Comments Extractor — YouTube + Reddit, One Schema (+AI)

Multi Platform YouTube and Reddit Comments Extractor

You get comments from YouTube videos and Reddit posts in one normalized row format, for $0.0027 per returned comment on the Free plan. You need only an Apify account; YouTube runs through Apify Proxy, and the only key is an optional one for AI tags.

• Add optional sentiment and flag labels to each comment when enrichComments is true.
• Compare audience feedback across selected YouTube videos and Reddit posts.
• Export comment text, authors, engagement, dates, and direct URLs for content or audience analysis.
• Schedule recurring runs for comment monitoring.

What you get

The Actor returns one row per comment from the input YouTube videos and Reddit posts. YouTube uses likes, while Reddit uses the comment score in the normalized likes field. A field is null when the source does not provide the value.

Field	Type	Description	Values or notes
platform	string	Source platform	youtube or reddit
content_url	string	Source video or post URL	Input content URL; null when the source does not provide it
comment_id	string	ID of the comment	YouTube comment ID; always null for Reddit rows
comment_url	string	Direct comment URL	Link to the individual comment; null when the source does not provide it
author	string	Comment author	Normalized author value; null when the source does not provide it
author_url	string	Author profile URL	Available when present; otherwise null
text	string	Comment text	Extracted comment body; null when the source does not provide it
likes	number	Likes (YouTube) or score (Reddit)	YouTube like count or Reddit comment score; null when the source does not provide it
reply_count	number	Number of replies to the comment	Always null
posted_at	ISO 8601 string	Comment posting date	Reddit: ISO 8601 date; always null for YouTube rows
sentiment	string	AI sentiment label	positive, neutral, or negative when enrichment is on; null when it is off
flag	string	AI intent flag	spam, lead, complaint, or none when enrichment is on; null when it is off
scraped_at	ISO 8601 string	Extraction timestamp	ISO 8601 timestamp of the extraction; present in the sample row

When enrichComments is true, the Actor adds sentiment and flag to each returned row. When it is false, both fields are null.

Sample output

One row from a YouTube-only run with enrichComments set to false, so sentiment and flag are null.

{
  "platform": "youtube",
  "content_url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "comment_id": "UgwPwTibxdgqCHZxktd4AaABAg",
  "comment_url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ&lc=UgwPwTibxdgqCHZxktd4AaABAg",
  "author": "@bdr8823",
  "author_url": "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdi6tGxvFvTRGe-7dAn7m7w",
  "text": "My algebra teacher said that this was a link to the test answers",
  "likes": 71,
  "reply_count": null,
  "posted_at": null,
  "sentiment": null,
  "flag": null,
  "scraped_at": "2026-11-08T09:03:04.924372+00:00"
}

Pricing

You pay only for the events listed below. This Actor does not use the Pay per event + usage option, so the platform usage of your runs (compute, proxy traffic and storage) is not billed to you separately.

Event	Plan	Price	Condition
apify-actor-start	Free plan	$0.00005 per event	Charged once per GB of run memory, with a minimum of one event
apify-default-dataset-item	Free plan	$0.0027 per event	One per returned comment

comment-result has no price, so the buyer is not charged for it.

Example on the Free plan: 1,000 x $0.0027 = $2.70 for comments; 10,000 x $0.0027 = $27.00. Each run adds one actor-start event.

The Apify Free plan includes $5 of monthly platform credit; the $5 credit covers 1,851 results after one actor-start event.

How to use

1. Add YouTube video URLs or bare 11-character YouTube video IDs to youtubeUrls.
2. Add Reddit post URLs in the /comments/<id>/ format to redditUrls.
3. Set maxCommentsPerContent to the number of comments to request per video or post.
4. Choose whether to enable enrichComments, and optionally provide your own OpenAI-compatible key and model override.
5. Keep the default Apify Proxy configuration for the YouTube path and use the Arctic Shift API for Reddit comments.
6. Start the run and inspect the normalized dataset rows, including direct comment URLs and optional AI fields.
7. Repeat the run through Apify Schedules, using daily as a starting point for comment monitoring.

{
  "youtubeUrls": ["https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"],
  "redditUrls": [],
  "maxCommentsPerContent": 50,
  "enrichComments": false,
  "aiModel": "",
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"]
  }
}

Export the dataset as JSON or CSV, or read it through the Apify dataset API.

Input parameters

Parameter	What it does	Default
youtubeUrls	Array of full YouTube video URLs or bare 11-character video IDs to process	Empty when omitted
redditUrls	Array of Reddit post URLs containing /comments/<id>/	Empty when omitted
maxCommentsPerContent	Number of comments to request per video or post (1–1000). Reddit returns at most 100 per post and YouTube stops after 5 comment pages, so higher values do not return more	50
enrichComments	Adds sentiment and flag to each returned comment	false
openaiApiKey	Optional secret OpenAI-compatible key for the AI pass; provider charges are paid directly by the key owner. When empty, the Actor uses its built-in or deterministic classifier	Empty
aiModel	Overrides the AI tagging model when an API key is available	Empty; gpt-4o-mini is used when a key is available
proxyConfiguration	Apify Proxy configuration used for YouTube; the Arctic Shift API is used for Reddit	Apify Proxy with the RESIDENTIAL group

Limits and edge cases

Condition	What you see	What to do
Both URL arrays are empty or omitted	The run output contains {"error":"no_input"}	Provide at least one YouTube video URL or Reddit post URL
A YouTube URL or ID cannot be parsed	The item is skipped and a warning is logged	Use a full supported YouTube URL or a bare 11-character video ID
A content fetch raises an error	A warning is logged for that item and processing continues with other input items; rows are pushed after the URL loops and optional enrichment	Check the input URL and run again if needed
No comments are extracted from the input items	The run output contains {"error":"empty"}	Check that the source content has accessible comments and review the run logs
maxCommentsPerContent is above the source cap	Reddit returns at most 100 comments per post; YouTube stops after 5 comment pages	Expect fewer rows than the value you set; run several posts or videos for more volume
An AI classification batch fails	That batch falls back to deterministic sentiment and flag values rather than stopping enrichment	Review the returned values

To see how many comments a given URL returns, run it once with a small maxCommentsPerContent and count the dataset rows.

FAQ

How much does it cost to scrape YouTube and Reddit comments?

You pay $0.0027 per returned comment on the Free plan plus the actor-start event; see Pricing.

What happens if the run returns an empty result?

If no comments are extracted, the run sets the output to {"error":"empty"}. Check that the submitted YouTube or Reddit URL is valid and that the source content has accessible comments.

Do I need an OpenAI API key for sentiment and intent tagging?

No; an OpenAI-compatible key is optional.

Why might YouTube comments not be returned?

Check the video URL and proxy configuration if comments are not returned.

Is scraping this public data legal?

The Actor extracts public comments from YouTube through its comment endpoint and from Reddit through the Arctic Shift API. Source terms and applicable law depend on your use case, so review the relevant terms and legal requirements for your intended use.