# Search Similar YouTube Channels by Content, Not Keywords (`dataovercoffee/youtube-channel-lookalike-finder`) Actor

☕ Search similar YouTube channels by content — 200M+ creators, ranked, with stats + emails ✨

- **URL**: https://apify.com/dataovercoffee/youtube-channel-lookalike-finder.md
- **Developed by:** [Data Over Coffee](https://apify.com/dataovercoffee) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, Social media, Videos
- **Stats:** 339 total users, 63 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 16 bookmarks
- **User rating**: 5.00 out of 5 stars

## Pricing

$120.00 / 1,000 channels

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
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.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — 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

### 🔍 Search Similar YouTube Channels by Content, Not Keywords

Think of it as a search engine for creators. Give it a channel you like, it searches **200M+ creators** and returns the ones that publish similar content. Ranked, filtered, and ready to export. It's how you find YouTube creators by example.

### 🧠 How It Works

1. **We index 200M+ YouTube channels** into one of the largest searchable YouTube channel databases.
2. **You give us a channel.** Paste one or more YouTube channel IDs as seeds.
3. **We find the closest matches** based on what they publish.
4. **We score and rank them** by how closely their content matches your seed — each result carries a 0-1 lookalike score.
5. **We apply your filters** — subscribers, avg views, country, email availability.
6. **You get the results.** Ranked list with full metadata, ready to export. A search usually takes 2-5 minutes.

### 💡 Use Cases

| Who | Problem | How |
|---|---|---|
| Brand marketer | Sponsored one creator, need 200 more like them | Seed the channel, get lookalikes with view + subscriber stats |
| Agency manager | Creator dropped out, need a replacement fast | Seed the dropped creator, filter by `only_has_email` |
| Marketing director | Agency pitched 15 creators, are they the best? | Seed a few pitched channels, see who else exists |
| International marketer | Need the Brazilian equivalent of a US creator | Seed US channels, filter by country |
| Affiliate manager | Need partners who drive sales | Seed top earners, filter by avg views per video |
| Ecommerce brand | Need 50 micro-creators under 20k subs for UGC | Seed known micro-creators, filter max subs |

### ⚡ How To Use It

![Actor inputs walkthrough](https://apify-data-over-coffee.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/doc_youtube_related_inputs.gif)

1. Paste `seed_channel_ids` (1-10 YouTube channel IDs).
2. Set `limit` (default 100, max 25,000).
3. Optional filters: subscribers, avg views, total views, total videos, country (include or exclude), verified-only, family-friendly, and public-email-only.
4. Run (a search usually takes 2-5 minutes), then download results (CSV/JSON/Excel).

**Where do I get a channel ID?** YouTube channel -> three dots -> "Share channel" -> copy the URL. The ID is the `UC...` part.

### 📦 What You Get

Each result is one channel, with:

- **Identity** — name, handle, URL, description, avatar, country, join date, tags
- **Audience & reach** — subscriber count, total views, total videos, avg views on recent videos, avg views on recent shorts
- **Flags** — verified badge, family-friendly, public email available
- **Match score** — a single 0-1 lookalike score on every result, so you can rank and threshold by how close each match is

Export as CSV, JSON, or Excel.

### 💰 Pricing

- **$0.12 per channel** — pay per result
- Up to **25,000 results** per search
- Apify free tier includes **$5** — about **41 results** to try it first

### 🔗 Full Outreach Pipeline

Seed a channel, get lookalikes, extract emails, start outreach. One pipeline, no spreadsheet cleanup.

1. Pick a seed channel
2. Run this actor with `only_has_email` — get email-ready lookalikes
3. Run [YouTube Channel Business Email Scraper](https://apify.com/dataovercoffee/youtube-channel-business-email-scraper) on results to get actual addresses
4. Export to Google Sheets, CSV, JSON, or Excel via Apify integrations

### 🏆 Tips

- **Multiple seeds = sharper results.** One seed is broad. Three seeds is a niche.
- **Keep all seeds in the same niche.** Multi-seed finds channels similar to *all* seeds at once. If your seeds span multiple niches, run a separate search per niche.
- **Filter by avg views.** Millions of subscribers mean nothing if nobody watches.
- **Videos vs shorts.** Filter `min_avg_views_videos` and `min_avg_views_shorts` separately.
- **Email flag for outreach.** `only_has_email` = only channels with a public email. Run them through the [Email Scraper](https://apify.com/dataovercoffee/youtube-channel-business-email-scraper) for actual addresses.
- **Dedup across runs.** Paste up to 500K channel IDs into `exclude_channel_ids`.

### 🌐 Need creators on other platforms?

Same lookalike engine, every major catalog — seed a creator, get the ones who post similar content plus profile stats, ranked and filtered.

