📺 YouTube Video Download & Channel Scraper — Videos, Playlists & Search

The most powerful YouTube Scraper on Apify. Extract direct video download URLs, channel data, playlist metadata, search results, subscriber counts, engagement metrics, subtitles, chapters, and every available quality format — from any YouTube video, channel, playlist, or search query. No login. No browser. Instant structured output.

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📌 Table of Contents

• What Is This Actor?
• Why Use This YouTube Scraper?
• Supported Input Types
• Use Cases
• Input Parameters
• Output Fields
• Example Input & Output
• Video Quality Options
• Pricing & Free Trial
• Performance & Limits
• FAQ
• Changelog
• Legal & Terms of Use

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🔍 What Is This Actor?

YouTube Video Download & Channel Scraper is a production-grade Apify actor that extracts complete structured data from YouTube — including direct video download URLs at every available resolution, full channel metadata, playlist contents, and keyword search results.

Provide a single video link, a channel URL, a playlist, or a search keyword — and receive back a clean, export-ready dataset with everything you need: title, views, likes, duration, published date, description, tags, category, thumbnail, subscriber count, subtitle languages, chapter list, and ready-to-use download URLs for both video and audio streams across all quality levels from 144p to 4K.

This YouTube scraper works without any login, without opening a browser, and without triggering bot detection — making it the fastest and most reliable YouTube data extraction tool on Apify.

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🚀 Why Use This YouTube Scraper?

Feature	This Actor	Browser Scrapers	YouTube API	Manual Tools
YouTube video download URLs	✅ All formats	❌	❌	✅ One-by-one
Channel scraper — bulk videos	✅	⚠️ Slow	⚠️ Quota limited	❌
Playlist extraction	✅	⚠️	✅	❌
Search results scraping	✅	⚠️	⚠️	❌
Subscriber count	✅	⚠️	✅	❌
Subtitles & chapters	✅	❌	⚠️	❌
144p → 4K quality selection	✅	❌	❌	✅
Audio-only stream URL	✅	❌	❌	⚠️
No login or API key	✅	✅	❌ Required	✅
No bot detection	✅ Never	⚠️ Often	✅	✅

Bottom line: This YouTube scraper is the only actor that combines full channel scraping, playlist extraction, search results, and direct video download URLs — all in one tool, with no login and no API quota.

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🎬 Supported Input Types

This YouTube video download actor handles all four input modes automatically:

Mode	What to Enter	What You Get
Single Video	Any youtube.com/watch?v= or youtu.be/ URL	Full metadata + download URLs for all quality levels
Channel Scraper	Any /@channel, /c/, /channel/, or /user/ URL	Up to max_results videos with full metadata each
Playlist	Any youtube.com/playlist?list= URL	All playlist videos with position, title, and download URLs
Search	Any keyword or phrase	Top matching videos ranked by relevance with full metadata

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🎯 Use Cases

📥 YouTube Video Download & Archiving

• Download YouTube videos at any quality for personal backup or offline access
• Archive educational channels, tutorials, and lecture series before they are removed
• Preserve news clips, public statements, and documentary content with full metadata

📊 YouTube Channel Scraper for Analytics

• Scrape entire YouTube channels to analyze upload frequency, average views, and engagement trends
• Compare subscriber counts, view counts, and like ratios across competitor channels
• Build a channel performance dashboard by scheduling regular scraper runs

🤖 AI & Machine Learning Datasets

• Extract YouTube video download URLs in bulk to build video training datasets
• Collect captions and subtitle languages for multilingual NLP and ASR model training
• Scrape video descriptions, tags, and categories for content classification systems

🔍 YouTube Search Scraper for Research

• Scrape YouTube search results for any keyword to study content trends and creator distribution
• Track which videos rank at the top for target keywords over time
• Collect search result metadata for SEO, content strategy, or academic media research

