# YouTube Comments Scraper (`logical_scrapers/youtube-comments-scraper`) Actor

Extract the comments and replies of YouTube videos and Shorts without logging in: comment text, author name, channel and avatar, likes, reply count, publish time, pinned and hearted flags, with Top or Newest sorting.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/logical\_scrapers/youtube-comments-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Goldmine](https://apify.com/logical_scrapers) (community)
- **Categories:** Videos, Social media, Marketing
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.40 / 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.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

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

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
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.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## 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.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## 💬 YouTube Comments Scraper — Extract Comments and Replies from YouTube Videos and Shorts

![YouTube Comments Scraper by Goldmine](https://www.logicalscrapers.com/banners/youtube-comments-scraper.jpg?v=6934763e24)

This **YouTube comments scraper** turns the comment section of any public video or Short on **[YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/)** into structured data. Give it video URLs, youtu.be links, Shorts URLs or video ids and it returns the **YouTube comments** on each one, with the comment text, the author's name, channel and avatar, like and reply counts, publish time, and whether the comment is pinned, hearted by the creator or written by the creator. Teams use it to read audience feedback at scale, run sentiment analysis on a launch or a campaign, find questions and complaints under competitors' videos, and build datasets of real viewer language.

Paste as many videos as you like, choose Top comments or Newest first, decide how many comments you want from each video and whether to include replies, and get one dataset item per comment, ready to export to JSON, CSV or Excel. No YouTube account, cookies, API key or proxy is needed.

***

### 🚀 Key Features

- 🔎 **Any video link** — watch URLs, `youtu.be` links, Shorts URLs, live URLs, or a bare 11-character video id
- 💬 **Comment data** — text, publish time (as shown, plus an approximate date), edited flag, like count and reply count
- 👤 **Author details** — name (handle), channel id, channel URL, avatar, verified badge, and whether the author is the video's creator
- 📌 **Pinned and hearted** — flags for the pinned comment and for comments the creator hearted
- ↩️ **Replies, optional** — each reply saved as its own item right after its comment, linked by `parentCommentId`, capped per comment
- 🔃 **Top or Newest** — the same two orders YouTube offers
- 📑 **Per-video limit** — `maxItems` limits comments **per video** (start URL), and pagination is automatic
- 🛡️ **No login and no proxy** — reads only what YouTube shows logged-out visitors; a proxy is optional
- 📤 **Multiple export formats** — JSON, CSV, Excel, XML via the Apify dataset
- 🔁 **Schedulable runs** — run it daily with Newest first to collect each new comment on your videos

***

### 👥 Who Is This Actor For?

- 📣 **Marketing and social media teams** — reading what viewers say about a launch, an ad or a creator partnership
- 🕵️ **Competitive analysts** — collecting the questions, objections and praise under competitors' videos
- 🎥 **Creators and agencies** — exporting a video's comments to answer questions, pick giveaway winners or find content ideas
- 🧠 **Researchers** — building datasets of public opinion and viewer language on a topic
- 🤖 **AI builders** — feeding YouTube comments into sentiment analysis, topic clustering or an agent that summarises audience feedback

### 💡 Common Use Cases

- Scrape YouTube comments from a video into a spreadsheet
- Export all comments and replies from a product review video
- Collect the newest comments on your channel's latest uploads every day
- Run sentiment analysis on the comments of a trailer or a music video
- Find the most-liked comments and the creator's pinned comment on a list of videos

***

### 🔗 Supported URL Types

| URL Type | Example |
| -------- | ------- |
| **Watch URL** | `https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ` |
| **Short link** | `https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ` |
| **Shorts URL** | `https://www.youtube.com/shorts/CEJXqm2eiJ0` |
| **Live URL** | `https://www.youtube.com/live/jfKfPfyJRdk` |
| **Video id** | `dQw4w9WgXcQ` |

***

### 📥 Input

| Field | Type | Description | Default |
| ----- | ---- | ----------- | ------- |
| `startUrls` | Array | YouTube videos whose comments to scrape: a video URL, a youtu.be link, a Shorts URL, a live URL, or a bare 11-character video id. One entry per video. | Required |
| `maxItems` | Integer | Maximum number of comments to scrape from each video (start URL). Replies, when included, count toward this limit. | `20` |
| `sortBy` | String | The order YouTube lists the comments in: `top` (Top comments, most engagement first) or `newest` (Newest first). A pinned comment comes first in both. | `"top"` |
| `includeReplies` | Boolean | Also scrape the replies to each comment. Each reply is saved as its own item, right after the comment it answers, with `parentCommentId` set. | `false` |
| `maxRepliesPerComment` | Integer | When replies are included, the maximum number of replies to scrape for each comment, in the order YouTube lists them. | `10` |
| `proxyConfiguration` | Object | Proxy settings. YouTube serves comments without a proxy, so none is used by default. | `{ "useApifyProxy": false }` |

