# YouTube Comments Scraper & Analyzer: Questions, Complaints (`zaiq/youtube-comments-scraper`) Actor

Every comment and reply under any YouTube video, without login or API key: text, likes, replies, date, author, pinned and creator replies. Optional AI insights per video: sentiment, themes, top questions, complaints, requests, praise and buying signals, counted from every comment.

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

## Pricing

from $0.64 / 1,000 comments

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 Comments Scraper & Analyzer: comments, replies and what they add up to (no API key)

![YouTube Comments Scraper & Analyzer: Questions, Complaints](https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/4VJNANhwKgqPpXtAi/records/hero-youtube-comments-scraper.jpg)

Get **every comment and reply under any YouTube video**, without an API key or quota: the **text, likes, reply count, when it was posted, author**, whether it is **pinned** and whether **the creator** wrote it. Top comments or newest first, with as many replies as you want.

Turn on the **insights report** and each video also gets **what its comments add up to**: **sentiment**, **themes**, the **top questions**, **complaints**, **requests**, **praise** and **buying signals**, each with real example comments, counted from **every comment**. For **creators, brands, agencies, product and research teams**.

### What you get

| Field | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Comment and reply rows | `text`, `likes`, `replies`, `publishedAgo`, `author`, `authorChannelId`, `authorVerified`, `byCreator`, `pinned`, `replyTo`, `url`, with `videoUrl`, `videoTitle`, `channelName` |
| Video row | `title`, `channelName`, `viewCount`, `commentCount`, `publishedText`, `commentsRead` |
| Insights row (optional) | `summary`, `sentiment`, `kinds` (counted), `themes` with counts and shares, `topTopics`, `questions`, `complaints`, `requests`, `praise`, `purchaseIntent`, each with example comments |
| SUMMARY | what each link returned, notes and what was charged |

### What people use it for

- **Audience research:** what viewers ask, want and dislike
- **Video ideas:** the questions in the comments are your next videos
- **Product feedback:** complaints and requests under reviews and launches
- **Competitor analysis:** what a rival channel's audience says
- **Sentiment tracking:** how a video or a campaign lands
- **AI agents:** YouTube comments and their meaning in any workflow

### How to use it

1. Paste **YouTube video links** (watch, youtu.be or shorts) or video IDs.
2. Set **Comments per video**, the **Order** and how many **Replies per comment**.
3. Keep **Insights report** on, click **Start**, then open the **Comments** or **Insights** table.

### Input

| Field | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Video links | `https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...` | Watch, youtu.be, shorts or IDs |
| Comments per video | `100` | Up to 10,000, replies included |
| Order | top | Or newest first |
| Replies per comment | `0` | Up to 100 |
| Insights report | on | One report per video |

### Output

Each result is one row in the run's dataset (download it as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML or HTML, or read it through the API). An example row (values shortened):

```json
{
  "kind": "comment",
  "videoUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw",
  "videoTitle": "Me at the zoo",
  "text": "This started it all...... bruh 😳",
  "likes": 248000,
  "replies": 731,
  "publishedAgo": "7 years ago",
  "author": "@example.viewer",
  "pinned": false,
  "byCreator": false
}
```

With insights on, each video also gets one `insights` row. From a run on 17 October 2026 (120 comments and replies of YouTube's first video): sentiment 25% positive, 71.7% neutral, 3.3% negative; 9 questions, 3 complaints, 19 praise; themes "Algorithm recommendations" 42 (35%), "Viewer check-ins" 27, "Video history" 16; top question "Why did the algorithm recommend this video to me now?"; complaint "spam bots and self-promoters in the comments". A record named `SUMMARY` in the run's key-value store says what each link returned and what was charged.

### Pricing

- **$0.0008 per comment or reply** ($0.80 per 1,000)
- **$0.03 per insights report** (one per video, only when asked for; failed reports are free)
- Removed and private videos, and videos with comments off, cost nothing
- The AI model that writes the report (Google's Gemini Flash) is billed by Apify at its exact cost: about $0.01 a report on 60 to 150 comments (measured 17 October 2026), more for more comments; Apify charges free-plan accounts 10 times that

What typical jobs cost at the list price:

| Job | Cost |
|---|---|
| 100 comments of one video | $0.08 |
| 100 comments with the insights report | $0.11 |
| 10 videos, 500 comments each, with reports | $4.30 |
| 1,000 comments | $0.80 |

On Apify's Scale and Business plans the per-event prices are lower (Store discounts). Set **Maximum cost per run** and the Actor stops cleanly when it is reached: you never pay more than that.

