YouTube Scraper 💰$0.50/1K – Videos, Shorts, Channels, Search

YouTube Scraper – videos, Shorts, channels, search · $0.50 per 1,000 results

Scrape YouTube without an API key, quota or login: search results, whole channels, Shorts, live streams, playlists and single videos. Get views, likes, comment count, exact publish date, duration, description, tags, category, and for channels subscribers, total views, video count, country, joined date, links, avatar and banner.

8× cheaper than the most popular YouTube scraper ($0.50 vs $4 per 1,000 results on 31 October 2026) — and full video details are included at the same price.

What is YouTube Scraper?

The YouTube Data API is free until you hit its daily quota of 10,000 units — a single search costs 100 units, so about 100 searches a day. This Actor reads the public YouTube pages instead (the same data you see in your browser) and returns clean JSON, CSV or Excel, with no quota and no Google Cloud project.

Mix search terms, channel URLs, video links and playlists in one run. Duplicates are removed automatically.

What you can scrape

Input	What you get
🔎 Search terms	Videos, Shorts, channels or playlists, with YouTube's filters: upload date (last hour → this year), length, sort by views
📺 Channel (@handle, /channel/ID, /c/name, /user/name)	One channel row + its videos, Shorts, live streams and/or playlists, newest first
▶️ Video, Short, live, youtu.be link or 11-character video ID	Full details
📃 Playlist	All videos with position, duration, views
🔗 YouTube search URL	Same as a search term

What data can YouTube Scraper extract?

Videos (search, channel tabs, playlists, links):

Field	Example	Notes
title, url, id	AI Agents Full Course 2026…, EsTrWCV0Ph4
viewCount, viewCountText	1008270, 1,008,270 views
duration, durationSeconds	2:13:15, 7994
publishedTimeText	7mo ago	Always available
channelName, channelId, channelUrl, channelVerified	Nick Saraev
thumbnailUrl, descriptionSnippet, badges, isLive
likeCount, commentCount, commentCountText	19815, 665	With Full video details (always for pasted video links)
publishedAt, uploadedAt	2026-03-07T21:01:31-08:00	Exact date and time, with details
description, hashtags, keywords, category		Full text and tags, with details
channelSubscriberCount, isShort, isUnlisted, wasLive, isFamilySafe		With details
position	3	Playlists
searchQuery, channelTab, scrapedAt		Where the row came from

Shorts: title, url, id, viewCount, viewCountText, thumbnailUrl (+ full details when you paste a Short link).

Channels: title, handle, url, id, subscriberCount, subscriberCountText, videoCount, totalViews, country, joinedDate, description, links, keywords, verified, isFamilySafe, avatarUrl, bannerUrl, rssUrl.

How much does it cost to scrape YouTube?

$0.50 per 1,000 results (cheaper on higher Apify plans). A result is one video, Short, channel or playlist. Full video details cost nothing extra. Missing, private or removed videos, and searches with no results, are free.

Real runs — 3 November 2026

Four typical jobs on the Apify platform (free plan, default settings):

Job	Results	Run time	Price at $0.50/1K
Search "home workout", uploaded this week, sorted by views	100 videos	14 s	$0.050
Search "ai agents tutorial", 50 results with full video details	50 videos (42 with a like count)	94 s	$0.025
Channel @mkbhd, Videos + Shorts tabs, 100 each	1 channel + 100 videos + 100 Shorts	28 s	$0.10
Shorts search "cooking hacks"	50 Shorts	7.5 s	$0.025

Bulk example

Tracking 200 channels every day (channel row + 20 newest videos each) is ~4,200 results per day, ~126,000 per month = $63/month. With 10 videos each and no daily channel row: about $30/month.

