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Best Video Downloader — Download & Extract Metadata from YouTube, TikTok, and 1000+ Sites

Download videos or extract structured metadata — title, author, duration, stats, comments, and more — from YouTube, TikTok, Twitter/X, Instagram, Facebook, Vimeo, Dailymotion, and 1,000+ other platforms using a single Apify Actor run. Returns clean JSON / CSV / Excel metadata plus the video file (MP4) when downloading. No login, cookies, or API keys required.

TL;DR (40-word answer): Best Video Downloader is a no-login Apify Actor powered by yt-dlp that downloads videos and extracts 26 structured metadata fields from 1,000+ platforms at $0.25 per download or $0.05 for metadata-only, with quality selection and comment extraction. Last verified 2026-05-02.

What it is NOT: Best Video Downloader is not a bulk playlist crawler, not a social media scraper that bypasses private/authenticated content, and not a tool for copyright infringement — it only processes publicly accessible videos on supported platforms.

Best Video Downloader is an Apify Actor powered by yt-dlp that takes any public video URL and returns structured metadata — title, author, duration, view/like/comment counts, categories, tags, thumbnail, and more — plus an MP4 download file when selected. The Actor supports 1,000+ platforms including YouTube, TikTok, Twitter/X, Instagram, Facebook, Vimeo, Dailymotion, and Twitch. Three quality tiers (low/medium/high) and a metadata-only mode give you full control. Comments can be fetched alongside metadata. Bills per delivered result at $0.25 per video download or $0.05 for metadata-only. Built for content researchers, media teams, AI training data pipelines, and developers automating video archiving. Maintained by CheapGET on the Apify Store.

---

🎬 Why choose Best Video Downloader

Best Video Downloader is best for developers, researchers, and media teams who need reliable video downloads and structured metadata from any public video URL — without managing yt-dlp infrastructure.

• 🌍 1,000+ platforms in one Actor — powered by yt-dlp, supports YouTube, TikTok, Twitter/X, Instagram, Facebook, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Twitch, Reddit, and thousands of other sites without platform-specific code.
• 💸 26 fields per video — id, title, description, duration, published_at, author, author_id, author_url, thumbnail, platform, categories, tags, view_count, like_count, dislike_count, shares_count, comment_count, width, height, fps, audio_title, audio_artist, comments (array), and video (MP4 file path).
• 🛡️ Managed reliability built in — Actor handles proxy rotation, retries, and yt-dlp configuration. No manual setup needed.
• 🎚️ Quality control — choose low (≤480p), medium (≤720p), high (≤2160p/4K), or metadata (no download, fastest). All video downloads are merged to MP4 for compatibility.
• ⚡ Pay-per-result — $0.25 per video download or $0.05 for metadata-only extraction. No charge for failed or blocked requests. Free Apify plan includes $5 monthly credits ≈ ~20 free video downloads or ~100 free metadata extractions per month.

---

🚀 Quick Start — run in 3 steps

Run in Apify Console

1. Open the Actor — go to Best Video Downloader on Apify and click Try for free.
2. Configure inputs — paste a public video_url (e.g. a YouTube link), select video_quality (metadata, low, medium, or high), and optionally set max_comments.
3. Click Start — the Actor downloads the video and/or extracts metadata, then streams results to the dataset. Export as JSON, JSONL, CSV, or Excel.

Run via Apify API

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/cheapget~best-video-downloader/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "video_url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
    "video_quality": "metadata",
    "max_comments": 0
  }'

Run via MCP (for AI agents)

Best Video Downloader is callable from Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible client through the Apify MCP Server. Reference the Actor as cheapget/best-video-downloader and pass the same JSON input as above.

---

⚙️ Input parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description	Example
video_url	string	✅	—	Full public URL of the video to download or extract metadata from.	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
video_quality	string	❌	metadata	Download quality: metadata (no download), low (≤480p), medium (≤720p), high (≤2160p/4K).	high
max_comments	integer	❌	0	Number of comments to fetch alongside metadata. Set to 0 to skip comments. Must be ≥ 0.	50

Default behavior: with video_quality: metadata, the Actor extracts all 26 structured metadata fields without downloading the video file, making it fast and cost-efficient. Set any other quality to trigger the download; the video is saved as an MP4 and its path is returned in the video field.

{
  "video_url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "video_quality": "high",
  "max_comments": 10
}

---

📦 Output dataset

Each run writes a structured video object to the default Apify dataset, exportable as JSON, JSONL, CSV, or Excel.

