# YouTube Comments Scraper (`shahidirfan/youtube-comments-scraper`) Actor Scrape YouTube comments at scale. Get comment text, replies, author details, timestamps & engagement metrics from any video. Perfect for sentiment analysis, brand monitoring, content research, engagement tracking & AI training. Structured, export-ready data. - **URL**: https://apify.com/shahidirfan/youtube-comments-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Shahid Irfan](https://apify.com/shahidirfan) (community) - **Categories:** AI, Social media, Videos - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing Pay per usage This Actor is paid per platform usage. The Actor is free to use, and you only pay for the Apify platform usage, which gets cheaper the higher subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-usage ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. 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. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use 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 Comments Scraper Extract comments and replies from YouTube videos with ease. Collect user profiles, comment text, likes, reply counts, and engagement metrics at scale. Perfect for sentiment analysis, market research, and audience feedback tracking. ### Features - **Multi-Video Scraping** — Collect comments from one or multiple YouTube video URLs in a single run. - **Detailed Metadata** — Extract comment content, author details, like counts, and reply counts. - **Creator Signals** — Identify pinned comments, creator-hearted comments, and author-creator badges. - **Advanced Sorting** — Sort comments by newest first or top comments using YouTube's native ordering. ### Use Cases #### Sentiment Analysis Analyze viewer reactions and community feedback on product launches, updates, or specific topics. #### Competitor Intelligence Track audience discussions on competitor channels to identify customer pain points, complaints, and feature requests. #### Lead Generation Discover highly engaged community members, active commentators, or potential leads within your niche. --- ### Input Parameters | Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description | |-----------|------|----------|---------|-------------| | `startUrls` | Array | Yes | `[]` | One or more YouTube video URLs to scrape | | `maxComments` | Integer | No | `1` | Maximum number of comments to collect per video | | `commentsSortBy` | String | No | `"1"` | Sorting order (`"0"`: Newest first, `"1"`: Top comments) | | `maxConcurrency` | Integer | No | `5` | Maximum number of pages processed in parallel | --- ### Output Data Each scraped comment item contains the following fields: | Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | `type` | String | Type of item: `comment` or `reply` | | `url` | String | Canonical video URL | | `comment` | String | Extracted text content of the comment | | `cid` | String | Unique comment identifier | | `author` | String | Comment author's display name | | `authorId` | String | Author's YouTube channel ID | | `authorUrl` | String | Public URL of the author's channel | | `authorThumbnail` | String | Avatar image URL for the author | | `publishedTimeText` | String | Relative published time text (e.g. `3 days ago`) | | `publishedAt` | String | Normalized ISO timestamp of publication | | `voteCount` | Number | Number of likes on the comment | | `replyCount` | Number | Number of replies to this comment | | `authorIsChannelOwner` | Boolean | Whether the author is the video creator | | `hasCreatorHeart` | Boolean | Whether the creator hearted the comment | | `isPinned` | Boolean | Whether the comment is pinned to the top | | `replyToCid` | String | ID of parent comment (for replies) | | `scrapedAt` | String | ISO timestamp when the data was collected | --- ### Usage Examples #### Basic Comment Extraction Extract the top comments from a single YouTube video: ```json { "startUrls": [{ "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ" }], "maxComments": 50, "commentsSortBy": "1" } ```` *** ### Sample Output ```json { "type": "comment", "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ", "pageUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ", "videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ", "title": "Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (Official Music Video)", "comment": "This song will never die.", "cid": "Ugx...", "author": "John Doe", "authorId": "UC...", "authorUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC...", "authorThumbnail": "https://yt3.ggpht.com/...", "publishedTimeText": "2 days ago", "publishedAt": "2026-06-19T14:00:00.000Z", "voteCount": 1420, "replyCount": 5, "commentsCount": 842910, "authorIsChannelOwner": false, "hasCreatorHeart": true, "isPinned": false, "replyToCid": null, "scrapedAt": "2026-06-21T09:00:00.000Z" } ``` *** ### Tips for Best Results #### Sorting Strategy - Use **Top comments** to get comments that received the most engagement and user reactions. - Use **Newest first** to monitor real-time community engagement or recent feedback. #### Performance Optimization - Set `maxConcurrency` appropriately to balance scraping speed and run stability. - When running large batches of videos, start with smaller comment limits to test your workflow. *** ### Integrations Connect your data with: - **Google Sheets** — Export for team collaboration and reporting - **Airtable** — Build structured customer review databases - **Slack** — Notify your team of critical comments or reviews - **Webhooks** — Automate integrations with custom endpoints #### Export Formats - **JSON** — For developer workflows and API systems - **CSV** — For easy loading into spreadsheet tools - **Excel** — For local analysis and business metrics *** ### Frequently Asked Questions #### Does it support replies? Yes, replies to comments are automatically extracted and linked to their parent comments via `replyToCid`. #### Can I scrape multiple videos at once? Yes. Simply input multiple YouTube video URLs into the `startUrls` array parameter. #### How are dates normalized? Relative dates like "3 days ago" or "1 year ago" are resolved into normalized ISO timestamps under `publishedAt`. *** ### Support For issues or feature requests, contact support through the Apify Console. #### Resources - [Apify Documentation](https://docs.apify.com/) - [API Reference](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2) *** ### Legal Notice This actor is designed for legitimate data collection purposes. Users are responsible for ensuring compliance with website terms of service and applicable laws. Use data responsibly and respect rate limits. # Actor input Schema ## `startUrls` (type: `array`): Enter one or more YouTube video URLs. ## `maxComments` (type: `integer`): Limit the number of comments to scrape per video. ## `commentsSortBy` (type: `string`): Select YouTube sorting parameter for comments. ## `maxConcurrency` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of pages processed in parallel. ## `proxyConfig` (type: `object`): Proxy settings used for requests to YouTube. ## Actor input object example ```json { "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ" } ], "maxComments": 20, "commentsSortBy": "1", "maxConcurrency": 5, "proxyConfig": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": [ "RESIDENTIAL" ] } } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `results` (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 '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ" } ], "maxComments": 20 }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("shahidirfan/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 '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "startUrls": [{ "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ" }], "maxComments": 20, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("shahidirfan/youtube-comments-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).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": [ { "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ" } ], "maxComments": 20 }' | apify call shahidirfan/youtube-comments-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=shahidirfan/youtube-comments-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "YouTube Comments Scraper", "description": "Scrape YouTube comments at scale. Get comment text, replies, author details, timestamps & engagement metrics from any video. Perfect for sentiment analysis, brand monitoring, content research, engagement tracking & AI training. Structured, export-ready data.", "version": "0.0", "x-build-id": "Iz4x6ve2DhgIBGyuS" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/shahidirfan~youtube-comments-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-shahidirfan-youtube-comments-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/shahidirfan~youtube-comments-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-shahidirfan-youtube-comments-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/shahidirfan~youtube-comments-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-shahidirfan-youtube-comments-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "required": [ "startUrls" ], "properties": { "startUrls": { "title": "Direct video URLs", "type": "array", "description": "Enter one or more YouTube video URLs.", "default": [], "items": { "type": "object", "required": [ "url" ], "properties": { "url": { "type": "string", "title": "URL of a web page", "format": "uri" } } } }, "maxComments": { "title": "Maximum comments", "minimum": 1, "type": "integer", "description": "Limit the number of comments to scrape per video.", "default": 20 }, "commentsSortBy": { "title": "Sorting order", "enum": [ "0", "1" ], "type": "string", "description": "Select YouTube sorting parameter for comments.", "default": "1" }, "maxConcurrency": { "title": "Max concurrency", "minimum": 1, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of pages processed in parallel.", "default": 5 }, "proxyConfig": { "title": "Proxy configuration", "type": "object", "description": "Proxy settings used for requests to YouTube.", "default": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": [ "RESIDENTIAL" ] } } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```