Price compared with other YouTube Actors — 31 October 2026

Main-event prices listed on the Apify Store that day (all per result / dataset item):

Actor	Monthly users (31 Oct)	Price per 1,000 results
streamers/youtube-scraper	16,328	$4.00
streamers/youtube-channel-scraper	3,406	$1.30
grow_media/youtube-channel-video-scraper	1,564	$1.00
apidojo/youtube-channel-information-scraper	1,105	$0.50
apidojo/youtube-scraper	983	$0.50
api-ninja/youtube-search-scraper	854	$5.00
streamers/youtube-shorts-scraper	846	$4.00
This Actor — search, channels, Shorts, playlists and video details in one	new	$0.50

Who this is not for

• You need transcripts / subtitles. Use YouTube Transcript on the video URLs from this Actor.
• You need the comments themselves. Use YouTube Comments Scraper; this Actor gives the comment count.
• You need channel business emails. YouTube hides them behind a login and a captcha; this Actor never logs in.
• You need to download video files. Not supported.
• You need YouTube Analytics data (watch time, revenue, audience) — only the channel owner can see it.

What's new

• 3 November 2026 — In-depth documentation: real runs, price comparison, full field reference.
• 2 November 2026 — Ready-to-run Python example on GitHub (youtube-data-without-api-quota).
• 1 November 2026 — FAQ, use cases and AI-agent (MCP) documentation.
• 31 October 2026 — First release: search with YouTube's filters, channels (Videos, Shorts, Live, Playlists tabs), playlists, video and Short links, full video details, automatic fallback when YouTube limits its video player (views, likes, comments, date and description are still returned).

How to scrape YouTube with YouTube Scraper

1. Open the Actor and click Try for free.
2. Add search terms and/or YouTube URLs (channels, videos, Shorts, playlists).
3. Choose what to collect from searches (videos, Shorts, channels, playlists or all) and the filters.
4. For channels, choose the tabs (Videos, Shorts, Live, Playlists) and how many items per channel.
5. Turn on Full video details if you need exact dates, likes, comment counts, full descriptions and tags.
6. Click Start and export to JSON, CSV, Excel or HTML — or connect Google Sheets, a webhook or your code.

⬇️ Input examples

Most viewed videos of the week on a topic

{ "searchQueries": ["home workout"], "maxResults": 100, "uploadDate": "week", "sortBy": "views" }

Newest videos of the last hour (monitoring)

{ "searchQueries": ["iphone", "pixel"], "uploadDate": "hour", "maxResults": 50 }

YouTube removed "sort by upload date"; the Upload date filter is the reliable way to get the newest videos.

Long videos only, with full details

{ "searchQueries": ["python tutorial"], "duration": "long", "maxResults": 50, "includeVideoDetails": true }

Find channels in a niche

{ "searchQueries": ["vegan recipes", "meal prep"], "resultType": "channel", "maxResults": 100 }

Put the channel URLs from the results in startUrls in a second run to get subscribers, country and links.

Whole channels: info + videos + Shorts

{
  "startUrls": ["https://www.youtube.com/@mkbhd", "@veritasium", "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA"],
  "channelTabs": ["videos", "shorts"],
  "maxVideosPerChannel": 100,
  "includeChannelInfo": true
}

Channel statistics only (no videos)

{ "startUrls": ["@mkbhd", "@mrbeast", "@linustechtips"], "maxVideosPerChannel": 0 }

Video, Short and playlist links

{
  "startUrls": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
    "https://youtu.be/2reQut8WNGc",
    "https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Rlt6FhsUkEA",
    "https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFgquLnL59alCl_2TQvOiD5Vgm1hCaGSI"
  ]
}

Search results as seen in another country and language

{ "searchQueries": ["recette facile"], "country": "FR", "language": "fr", "maxResults": 50 }