#### Example Input

```json
{
  "startUrls": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
    "https://www.youtube.com/shorts/CEJXqm2eiJ0"
  ],
  "maxItems": 100,
  "sortBy": "top",
  "includeReplies": true,
  "maxRepliesPerComment": 5
}
```

***

### 📤 Output

Each dataset item is one comment or one reply:

| Field | Type | Description |
| ----- | ---- | ----------- |
| `commentId` | String | The comment's id. A reply's id is its parent's id, a dot, and its own id |
| `text` | String | The comment text |
| `publishedTimeText` | String | Publish time exactly as YouTube shows it, e.g. `1 year ago` |
| `publishedAt` | String | Approximate publish date (ISO 8601), counted back from the run time. Only as precise as `publishedTimeText`: "1 year ago" means within that year |
| `isEdited` | Boolean | Whether the comment was edited |
| `likeCount` | Number | Likes, from the figure YouTube shows (rounded above 1,000, for example 321K = 321000) |
| `replyCount` | Number | Replies to the comment (0 for a reply) |
| `isPinned` | Boolean | Whether the creator pinned the comment |
| `isHeartedByCreator` | Boolean | Whether the creator hearted the comment |
| `isReply` | Boolean | Whether the item is a reply to another comment |
| `parentCommentId` | String | For a reply, the id of the comment it answers; `null` otherwise |
| `authorName` | String | The author's name as YouTube shows it (their @handle) |
| `authorChannelId` | String | The author's channel id |
| `authorChannelUrl` | String | Link to the author's channel |
| `authorAvatarUrl` | String | The author's avatar image URL |
| `authorIsVerified` | Boolean | Whether the author's channel has a verified badge |
| `authorIsCreator` | Boolean | Whether the author is the video's creator |
| `commentUrl` | String | Link that opens the video with this comment highlighted |
| `videoId` | String | The video's id |
| `videoTitle` | String | The video's title |
| `videoUrl` | String | The video's watch URL |
| `inputUrl` | String | The start URL or id this comment was found from |

#### Example Output

A real item from a run on `https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ`:

```json
{
  "commentId": "Ugzge340dBgB75hWBm54AaABAg",
  "text": "can confirm: he never gave us up",
  "publishedTimeText": "1 year ago",
  "publishedAt": "2025-09-29T17:06:13.641Z",
  "isEdited": false,
  "likeCount": 321000,
  "replyCount": 963,
  "isPinned": true,
  "isHeartedByCreator": true,
  "isReply": false,
  "parentCommentId": null,
  "authorName": "@YouTube",
  "authorChannelId": "UCBR8-60-B28hp2BmDPdntcQ",
  "authorChannelUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/@YouTube",
  "authorAvatarUrl": "https://yt3.ggpht.com/3s6evpqAiDU9tQR4sC2siJippbH2RWVPnwHgyl4V0th2iuQz0VDQZbUhQBGmsxLYo-mjG6TqZQ=s88-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj",
  "authorIsVerified": true,
  "authorIsCreator": false,
  "commentUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ&lc=Ugzge340dBgB75hWBm54AaABAg",
  "videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "videoTitle": "Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (Official Video) (4K Remaster)",
  "videoUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "inputUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
}
```

You can export the dataset as **JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, RSS, or HTML** from the Apify Console or via the [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2).

***

### 💰 Pricing

This Actor is **pay per event** (you pay per result): each comment saved costs **$0.0025 on the free plan, so 1,000 comments cost $2.50**, falling to $0.0024 per comment ($2.40 per 1,000) on Gold and higher Apify plans. Each run also has a $0.00005 start fee per GB of memory. Replies are results too, and each one is charged like a comment. It runs without a proxy by default, so there is no proxy traffic to pay for. A free Apify account is enough to try it.

***

### ❓ FAQ

#### What is the YouTube Comments Scraper?

It is a YouTube comments scraper that takes video URLs, Shorts URLs or video ids and returns each video's comments, and optionally their replies, as structured data. You can run it from the Apify Console, the API, or on a schedule.

#### Do I need an account, cookies or an API key?

No. The Actor reads only what YouTube shows to visitors who are not logged in, and it does not use the YouTube Data API, so there is no API quota to manage.

