YouTube Channel & Video Scraper

Scrape YouTube channels, videos, and search results. Extract subscriber counts, video stats, engagement metrics, and creator data for influencer research and competitive analysis. Built by John Rippy (https://johnrippy.link/).

Features

• Channel Data: Subscribers, total views, video count, description, join date
• Video Stats: Views, likes, comments, duration, upload date
• Search YouTube: Find channels or videos by keyword
• Comment Extraction: Get comment text and engagement
• Engagement Metrics: Average views, likes, engagement rate
• Upload Patterns: Posting frequency analysis

Quick Start

Try it first (Free - Demo Mode)

{
  "demoMode": true
}

This returns sample YouTube data so you can see the output format without any charges.

Scrape Channels by @handle

{
  "scrapeType": "channels",
  "channelUrls": ["@MrBeast", "@PewDiePie", "@LinusTechTips"],
  "includeVideos": true,
  "videosPerChannel": 10,
  "demoMode": false
}

Scrape Channels by URL

{
  "scrapeType": "channels",
  "channelUrls": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast",
    "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA"
  ],
  "includeVideos": true,
  "demoMode": false
}

Search for Creators

{
  "scrapeType": "search",
  "searchQueries": ["tech reviews", "cooking tutorials"],
  "searchType": "channel",
  "minSubscribers": 100000,
  "maxResults": 20,
  "demoMode": false
}

Scrape Specific Videos

{
  "scrapeType": "videos",
  "videoUrls": ["https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"],
  "includeComments": true,
  "commentsPerVideo": 50,
  "demoMode": false
}

No login required! This scraper works with public YouTube data.

Demo Mode

Set demoMode: true to test with sample data (no charges). When you're ready for real results, set demoMode: false or omit it.

{
  "demoMode": true,
  ...
}

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
scrapeType	string	Mode: channels, videos, search, playlists
channelUrls	array	YouTube channel URLs or @handles
videoUrls	array	YouTube video URLs to scrape
searchQueries	array	Search terms for discovery
searchType	string	Search for: channel, video, playlist
includeVideos	boolean	Include recent videos (default: true)
videosPerChannel	number	Videos per channel (default: 10, max: 50)
includeComments	boolean	Scrape comments (slower)
commentsPerVideo	number	Comments per video (default: 20)
maxResults	number	Maximum results (default: 50, max: 500)
minSubscribers	number	Minimum subscriber threshold
minViews	number	Minimum video views threshold
uploadedAfter	string	Filter by upload date (YYYY-MM-DD)
sortBy	string	Sort: subscribers, views, videoCount, engagement, recent
proxyConfiguration	object	Proxy settings for reliability
demoMode	boolean	Test with sample data

Output Format

Channel Profile Output

{
  "channelId": "UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA",
  "channelName": "MrBeast",
  "handle": "@MrBeast",
  "channelUrl": "https://youtube.com/@MrBeast",
  "description": "SUBSCRIBE FOR A COOKIE!",
  "avatarUrl": "https://yt3.ggpht.com/...",
  "bannerUrl": "https://yt3.ggpht.com/...",
  "subscribers": 345000000,
  "subscriberGrowth": "+2.1M this month",
  "totalViews": 62500000000,
  "videoCount": 812,
  "country": "US",
  "joinedDate": "2012-02-20",
  "verified": true,
  "avgViews": 125000000,
  "avgLikes": 4500000,
  "avgComments": 180000,
  "engagementRate": 3.74,
  "uploadFrequency": "2-3 videos/month",
  "recentVideos": [
    {
      "videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
      "title": "$1 vs $1,000,000 Hotel Room!",
      "url": "https://youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
      "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/...",
      "description": "We stayed in the most expensive hotel...",
      "publishedAt": "2024-12-15T19:00:00.000Z",
      "duration": "PT18M32S",
      "durationSeconds": 1112,
      "views": 156000000,
      "likes": 5800000,
      "comments": 245000,
      "isShort": false,
      "isLive": false,
      "isPremiere": false,
      "tags": ["mrbeast", "hotel", "expensive"],
      "engagementRate": 3.87
    }
  ],
  "categories": ["Entertainment"],
  "topTags": ["mrbeast", "challenge", "money"],
  "scrapedAt": "2024-12-21T10:30:00.000Z"
}

Understanding the Output

What is engagementRate? The percentage of viewers who interact with a video: (likes + comments) / views × 100. Higher is better. 3-6% is typical for popular creators.

What is PT18M32S (duration format)? ISO 8601 duration format. PT18M32S = 18 minutes, 32 seconds. We also provide durationSeconds for convenience.

What is uploadFrequency? How often the creator posts, like "2-3 videos/month" or "daily".

Common Problems & Solutions

"Channel not found" or empty results

Cause: The channel URL or @handle is incorrect. Fix:

• For @handles, use just @MrBeast (with the @)
• For URLs, use the full URL: https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast
• Verify the channel exists by visiting it in your browser

Videos missing or limited

Cause: YouTube may not show all videos publicly. Fix:

• Increase videosPerChannel (max 50)
• Some channels have videos set to unlisted or private
• YouTube Shorts may be in a separate section

Comments not appearing

Cause: includeComments is set to false, or comments are disabled. Fix: Set includeComments: true. Note: scraping comments is slower and costs more.

Demo data showing instead of real results

Cause: demoMode is still set to true. Fix: Set demoMode: false in your input.

Pricing

This actor uses pay-per-event billing:

Event	Description	Price
apify-actor-start	Base cost per run	$0.10
channel_scraped	Per channel profile	$0.05
video_scraped	Per video extracted	$0.003
comment_scraped	Per comment extracted	$0.001

Example costs:

• 50 channels with 10 videos each: $0.10 + (50 × $0.05) + (500 × $0.003) = $4.10
• 100 videos with 20 comments each: $0.10 + (100 × $0.003) + (2000 × $0.001) = $2.40

Use Cases

• Influencer Discovery: Find YouTube creators by niche and engagement metrics
• Competitive Analysis: Track competitor channels and content strategy
• Content Research: Identify trending topics and successful formats
• Talent Acquisition: Discover rising creators for early partnerships
• Market Research: Analyze audience preferences by category
• Ad Placement: Find channels matching your target demographics
• SEO Research: Analyze title/description patterns that perform

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Built by John Rippy | Actor Arsenal