# YouTube Channel Lookalike Finder (`fetch_cat/youtube-channel-lookalike-finder`) Actor

Find and rank similar YouTube channels for sponsorship prospecting, creator outreach, competitor research, and audience expansion.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/fetch\_cat/youtube-channel-lookalike-finder.md
- **Developed by:** [Hanna Nosova](https://apify.com/fetch_cat) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, Social media, Videos
- **Stats:** 3 total users, 2 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.60 / 1,000 lookalike channels

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

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

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
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.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — 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 Channel Lookalike Finder

YouTube Channel Lookalike Finder discovers and ranks channels similar to seed creators, exporting shared topics, audience similarity, subscriber and video counts, rank, discovery query, and seed provenance for every recommendation.

Use it to expand sponsorship prospect lists, map competitors, discover creators in the same niche, or give an AI agent a structured set of adjacent channels instead of a loose keyword-search page.

### Quick start

1. Add one or more channel URLs, `@handles`, or `UC` channel IDs to `seedChannels`.
2. Set the desired number of matches and optional subscriber range.
3. Run the Actor and export ranked lookalikes to CSV, JSON, Excel, XML, or your API workflow.

### Example output

```json
{
  "seedChannelName": "OpenAI",
  "rank": 1,
  "similarityScore": 86,
  "channelName": "Example AI Channel",
  "channelUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCexample",
  "sharedTopics": ["artificial intelligence", "developer tools"],
  "subscriberCount": 245000,
  "videoCount": 318,
  "audienceSimilarity": "similar",
  "discoveryQuery": "OpenAI artificial intelligence developer tools",
  "collectedAt": "2026-08-11T20:00:00.000Z"
}
```

### What data you get

Each row includes the seed channel name and URL, recommendation rank, similarity score, candidate channel name, URL and ID, description, handle, thumbnail, subscriber and video counts when visible, shared topics, an audience-size comparison, discovery query, and collection time. The seed provenance lets you keep separate rankings when the same channel is relevant to several seeds.

### Input settings

| Setting | JSON key | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Seed YouTube channels | `seedChannels` | Add 1–10 channel URLs, @handles, or UC channel IDs. |
| Maximum matches per seed | `maxMatchesPerSeed` | Save up to this many ranked lookalike channels for each seed. |
| Country | `country` | Two-letter country code used to localize YouTube search, such as US, GB, or PT. |
| Language | `language` | YouTube interface/search language such as en, pt, or en-GB. |
| Minimum subscribers | `minSubscribers` | Exclude visible channels below this subscriber count. Channels without a visible count are treated as zero. |
| Maximum subscribers | `maxSubscribers` | Optional upper subscriber limit. Leave empty for no maximum. |
| Run time limit in seconds | `runTimeSecs` | Stop admitting new searches before this shared deadline. Use 30–270 seconds. |
| Proxy configuration | `proxyConfiguration` | Optional Apify proxy settings for advanced users. |

### Output fields

| Field | JSON key | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Seed channel | `seedChannelUrl` | Seed YouTube channel URL. |
| Seed channel ID | `seedChannelId` | Public UC channel ID when available. |
| Seed name | `seedChannelName` | Visible seed channel name. |
| Rank | `rank` | Similarity rank within the seed channel. |
| Similarity score | `similarityScore` | Explainable 0–100 score based on shared public topics and audience size. |
| Shared topics | `sharedTopics` | Normalized topic terms shared with the seed. |
| Discovery query | `discoveryQuery` | Seed-derived YouTube query that discovered the channel. |
| Channel ID | `channelId` | Public YouTube channel ID when available. |
| Channel name | `channelName` | Visible lookalike channel name. |
| Channel URL | `channelUrl` | Public YouTube channel URL. |
| Description | `description` | Search-visible channel description snippet. |
| Subscribers | `subscriberCount` | Parsed visible subscriber count. |
| Subscribers text | `subscriberCountText` | Original localized subscriber count text. |
| Videos | `videoCount` | Parsed visible video count. |
| Videos text | `videoCountText` | Original localized video count text. |
| Thumbnail | `thumbnailUrl` | Channel thumbnail URL. |
| Audience similarity | `audienceSimilarity` | 0–100 subscriber-scale similarity when both counts are visible. |
| Collected at | `collectedAt` | UTC collection timestamp. |

### Input recipes

Find twenty adjacent channels:

```json
{"seedChannels":["https://www.youtube.com/@OpenAI"],"maxMatchesPerSeed":20,"country":"US","language":"en"}
```

Find mid-sized sponsorship candidates:

```json
{"seedChannels":["@OpenAI"],"maxMatchesPerSeed":30,"minSubscribers":10000,"maxSubscribers":500000}
```

### Who is it for?

- Sponsorship teams expanding from creators that already perform well.
- Influencer agencies building niche-specific YouTube prospect lists.
- Competitive intelligence teams mapping neighboring channels.
- Media buyers comparing reachable audience bands.
- Developers and AI agents creating repeatable creator-discovery workflows.

