What is actually workingon Shorts right now
Seventy-seven niches, one YouTube search each per day, ranked by views per day since publish. Every card links back to the video on YouTube, and every page states how many results it ranked — including when that number is small.
Daily in season, every few days otherwise · dates and denominators are on every page
What this is and is not
A query and a cache, not a corpus
Ranked by views per day since publish, not by total views — a three-year-old video with a million views has taught nobody anything about this month. We run one search per niche per refresh and cache the answer for everybody who asks for it until the next one.
YouTube Shorts only
No TikTok, no Instagram, no Facebook. There is no index of those and we are not going to imply there is.
No transcripts
The API gives titles, channels, counts, durations and thumbnails. That is why there is a title-patterns page and no hooks page.
Real denominators
Every ranking says how many results it was built from, even when YouTube only returned forty-three of them.
Niches
77 niches, one search each
Pick the one you post in. Each page ranks today's fastest-moving Shorts for that query, and links to the tool that would make your version.
Faceless channels
Channels that post daily with nobody on camera — the format most of this site is built for.
Query: “faceless shorts”
See what is movingMotivation
Short-form motivational content, which is the most crowded niche on the platform and still moves.
Query: “motivation shorts”
See what is movingPsychology facts
Counter-intuitive claims about behaviour, one per video — the highest-retention facts format there is.
Query: “psychology facts shorts”
See what is movingSpace facts
Astronomy at feed length, where the visuals are usually the weakest part of the video.
Query: “space facts shorts”
See what is movingHistory
One event, one detail, one minute. The niche where being specific beats being broad.
Query: “history shorts”
See what is movingPersonal finance
Money explained quickly, for people who did not come here for a spreadsheet.
Query: “personal finance shorts”
See what is movingFitness
Training and form content, where the on-camera half dominates and the explainer half does not.
Query: “fitness shorts”
See what is movingCooking
Recipes at speed. The one niche where a real kitchen still beats anything generated.
Query: “cooking shorts”
See what is movingProductivity
Systems, tools and habits — a niche that rewards a specific method over general advice.
Query: “productivity shorts”
See what is movingAI tools
The fastest-moving and fastest-decaying niche here: half of these will be wrong within a quarter.
Query: “ai tools shorts”
See what is movingStudy tips
Revision and exam technique, with a seasonal audience that is enormous twice a year.
Query: “study tips shorts”
See what is movingHorror stories
Narrated horror, which compresses into a minute better than almost any other kind of fiction.
Query: “horror stories shorts”
See what is movingCar facts
Engineering, history and trivia about cars — a niche with an unusually knowledgeable audience.
Query: “car facts shorts”
See what is movingSports facts
Records, rules and moments. Almost entirely archive footage, which is what makes it hard to enter.
Query: “sports facts shorts”
See what is movingTech news
The niche we deliberately do not sell a tool for: a tool page takes a topic, and a model's knowledge of this week is stale. Hand article-to-video the story's link instead.
Query: “tech news shorts”
See what is movingBook summaries
One idea from one book. Works best when it argues with the book rather than summarising it.
Query: “book summary shorts”
See what is movingLanguage learning
Vocabulary and phrases in short bursts, narrated in the language being taught — 29 of them are available.
Query: “language learning shorts”
See what is movingMindset
Adjacent to motivation and usually better, because it argues for something rather than asserting it.
Query: “mindset shorts”
See what is movingTravel
Destinations and advice. The half that is somebody's own footage is not a niche we can serve.
Query: “travel shorts”
See what is movingPets
The oldest format on the internet, and the one where real footage is the entire product.
Query: “pets shorts”
See what is movingHalloween
Costumes, decorations and spooky skits. Seasonal by definition, so this ranking is at its busiest in October.
Query: “halloween shorts”
See what is movingAI shorts
Shorts made with, or about, AI generation. A broad search, so expect a mix of showcases, tutorials and odd experiments.
Query: “ai shorts”
See what is movingAI cartoon
Short cartoons where the drawing is generated, so the script and the character carry the video.
Query: “ai cartoon shorts”
See what is movingAI animation
Animated shorts made with generation tools, mostly in the soft 3D look that Pixar made familiar.
Query: “ai animation shorts”
See what is movingAI stories
Narrated fiction with generated pictures, which lives or dies on whether the story has a turn in it.
Query: “ai story shorts”
See what is movingKids cartoon
Cartoons, songs and rhymes for young children, a niche where parents are the real audience to win over.
Query: “kids cartoon shorts”
See what is movingAI-generated video
Shorts presented as made end to end by AI, narrower than AI shorts because the video itself is the generated part.
Query: “ai generated video shorts”
See what is movingAI fruit drama
Soap-opera plots acted out by generated fruit and vegetables, where the absurd cast is the hook and the cliffhanger keeps people watching.
Query: “ai fruit drama shorts”
See what is movingAI animal
Generated animals, mostly cats, doing human things, which works when the joke would still land with a real animal.
Query: “ai animal shorts”
See what is movingAI cat
Generated cats in little stories: a kitten's bad day, a cat with a job, a cat family drama. The biggest single animal in AI Shorts, and the one where a clear story beats a cute face.
