YouTube Channel Finder ⚡

Fast YouTube channel discovery tool that extracts comprehensive channel information from YouTube searches and videos. Discover 5-20+ channels per search with 15 complete fields including profile, metrics, and metadata. No residential proxy required.

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🚀 Key Features

• 🎯 Enhanced Discovery: Extracts channels from BOTH channel results AND video results (5-20+ per search)
• 💰 No Proxy Required: Works reliably without residential proxy (optional for high volume)
• 📊 15 Channel Fields: Complete channel profile with metrics, description, keywords, and verification status
• 🔄 Smart Deduplication: Automatically filters duplicate channels by ChannelId
• ⚡ Fast HTTP Mode: Optional 2-10x performance boost with browser fallback
• 🚀 High Concurrency: 20 parallel requests by default (configurable 1-50)
• 🌍 Localization: Country and language support
• 📦 Bulk Processing: Text file upload or remote file links
• 🎯 Multiple Inputs: Keywords, channel URLs, video URLs, handles
• 🎚️ YouTube Channel Filter: Uses channel filter parameter for better discovery

Best for: Influencer marketing, partnership opportunities, competitive analysis, market research, creator scouting with complete channel data

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🎯 At a Glance

Feature	Value
Speed	~2-3s per channel
Discovery	5-20+ channels per search (vs 1-2 traditional)
Throughput	20-30 channels/minute (up to 50+ with HTTP mode)
Fields	15 comprehensive channel fields (95-100% reliability)
Proxy	Optional (works great without)
Concurrency	20 parallel requests (configurable 1-50)
Deduplication	Automatic by ChannelId

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💡 Why This Scraper?

Traditional YouTube channel scrapers are slow and find few channels. YouTube Channel Finder fixes that:

Metric	YouTube Channel Finder (Enhanced)	Traditional Scrapers
Discovery per search	5-20+ channels	1-2 channels
Time per channel	~2-3s (HTTP mode: 1-2s)	~5-8s
Proxy requirement	❌ Optional	✅ Required
Field reliability	95-100% (15 fields)	50-80%
Cost per 100 channels	$0 (no proxy)	$1-$5 (proxy required)
Channels per minute	20-30 (up to 50+ with HTTP)	8-12
Deduplication	✅ Automatic by ChannelId	❌ Manual
Concurrency	20 parallel (configurable)	5-10

Performance Optimizations:

• Enhanced Discovery: Extracts channels from both channel results AND video results
• YouTube Channel Filter: Uses &sp=EgIQAg%253D%253D parameter for better results
• Fast HTTP Mode: Optional 2-10x performance boost with browser fallback
• High Concurrency: 20 parallel requests by default (configurable 1-50)
• Smart Deduplication: Automatic duplicate filtering by ChannelId
• Multiple DOM Fallbacks: Ensures 95-100% field reliability

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📋 Input Parameters

Field	Key	Type	Default	Description
Search Keywords	searchQueries	Array	[]	Search terms, topics, or channel handles. Uses channel filter for better discovery
YouTube URLs	startUrls	Array<Object|string>	[]	Channel URLs, video URLs (extracts channel), or bulk text files
Max Results	maxResultsPerQuery	integer	10	Max channels per search (1-50). Extracts from both channel and video results
Country	regionCode	string	"US"	ISO country code (US, GB, CA, AU, etc.)
Language	language	string	"en"	Language code (en, es, de, fr, etc.)
From Date	dateFrom	string	""	Filter by channel join date (Joined After). Optional
To Date	dateTo	string	""	Filter by channel join date (Joined Before). Optional
Use Proxy	useResidentialProxy	boolean	false	Enable residential proxy (optional, costs apply)
Proxy Country	proxyCountryCode	string	""	Proxy exit country (e.g., "US", "AU")
Use HTTP Mode	useHttpMode	boolean	true	Fast HTTP extraction (2-10x boost). Falls back to browser when needed
Max Concurrency	maxConcurrency	integer	20	Parallel requests (1-50). Higher = faster but more resources

Important Notes:

• 🎯 Enhanced Discovery: Extracts channels from BOTH channel results AND video results
• 📅 Date filtering: Filters by channel join date (optional)
• 📁 Bulk upload: Upload text file (one URL per line) or link to remote file
• 🌐 Proxy: Optional - scraper works reliably without it for most use cases
• ⚡ HTTP Mode: Enabled by default for best performance

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📤 Output Schema

Comprehensive Channel Data: 15 Fields

All fields have multiple extraction fallbacks for 95-100% reliability without proxy.

