# YouTube Playlist Scraper (Videos, Views, Durations) (`webdatatools/youtube-playlist-scraper`) Actor

Scrape every video of a public YouTube playlist in playlist order: title, channel, views, age, duration, thumbnail and link, one row per video.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/webdatatools/youtube-playlist-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Murat Uzun](https://apify.com/webdatatools) (community)
- **Categories:** Other, Developer tools
- **Security:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.60 / 1,000 videos

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 Playlist Scraper (Videos, Views, Durations)

### What is YouTube Playlist Scraper?

YouTube Playlist Scraper lists every video of a public YouTube playlist, in playlist order. For each video it returns the title, channel, views and age as YouTube shows them, the duration, the thumbnail and the watch link. One dataset row is one video.

Use it to export playlists for research, to build curated video lists, to check what a channel has put into a playlist, or to feed a content pipeline. It uses the same public YouTube endpoints as the other YouTube Actors in this set. No API key and no login are needed.

### What data does YouTube Playlist Scraper extract?

| Field | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| playlistId | string | YouTube playlist id (the list= value) |
| playlistTitle | string or null | Playlist title |
| position | number | Video position in the playlist (1 = first) |
| videoId | string | YouTube video id |
| title | string or null | Video title |
| channelName | string or null | Channel that uploaded the video |
| channelId | string or null | Channel id (starts with UC) |
| viewsText | string or null | Views as YouTube shows them, e.g. "3.4M views" |
| publishedText | string or null | Age as YouTube shows it, e.g. "8 years ago" |
| durationText | string or null | Duration as shown, e.g. "3:25" |
| durationSeconds | number or null | Duration in seconds |
| url | string | Watch link that includes the playlist |
| thumbnailUrl | string or null | Largest thumbnail the page lists |
| scrapedAt | string | ISO timestamp of the scrape |

### How to use YouTube Playlist Scraper

1. Paste one or more playlist links or ids into "Playlist links or ids", one per line.
2. Set "Max videos per playlist" (default 100). The Actor reads 100 videos per page.
3. Start the run, then download the dataset as JSON, CSV or Excel, or read it through the API.

### Example input

```json
{
    "playlists": ["https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL06diOotXAJLAAHBY7kIUm5GQwm2ZinOz"],
    "maxVideos": 150
}
```

### Example output

Real row from a run on 23 Oct 2026 (first video of the playlist, 150-video run):

```json
{
    "playlistId": "PL06diOotXAJLAAHBY7kIUm5GQwm2ZinOz",
    "playlistTitle": "Chill LoFi Hip Hop (Copyright Free) Chillhop Music #NCM",
    "position": 1,
    "videoId": "hQT6WMJ-Fco",
    "title": "[No Copyright Music] Chill Lofi Hip Hop Beat FREE Instrumental (Copyright Free) Chillhop Music",
    "channelName": "Chill - Copyright Free Music",
    "channelId": "UC2iczXFcRRg5nN_IVQOXIaA",
    "viewsText": "3.4M views",
    "publishedText": "8 years ago",
    "durationText": "3:25",
    "durationSeconds": 205,
    "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQT6WMJ-Fco&list=PL06diOotXAJLAAHBY7kIUm5GQwm2ZinOz",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hQT6WMJ-Fco/hqdefault.jpg",
    "scrapedAt": "2026-10-23T11:02:08.976Z"
}
```

### Input parameters

| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| playlists | one demo playlist | Playlist URLs or ids, one per line |
| maxVideos | 100 | Videos per playlist, 1 to 2,000 |

### Pricing

Pay per video: **$1.00 per 1,000 videos** on the free plan ($0.001 per video). Volume tiers lower the price on paid Apify plans.

Measured on 23 Oct 2026 at 256 MB: a run for 150 videos (two pages of one playlist) finished in 17 seconds and used $0.000 of platform usage; a run for 30 videos from a second playlist used $0.000 in 4 seconds. The CLI prints usage to three decimals, so these are rounded figures.

### YouTube Playlist Scraper vs. alternatives

The official YouTube Data API returns playlist items with a quota and a Google Cloud key. This Actor needs no key and returns the same public list the YouTube page shows, but views and ages are the page's own text (e.g. "3.4M views"), not exact counts, and the Actor does not return video descriptions or tags.

### Using YouTube Playlist Scraper with AI agents / MCP

An agent sends `playlists` and `maxVideos` and reads the rows in order. The `position` field keeps the playlist order.

### FAQ

**Is this legal?** The Actor reads the public playlist pages YouTube serves to visitors. It does not log in and does not download video files. Respect YouTube's terms and the rights of the uploaders for any reuse of the content.

**Why are views given as text, like "3.4M views"?** The page shows rounded counts, and the Actor keeps that text as YouTube shows it. Exact counts are not in the page data the Actor reads.

**Does it work for private or unlisted playlists?** Only public playlists were tested. For a private playlist, expect no videos; the run then logs that playlist as having none.

**Can I get more than 200 videos from one playlist?** Yes, up to 2,000 per playlist. The Actor reads 100 videos per page and stops at the limit or at the end of the playlist.

**Can I call it from n8n, Make or Zapier?** Those tools can start any Apify Actor through their Apify integrations. This was not tested for this Actor.

**What about errors and limits?** A playlist that returns no videos is logged and skipped. The run fails only when no video is collected. Each run stops at the caller's maximum charge.

### Related Actors

Other Actors from the same publisher are listed on its Apify profile.

### Support

Open an issue on the Actor's Issues tab on Apify. Include the run ID, the playlist link and the log lines.

### Limitations

- Public playlists only. Private and unlisted playlists were not tested.
- Views and ages are the page's rounded text.
- Video descriptions, tags, like counts and exact upload dates are not included.
- The page layout can change. The parser was checked on 23 Oct 2026 on two playlists (185 and at least 150 videos).

# Actor input Schema

## `playlists` (type: `array`):

Playlist URLs or ids, one per line, e.g. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL06diOotXAJLAAHBY7kIUm5GQwm2ZinOz or PL06diOotXAJLAAHBY7kIUm5GQwm2ZinOz.

## `maxVideos` (type: `integer`):

How many videos to return from each playlist, e.g. 200. The page loads 100 at a time.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "playlists": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL06diOotXAJLAAHBY7kIUm5GQwm2ZinOz"
  ],
  "maxVideos": 100
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

All playlist videos from this run.

# 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 = {
    "playlists": [
        "https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL06diOotXAJLAAHBY7kIUm5GQwm2ZinOz"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("webdatatools/youtube-playlist-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 = { "playlists": ["https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL06diOotXAJLAAHBY7kIUm5GQwm2ZinOz"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("webdatatools/youtube-playlist-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 '{
  "playlists": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL06diOotXAJLAAHBY7kIUm5GQwm2ZinOz"
  ]
}' |
apify call webdatatools/youtube-playlist-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,webdatatools/youtube-playlist-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/9CchOqpX03BauvppL/builds/3ua9o1dmT6tf753jN/openapi.json