🎓 Education & E-Learning Pipelines

• Download entire educational playlists for offline learning or LMS integration
• Extract chapter timestamps and subtitle languages from tutorial channels
• Build structured course catalogs from YouTube channel metadata

🛠️ Developer & Business Integrations

• Feed YouTube video metadata into your own app, dashboard, or content platform
• Build a multi-channel aggregator that monitors new uploads across subscribed channels
• Automate weekly reports on channel growth, new videos, and engagement metrics

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⚙️ Input Parameters

{
  "video_url":    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "channel_url":  "",
  "playlist_url": "",
  "search_query": "",
  "max_results":  20,
  "quality":      "best",
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy":    true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"]
  }
}

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
video_url	string	""	Single YouTube video URL — youtube.com/watch?v= or youtu.be/
channel_url	string	""	YouTube channel URL — /@channel, /c/name, /channel/ID
playlist_url	string	""	YouTube playlist URL — youtube.com/playlist?list=
search_query	string	""	Keyword search — returns top matching videos
max_results	integer	20	Maximum videos to extract (applies to channel, playlist, and search modes)
quality	string	"best"	Preferred download quality — "best", "1080p", "720p", "480p", "audio_only"
proxyConfiguration	object	Optional	Apify proxy config — recommended for high-volume channel scraping

Tip: Only one input type is needed per run. If you enter a video_url, the other fields are ignored. For search, just enter your keyword in search_query and leave the URL fields blank.

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📋 Output Fields

Every record from this YouTube scraper includes:

🎬 Core Video Fields

Field	Type	Description	Example
video_id	string	YouTube video ID	"dQw4w9WgXcQ"
title	string	Full video title	"Never Gonna Give You Up"
video_url	string	YouTube watch page URL	"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=..."
duration	string	Human-readable duration	"03:32"
duration_seconds	integer	Duration in seconds	212
published_date	string	Upload date (ISO format)	"2009-10-25"
category	string	YouTube category	"Music"
is_live	boolean	Whether currently live	false
age_restricted	boolean	Whether age-restricted	false

👤 Channel Fields

Field	Type	Description	Example
channel_name	string	Channel display name	"Rick Astley"
channel_url	string	Channel page URL	"https://www.youtube.com/@RickAstley"
channel_id	string	YouTube channel ID	"UCuAXFkgsw1L7xaCfnd5JJOw"
subscriber_count	integer	Total subscribers	3800000
subscriber_count_text	string	Formatted subscriber count	"3.8M subscribers"

📈 Engagement Fields

Field	Type	Description	Example
views	integer	Total view count	1450000000
views_text	string	Formatted view count	"1.4B views"
likes	integer	Total likes	16000000

🖼️ Media & Content Fields

Field	Type	Description	Example
thumbnail	string	Best thumbnail URL	"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/.../maxresdefault.jpg"
description	string	Video description (max 1000 chars)	"The official video for..."
tags	array	Video tags (up to 20)	["pop", "80s", "rickroll"]
subtitles_languages	array	Available subtitle languages	["en", "es", "fr"]
auto_captions_languages	array	Auto-generated caption languages	["en"]
chapters_count	integer	Number of chapters	5
chapters	array	Chapter titles and timestamps	[{"title":"Intro","start":0}]

⬇️ Download URL Fields

Field	Type	Description
download_url_best	string	Best combined video+audio stream URL
download_url_best_quality	string	Resolution label of the best stream
download_url_video_only	string	Best video-only stream (for 1080p+ merging)
download_url_audio_only	string	Best audio-only stream (M4A/WebM)
all_formats	array	All available formats with resolution, bitrate, filesize, and URL

🔍 Search & Playlist Fields (search/channel/playlist mode only)