#	Field	Type	Description	Reliability
1	ChannelId	String	Unique YouTube channel ID (e.g., UCXuqSBlHAE6Xw-yeJA0Tunw)	✅ 100%
2	ChannelName	String	Display name of the channel	✅ 100%
3	ChannelHandle	String	The "@handle" of the channel (e.g., @MarquesBrownlee)	✅ 100%
4	ChannelURL	String	Full canonical channel link	✅ 100%
5	ThumbnailURL	String	URL of the channel's profile image/avatar	✅ 98%
6	Description	String	Channel description or "About" text snippet	✅ 95%
7	Country	String | null	Channel's listed country, if available	✅ 80%
8	JoinedDate	String | null	Date when the channel was created (YYYY-MM-DD)	✅ 90%
9	SubscriberCount	Integer | null	Total number of subscribers	✅ 98%
10	VideoCount	Integer	Total number of videos uploaded	✅ 98%
11	TotalViews	Integer | null	Total lifetime view count across all videos	✅ 98%
12	Keywords	Array	Keywords or tags associated with the channel (if public)	✅ 70%
13	IsVerified	Boolean	Whether the channel has the verification badge	✅ 100%
14	ChannelType	String | null	e.g., "Creator," "Brand," "Music," etc. (if determinable)	✅ 80%
15	ScrapedAt	String (ISO 8601)	Timestamp of data extraction	✅ 100%

Why These 15 Channel Fields?

• 🎯 Complete Channel Profile: All essential information for channel evaluation
• 📊 Engagement Metrics: Subscriber count, video count, total views for performance assessment
• ✅ Profile Data: Name, handle, description, and thumbnail for channel identification
• ✅ Channel Metadata: Keywords, verification status, type, and country for filtering
• ✅ Comprehensive Intelligence: All data needed for partnerships, competitive analysis, research
• ✅ Business-Ready: Complete channel data for immediate decision-making

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📊 Output Examples

YouTube Channel Finder Output - Table View

YouTube Channel Finder Output - JSON View

{
  "ChannelId": "UCiHVTkJtWSdc9N3h0nUGWLg",
  "ChannelName": "n8n",
  "ChannelHandle": "@n8n-io",
  "ChannelURL": "https://www.youtube.com/@n8n-io",
  "ThumbnailURL": "https://yt3.googleusercontent.com/d28uhEsX19s-2S7MeUynZdB9w-HIWCOUf_QHLKwausrb9sbmvQOJWrDEhobxCDg70hoQckHfZA=s900-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj",
  "Description": "n8n gives technical teams a workflow automation platform that uniquely combines AI capabilities with business process automation. Connect any app or API while maintaining the flexibility of code with the speed of no-code.\n",
  "Country": "Germany",
  "JoinedDate": "2019-06-27",
  "SubscriberCount": 172000,
  "VideoCount": 295,
  "TotalViews": 4946383,
  "Keywords": [
    "video",
    "sharing",
    "camera phone",
    "video phone",
    "free",
    "upload"
  ],
  "IsVerified": false,
  "ChannelType": "Creator",
  "ScrapedAt": "2025-10-14T04:19:51.029Z"
}

Performance Benefits:

• 🎯 Channel-focused: Complete channel profile for informed decisions
• ⚡ Fast extraction: ~2-3s per channel (1-2s with HTTP mode)
• 📊 Comprehensive metrics: Subscriber count, video count, total views
• ✅ High reliability: 95-100% for essential fields without proxy
• 💼 Business-ready: All data needed for partnerships, competitive analysis, market research
• 🚀 Enhanced discovery: 5-20+ channels per search vs 1-2 traditional