Query: “ai cat shorts”
See what is movingAI monkey
Generated monkeys acting out human routines and mini dramas. A narrow niche that posts daily, where the same recurring character keeps people coming back.
Query: “ai monkey shorts”
See what is movingAI ASMR
Generated satisfying clips such as slicing, crunching and pouring, where the sound design matters as much as the picture.
Query: “ai asmr shorts”
See what is movingAI brainrot
Deliberately absurd generated characters and non-sequitur voiceovers, where the strangeness is the hook and a recurring character is what brings people back.
Query: “ai brainrot shorts”
See what is movingAI anime
Short scenes drawn in an anime style by generation tools, which hold attention when there is a story beat rather than just a pretty frame.
Query: “ai anime shorts”
See what is movingAI baby
Generated babies dancing, talking back or doing grown-up jobs, a format that runs on one funny contrast per video.
Query: “ai baby shorts”
See what is movingReddit stories
Anonymous posts read aloud over gameplay or stills, where the post's last line has to land as a twist.
Query: “reddit stories shorts”
See what is movingWould you rather
Two options and a countdown, a format that earns its comments by making the choice genuinely hard.
Query: “would you rather shorts”
See what is movingQuiz
Trivia questions with a pause before the answer, which works because the viewer plays along instead of scrolling.
Query: “quiz shorts”
See what is movingAnimal facts
One surprising thing an animal does, stated in the first second. The fact carries the video, not the footage.
Query: “animal facts shorts”
See what is movingLife hacks
Quick fixes for everyday problems. Mostly hands-on demonstrations, so an explained, step-by-step hack is the gap a generated video can fill.
Query: “life hacks shorts”
See what is movingMythology
Gods, monsters and curses retold in under a minute, mostly from Greek myth, where the strangest detail makes the best opening.
Query: “greek mythology shorts”
See what is movingScience facts
One how-or-why question answered in under a minute, where the explanation has to be right as well as surprising.
Query: “science facts shorts”
See what is movingWeird facts
Facts that sound made up and are not. The whole video lives or dies on whether the first line is believable.
Query: “weird facts shorts”
See what is movingFun facts
The general facts format, with no particular subject: a handful of quick surprises and an opening that earns the second one.
Query: “fun facts shorts”
See what is movingTrue crime
A real case told in under a minute: the one detail investigators missed, stated first. Accuracy and respect for the victims are the whole job.
Query: “true crime shorts”
See what is movingBible stories
Scripture stories and verses retold for a phone screen, where one scene and one line of the text carry the whole short.
Query: “bible shorts”
See what is movingStoicism
One Stoic idea, usually from Marcus Aurelius, Seneca or Epictetus, applied to a modern problem in a single narrated minute.
Query: “stoicism shorts”
See what is movingCreepypasta
Internet-born horror legends narrated in under a minute. A calm voice and one wrong detail do more than any jump scare.
Query: “creepypasta shorts”
See what is movingMath tricks
A mental-math shortcut shown on one worked example. The trick has to be checkable on screen, or the comments will check it for you.
Query: “math tricks shorts”
See what is movingDark psychology
How persuasion and manipulation tactics work, explained so viewers can spot them. The useful ones teach the defence, not the trick.
Query: “dark psychology shorts”
See what is movingRiddles
A riddle read out, a pause long enough to guess, then the answer. The pause is the format: viewers stay to find out whether they were right.
Query: “riddles shorts”
See what is movingRoman Empire
Emperors, legions and daily life in Rome, one story per short. The details that travel are the human ones, and they need a source behind them.
Query: “roman empire shorts”
See what is movingAncient Egypt
Pharaohs, pyramids and tombs, told one discovery or one custom at a time. Separating what archaeologists know from what is guessed is what earns trust.
Query: “ancient egypt shorts”
See what is movingParanormal
Ghost sightings, haunted places and unexplained encounters. A narrated account with a slow build is the version you can make without a camera crew at midnight.
Query: “paranormal shorts”
See what is movingFairy tales
Classic fairy tales retold short, often with the darker original ending the films left out. One scene and one moral carry the whole video.
Query: “fairy tales shorts”
See what is movingMoral stories
A short story that ends on a lesson, told for kids or for adults. The moral has to be earned by the plot, not stated at the end, or nobody watches twice.
Query: “moral stories shorts”
See what is movingBedtime stories
Calm, slow stories for young children at the end of the day. Soft voices and gentle pictures win here; the hooks that work everywhere else work against it.
Query: “bedtime stories shorts”
See what is movingPoems
A short poem read aloud over images that match it, line by line. The voice and the pacing matter more here than in almost any other niche.
Query: “poems shorts”
See what is movingThanksgiving
Gratitude posts, the first-Thanksgiving story for kids and dinner-table skits. US-only and seasonal, so this ranking fills up through November and goes quiet after the holiday.
Query: “thanksgiving shorts”
See what is movingBlack Friday
Deal round-ups, shopping-day chaos and shop promos. For a business, the version worth making is its own offer and dates, posted the week before rather than on the day.