Field	Type	Description	Example
search_query	string	Keyword used for search	"python tutorial"
search_rank	integer	Position in search results	1
playlist_title	string	Parent playlist or channel name	"Python Full Course"
playlist_id	string	Playlist or channel ID	"PLxxx..."
position	integer	Video position in channel/playlist	3
url_type	string	Input mode used	"video", "channel_video", "search_result"
fetched_at	string	Extraction timestamp (ISO 8601 UTC)	"2024-03-15T10:30:00Z"

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📦 Example Input & Output

Input — YouTube video download:

{
  "video_url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "quality":   "best"
}

Output:

{
  "video_id":                  "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "title":                     "Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (Official Music Video)",
  "video_url":                 "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "channel_name":              "Rick Astley",
  "channel_url":               "https://www.youtube.com/@RickAstleyVEVO",
  "subscriber_count":          3800000,
  "subscriber_count_text":     "3.8M subscribers",
  "views":                     1450000000,
  "views_text":                "1.4B views",
  "likes":                     16000000,
  "duration":                  "03:32",
  "duration_seconds":          212,
  "published_date":            "2009-10-25",
  "category":                  "Music",
  "thumbnail":                 "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/dQw4w9WgXcQ/maxresdefault.jpg",
  "tags":                      ["Rick Astley", "Never Gonna Give You Up", "OfficialMusicVideo"],
  "subtitles_languages":       ["en", "es", "fr", "de"],
  "chapters_count":            0,
  "is_live":                   false,
  "age_restricted":            false,
  "download_url_best":         "https://rr3---sn-xxxx.googlevideo.com/...",
  "download_url_best_quality": "1080p",
  "download_url_video_only":   "https://rr3---sn-xxxx.googlevideo.com/...",
  "download_url_audio_only":   "https://rr3---sn-xxxx.googlevideo.com/...",
  "all_formats": [
    { "resolution": "1080p", "ext": "mp4", "has_video": true,  "has_audio": false, "filesize_mb": 156.2 },
    { "resolution": "720p",  "ext": "mp4", "has_video": true,  "has_audio": true,  "filesize_mb": 78.4  },
    { "resolution": "audio", "ext": "m4a", "has_video": false, "has_audio": true,  "filesize_mb": 3.8   }
  ],
  "url_type":   "video",
  "fetched_at": "2024-03-15T10:30:00Z"
}

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🎬 Video Quality Options

Control the preferred output quality using the quality parameter:

Value	Description	Best For
"best"	Highest available combined stream	General use — recommended
"1080p"	Full HD (max 1080p)	HD archiving
"720p"	HD (max 720p)	Balanced quality and file size
"480p"	Standard definition	Mobile, low bandwidth
"audio_only"	Audio stream only	Podcasts, music, transcription

Note: For resolutions above 720p, YouTube serves video and audio as separate streams. Use download_url_video_only and download_url_audio_only together and merge with any video tool. The all_formats array always lists every available resolution regardless of the quality setting.

⚠️ Download URLs are signed and time-limited — typically valid for 6–12 hours. Use them immediately after the run, or re-run to refresh them.

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💰 Pricing & Free Trial

Plan	Price	Includes
Free Trial	$0	2 hours full access — no credit card required
Monthly	$7.99 / month	Unlimited runs, all modes, all quality levels

Everything included in every plan:

• ✅ Single video, channel scraper, playlist, and search modes
• ✅ Direct YouTube video download URLs at all quality levels (144p → 4K)
• ✅ Audio-only stream URL for every video
• ✅ Full channel metadata including subscriber count
• ✅ Subtitle languages and chapter timestamps
• ✅ Up to 1000 videos per channel/playlist run
• ✅ JSON + CSV + Excel export from Apify dataset
• ✅ Scheduled runs for automated channel monitoring

Start your 2-hour free trial now — no credit card needed. Click Try for free at the top of this page.

