# YouTube Scraper - Videos, Shorts, Channels & Search (`automly/youtube-scraper`) Actor

Scrape YouTube videos, Shorts and live streams from search, channels, playlists and video links: exact views, likes, comments, publish date, length, description, hashtags, tags, category and channel stats. No login, fast, real-time API.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/automly/youtube-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Automly](https://apify.com/automly) (community)
- **Categories:** Videos, Social media
- **Stats:** 4 total users, 2 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.95 / 1,000 video with full details

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## YouTube Scraper - Videos, Shorts, Channels & Search

### What is YouTube Scraper?

**YouTube Scraper** is a tool that lets you **scrape videos, Shorts and live streams from YouTube** search results, channels, playlists and video links: title, **exact views, likes and comment count**, publish date, length, full description, hashtags, tags, category, thumbnail, plus the **channel's name, handle, subscribers, total videos and views, country and join date** for every video. Type a keyword or paste any YouTube link, click **Start**, and download the videos as Excel, CSV or JSON.

- ⚡ **Fast:** 1,049 videos with full details in 87 seconds, the newest 500 videos and Shorts of a channel in under a minute (our tests)
- 🎬 **Videos, Shorts and live streams** in one tool, each with its own limit
- 🔢 **Exact numbers:** exact views, likes and comments for every video, not "1.2M"
- 🔓 **No login:** no YouTube account needed
- 💸 **Free to try:** the $5 of free usage every Apify account gets each month covers about 3,300 videos with full details

### What can YouTube Scraper do?

- **Scrape YouTube search results** for any keyword, with YouTube's own filters: upload date, length, HD, 4K, subtitles, Creative Commons, live and more
- **Scrape every video of a YouTube channel**, newest, most popular or oldest first
- **Scrape YouTube Shorts** from a channel's Shorts tab or from a search
- **Scrape a channel's live streams**, past and upcoming, and find streams that are live right now
- **Scrape YouTube playlists** to the last video
- **Get YouTube video details from links**, including Shorts and youtu.be short links
- **Track YouTube video views, likes and comments** over time with exact counts
- **Find YouTube creators** through their videos, with subscriber counts and channel stats in the same row
- Export to Excel, CSV, JSON, HTML or XML, or send the data to Google Sheets, Make, Zapier and more

### What data can you extract from YouTube?

| | | |
|---|---|---|
| 🎬 Title and full description | 👁️ Exact view count | 👍 Exact like count |
| 💬 Exact comment count | 📅 Publish date and time | ⏱️ Length |
| #️⃣ Hashtags | 🏷️ Tags (keywords) | 🗂️ Category |
| 🖼️ Thumbnail, largest size | 🔗 Links in the description | 📱 Short, video or live stream |
| 📺 Channel name, handle and link | 👥 Channel subscribers | 📊 Channel total videos and views |
| 🌍 Channel country | 🗓️ Channel join date | ✅ Verified badge |
| 🗣️ Subtitle languages (optional) | 🔒 Comments turned off | 👪 Family-safe and unlisted flags |

### How to scrape YouTube

1. [Create a free Apify account](https://console.apify.com/sign-up).
2. Open **YouTube Scraper**.
3. Enter search terms, or paste YouTube video, Shorts, channel, playlist or search links, one per line.
4. Set how many videos, Shorts and live streams you want for each search term or channel.
5. Click **Start**, then download the videos as Excel, CSV, JSON or HTML.

### How much does it cost to scrape YouTube videos?

You pay per video saved. A video with full details (the default) costs more than a video from a list alone (with **Include video details** turned off):

| Apify plan | Videos with full details per 1,000 | Videos from a list only per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $1.50 | $0.50 |
| Starter (Bronze) | $1.35 | $0.45 |
| Scale (Silver) | $1.20 | $0.40 |
| Business (Gold) and higher | $1.05 | $0.35 |

Platform usage is included in these prices, so you pay nothing else for the run.

Example: 1,000 videos with full details cost $1.50 on the Free plan and $1.05 on Business. The same 1,000 videos with details off cost $0.50 on the Free plan.

Every Apify account gets **$5 of free usage each month**, enough for about 3,300 videos with full details. See the **Pricing** tab for details.

