# YouTube Comments Scraper | $3/1K Comments (`ethereal_wool/youtube-comments-scraper`) Actor Extract YouTube comments data — author, and more. Scrape by keyword, URL or ID. Export to JSON, CSV & Excel, use the API, schedule runs and integrate. No code required. - **URL**: https://apify.com/ethereal\_wool/youtube-comments-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Jackie Chen](https://apify.com/ethereal_wool) (community) - **Categories:** Social media, Marketing - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing $3.00 / 1,000 results This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. 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. Actors are written with capital "A". ## 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. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## YouTube Video Comments Scraper ![youtube-comments-scraper](https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/48FFrfZnw5XqzUC1C/records/youtube-comments-scraper__hero) Scrape **YouTube** video **comments** (and optionally their **replies**) by video ID. Returns clean, structured data for each comment: text, author channel, like count, reply count, published time, verified / creator flags, and the avatar URL. > **Unofficial.** This Actor is not affiliated with, authorized, or endorsed by YouTube > or Google. It is an independent tool that retrieves publicly available data via a > third-party API. Use it in compliance with YouTube's terms of service and all > applicable laws; you are responsible for how you use the retrieved data. ### What it does - **Comments by video** — give one or more YouTube video IDs; the Actor paginates through the video's comments automatically. Sort by top or newest. - **Replies (optional)** — for each top-level comment, fetch the replies underneath it, capped per comment. - De-duplicates comment IDs within a run and stops at `maxItems`. ### Input | Field | Type | Default | Description | |---|---|---|---| | `videoId` | string | `dQw4w9WgXcQ` | The 11-char YouTube video ID (after `watch?v=`). | | `videoIds` | string[] | `[]` | Optional extra video IDs to scrape in the same run. | | `maxItems` | integer | `20` | Max total comments + replies across all videos. | | `sortBy` | enum | `top` | `top` or `newest`. | | `includeReplies` | boolean | `false` | Also fetch replies under each comment. | | `maxRepliesPerComment` | integer | `10` | Cap on replies per comment when enabled. | | `languageCode` | string | `en` | YouTube interface language (`hl`). | | `countryCode` | string | `US` | YouTube content region (`gl`). | #### Example input ```json { "videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ", "maxItems": 200, "sortBy": "top", "includeReplies": true, "maxRepliesPerComment": 5 } ```` ### Output One dataset item per comment (or reply): ```json { "commentId": "Ugzge340dBgB75hWBm54AaABAg", "videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ", "parentCommentId": null, "content": "can confirm: he never gave us up", "publishedTime": "1 year ago", "likeCount": 240000, "likeCountText": "240K", "replyCount": 962, "replyLevel": 0, "isReply": false, "author": { "channelId": "UCBR8-60-B28hp2BmDPdntcQ", "displayName": "@YouTube", "channelUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/@YouTube", "avatarUrl": "https://yt3.ggpht.com/...", "isVerified": true, "isCreator": false, "isArtist": false }, "creatorThumbnailUrl": "https://yt3.ggpht.com/...", "replyContinuationToken": "Eg0SC2RR...", "source": "video:dQw4w9WgXcQ" } ``` Replies carry `isReply: true`, a non-null `parentCommentId`, and `source` of the form `replies:`. ### Notes - Data is sourced live; YouTube occasionally rate-limits, so the Actor retries transient blocks with exponential backoff. - Like / reply counts are normalized to integers where the source provides a parseable value (e.g. `240K`, `24万` → `240000`); the original display string is kept in `likeCountText`. ### Quick start 1. Open the Actor and press **Run** — the default input works out of the box. 2. Adjust the input fields below to your target (keywords, IDs, or URLs) and set `maxItems` to cap spend. 3. Grab results from the **Dataset** tab as JSON / CSV / Excel, or pull them via the [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2) and MCP from your own code. No proxies to configure, no cookies to paste, no login — the Actor handles everything server-side. ### Why teams switch to this YouTube comments scraper YouTube comments are rich audience feedback, but the official API rate-limits them and browser scrapers stall on long threads. This Actor walks a video's comments via a direct HTTP API and returns them with author, likes, and reply data as clean JSON at **$3 per 1,000 comments**. ### What people build with it - **Sentiment analysis** — turn a video's comments into a structured readout of how the content landed. - **Voice-of-customer mining** — feedback and questions under review and tutorial videos, verbatim. - **Community management** — collect comments across your channel daily and prioritise replies. - **Creator research** — study how top channels' audiences react to understand what resonates. - **Conversation datasets** — author-linked comment threads for fine-tuning. ### Tips for better results - Accepts video URLs or bare video IDs. - Find comment-heavy videos first with [YouTube Search Scraper](https://apify.com/ethereal_wool/youtube-search-scraper). - Pair with [YouTube Transcript Scraper](https://apify.com/ethereal_wool/youtube-transcript-scraper) to analyse what was said and how viewers reacted, side by side. *** ### Why this Actor - **Direct API, no headless browser** — fast, stable runs with nothing to babysit. - **No login, no cookies** — we never touch your accounts, so there's no ban risk. - **Fresh, real-time data** — every run reads the source live, not a stale cache. - **Pay per result** — you're billed only for the rows actually delivered. - **Structured JSON** — export to CSV, Excel, or JSON, or pull straight from the API / MCP. ### Use cases - Mine audience sentiment and feature requests from real comment threads. - Surface the most-liked replies and frequent questions under any post. - Build moderation, UGC, or social-listening datasets at scale. - Spot superfans and detractors by author and engagement. ### FAQ **Do I need an account, cookies, or to log in anywhere?