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⚡ Performance & Limits

Mode	Count	Estimated Time
Single video download	1	~5–15 seconds
Search results	20	~1–2 minutes
Channel scraper	20 videos	~3–5 minutes
Channel scraper	100 videos	~15–25 minutes
Playlist	50 videos	~8–12 minutes

• Results are pushed to the dataset in real time as each video is processed
• Graceful error handling — one failed video never stops the rest of the batch
• Partial records are saved even when full extraction fails on a video
• Randomized request pacing to prevent rate limiting

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❓ FAQ

Q: Does this actor actually download video files to Apify's servers? A: No. The actor extracts and returns direct signed CDN URLs pointing to YouTube's video hosting infrastructure. No video files are stored on Apify. You use the download_url_best to download the video to your own system.

Q: How long are the download URLs valid? A: YouTube CDN URLs are signed and typically expire in 6–12 hours. Use them immediately after the run, or re-run the actor to get fresh URLs.

Q: Why does download_url_best sometimes have no audio? A: For resolutions above 720p (1080p, 4K), YouTube serves video and audio as separate streams. In this case, use download_url_video_only for the video track and download_url_audio_only for the audio, then merge them using any standard video tool.

Q: Can I scrape an entire YouTube channel? A: Yes. Enter a channel URL in channel_url and set max_results to however many videos you need. The actor processes each video in the channel and returns full metadata and download URLs for each one.

Q: Does the YouTube channel scraper get subscriber counts? A: Yes. subscriber_count and subscriber_count_text (formatted, e.g. "3.8M subscribers") are extracted for every channel video record.

Q: Can I download YouTube audio only for transcription or music? A: Yes. Set quality: "audio_only" and use the download_url_audio_only field — it points directly to the highest-bitrate audio stream available.

Q: Do I need a YouTube API key? A: No. This YouTube scraper requires zero credentials — no API key, no Google account, no OAuth. Just enter a URL or keyword and run.

Q: Can I schedule this to monitor a channel for new uploads? A: Yes. Set up an Apify scheduled task with your channel URL to automatically run the YouTube channel scraper on a daily or weekly basis and catch new uploads as they appear.

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📜 Changelog

v3.0.0 (Current)

• ✅ Four input modes: single video download, YouTube channel scraper, playlist, and search
• ✅ Direct download URLs at all quality levels from 144p to 4K
• ✅ Separate video-only and audio-only stream URLs for high-resolution merging
• ✅ Full all_formats array with resolution, bitrate, file size, and URL per format
• ✅ Subscriber count, formatted views, and formatted duration in every record
• ✅ Subtitle language list and auto-caption language list
• ✅ Chapter timestamps extracted per video
• ✅ Search results with rank position
• ✅ Channel/playlist metadata enrichment on every video record
• ✅ Partial record fallback — no data loss on individual video errors
• ✅ Real-time dataset push as each video is scraped

v2.0.0

• Channel and playlist support added
• Proxy configuration support

v1.0.0

• Initial release with single video metadata and download URL extraction

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🏷️ Tags

youtube scraper youtube video download youtube channel scraper youtube playlist scraper youtube search scraper youtube metadata video download channel analytics youtube data extraction subscriber count youtube bulk download audio download apify youtube

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⚖️ Legal & Terms of Use

This actor extracts publicly accessible YouTube video metadata and signed CDN stream URLs in the same way a regular user accesses video content through a browser.

Please note:

• Use this tool only for personal backup, research, education, journalism, and content archiving
• Only download content that you have the right to access and store
• Redistributing copyrighted YouTube content without authorization may violate copyright law and YouTube's Terms of Service
• Do not use this tool to bypass regional restrictions, age gates, or any content access controls
• The actor developer is not responsible for how users choose to use the extracted URLs or metadata

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🤝 Support & Feedback

• Bug report? Contact us via the Apify actor page
• Feature request? Post in the Apify Community forum
• Loving it? Please leave a ⭐ review — it helps other users find this actor!

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Built with ❤️ on Apify
The most complete YouTube Video Download & Channel Scraper — no login, no API key, instant results

💰 $7.99/month · 🆓 2-hour free trial · No credit card required