Query: “black friday shorts”
See what is movingChristmas
Christmas stories, greetings, the history behind a tradition and holiday skits. Seasonal, so this ranking builds from late November towards the 25th.
Query: “christmas shorts”
See what is movingChristmas cartoons
Animated Christmas stories for kids: Santa's workshop, reindeer, snowmen and elves. Seasonal, so this ranking fills up from late November and peaks the week before the 25th.
Query: “christmas cartoon shorts”
See what is movingNew Year
Countdowns, greetings and resolutions. The window is short: most of these go up in the last week of December and the first week of January.
Query: “new year shorts”
See what is movingVeterans Day
Tributes and thank-yous for November 11, made by churches, classrooms and local businesses as much as by creators. Accurate and respectful beats dramatic.
Query: “veterans day shorts”
See what is movingValentine’s Day
Couples’ skits, cute surprises, classroom crafts and shop promos. Phrased as a video search because “valentines day shorts” on its own is mostly clothing; seasonal, so this ranking fills up in early February.
Query: “valentines day short video”
See what is moving4th of July
Fireworks, cookouts, parades and the story of 1776, posted in the week around July 4. Phrased as a video search because “4th of july shorts” on its own is mostly clothing, and quiet for most of the year.
Query: “4th of july short video”
See what is movingNFL
Highlights, edits and memes from the season, almost all of it broadcast footage only its owners can post. A narrated recap or a play explained, with no game footage, is the version you can make.
Query: “nfl shorts”
See what is movingFantasy football
Start-or-sit calls, waiver pickups and draft strategy, posted weekly through the NFL season and stale by the next game. A recap of your own league's week is the one nobody else can make.
Query: “fantasy football shorts”
See what is movingSuper Bowl
Halftime shows, the ads and the big plays, almost all of it the league’s and the broadcaster’s footage. Busiest in early February. A narrated preview, a recap from the score or a watch-party invite, with no game footage, is the version you can make.
Query: “super bowl shorts”
See what is movingNBA
Highlights, edits and funny moments from the season, almost all of it broadcast footage only its owners can post. A narrated facts short about the game and its history, with no game footage, is the version you can make.
Query: “nba shorts”
See what is movingAmerican history
The Revolution, the Civil War, the frontier and everything between, one story per short. Everyone was taught the outline, so the detail school left out is what travels.
Query: “american history shorts”
See what is movingUS presidents
One president and one specific, true story per short. The search also returns AI-voiced president memes; the history version, with a source behind each claim, is the one we make.
Query: “us presidents shorts”
See what is movingUnsolved mysteries
Disappearances, unexplained finds and cases that never closed, told as what is known, what is not and which theories actually hold up.
Query: “unsolved mysteries shorts”
See what is movingBigfoot
Bigfoot vlogs, sighting stories and deadpan forest comedy. The AI selfie-vlog version is the one this niche runs on now; a narrated, first-person day in Bigfoot’s life is what we make.
Query: “bigfoot shorts”
See what is movingReal estate
Agents' market updates, buyer and seller tips and listing tours. The tour needs the house on camera; the tips and the market explainer do not.
Query: “real estate shorts”
See what is movingSide hustle
Ways to earn outside a day job, one idea per short. The ones worth copying say what it costs to start and how long it takes, not only what it pays.
Query: “side hustle shorts”
See what is movingYouTube automation
Shorts about running a faceless channel as a business: niches, workflows and what it earns. Treat every income figure in this niche as a claim until it comes with a screenshot and a date.
Query: “youtube automation shorts”
See what is movingQuestions
Where does this data come from?
The YouTube Data API. We run one search per niche per refresh, look up the details of what comes back, and rank it. We do not scrape, we do not hold a corpus, and we do not have anything from TikTok or Instagram — anything implying otherwise would be a lie.
Why rank by views per day rather than total views?
Because total views reward age. A three-year-old video with a million views has taught nobody anything about this month. Views per day since publish makes a video from last week comparable to one from last year, and it is what 'currently winning' actually means.
How fresh is it?
Each niche refreshes on its own clock: daily while its season is on (a holiday in the run-up, a sport in season, and tech news always), every three days for an evergreen niche, and every two weeks for a seasonal niche out of season. Every page states the date it was last refreshed and how many results it ranked, so an older ranking is never presented as today's.
Why only seventy-seven niches?
Quota. A search costs 100 of the 10,000 units the free tier gives us per day. Refreshing on those clocks, seventy-seven niches cost about 3,000 units a day, and these pages may never spend more than 4,000, so the signed-in product always has room to work. It is a real ceiling rather than a launch decision.
Is there a hooks page?
No, and there will not be one built from this data. A hook is a spoken opening line and the API gives us no transcripts, so we would be reading titles and calling them hooks. What we do have is the title-patterns page under each niche, which is exactly what it says it is.
Do I need an account?
Not to browse — these pages are free with no login. The 'Make my version' button carries that video's angle into our generator, and that part needs a plan: from $7 a month. The script costs no credits; rendering does.