YouTube Related Videos Scraper – Recommendations

Collect the video recommendations YouTube exposes beside a known video. YouTube Related Videos Scraper returns related video and Shorts cards with titles, channel details, view labels, thumbnails, and the source video attached to each result.

Use it to explore adjacent topics, compare recommendations across selected videos, or assemble candidate links for deeper review. Each source video has its own page budget and result sequence.

At a glance	Details
📥 Input	Full YouTube source-video URLs
📤 Output	Video and Shorts cards with source-video context
🔐 Login required	No YouTube credentials or cookies
⚡ Processing	Up to 5 requests concurrently with automatic retries
💾 Delivery	One row per collected result, with an input-specific position

What the YouTube related videos scraper extracts 🔎

The Actor collects public recommendation cards for the requested source video. It excludes the source video itself from the returned related items.

• Related video or Short ID, URL, type, title, and available description
• Thumbnail variants, duration, view count and original view text
• Publication text, badges, and visible live or upcoming indicators
• Channel identity, handle, avatar references, and verification
• Source video ID, title, URL, author, channel ID, and available views
• Sequential position within the collected results for that input

How to scrape YouTube related videos 🚀

1. Add full source-video URLs to inputList.
2. Set pagesPerInput for each source video.
3. Run the Actor and compare recommendation rows by input and position.
4. Export related URLs or pass selected ones to Video Details Scraper.

{
  "inputList": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw"
  ],
  "pagesPerInput": 2
}

YouTube related videos data fields and output 📦

Field group	Included data
Result	ID, URL, type, title, description, and position
Video card	Duration, views, source labels, publication text, and badges
Media and author	Thumbnail variants, channel identity, avatars, and verification
Source video	ID, URL, title, author, channel ID, and available views

Complete illustrative success item. The content and values below are fictional examples, not a live result:

{
  "input": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrailWalk01x",
  "status": "success",
  "id": "ForestLoop1",
  "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ForestLoop1",
  "type": "video",
  "title": "Planning a forest day hike",
  "description": "A practical route guide with water stops and a packing checklist.",
  "thumbnail_url": "https://example.com/forest-loop.jpg",
  "thumbnails.url": [
    "https://example.com/forest-loop-small.jpg",
    "https://example.com/forest-loop.jpg"
  ],
  "thumbnails.width": [
    640,
    1280
  ],
  "thumbnails.height": [
    360,
    720
  ],
  "duration_seconds": 250,
  "duration_text": "4:10",
  "views": 8200,
  "views_text": "8.2K views",
  "published_text": "3 days ago",
  "badges": [],
  "is_live": false,
  "is_upcoming": false,
  "is_premiere": false,
  "is_members_only": false,
  "stream_status": null,
  "scheduled_start_time": null,
  "accessibility_text": null,
  "author.id": "UCaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa",
  "author.name": "Trail Journal",
  "author.handle": "@trailjournal",
  "author.url": "https://www.youtube.com/@trailjournal",
  "author.avatar_url": "https://example.com/trail-avatar.jpg",
  "author.avatar_thumbnails.url": [
    "https://example.com/trail-avatar-small.jpg",
    "https://example.com/trail-avatar.jpg"
  ],
  "author.avatar_thumbnails.width": [
    80,
    160
  ],
  "author.avatar_thumbnails.height": [
    80,
    160
  ],
  "author.is_verified": false,
  "source_video.id": "TrailWalk01x",
  "source_video.url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrailWalk01x",
  "source_video.title": "A forest walk in three stops",
  "source_video.channel_id": "UCaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa",
  "source_video.author": "Trail Journal",
  "source_video.views": 12400,
  "position": 1
}

A related video occupies one row. source_video.id and the other source fields identify the video whose recommendations were collected. Thumbnail and avatar columns contain aligned lists; the same position within a group describes one image variant.

Missing optional fields can be null, empty strings, or empty lists. Some flags default to false when no signal is present. A failed row retains input, sets status to failed, and leaves the result-data fields null.

Input requirements and coverage ⚙️

Parameter	Type	Default	Rules
inputList	array of strings	Required	At least one full supported YouTube video URL; bare IDs are not accepted.
pagesPerInput	integer	1	Minimum 1, with no fixed upper limit. Limits result pages for each input; YouTube controls page size.

Supported inputs include full watch URLs, youtu.be links, and supported /shorts/, /live/, /embed/, or /v/ links. The URL must identify an 11-character video ID; channel URLs and bare IDs are not accepted.

The collection covers the recommendations returned for the source video, without following each recommendation recursively. It does not reproduce a particular signed-in viewer's recommendation history.

Each input has its own collection order and duplicate tracking. Repeated results within that input are skipped; the same result may appear again under another input. Repeated input entries are processed separately.

The initial result page counts as page 1; each continuation uses another page. Collection ends at the budget or when YouTube stops providing a usable next page. If collection ends without any results, the Actor saves a failed row for that input. An empty end after saved results does not add a failure.

YouTube recommendation use cases 🎯

Adjacent-topic research

Review titles and channels suggested beside selected source videos to identify nearby themes for further investigation.

Recommendation comparisons

Compare the returned cards for different source videos while retaining the source context on every row.

Candidate video discovery

Gather related links, select relevant candidates, and enrich them with full public video metadata.

Content-network snapshots

Save dated collections for your own analysis of how public recommendations change over repeated runs.

Pricing and billable result rows 💰

Check the Actor's Pricing tab for the current charging model and rate.

Under dataset-item pricing, each saved success or failed row can be billable. Automatic retries do not independently create extra rows. Repeated input entries can produce repeated billable results.

The page budget is not an exact item count. Each collected result is a row; media variants and source context stay inside it. Repeated results under different inputs can create separate rows.

YouTube Related Videos Scraper API and integrations 🔌

Use the Actor ID from the API tab as $ACTOR_ID and your Apify token as $APIFY_TOKEN.

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/$ACTOR_ID/runs?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"inputList":["https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw"],"pagesPerInput":2}'

This request starts a run. Retrieve the default dataset after completion, or use schedules and webhooks to connect it to a recurring workflow. Export JSON, CSV, or Excel, or send selected fields to Google Sheets, Make, Zapier, or your own application.

Reliability and limits ⚠️

Temporary request failures are retried. Invalid or unavailable targets produce failed rows while other inputs can continue. A later-page failure can add a failed row alongside results already saved for the same input.

Recommendations can vary by region, time, availability, and the public response YouTube returns. The Actor does not guarantee the same sidebar a signed-in viewer sees. Missing recommendation containers or unavailable source videos can fail.

Card descriptions and counts may be partial. Numeric counts parsed from labels such as 8.2K are approximate; preserve views_text or other source labels where available. Use a details Actor when you need full descriptions or additional metadata.

Frequently asked questions ❓

Does it return the source video too?

No. The source ID is excluded from the related result list and retained as context on the rows.

Are Shorts included?

Yes, when Shorts cards appear among the available recommendations.

Does it follow recommendations recursively?

No. It collects recommendation pages for the input videos, without opening each result's recommendations.

Will these match my account's recommendations?

Not necessarily. The Actor collects public responses without your signed-in account or viewing history.

Does two pages mean a fixed number of videos?

No. YouTube controls page size, and duplicate or unavailable cards can reduce the result count.

Support, responsible use, and related actors 🛟

For a reproducible issue, share the run ID, a safe public input, and the field or behavior you expected through the Actor's support channel. Keep tokens and other credentials out of support messages.

Use public content in accordance with applicable privacy, copyright, contractual, and platform requirements.