### ⬇️ Input

| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Search terms** | Words to search YouTube for, like `lofi hip hop` or `street food tokyo` |
| **YouTube links** | Any mix of videos (`https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ`, `https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ`), Shorts (`https://www.youtube.com/shorts/CEJXqm2eiJ0`), channels (`https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast`, `/channel/UC...`, `/c/...`, `/user/...`), channel tabs (`/@MrBeast/videos`, `/@MrBeast/shorts`, `/@MrBeast/streams`), playlists and search pages |
| **Max videos / Shorts / live streams per search term or channel** | How many of each to get. Set a type to 0 to skip it. A channel tab link reads that tab only |
| **Include video details** | Exact views, likes and comments, publish date, full description, tags, category and channel stats for every video (on by default). Turn it off for a cheaper, faster list |
| **Subtitle languages** | Adds the subtitle languages each video has |
| **Only videos published after** | A date (`2026-09-01`) or an age (`7 days`). With details off, Shorts lists show no date, so their Shorts are kept |
| **Channel sort order** | Newest, most popular or oldest first, like the buttons on a channel page |
| **Search filters** | Sort order, upload date, video type, length, HD, 4K, subtitles, Creative Commons, live, 360°, VR180 and more |
| **Connection settings** | The default works for most runs |

The 100 newest videos and 50 newest Shorts of a channel:

```json
{
  "startUrls": ["https://www.youtube.com/@NYTCooking"],
  "maxResults": 100,
  "maxResultsShorts": 50
}
```

The 200 most-viewed videos for two keywords, uploaded this month:

```json
{
  "searchQueries": ["street food", "home espresso"],
  "maxResults": 200,
  "sortingOrder": "views",
  "dateFilter": "month"
}
```

Details for a list of video links:

```json
{
  "startUrls": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
    "https://youtu.be/jNQXAC9IVRw",
    "https://www.youtube.com/shorts/CEJXqm2eiJ0"
  ]
}
```

### ⬆️ Output

Every video is one row. A video from a search with details on:

```json
{
  "id": "vrqoobB47FY",
  "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrqoobB47FY",
  "title": "Wood Carving - Chevrolet Silverado uniqueness with ability to tow large container - Woodworking Art",
  "type": "video",
  "isShort": false,
  "isLive": false,
  "viewCount": 24414969,
  "likes": 121915,
  "commentsCount": 2081,
  "commentsTurnedOff": false,
  "date": "2021-11-04T11:19:18Z",
  "publishedText": "4 years ago",
  "duration": "00:08:39",
  "durationSeconds": 519,
  "text": "Today's car is Chevy Silverado with some creativity of my own ideas. I built an extra container in the back and tested its pulling power.\nI made it entirely out...",
  "descriptionLinks": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/WoodworkingArtCrafts",
      "text": "https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/WoodworkingArtCrafts"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.handicraft-art.net",
      "text": "https://www.handicraft-art.net"
    }
  ],
  "hashtags": [
    "#woodcarving",
    "#woodworking",
    "#chevroletsilverado"
  ],
  "keywords": [
    "wood carving",
    "woodworking",
    "chevrolet",
    "chevy",
    "silverado"
  ],
  "category": "People & Blogs",
  "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vrqoobB47FY/maxresdefault.jpg?v=6183b99b",
  "channelName": "Woodworking Art",
  "channelId": "UC6VWwc9YjQ32mcEE_VvWf1Q",
  "channelUsername": "WoodworkingArt",
  "channelUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/@WoodworkingArt",
  "numberOfSubscribers": 3680000,
  "isChannelVerified": true,
  "channelTotalVideos": 198,
  "channelTotalViews": 1111172726,
  "channelDescription": "Welcome to my youtube channel\n- Woodworking art\n- Woodworking tools\n- Woodworking DIY\n- Woodwor...",
  "channelLocation": "United States",
  "channelJoinedDate": "2019-05-24",
  "channelAvatarUrl": "https://yt3.googleusercontent.com/ytc/AIdro_nFxjC4aMPO_BcyMuh2wLewgiMPa8yTtnu-uTPFHQm12A=s900-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj",
  "channelBannerUrl": "https://yt3.googleusercontent.com/2R81RDAays0wX-fSbZE_n6b7prVh9xNORov9WrEows1D5HEpv7GmGVFdOTBhAlAXFfCwvcVo=w2560-fcrop64=1,00005a57ffffa5a8-k-c0xffffffff-no-nd-rj",
  "isFamilySafe": true,
  "isUnlisted": false,
  "subtitles": null,
  "hasDetails": true,
  "input": "woodworking",
  "fromYTUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=woodworking&hl=en&gl=US&sp=EgIQAQ%253D%253D",
  "order": 248,
  "scrapedAt": "2026-10-01T22:18:57Z"
}
```

`type` is `video`, `shorts` or `stream`. The **Overview** tab shows the main columns; download the dataset for every field.

