MrBeast may be the most-subscribed YouTube content creator, but PewDiePie isn’t far behind — and the gap is closing every day.

Felix ‘PewDiePie‘ Kjellberg broke YouTube records in 2019 when he reached 100 million subscribers, the most of any independent creator on the platform.

This happened as a result of his infamous subscriber war with T-Series, an Indian entertainment label that eventually passed him in subscriber numbers, amassing a total of 206 million subscribers.

Kjellberg has added another 11 million subscribers since then, and he still holds the title of most-subscribed creator on the platform… but can he keep it forever?

It doesn’t appear to be the case. Another big name in the industry is slowly but steadily catching up to PewDiePie, and his name is ‘MrBeast.’

Jimmy ‘MrBeast’ Donaldson is currently one of YouTube’s most powerful influencers.

MrBeast has expanded his empire to include a fast-food restaurant, created his own philanthropy, and recently launched a line of chocolate bars in true Willy Wonka fashion. He is best known for orchestrating elaborate challenges and creating ambitious (and hugely expensive) videos.

MrBeast’s main YouTube channel has 89 million subscribers as of this writing. According to SocialBlade channel statistics, he is gaining an average of 536,000 subscribers per week, for a total of 2.3 subscribers per month.

MrBeast also had the fastest-growing YouTube channel in 2021, outgrowing T-Series by 1.1 million subscribers and gaining over 37 million new followers during the year.

PewDiePie reacted to the news when he returned to YouTube after a month off in January. While he didn’t appear to be bothered by it, he did joke that MrBeast would be his next adversary in YouTube’s great “subscriber war.”

There’s no ill will between these two internet behemoths, especially since MrBeast is a self-proclaimed PewDiePie fan (remember when he advertised Pewds’ channel during the Superbowl?).

Despite the fact that MrBeast continues to gain subscribers at a rapid rate, PewDiePie’s feud with T-Series paved the way for independent creators to compete with major companies in terms of fan support.

Furthermore, a feud between these two is unlikely, as PewDiePie recently stated that he “can’t be bothered” with the YouTube grind these days.