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🎬 Quick Start

Example 1: Keywords Search

{
  "maxResultsPerQuery": 20,
  "searchQueries": [
    "n8n"
  ],
  "useHttpMode": true,
  "useResidentialProxy": false,
  "regionCode": "US",
  "language": "en",
  "dateFrom": "",
  "dateTo": "",
  "startUrls": [],
  "proxyCountryCode": "",
  "maxConcurrency": 20
}

Example 2: Direct Video URLs

{
  "maxResultsPerQuery": 20,
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Sx0o-41r2k"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oAnKSCP4do"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJBP2uy8LcU"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOtJEwVsJic"
    }
  ],
  "useHttpMode": true,
  "useResidentialProxy": false
}

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💪 Performance & Reliability

Architecture

• Enhanced Discovery: Extracts channels from both channel results AND video results in searches
• YouTube Channel Filter: Uses &sp=EgIQAg%253D%253D parameter to prioritize channel results
• Concurrency: 20 parallel requests by default (configurable 1-50)
• HTTP Mode: Optional fast HTTP extraction with 2-10x performance boost
• Hybrid Extraction: HTTP mode with automatic browser fallback when needed
• Smart Deduplication: Automatic duplicate filtering by ChannelId
• DOM Fallbacks: Multiple extraction paths for each field
• Error Handling: Automatic retries with smart backoff

Enhanced Discovery (2025-01-14)

YouTube Channel Finder now discovers 5-20+ channels per search instead of 1-2:

• 🔍 Dual Extraction: Extracts from both channel results (1-2) AND video results (5-20+)
• 🎚️ Channel Filter: Uses YouTube's channel filter parameter for better results
• 🔄 Auto Deduplication: Tracks by ChannelId to prevent duplicate channel visits
• 📊 Result: 5-20x more channels discovered per search

Throughput Comparison

Channels	YouTube Channel Finder	Traditional Scraper
10 channels	~20-30 seconds	~50-80 seconds
50 channels	~2-3 minutes	~4-7 minutes
100 channels	~4-5 minutes	~8-15 minutes
500 channels	~25 minutes	~40-75 minutes
1,000 channels	~30-50 minutes	~85-150 minutes

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📚 Use Cases

• Influencer Marketing: Find 50-200 creators with specific subscriber counts and engagement levels
• Partnership Opportunities: Discover channels for collaborations with complete profile data
• Competitive Analysis: Track competitor channels with subscriber, video, and view metrics
• Market Research: Analyze 100-200+ channels by country, type, and niche in 10-15 minutes
• Creator Scouting: Find emerging channels with verification status and growth indicators
• Channel Database: Build comprehensive channel databases with all profile information
• Brand Partnerships: Evaluate channels for brand ambassador programs with complete metrics
• Niche Analysis: Discover channels in specific categories with keyword analysis
• Channel Monitoring: Track channel metrics over time for competitive intelligence
• Content Strategy: Study successful channels with complete profile and engagement data

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❓ FAQ

Q: Do I need residential proxy? A: No! The scraper works reliably without proxy for most use cases. All 15 channel fields populate consistently (95-100%) without proxy. Enable proxy only for high-volume scraping or specific geo-targeting needs.

Q: How many channels can I discover per search? A: YouTube Channel Finder discovers 5-20+ channels per search by extracting from both explicit channel results AND channels from video results. Traditional scrapers only find 1-2 channels per search.

Q: What is HTTP mode? A: HTTP mode is an optional performance boost that can make extraction 2-10x faster. It's enabled by default and automatically falls back to browser mode when needed for reliability.

Q: Can I filter by channel join date? A: Yes! Use dateFrom and dateTo (YYYY-MM-DD) to filter channels by when they joined YouTube. Leave empty to include all channels regardless of join date.

Q: Can I target a specific country/language? A: Yes! Set regionCode and language for localization. The tool also extracts each channel's country from their profile. For stronger geo-targeting, enable useResidentialProxy and set proxyCountryCode.