Input reference

Field	Type	Default	Description
searchQueries	list	["home workout"]	What you would type in the YouTube search bar, one per line.
startUrls	list	["https://www.youtube.com/@mkbhd"]	Channels, videos, Shorts, live, playlists, search URLs, @handle or video IDs.
maxResults	number	50	Results per search term.
resultType	choice	video	video, short, channel, playlist, all.
uploadDate	choice	any	any, hour, today, week, month, year.
duration	choice	any	any, short (< 4 min), medium (4–20 min), long (> 20 min).
sortBy	choice	relevance	relevance or views.
channelTabs	list	["videos"]	videos, shorts, streams (live), playlists.
maxVideosPerChannel	number	50	0 = channel info only.
includeChannelInfo	yes/no	yes	One row per channel with subscribers, views, country, links…
includeVideoDetails	yes/no	no	Exact date, likes, comments, full description, tags, category. Slower.
language	text	en	Interface language for texts like "2 days ago".
country	text	US	Country YouTube uses for search results.
maxConcurrency	number	5	For loading video details.
proxyConfiguration	proxy	Apify Proxy	Recommended default.

⬆️ Output examples

Video (with Full video details; real row from 3 November 2026, shortened):

{
  "type": "video",
  "id": "EsTrWCV0Ph4",
  "title": "AI Agents Full Course 2026: Master Agentic AI (2 Hours)",
  "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsTrWCV0Ph4",
  "viewCount": 1008270,
  "duration": "2:13:15",
  "durationSeconds": 7994,
  "publishedTimeText": "7mo ago",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-07T21:01:31-08:00",
  "likeCount": 19815,
  "commentCount": 665,
  "channelName": "Nick Saraev",
  "channelUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/@nicksaraev",
  "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EsTrWCV0Ph4/maxresdefault.jpg",
  "searchQuery": "ai agents tutorial"
}

Channel (real row, 3 November 2026):

{
  "type": "channel",
  "id": "UCBJycsmduvYEL83R_U4JriQ",
  "title": "Marques Brownlee",
  "handle": "@mkbhd",
  "url": "https://www.youtube.com/@mkbhd",
  "subscriberCount": 21400000,
  "videoCount": 1863,
  "totalViews": 5860083118,
  "country": "United States",
  "joinedDate": "2008-03-21",
  "links": [{ "title": "Twitter", "url": "http://twitter.com/MKBHD" }, { "title": "Instagram", "url": "http://instagram.com/MKBHD" }],
  "verified": true,
  "avatarUrl": "https://yt3.googleusercontent.com/…",
  "bannerUrl": "https://yt3.googleusercontent.com/…"
}

Inputs that cannot be read produce a free warning row (for example "Video not found, private or removed — not charged."), so nothing fails silently.

Use cases for YouTube data

Influencer and creator discovery

Search a niche with resultType: "channel", then pull subscribers, country, links and recent videos for every candidate.

Competitor and brand monitoring

Track competitor channels daily: new uploads, views and likes on each video, Shorts output.

Trend research and content ideas

Find the most viewed videos of the week for any topic and spot formats that take off.

Market and academic research

Build datasets of videos with exact dates, engagement, tags and categories.

AI agents and LLM apps

Give an agent live YouTube data; combine with transcripts for summaries and topic analysis.

Integrations and YouTube API

Python (full script: youtube-data-without-api-quota on GitHub):

import os
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient(os.environ["APIFY_TOKEN"])
run = client.actor("rt-solutions/youtube-scraper").call(run_input={
    "searchQueries": ["ai agents tutorial"], "maxResults": 50, "uploadDate": "month", "includeVideoDetails": True,
})
for v in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    if v.get("type") == "video":
        print(v["viewCount"], v.get("likeCount"), v["title"])

JavaScript / Node.js:

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';
const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor('rt-solutions/youtube-scraper').call({ startUrls: ['@mkbhd'], maxVideosPerChannel: 20 });
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items.filter((i) => i.type === 'video').map((v) => `${v.viewCount} ${v.title}`));

HTTP (one call, results in the response):

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/rt-solutions~youtube-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items?timeout=120" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"searchQueries":["home workout"],"maxResults":20,"uploadDate":"week"}'

No-code: Make, n8n (HTTP Request node) and Zapier can call the same endpoint; Apify's Google Sheets integration can push every run into a sheet; webhooks notify your system when a run finishes.