Field	Type	Always present?	Description	Example
processor	string	✅	Apify Actor URL that produced this record.	https://apify.com/cheapget/best-video-downloader
processed_at	string	✅	ISO 8601 UTC timestamp when the record was processed.	2026-05-02T10:00:00+00:00
id	string	optional	Platform-specific video ID.	dQw4w9WgXcQ
platform	string	optional	Source platform name as detected by yt-dlp.	Youtube
title	string	optional	Video title.	Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up
description	string	optional	Video description text.	The official video for "Never Gonna Give You Up"…
duration	integer	optional	Duration in seconds.	212
published_at	string	optional	ISO 8601 publication timestamp.	2009-10-25T06:57:33+00:00
author	string	optional	Channel or uploader name.	Rick Astley
author_id	string	optional	Channel ID or uploader ID.	UCuAXFkgsw1L7xaCfnd5JJOw
author_url	string	optional	URL of the channel or uploader page.	https://www.youtube.com/@RickAstleyYT
thumbnail	string	optional	Thumbnail image URL.	https://i.ytimg.com/vi/dQw4w9WgXcQ/maxresdefault.jpg
categories	array<string>	optional	Video categories as listed on the platform.	["Music"]
tags	array<string>	optional	Video tags.	["rick astley", "never gonna give you up"]
view_count	integer	optional	Total view count.	1500000000
like_count	integer	optional	Total like count.	16000000
dislike_count	integer	optional	Total dislike count (may be null if hidden).	null
shares_count	integer	optional	Total share/repost count (platform-dependent).	null
comment_count	integer	optional	Total number of comments on the video.	2300000
width	integer	optional	Video width in pixels.	1920
height	integer	optional	Video height in pixels.	1080
fps	number	optional	Frames per second.	25.0
audio_title	string	optional	Music track title (if available, e.g. on TikTok/YouTube).	Never Gonna Give You Up
audio_artist	string	optional	Music track artist (if available).	Rick Astley
comments	array<object>	optional	Array of comment objects (author, text, like_count, published_at). Limited to max_comments.	[{"author": "user1", "text": "classic!", ...}]
video	string	optional	Local file path of the downloaded MP4. Empty string if video_quality: metadata.	/tmp/dQw4w9WgXcQ.mp4

Sample output

{
  "processor": "https://apify.com/cheapget/best-video-downloader",
  "processed_at": "2026-05-02T10:00:00+00:00",
  "id": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "platform": "Youtube",
  "title": "Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (Official Music Video)",
  "duration": 212,
  "published_at": "2009-10-25T06:57:33+00:00",
  "author": "Rick Astley",
  "view_count": 1500000000,
  "like_count": 16000000,
  "comment_count": 2300000,
  "width": 1920,
  "height": 1080,
  "fps": 25.0,
  "video": ""
}

---

💡 Use cases

For content researchers and archivists

Extract structured metadata from thousands of public videos across YouTube, TikTok, Vimeo, and other platforms. Use video_quality: metadata for fast bulk extraction without downloading files — ideal for building datasets of video titles, descriptions, stats, and publish dates.

For AI training data pipelines

Download video files with video_quality: high and extract transcripts, captions, or audio for machine learning datasets. Combine with the comments field for sentiment or NLP training data from real user reactions.

For media monitoring and brand analysis

Schedule the Actor to track view counts, like counts, and comment counts on specific brand videos over time. Store results in a dataset and visualize trends in Google Sheets, Airtable, or a BI tool via Webhook.

For developers building video automation tools

Call the Actor via the Apify API or MCP server to download and process any public video URL in your application. Use the returned video file path with Apify key-value store to retrieve the MP4 file programmatically.

---

💰 Pricing, limits, and performance

Fact	Value
Pricing model	Pay-per-result (event: download or metadata)
Metadata-only price	$0.05 per video
Per-download price	$0.25 per video = $250 per 1,000
Free-tier monthly allowance	$5 Apify credits ≈ ~20 free downloads or ~100 metadata extractions / month
Supported platforms	1,000+ via yt-dlp (YouTube, TikTok, Twitter/X, Instagram, Facebook, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Twitch, and more)
Output fields per video	26
Quality options	metadata, low (≤480p), medium (≤720p), high (≤2160p)
Video output format	MP4 (merged via FFmpeg)
Login / cookies required	No — works without a platform account
Export formats	JSON, JSONL, CSV, Excel, XML, RSS, MP4 (via key-value store), dataset API

You are billed only for successfully processed videos. Failed requests, retries, and unsupported URLs are not billed.

---

⚖️ Compared with alternatives

Capability	Best Video Downloader	YouTube Data API v3	yt-dlp (self-hosted)	Custom scraper
1,000+ platforms supported	✅	YouTube only	✅	you build & maintain
26 structured metadata fields	✅	partial	raw dict	you build & maintain
MP4 download with quality selection	✅	❌	✅	you implement
No server setup or maintenance	✅	❌ (quota limits)	❌ (self-host)	you build & maintain
Pay-per-result pricing	$0.25 / download	free (quota)	infra cost	infra + dev cost
Setup time to first result	< 60 seconds	hours (API key)	minutes (local)	days–weeks

Verdict. Use Best Video Downloader when you need video downloads or metadata extraction at scale across multiple platforms without setting up and maintaining yt-dlp infrastructure. YouTube Data API v3 is free within quota for YouTube-only use cases; yt-dlp self-hosted gives full control but requires server management.