** No. The Actor talks to a fast, direct HTTP API server-side — you just provide inputs and run it. **How am I billed?** Pay-per-result: a fixed price per row returned, with no separate platform/compute charge. Caps like `maxItems` keep spend predictable. **Can I run it on a schedule or call it from my app?** Yes — use Apify Schedules, the REST API, the JavaScript / Python clients, or the MCP server. See the **API** tab. **Is this affiliated with YouTube?** No. It's an independent tool that collects publicly available data. Use it in line with the platform's terms and applicable law. ### More YouTube scrapers by us - [**YouTube Transcripts**](https://apify.com/ethereal_wool/youtube-transcript-scraper) — Subtitles / transcripts for LLM datasets - [**YouTube Search**](https://apify.com/ethereal_wool/youtube-search-scraper) — Keyword video search · stats · channels - [**YouTube Channel Videos**](https://apify.com/ethereal_wool/youtube-channel-videos-scraper) — All videos for a channel · stats - [**YouTube Channel Info**](https://apify.com/ethereal_wool/youtube-channel-info-scraper) — Channel profile · subs · about Browse the full fleet → **https://apify.com/ethereal\_wool** # Actor input Schema ## `videoId` (type: `string`): The 11-character YouTube video ID (the part after watch?v= in a video URL, e.g. dQw4w9WgXcQ). Comments are paginated automatically. ## `videoIds` (type: `array`): Optional. Extra YouTube video IDs to scrape in the same run, in addition to 'Video ID'. ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Maximum total number of comments (and replies, if enabled) to scrape across all videos. ## `sortBy` (type: `string`): How to sort the top-level comments. ## `includeReplies` (type: `boolean`): Also fetch the replies under each top-level comment. Slower and uses more API calls. ## `maxRepliesPerComment` (type: `integer`): Maximum replies to fetch per comment when 'Include replies' is enabled. ## `languageCode` (type: `string`): YouTube interface language for the request (affects localized text such as relative timestamps). ## `countryCode` (type: `string`): YouTube content region (gl), e.g. US, GB, JP. ## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`): Optional. Route the upstream API calls through an Apify Proxy to vary the source IP. Usually not needed. ## Actor input object example ```json { "videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ", "videoIds": [], "maxItems": 20, "sortBy": "top", "includeReplies": false, "maxRepliesPerComment": 10, "languageCode": "en", "countryCode": "US", "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": false } } ``` # 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 '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ" }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("ethereal_wool/youtube-comments-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 '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ" } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("ethereal_wool/youtube-comments-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ" }' | apify call ethereal_wool/youtube-comments-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=ethereal_wool/youtube-comments-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "YouTube Comments Scraper | $3/1K Comments", "description": "Extract YouTube comments data — author, and more. Scrape by keyword, URL or ID. Export to JSON, CSV & Excel, use the API, schedule runs and integrate. No code required.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "FgN1MsLvnUiCSDqIr" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/ethereal_wool~youtube-comments-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-ethereal_wool-youtube-comments-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/ethereal_wool~youtube-comments-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-ethereal_wool-youtube-comments-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/ethereal_wool~youtube-comments-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-ethereal_wool-youtube-comments-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "videoId": { "title": "Video ID", "type": "string", "description": "The 11-character YouTube video ID (the part after watch?v= in a video URL, e.g. dQw4w9WgXcQ). Comments are paginated automatically.", "default": "dQw4w9WgXcQ" }, "videoIds": { "title": "Additional video IDs", "type": "array", "description": "Optional. Extra YouTube video IDs to scrape in the same run, in addition to 'Video ID'.", "default": [], "items": { "type": "string" } }, "maxItems": { "title": "Max items", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 100000, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum total number of comments (and replies, if enabled) to scrape across all videos.", "default": 20 }, "sortBy": { "title": "Sort order", "enum": [ "top", "newest" ], "type": "string", "description": "How to sort the top-level comments.", "default": "top" }, "includeReplies": { "title": "Include replies", "type": "boolean", "description": "Also fetch the replies under each top-level comment. Slower and uses more API calls.", "default": false }, "maxRepliesPerComment": { "title": "Max replies per comment", "minimum": 0, "maximum": 1000, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum replies to fetch per comment when 'Include replies' is enabled.", "default": 10 }, "languageCode": { "title": "Language code", "type": "string", "description": "YouTube interface language for the request (affects localized text such as relative timestamps).", "default": "en" }, "countryCode": { "title": "Country code", "type": "string", "description": "YouTube content region (gl), e.g. US, GB, JP.", "default": "US" }, "proxyConfiguration": { "title": "Proxy configuration", "type": "object", "description": "Optional. Route the upstream API calls through an Apify Proxy to vary the source IP. Usually not needed.", "default": { "useApifyProxy": false } } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```