# YouTube Scraper — $0.50/1k · Channels, Videos, Shorts & Search (`tidydata/youtube-channel-scraper`) Actor

Scrape YouTube channels, videos, Shorts, live streams, playlists and search results: exact views, likes, comments count, publish date, duration, description, plus channel subscribers, total views, joined date, country and links. No API key. $0.50 per 1,000 results.

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

## Pricing

from $0.40 / 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 Scraper — Channels, Videos, Shorts & Search Results

Scrape **YouTube channels, videos, Shorts, live streams, playlists and search results** into a clean table: **exact view and like counts, comment count, exact publish date, duration, full description**, plus a **channel profile** with **subscribers, total views, number of videos, joined date, country and links**.

**$0.50 per 1,000 results** — Shorts included at the same price. No YouTube API key, no daily quota.

- ✅ **Any input**: channel links or `@handles` (videos, `/shorts` and `/streams` tabs), playlists, single videos and **search terms**
- ✅ **Exact numbers**: `viewCount` 10,901,215 (not "10M"), `likeCount` 125,695, `commentCount`
- ✅ **Exact publish date** (`publishedAt`) plus the relative text YouTube shows
- ✅ **Channel profile row**: subscribers, total channel views, video count, joined date, country, description, external links, avatar, verified badge
- ✅ **Shorts and live streams** marked with `type`
- ✅ **Only recent videos** with *Only videos from the last N days*
- ✅ Fast mode without details for big lists, same price
- ✅ Private or deleted videos are listed with the reason and **never charged**

### Who uses it

- **Marketers & agencies** — benchmark competitors' channels: what they publish, how often, and what performs.
- **Influencer research** — subscribers, views, engagement (likes ÷ views) and contact links for every creator in a niche (search → channels).
- **Creators** — find the best-performing videos and Shorts in your topic to plan the next one.
- **Data & AI teams** — datasets of titles, descriptions and engagement for analysis, trend detection or training.
- **Brands** — monitor mentions in titles and descriptions with scheduled search runs.

### How to use it

1. **Sources** — one per line, mixed as you like:
   ```
   @veritasium
   https://www.youtube.com/@kurzgesagt/shorts
   https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFs4vir_WsTwEd-nJgVJCZPNL3HALHHpF
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiCgcUTL9_Q
   iphone 17 review
   ```
2. **Max videos per channel, playlist or search** (channels are listed newest first).
3. Keep **Exact views, likes, date and full description** on for complete data, or switch it off for a quick list.
4. Run and export to CSV, Excel, JSON or HTML, or use the API.

### Output examples

A video:

```json
{
  "type": "video",
  "videoId": "NiCgcUTL9_Q",
  "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiCgcUTL9_Q",
  "title": "The Absurd Engineering Behind the Internet",
  "channelName": "Veritasium",
  "channelId": "UCHnyfMqiRRG1u-2MsSQLbXA",
  "channelUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHnyfMqiRRG1u-2MsSQLbXA",
  "channelSubscriberCountText": "21.4M subscribers",
  "viewCount": 10901215,
  "likeCount": 125695,
  "commentCount": 5300,
  "publishedAt": "2026-10-12",
  "publishedTimeText": "7 days ago",
  "durationText": "34:32",
  "durationSeconds": 2072,
  "isLive": false,
  "thumbnail": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NiCgcUTL9_Q/hqdefault.jpg",
  "description": "Why making glass fibers to send signals was almost impossible…",
  "positionInSource": 1
}
```

A channel profile:

```json
{
  "type": "channel",
  "channelName": "Veritasium",
  "handle": "@veritasium",
  "channelId": "UCHnyfMqiRRG1u-2MsSQLbXA",
  "subscriberCount": 21400000,
  "viewCount": 4679475306,
  "videoCount": 541,
  "joinedDate": "2010-07-21",
  "country": "United States",
  "isVerified": true,
  "links": ["ve42.co/YTBio", "patreon.com/veritasium", "…"]
}
```

### Pricing

**$0.0005 per result ($0.50 per 1,000)** — each video, Short or channel profile in the results.

| You scrape | You pay |
|---|---|
| the last 100 videos of a channel + its profile | $0.05 |
| top 50 search results for 20 keywords | $0.50 |
| 10,000 videos | $5 |

Unavailable videos, invalid inputs and videos filtered out by date are free. Higher Apify plans get an automatic discount. Set a **maximum cost per run** to stay in control.

### Use it from code

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>")
run = client.actor("tidydata/youtube-channel-scraper").call(run_input={
    "sources": ["@veritasium", "@kurzgesagt"],
    "maxVideosPerSource": 50,
    "newerThanDays": 90,
})
for row in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    if row["type"] != "channel":
        print(row["publishedAt"], row["viewCount"], row["title"])
```

Works with **Make, Zapier, n8n**, Google Sheets, webhooks and schedules, and as a tool for AI agents through the Apify MCP server.

### FAQ

**Why is `subscriberCount` rounded?**
YouTube only shows subscribers rounded (21.4M). Views, likes and video counts are exact.

**What's the difference with the official YouTube Data API?**
No API key, no Google Cloud project and no 10,000-units daily quota.

**Can I get the comments or the transcript of the videos?**
Yes, with our [YouTube Comments Scraper](https://apify.com/tidydata/youtube-comments-scraper) and [YouTube Transcript Scraper](https://apify.com/tidydata/youtube-transcript-scraper).

**Is it legal?**
The Actor reads only public information that YouTube shows to every visitor. Use the data responsibly and respect YouTube's terms and privacy laws.

Something doesn't work? Open an issue in the **Issues** tab with the link — we answer fast.

# Actor input Schema

## `sources` (type: `array`):

One per line: channel links or @handles (add /shorts or /streams for those tabs), playlist links, video links or IDs, or plain search terms like 'iphone 17 review'.

## `maxVideosPerSource` (type: `integer`):

Channels are listed newest first. Single video links always count as one.

## `videoDetails` (type: `boolean`):

Opens each video to read the exact view and like counts, the exact publish date, the comment count and the full description. Turn off for a faster list with rounded numbers (same price).

## `includeChannelInfo` (type: `boolean`):

For each channel: subscribers, total views, number of videos, joined date, country, description, links and avatar (one extra row of type 'channel').

## `newerThanDays` (type: `integer`):

Skip videos older than this (0 = no limit). Skipped videos are free.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "sources": [
    "@veritasium"
  ],
  "maxVideosPerSource": 30,
  "videoDetails": true,
  "includeChannelInfo": true,
  "newerThanDays": 0
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

One row per video (and per channel profile).

# 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 = {
    "sources": [
        "@veritasium"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("tidydata/youtube-channel-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 = { "sources": ["@veritasium"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("tidydata/youtube-channel-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 '{
  "sources": [
    "@veritasium"
  ]
}' |
apify call tidydata/youtube-channel-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,tidydata/youtube-channel-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/l2IOMTY61WvhY40Bq/builds/0QxivV74zh38zVRA7/openapi.json