### Pricing

Pricing is pay per event: one small `start` charge for the run and one tiered `result` charge for each ranked lookalike channel saved. The exported rank, shared topics, similarity score, and seed provenance are included in that result. See the live [YouTube Channel Lookalike Finder Pricing tab](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/youtube-channel-lookalike-finder/pricing) for exact rates.

### Tips and limits

- A run accepts a maximum of ten seeds and saves up to fifty matches per seed.
- Similarity is an explainable discovery score based on public topics, text, and visible audience information; it is not YouTube's private recommendation score.
- Subscriber or video counts may be nullable when a channel hides them or YouTube does not expose them in the result.
- Public channels and search availability can change. Keep seed and discovery-query fields when reviewing results.
- Narrow subscriber filters can legitimately produce fewer than the requested maximum.

### API usage

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/fetch_cat~youtube-channel-lookalike-finder/runs?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"seedChannels":["@OpenAI"],"maxMatchesPerSeed":10}'
```

JavaScript:

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';
const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor('fetch_cat/youtube-channel-lookalike-finder').call({
  seedChannels: ['@OpenAI'], maxMatchesPerSeed: 10,
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
```

Python:

```python
import os
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient(os.environ['APIFY_TOKEN'])
run = client.actor('fetch_cat/youtube-channel-lookalike-finder').call(run_input={
    'seedChannels': ['@OpenAI'], 'maxMatchesPerSeed': 10,
})
items = client.dataset(run['defaultDatasetId']).list_items().items
```

### Use with MCP and AI agents

Connect the official Apify MCP server at `https://mcp.apify.com?tools=fetch_cat/youtube-channel-lookalike-finder` or configure:

```json
{"mcpServers":{"apify":{"url":"https://mcp.apify.com?tools=fetch_cat/youtube-channel-lookalike-finder"}}}
```

Try: “Find 20 YouTube channels similar to OpenAI, then rank only channels with 10,000–500,000 subscribers,” or “Compare the shared topics across lookalikes for these three seed channels.”

### FAQ

#### Do I need a YouTube API key?

No API-key input is required for the public channel discovery workflow.

#### Why did I receive fewer matches?

The seed may be unavailable, filters may exclude candidates, duplicate channels may be removed, or the shared run-time limit may be reached. Review the run summary.

#### Can one candidate appear for several seeds?

Yes. Each row retains its seed and rank because relevance can differ by seed.

#### Can I use channel IDs instead of URLs?

Yes. Full channel URLs, `@handles`, and `UC` channel IDs are accepted.

### Related actors

- [YouTube Search Results Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/youtube-search-results-scraper)
- [YouTube Channel Details Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/youtube-channel-details-scraper)
- [YouTube Channel Videos Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/youtube-channel-videos-scraper)
- [YouTube Video Details Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/youtube-video-details-scraper)
- [YouTube Comments Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/youtube-comments-scraper)

### Support

Open an issue from the Actor page and provide the run ID or run URL, input JSON, expected output, actual output, and one reproducible public seed-channel URL. That evidence lets us distinguish filtering, availability, and extraction problems quickly.

# Actor input Schema

## `seedChannels` (type: `array`):

Add 1–10 channel URLs, @handles, or UC channel IDs.

## `maxMatchesPerSeed` (type: `integer`):

Save up to this many ranked lookalike channels for each seed.

## `country` (type: `string`):

Two-letter country code used to localize YouTube search, such as US, GB, or PT.

## `language` (type: `string`):

YouTube interface/search language such as en, pt, or en-GB.

## `minSubscribers` (type: `integer`):

Exclude visible channels below this subscriber count. Channels without a visible count are treated as zero.

## `maxSubscribers` (type: `integer`):

Optional upper subscriber limit. Leave empty for no maximum.

## `runTimeSecs` (type: `integer`):

Stop admitting new searches before this shared deadline. Use 30–270 seconds.

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

Optional Apify proxy settings for advanced users.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "seedChannels": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/@OpenAI"
  ],
  "maxMatchesPerSeed": 20,
  "country": "US",
  "language": "en",
  "minSubscribers": 0,
  "runTimeSecs": 240
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

No description

## `runSummary` (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 = {
    "seedChannels": [
        "https://www.youtube.com/@OpenAI"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("fetch_cat/youtube-channel-lookalike-finder").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 = { "seedChannels": ["https://www.youtube.com/@OpenAI"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("fetch_cat/youtube-channel-lookalike-finder").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 '{
  "seedChannels": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/@OpenAI"
  ]
}' |
apify call fetch_cat/youtube-channel-lookalike-finder --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

```

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/L5bUEGXFrM7Dzlbkb/builds/oYiVFGA4DQgQAApKr/openapi.json