ViewStats is a web based analytics platform for YouTube channels launched in December 2023 by content creators Jimmy Donaldson and Chucky Appleby.[1] The service adapts performance tracking tactics used on Donaldson's MrBeast channels for wider use by video makers, and TechCrunch described the public beta as a creator facing alternative to YouTube audience trackers that surfaces channel level data through the platform's API.[2]
Appleby began developing ViewStats after relocating to Greenville, North Carolina in 2019 to join Donaldson's growing production team.[1] The pair held regular analytical sessions to refine thumbnails and story ideas, and their internal dashboards evolved into a public platform intended to provide those datasets to other creators.[1] ViewStats launched publicly in December 2023 with Appleby as chief executive officer operating the business as an independent company funded by its two co-founders.[1][2] In 2024, ViewStats Pro launched with new features for content planning, competitor analysis, and thumbnail research. The original analytics features remained free.[3][4][5]
ViewStats provides creators with YouTube channel's performance insights, combining views and subscribers metrics with revenue estimates, growth forecasts, and top-performing content.[6] Creators can mimic MrBeast's thumbnail testing strategy to see which works better, track how title changes affect performance, and see how their long-form videos compare to their Shorts.[7][6]
Reception
TechCrunch and creator press outlets presented the December 2023 launch as MrBeast opening his internal dashboards to the wider creator community.[1][2] TechCrunch framed ViewStats as a daily reference point for channel managers who wanted to check on performance before filming new videos.[2]
The tone shifted in June 2025 when ViewStats Pro shipped a generative AI thumbnail tool; photographers, designers, and creators told PetaPixel and Tubefilter that the generator felt like a shortcut that learned from their style and sidelined paid contractors.[8][9] Donaldson responded within days and told users the feature would come down, a reversal that Newsweek and PC Gamer highlighted in follow-up stories.[10][11]BBC News later tied the response to a broader unease about AI inside the creator economy, noting that the ViewStats debate mirrored questions about who controls the look and feel of digital content.[12]
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