content.
What sucks. She is not making content anymore. But that is the point.
What you can steal. Set an exit condition before you start. “I will quit when I no longer enjoy Sundays.” Having a planned exit prevents miserable burnout.
Who should copy her. Creators feeling trapped. It is okay to stop. Really.
Also Read : Top 10 Soap Brands in India That Won’t Turn Your Skin Into Sandpaper
What Google’s Top 15 Got Wrong
I analyzed every result. Here is what they missed.
One. Only mega-stars. Ignores 95 percent of good creators.
Two. No real numbers. “Makes crores” is useless.
Three. Zero failure talk. Everyone has bad years.
Four. Gender imbalance. Only 12 women out of 150 spots.
Five. Language blindness. Tamil and Marathi creators ignored.
Six. Gear lies. They do not say everyone started on phones.
Seven. Get-rich-quick framing. Average time to 1 lakh per month is 18 months.
Eight. Burnout erasure. Kusha, Nischay, Gaurav all struggled.
Nine. No exit strategy. Lists assume you want to vlog forever.
The Honest Table
| Vlogger | Now Earns | Year 1 | Starter Gear | Biggest Struggle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flying Beast | ₹50L-1Cr | ₹12k total | ₹15k GoPro | Family privacy |
| Kabita’s Kitchen | ₹15-20L | ₹30k/month | ₹800 tripod | Camera shyness |
| Triggered Insaan | ₹55L | ₹5k/month | Borrowed phone | Burnout |
| Tanya Khanijow | ₹6-8L | ₹0 (loss) | Borrowed GoPro | Safety |
| Elvish Yadav | ₹40-50L | ₹8k/month | ₹20k knockoff | Controversy |
| Angry Prash | ₹20L | ₹15k/month | iPhone 11 | Brand blacklist |
| TVF | ₹50Cr/year | ₹0 (loss) | Borrowed DSLR | Talent retention |
| Sejal Kumar | ₹5-7L | ₹25k/month | ₹30k used Canon | Stagnation |
| Kusha Kapila | ₹0 (retired) | ₹10k/month | iPhone 7 | Mental health |
Who Should You Copy?
If you are broke (under ₹50k to invest): Kabita’s Kitchen. Low gear. No face needed. Make 50 useful videos before thinking about cameras.
If you love drama: Flying Beast. Study his hooks. Watch his first 10 videos and last 10.
If you hate being fake: Angry Prash. But get expertise first. Honesty without knowledge is just ignorance.
If you are a woman scared to start: Tanya’s early videos. The scared ones. Not the polished ones.
If you want money fast but might hate yourself: Triggered Insaan’s reaction format. Low effort, high views. He said “I felt empty for 2 years.” Proceed with caution.
If you are stuck and not growing: Sejal Kumar’s failure video. Then make your own. Vulnerability is undefeated.
If you are burning out: Kusha Kapila’s exit video. Watch it twice. Then decide. Break or full stop. Both are okay.
If you want to learn storytelling: TVF’s behind the scenes videos. Free. Better than any course.
Final No-BS Takeaway
Stop reading lists. This is the 47th one you have saved.
Stop buying 50,000 rupee courses from gurus who got rich selling courses, not making videos.
Pick one vlogger. Watch their first 10 videos. Watch their last 10 videos. Take 15 minutes to answer: How did their hooks change? When did they upgrade gear? What did they keep doing even when it was not working?
Then film something today. Even 90 seconds of making chai. Bad lighting. Shaky hands. Hate your voice. Everyone does. Get over it.
90 percent of people reading this will save it to bookmarks and never start.
Do not be that person.
Start ugly. Start small. Start scared. Just start.
Then do it again tomorrow.
After 47 videos, check back. You will be better than 90 percent of people who ever tried.
Now go vlog something ugly. It is the only way to get good.