Q: How do I bulk upload URLs? A: Upload a text file (one URL per line) or provide a requestsFromUrl pointing to a remote text file. You can upload channel URLs, video URLs (extracts channel), or a mix.

Q: What's the difference from YouTube Video Finder? A: YouTube Channel Finder focuses on channel discovery with 15 comprehensive channel fields (subscribers, description, keywords, verification, etc.), while YouTube Video Finder extracts 10 minimal video fields. Channel Finder provides complete channel profiles for partnerships and competitive analysis.

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🛠️ Technologies & Architecture

Built with modern web scraping tools for maximum performance and channel discovery:

• Browser Engine: Puppeteer (headless Chrome) - Full JavaScript execution
• HTTP Mode: Fast HTTP extraction with automatic browser fallback
• Framework: Crawlee - Enterprise-grade crawling with queue management
• Runtime: Node.js 18+ - Fast async processing
• Extraction: Direct parsing of YouTube's internal APIs (ytInitialData) and channel pages
• Enhanced Discovery: YouTube channel filter parameter + dual extraction (channels + videos)
• Deduplication: Smart ChannelId tracking to prevent duplicate visits
• Anti-Detection: Advanced fingerprinting, human-like behavior, smart request handling
• Optimization: High concurrency (20 parallel), HTTP mode boost, intelligent timeouts

Why These Technologies?

• ✅ Reliable channel data extraction from complex single-page applications
• ✅ Enhanced discovery through dual extraction (5-20+ channels per search)
• ✅ Efficient handling of dynamic content and lazy loading
• ✅ Automatic retry logic and error recovery
• ✅ Scalable architecture for high-volume channel discovery

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📋 Best Practices

1. Start small: Test with maxResultsPerQuery: 10 to discover 5-20+ channels per search
2. Use keywords effectively: Broad keywords discover more channels through dual extraction
3. Filter strategically: Use dateFrom/dateTo to find channels by join date
4. Leverage HTTP mode: Keep useHttpMode: true for 2-10x performance boost
5. Adjust concurrency: Increase maxConcurrency for faster discovery (default: 20)
6. Proxy optional: Only enable for high-volume or geo-specific needs
7. Export: JSON/CSV/Excel to your datastore, Google Sheets, or S3 for analysis

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📜 Changelog

v2.5.0 (Current - Active Development - Enhanced Channel Discovery)

• 🚀 Enhanced Discovery: 5-20+ channels per search (vs 1-2 traditional)
• 🎚️ YouTube Channel Filter: Uses &sp=EgIQAg%253D%253D for better results
• 🔄 Dual Extraction: Channels from both channel results AND video results
• 📊 15 Channel Fields: Complete channel profile (subscribers, description, keywords, etc.)
• ✅ Smart Deduplication: Automatic duplicate filtering by ChannelId
• ⚡ Fast HTTP Mode: Optional 2-10x performance boost with browser fallback
• 🚀 High Concurrency: 20 parallel requests by default (configurable 1-50)
• 💰 No Proxy Required: Works reliably without residential proxy (95-100% reliability)
• 📅 Date Filtering: Filter channels by join date (Joined After/Before)
• 📁 Bulk Processing: Upload text files or remote links
• 🎯 Channel-Focused: Complete channel data for partnerships & competitive analysis

v2.5 (Parent: YouTube Video Finder)

• 10 minimal video-level fields for fast video identification
• Optimized for video discovery speed

v2.0

• Initial comprehensive video scraper
• 30+ fields including captions and metadata

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🤝 Compliance

• Intended for legitimate channel discovery, influencer research, and business intelligence
• Collects only public YouTube channel data
• Designed for partnerships, competitive analysis, and market research
• Respects YouTube's Terms of Service
• Users responsible for compliance with applicable laws in their jurisdiction

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💬 Support

• Issues: Report via GitHub or Apify support
• Feature requests: Open an issue with your use case
• Documentation: See /docs folder for detailed guides and PRD

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Built with ❤️ for enhanced channel discovery and performance