### Tips

- Sort by newest and schedule a daily run to follow the conversation under a launch.
- Read replies (Replies per comment) on tutorials: that is where the follow-up questions are.
- Compare the insights of your videos with a competitor's.

### Use it through the API

**Python**

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>")
run = client.actor("zaiq/youtube-comments-scraper").call(run_input={"videoUrls": ["https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw"], "maxComments": 500})
for row in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(row)
```

**JavaScript**

```js
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '<YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>' });
const run = await client.actor('zaiq/youtube-comments-scraper').call({"videoUrls": ["https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw"], "maxComments": 500});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
```

**HTTP (one call, results back)**

```bash
curl -X POST 'https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/zaiq~youtube-comments-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"videoUrls": ["https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw"], "maxComments": 500}'
```

### Integrations and schedules

- **Schedules:** run it every hour, day or week from the Apify Console (Schedules) and keep a history of results.
- **Make, Zapier, n8n, Google Sheets, Slack, Airtable:** connect it through Apify's integrations, or send each finished run to a **webhook**.
- **Datasets:** results stay in the run's dataset; export them or read them by API whenever you need them.

### Use it with AI agents (MCP)

Add Apify's MCP server (`https://mcp.apify.com`) to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, VS Code or any MCP client. The agent can find this Actor and run it for you: ask it for "get the top 500 comments of this YouTube video and list the questions people ask". AI agents can also pay for runs directly through Apify's agentic payments.

### Limits

- Public videos only, signed out; videos with comments off return their details and a note.
- `publishedAgo` is YouTube's own wording ("7 years ago"); YouTube shows no exact date to signed-out visitors.
- The report's counts come from the AI's label for each comment: close, not perfect, on slang and sarcasm.
- Public data only: you are responsible for how you use it under YouTube's terms and the privacy laws that apply to you.

### FAQ

**Do I need a YouTube API key?**

No. No key and no quota: the Actor reads what YouTube shows a signed-out visitor.

**How many comments can I get?**

Up to 10,000 per video, replies included.

**How are the insights counted?**

Every comment is labelled (sentiment, kind, topic) and the counts are added up from those labels.

**Can I skip the report?**

Yes: turn Insights report off and pay only per comment.

### Related Actors from Zaiq

- [youtube-transcript-scraper](https://apify.com/zaiq/youtube-transcript-scraper): YouTube transcripts and subtitles
- [tiktok-comments-scraper](https://apify.com/zaiq/tiktok-comments-scraper): TikTok comments with the same insights
- [instagram-reel-script-analyzer](https://apify.com/zaiq/instagram-reel-script-analyzer): any reel as its script
- [app-reviews-analyzer](https://apify.com/zaiq/app-reviews-analyzer): App Store and Google Play reviews with a report

### Support

Questions, a site that changed, or a field you need? Open an issue on this Actor's **Issues** tab: we answer there, usually within a day.

***

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# Actor input Schema

## `videoUrls` (type: `array`):

YouTube video links (watch, youtu.be or shorts) or video IDs, one per line.

## `maxComments` (type: `integer`):

How many comments of each video, replies included ($0.0008 each).

## `sort` (type: `string`):

Which comments come first.

## `maxRepliesPerComment` (type: `integer`):

How many replies to read under each comment (they count toward the comments per video).

## `insights` (type: `boolean`):

Add one report per video: sentiment, themes, top questions, complaints, requests, praise and buying signals, counted from every comment ($0.03 a video; the AI model's own cost is billed by Apify, a fraction of a cent).

## `analysisLanguage` (type: `string`):

The comments are always kept as written.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "videoUrls": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw"
  ],
  "maxComments": 100,
  "sort": "top",
  "maxRepliesPerComment": 0,
  "insights": true,
  "analysisLanguage": "English"
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

Dataset: the results.

## `summary` (type: `string`):

What each input returned, and notes.

# 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 = {
    "videoUrls": [
        "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("zaiq/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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "videoUrls": ["https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("zaiq/youtube-comments-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 '{
  "videoUrls": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw"
  ]
}' |
apify call zaiq/youtube-comments-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,zaiq/youtube-comments-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/dbuElWSkYLnILmJW7/builds/sBbC829wBWhiMSAji/openapi.json