### Which fields come with which setting?

| Field | Details on (default) | Details off |
|---|---|---|
| Title, link, thumbnail, type | ✅ | ✅ |
| Views | exact | as the list shows it (search: exact; channels, playlists, Shorts: rounded, like "85M") |
| Length | ✅ | ✅ (not for Shorts) |
| Age ("3 weeks ago") | search, channel and playlist results | search, channel and playlist results |
| Likes, comments, publish date and time | ✅ | - |
| Description, links, hashtags, tags, category | ✅ | hashtags in the title only |
| Channel subscribers, videos, views, country, join date | ✅ | - |
| Channel name and link | ✅ | search and playlist results, channel links |

Video links always come with details.

### How can I use YouTube data?

- **Market and trend research:** see which topics, formats and lengths get the most views and comments for a keyword
- **Competitor tracking:** follow a competitor's channel, its upload rhythm and each video's views, likes and comments
- **Influencer marketing:** find creators in a niche through their videos, with subscribers, country and channel stats
- **Content planning:** study the titles, tags, hashtags and descriptions of the top videos and Shorts in your niche
- **Brand monitoring:** find videos that mention your brand or product and measure their reach
- **Research datasets:** collect video metadata at scale for analysis or model training

### How many videos can I get?

Channels, channel tabs and playlists are read to the end: every public video, Short and live stream. A YouTube search shows a few hundred results per term: in our tests 200 to 450 videos, about 150 Shorts and about 100 live streams. Set a higher limit and leave the sort order empty to get the most videos a search term can give; add related search terms to get more still. A video that two inputs find is saved once.

### Scrape more YouTube and social media data

| Actor | What it gets |
|---|---|
| [YouTube Channel Scraper - Search Channels by Keyword](https://apify.com/automly/youtube-channel-search-scraper) | YouTube channels by keyword: subscribers, video and view counts, country, links |
| [YouTube Search Scraper - Videos, Channels & Playlists](https://apify.com/automly/youtube-search-results-scraper) | Ranked YouTube search results: videos, channels and playlists |
| [TikTok Profile Scraper](https://apify.com/automly/tiktok-profile-scraper) | TikTok profiles and their latest videos with views, likes and comments |
| [TikTok Hashtag Scraper](https://apify.com/automly/tiktok-hashtag-scraper) | TikTok videos from any hashtag with views, likes and creators |
| [Instagram Posts & Reels Scraper](https://apify.com/automly/instagram-profile-posts-scraper) | Posts and reels from public Instagram profiles with likes and comment counts |

### ❓FAQ

#### How much does it cost to scrape YouTube?

From $1.50 per 1,000 videos with full details and $0.50 per 1,000 videos from a list alone on the Free plan, with lower prices on paid plans. See the **How much does it cost to scrape YouTube videos?** section above. The limits per search term and channel keep the cost of a run under control, and you can also set a maximum cost per run.

#### How many YouTube videos can I scrape?

Every public video, Short and live stream of a channel or playlist. A YouTube search gives a few hundred results per term (200 to 450 videos in our tests), so add related search terms for more. See the **How many videos can I get?** section above.

#### Can I scrape YouTube Shorts?

Yes. Set **Max Shorts** for search terms and channels, or paste a channel's Shorts tab (`https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast/shorts`) or single Shorts links. Shorts rows have `type: "shorts"` and a `/shorts/` link.

#### Does it get exact view and like counts?

Yes, with **Include video details** on (the default): views, likes and comments are the exact numbers YouTube counts, and the publish date comes with the time. Channel subscriber counts are rounded by YouTube itself above 1,000.

#### Can I get subtitles?

Turn on **Subtitle languages** to get the list of subtitle tracks each video has (language, name, and whether they are auto-generated). The subtitle text itself is not included.

#### What about age-restricted, members-only or private videos?

They cannot be viewed without signing in, so they are not saved and not charged. The run report in the **Storage** tab lists each one and why. Deleted videos and wrong links are listed there too.

#### Do I need a YouTube account?

No. The scraper reads the same public videos and channels anyone can see without signing in. You don't need a YouTube account, cookies or an API key.