Use it from Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or any MCP agent

Connect the Apify MCP server (https://mcp.apify.com) and allow rt-solutions/youtube-scraper. Example request: "Find the 20 most viewed videos about home workouts uploaded this week and list their channels and view counts."

🤖 For AI Agents & LLM Apps

• What the tool does: returns YouTube search results, channel info and channel videos/Shorts, playlists and video details.
• Minimal inputs: {"searchQueries": ["<topic>"]} or {"startUrls": ["@handle" | "<video/playlist URL>"]}.
• Freshness: use uploadDate (hour, today, week, month, year) — YouTube has no sort-by-date.
• Engagement: set includeVideoDetails: true for likeCount, commentCount, exact publishedAt, keywords, category.
• Output contract: one object per result with type = video | short | channel | playlist; warning rows contain no data and are free.
• Cost guard: bound runs with maxResults and maxVideosPerChannel; cost = results × $0.0005 on the free plan.

❓ FAQ

How do I scrape YouTube without the API quota?

Run this Actor with search terms or URLs. It reads public YouTube pages, so there is no API key, quota or Google Cloud project.

Is it legal to scrape YouTube?

The Actor only reads public pages that anyone can open without logging in and collects no private data. Use the data responsibly and in line with the laws that apply to you.

How much does it cost to scrape 10,000 YouTube videos?

$5 at $0.50 per 1,000 results — full video details included.

How do I get the newest videos on a topic?

Set Upload date to hour, today or week. YouTube removed sorting by date from search.

Can I get likes and comment counts?

Yes — turn on Full video details (always included for video links you paste).

Why is likeCount empty for some videos?

Some creators hide like counts, and YouTube sometimes limits its video player. In the 3 November run, 42 of 50 videos had a like count.

Why are comment counts rounded?

That is how YouTube shows them (e.g. "11K").

Can I scrape a whole channel?

Yes. Paste the channel URL or @handle, choose the tabs (Videos, Shorts, Live, Playlists) and maxVideosPerChannel.

Can I get only channel statistics?

Yes — set maxVideosPerChannel to 0.

Does it work for Shorts?

Yes: Shorts search (resultType: "short"), the Shorts tab of channels and pasted Short links.

Can I scrape playlists?

Yes — paste the playlist URL; every video is returned with its position, duration and views.

Can I get search results for another country?

Yes — set country (e.g. FR, DE, IN) and language.

Can I get the channel's email address?

No. YouTube hides business emails behind a login and a captcha.

Can I get transcripts or the comments themselves?

Use our YouTube Transcript and YouTube Comments Scraper on the video URLs from this Actor.

Can I export to CSV, Excel or Google Sheets?

Yes — download from the run, or use the Google Sheets integration.

Can I schedule it?

Yes. Save your input as a Task and add a schedule (hourly, daily…).

Can I use it with the Apify API or an MCP server?

Yes — see "Integrations" (Python, Node.js, HTTP, Make, n8n, Zapier, MCP).

Limits

• Comment counts are rounded the way YouTube shows them (e.g. 11K).
• When YouTube limits its video player for a while, a video is still returned with views, likes, comments, publish date, description and channel, but category, keywords and the exact publish time may be empty (the date is kept).
• Business emails of channels are hidden by YouTube behind a login and are not collected.
• Age-restricted videos may return fewer details.

Run health

• 3 November 2026: 4 runs, 401 results, 0 errors, 0 failed runs (see "Real runs").

Your feedback

Missing a field or found a wrong value? Open an issue in the Issues tab — we answer fast and ship fixes (see "What's new"). If the Actor saved you time, a short review helps other creators and researchers find it.

Related scrapers

• YouTube Transcript
• YouTube Comments Scraper
• Bilibili Scraper
• Google Trends Scraper

Code example: YouTube data without the API quota (Python) — ready-to-run script on GitHub.