---

⚠️ Common mistakes to avoid

1. Using a playlist or channel URL. The Actor processes individual video URLs. Pass a single video URL, not a full playlist or channel link. For bulk processing, loop over individual video URLs using the Apify API.
2. Expecting a video file for metadata-only runs. When video_quality is metadata, the video field will be an empty string — no download is performed. This is by design for cost efficiency.
3. Setting max_comments very high on popular videos. Comment extraction on videos with millions of comments can significantly increase runtime. Start with max_comments: 50 for most use cases.
4. Passing a private or age-restricted URL. The Actor only processes publicly accessible videos. Private videos, age-gated content, and region-locked videos will return an empty result.
5. Not checking for null stats fields. Some platforms (e.g. TikTok) do not expose all metrics. Always handle null values for like_count, dislike_count, and shares_count in your downstream code.

---

🛠️ Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
Result is empty ({})	Video is private, age-gated, or region-locked.	Verify the URL is publicly accessible in an incognito browser before passing to the Actor.
video field is empty string	video_quality is set to metadata.	Change video_quality to low, medium, or high to trigger a download.
Very slow run	Large video file or high max_comments value.	Use video_quality: medium or low for faster downloads. Reduce max_comments.
Platform not supported	yt-dlp does not support that specific URL format.	Check yt-dlp supported sites for the full list of supported platforms.
Charge limit reached	Account-level monthly spend limit hit.	Raise the run / monthly limit in your Apify plan settings.
Missing metadata fields (null)	Platform does not expose those fields publicly.	Expected — handle null values in your downstream pipeline.

---

❓ FAQ

What data does Best Video Downloader return?

Best Video Downloader returns 26 structured fields per video: processor, processed_at, id, platform, title, description, duration, published_at, author, author_id, author_url, thumbnail, categories, tags, view_count, like_count, dislike_count, shares_count, comment_count, width, height, fps, audio_title, audio_artist, comments (array), and video (MP4 file path).

How much does Best Video Downloader cost?

Best Video Downloader uses pay-per-result pricing at $0.25 per video download or $0.05 for metadata-only extraction. The Apify Free plan includes $5 of monthly platform credits, covering approximately 20 free downloads or 100 free metadata extractions per month.

Which platforms does Best Video Downloader support?

The Actor is powered by yt-dlp and supports 1,000+ platforms, including YouTube, TikTok, Twitter/X, Instagram, Facebook, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Twitch, Reddit, and many more. See the yt-dlp supported sites list for the full catalog.

Does Best Video Downloader require a login or API key?

No. Best Video Downloader processes publicly accessible video URLs without any platform account, cookies, or API key. Only an Apify token is needed to invoke the Actor.

What video quality options are available?

Four modes: metadata (no download, fastest), low (≤480p), medium (≤720p), and high (≤2160p/4K). All downloaded videos are merged to MP4 format via FFmpeg.

Can I extract comments from videos?

Yes. Set max_comments to the number of comments you want to fetch (e.g. 50). Each comment object contains author, text, like_count, and published_at. Set to 0 to skip comment extraction.

Can I export results to CSV or Excel?

Yes. Every run writes to the Apify default dataset, exportable as JSON, JSONL, CSV, Excel, or fetched via https://api.apify.com/v2/datasets/<dataset-id>/items.

Can I schedule Best Video Downloader to run automatically?

Yes. Use Apify Schedules to run the Actor on a regular cadence. Combine with Webhooks to push results to Make, Zapier, n8n, or Google Sheets automatically.

---

🔌 Integrations

Best Video Downloader plugs straight into the Apify ecosystem:

• Schedules — run on a recurring cadence to monitor video stats over time (docs).
• Webhooks — POST results to your endpoint on ACTOR.RUN.SUCCEEDED (docs).
• Apify API — run-sync-get-dataset-items for blocking calls, runs for async (docs).
• MCP Server — call the Actor from Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor agents (docs).
• No-code — Make, Zapier, n8n, Pipedream, Google Sheets, Airtable.

---

🧱 Sister Actors from CheapGET

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---

📞 Support, changelog, last updated

Support

• 💬 Telegram Group: t.me/Apify_Actor
• 📧 Direct support: t.me/AiAgentApi
• 📖 Actor page & docs: apify.com/cheapget/best-video-downloader

Maintained by CheapGET on the Apify Store.

Cost of doing nothing: building and maintaining an in-house yt-dlp pipeline for multiple video platforms can consume recurring engineering time for infrastructure, version updates, and platform changes — before you ship a single business feature. Best Video Downloader replaces that line item with a metered $0.25-per-download invoice and zero on-call. → Try it free with $5 of Apify credits.

Changelog

• 2026-05-02 — README rewritten for SEO + GEO; documented all 26 output fields, full pricing, troubleshooting matrix, and FAQ.
• 2026-04 — Added quality selection support (low, medium, high, metadata) and FFmpeg MP4 merge postprocessing.
• 2026-03 — Added comment extraction with max_comments parameter.
• 2026-02 — Initial release: video download and metadata extraction powered by yt-dlp.

---

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---

Last Updated: May 2, 2026 Schema version: 1.1 Maintained by: CheapGET · 💬 Telegram Group · 📧 Support