#### Can I call it as an API?

Yes. Run it through the Apify API from any language, or use its real-time API (`/videos?url=...` or `/videos?search=...`), which answers with the videos directly without starting a run.

#### Can I connect YouTube Scraper to other tools or AI agents?

Yes. Start runs and download results with the Apify API or the Python and JavaScript clients, send results to Make, Zapier, n8n, Google Sheets or Slack with Apify integrations and webhooks, or let AI assistants and agents run it through the Apify MCP server at [mcp.apify.com](https://mcp.apify.com).

#### Is it legal to scrape YouTube?

This scraper only collects public data that anyone can see on YouTube without signing in. Channel names and video descriptions can still contain personal data, which may be protected by laws such as GDPR, so only scrape it for a legitimate reason, respect copyright when you reuse content, and ask a lawyer if you are unsure. You can read more in [Is web scraping legal?](https://blog.apify.com/is-web-scraping-legal/)

YouTube Scraper is an independent tool. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by YouTube or Google.

#### Something isn't working?

Open the **Issues** tab with your input and what you expected, or ask for a field you need. We read every one and usually reply within a day.

### ⭐ Your feedback

Have an idea or found a problem? Tell us in the **Issues** tab. If YouTube Scraper saved you time, a short review on the **Reviews** tab helps other people find it.

# Actor input Schema

## `searchQueries` (type: `array`):

Search YouTube just like in its search bar, one term per line.

## `startUrls` (type: `array`):

Videos, Shorts, channels, channel tabs, playlists or search pages, e.g. https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast, https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast/shorts, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=..., https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ. A channel link gives its videos, Shorts and live streams up to the limits below.

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Regular videos for each search term and each channel.

## `maxResultsShorts` (type: `integer`):

Shorts for each search term and each channel.

## `maxResultStreams` (type: `integer`):

Live streams: live now for a search term, past and upcoming streams from a channel's Live tab.

## `includeDetails` (type: `boolean`):

Exact views, likes and comments, publish date, length, full description, hashtags, tags, category and the channel's subscribers and stats for every video. Turn it off for a cheaper, faster list with what search, channel and playlist pages show (title, rounded views, age, length). Video links always come with details.

## `includeSubtitles` (type: `boolean`):

Add the list of subtitle languages each video has (needs video details). Makes runs a little slower.

## `oldestPostDate` (type: `string`):

Leave out older videos: a date (2026-09-01) or an age (7 days, 2 weeks, 3 months). Channel lists sorted by newest stop at the first older video.

## `sortVideosBy` (type: `string`):

Order of a channel's videos, Shorts and live streams, like the buttons on its page.

## `sortingOrder` (type: `string`):

Search result order.

## `dateFilter` (type: `string`):

Only videos uploaded in this period.

## `videoType` (type: `string`):

Videos or movies.

## `lengthFilter` (type: `string`):

Video length.

## `isHD` (type: `boolean`):

Only HD videos.

## `hasSubtitles` (type: `boolean`):

Only videos with subtitles.

## `hasCC` (type: `boolean`):

Only Creative Commons videos.

## `is3D` (type: `boolean`):

Only 3D videos.

## `isLive` (type: `boolean`):

Only videos streaming live now.

## `isBought` (type: `boolean`):

Only purchased videos.

## `is4K` (type: `boolean`):

Only 4K videos.

## `is360` (type: `boolean`):

Only 360° videos.

## `hasLocation` (type: `boolean`):

Only videos with a location.

## `isHDR` (type: `boolean`):

Only HDR videos.

## `isVR180` (type: `boolean`):

Only VR180 videos.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Proxy settings. The default works for most runs.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "searchQueries": [
    "lofi hip hop"
  ],
  "maxResults": 10,
  "maxResultsShorts": 0,
  "maxResultStreams": 0,
  "includeDetails": true,
  "includeSubtitles": false,
  "sortVideosBy": "NEWEST",
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `overview` (type: `string`):

No description

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

## `report` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "searchQueries": [
        "lofi hip hop"
    ],
    "maxResults": 10,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("automly/youtube-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "searchQueries": ["lofi hip hop"],
    "maxResults": 10,
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": True },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("automly/youtube-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "searchQueries": [
    "lofi hip hop"
  ],
  "maxResults": 10,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}' |
apify call automly/youtube-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,automly/youtube-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/JW9BJgTetKfi9zXRr/builds/jWkDtbiVr1lE6clPy/openapi.json