#### Do I need a proxy?

No. YouTube serves comments without one, so the default runs with no proxy. If videos come back blocked, switch the proxy setting to Apify datacenter or residential proxies.

#### How many comments can I get per video?

Up to `maxItems` per video (start URL), until the video has no more comments. Replies count toward that limit when you include them. A test run collected 5,000 comments from one video.

#### Does it handle pagination automatically?

Yes. It keeps loading comments, and replies when asked, until it reaches `maxItems`, `maxRepliesPerComment` or the end of the comment section.

#### Can I scrape YouTube Shorts comments?

Yes. Paste the Shorts URL or its id, and the comments come back in the same format as for a regular video.

#### Why is `likeCount` a round number?

YouTube shows like counts above 1,000 rounded, for example `321K`. The Actor returns that figure as a number. Counts under 1,000 are exact.

#### Why is `publishedAt` approximate?

YouTube shows when a comment was posted only as a relative time, such as "3 weeks ago". The Actor keeps that text in `publishedTimeText` and converts it into a date counted back from the time of the run, so `publishedAt` is as precise as the unit YouTube shows.

#### Why did a video return no comments?

The run status and log say why for each video: comments are turned off, the video is private or removed, or it simply has no comments yet. Age-restricted videos are read too, even though they ask logged-out visitors to sign in to watch.

#### Can I get a channel's videos or search results as well?

This Actor reads the comments of videos you give it. For a channel's videos and for YouTube search results, use the other Actors in the YouTube Scraper Suite listed below, then pass the video URLs here.

#### Can I schedule it or integrate it with my app?

Yes. Every Apify Actor exposes a REST API, webhooks, and integrations with Zapier, Make, Google Sheets and Slack, and can be called from an AI agent via the Apify MCP server.

#### Is it legal to scrape YouTube comments?

This Actor accesses only publicly available pages. You are responsible for making sure your use complies with YouTube's terms of service and the laws in your jurisdiction, including data protection law for comment authors' names.

#### What if YouTube changes and the Actor breaks?

Open an issue on the Actor's **Issues** tab with a video URL that fails, so the problem can be reproduced.

***

### 🧩 Part of the YouTube Scraper Suite

Goldmine's Actors for public YouTube data. Also try:

- [YouTube Channel Scraper](https://apify.com/logical_scrapers/youtube-channel-scraper) — a channel's profile, subscriber count, links and videos, from channel URLs
- [YouTube Search Scraper](https://apify.com/logical_scrapers/youtube-search-scraper) — videos, titles, views and channels from YouTube search results

See every Goldmine Actor at [apify.com/logical\_scrapers](https://apify.com/logical_scrapers).

***

### 📬 Contact & Support

- **Issues & feature requests**: use the Issues tab on this Actor's page. Include a video URL that fails so it can be reproduced.
- **Email**: `coredev.dan@gmail.com`
- **If this Actor saved you time, please leave a ⭐ rating on the Apify Store.** It helps us keep it maintained.

# Actor input Schema

## `startUrls` (type: `array`):

YouTube videos whose comments to scrape. Paste a video URL such as https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ, a youtu.be link, a Shorts URL (…/shorts/…), a live URL, or a bare 11-character video id. One entry per video, and as many videos as you like.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of comments to scrape from each video (start URL). Replies, when included, count toward this limit.

## `sortBy` (type: `string`):

The order YouTube lists the comments in: Top comments (most engagement first) or Newest first. A pinned comment comes first in both.

## `includeReplies` (type: `boolean`):

Also scrape the replies to each comment. Each reply is saved as its own item, right after the comment it answers, with parentCommentId set.

## `maxRepliesPerComment` (type: `integer`):

When replies are included, the maximum number of replies to scrape for each comment, in the order YouTube lists them.

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

Proxy configuration. YouTube serves comments without a proxy, so none is used by default. Switch to Apify datacenter or residential proxies if videos come back blocked.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "startUrls": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
  ],
  "maxItems": 20,
  "sortBy": "top",
  "includeReplies": false,
  "maxRepliesPerComment": 10,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `overview` (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 = {
    "startUrls": [
        "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
    ],
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": false
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("logical_scrapers/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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "startUrls": ["https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"],
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": False },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("logical_scrapers/youtube-comments-scraper").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 '{
  "startUrls": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
  ],
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}' |
apify call logical_scrapers/youtube-comments-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,logical_scrapers/youtube-comments-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

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/n1axtpgg9tIfrh0GI/builds/1GGx2fyv9yP0DpTho/openapi.json