- **[Instagram Lookalike Search](https://apify.com/dataovercoffee/instagram-lookalike-search)** — 150M+ Instagram creators
- **[TikTok Lookalike Search](https://apify.com/dataovercoffee/tiktok-lookalike-search)** — 300M+ TikTok creators

### ❓ FAQ

#### What's the difference between this and YouTube's "related channels"?

YouTube removed that feature for most creators. This searches the full index with stats, filters, and up to 25,000 results.

#### How do I find YouTube channels similar to a competitor?

Paste your competitor's channel IDs as seeds. The results are your YouTube competitors and the channels most similar to them. Add your own top creators as seeds too and the overlap gets even more specific.

#### Can I use this for YouTube influencer discovery and search?

Yes. Seed creators you already work with and the actor searches 200M+ channels for the closest matches — a YouTube influencer database you can filter into a shortlist for outreach or influencer marketing.

#### Does it return email addresses?

It flags which channels have a public email (`HasPublicEmail`). To get actual addresses, run those channels through [YouTube Channel Business Email Scraper](https://apify.com/dataovercoffee/youtube-channel-business-email-scraper).

#### How do I find YouTubers for sponsorship?

Add seed channels, set filters (subs, avg views, country, `only_has_email`), run, export. Best matches are at the top.

#### What's the best way to find YouTube influencers in a specific niche?

Use multiple seeds. One seed gives you broad results. Three seeds that all represent your niche give you the intersection — channels similar to all of them. The more seeds, the tighter the niche.

#### Can I find YouTube channels by location or subscriber count?

Yes. Seeding a channel matches by topic automatically; then filter by country and subscriber range to reach a target market or a specific subscriber band.

#### How fresh is the data?

We refresh channel stats on a rolling basis from our own crawl, so figures are recent estimates rather than live counts.

#### How long does a search take?

Usually 2-5 minutes. The engine reads content across our full channel index, ranks the matches, and runs your filters during the search — so results take a few minutes, not seconds. Bigger `limit` values and more seeds take a little longer.

#### I got fewer results than my limit. Is something wrong?

No. We filter out inactive, spammy, and low-quality channels before returning results. If your filters are tight or the niche is small, there may not be enough channels that pass. The warning is normal — it means the filter is working, not that something broke.

If you need more, take your best results, use them as seeds for a new run, and keep going until you have as many creators as you need. Paste all previous results into `exclude_channel_ids` so you don't get charged for duplicates.

#### Need help?

Email <support@dataovercoffee.com> with your Run ID — we'll take a look. You can also open an issue on the [actor page](https://apify.com/dataovercoffee/youtube-channel-lookalike-finder/issues).

# Actor input Schema

## `seed_channel_ids` (type: `array`):

YouTube channel IDs to find lookalikes for. Provide 1-10 channel IDs (e.g., UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA). The more seeds you provide, the better the results.

## `limit` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of lookalike channels to return. Actual results are capped at whichever is lower: this value, or what your "Maximum cost per run" allows.

## `min_subscribers` (type: `integer`):

Only include channels with at least this many subscribers.

## `max_subscribers` (type: `integer`):

Only include channels with at most this many subscribers.

## `min_avg_views_videos` (type: `integer`):

Minimum average view count across the channel's recent videos.

## `max_avg_views_videos` (type: `integer`):

Maximum average view count across the channel's recent videos.

## `min_avg_views_shorts` (type: `integer`):

Minimum average view count across the channel's recent shorts.

## `max_avg_views_shorts` (type: `integer`):

Maximum average view count across the channel's recent shorts.

## `min_total_views` (type: `integer`):

Only include channels with at least this many total views.

## `max_total_views` (type: `integer`):

Only include channels with at most this many total views.

## `min_total_videos` (type: `integer`):

Only include channels with at least this many published videos.

## `max_total_videos` (type: `integer`):

Only include channels with at most this many published videos.

## `countries` (type: `array`):

Only include channels from these countries.

## `exclude_countries` (type: `array`):

Exclude channels from these countries.

## `only_verified` (type: `boolean`):

Only include channels that have YouTube's verified badge.

## `only_has_email` (type: `boolean`):

Only include channels that have a public business email on their about page. Great for influencer outreach.

## `only_family_friendly` (type: `boolean`):

Only include channels marked as family-friendly by YouTube.

## `exclude_channel_ids` (type: `array`):

List of YouTube channel IDs to exclude from results. Use this to avoid getting channels you already have from previous runs. Maximum 500,000.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "seed_channel_ids": [
    "UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA"
  ],
  "limit": 100,
  "only_verified": false,
  "only_has_email": false,
  "only_family_friendly": false
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `lookalikes` (type: `string`):

Dataset containing YouTube channels similar to the seed channels, ranked by lookalike score with full metadata.

# 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 = {
    "seed_channel_ids": [
        "UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA"
    ],
    "limit": 100
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("dataovercoffee/youtube-channel-lookalike-finder").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 = {
    "seed_channel_ids": ["UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA"],
    "limit": 100,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("dataovercoffee/youtube-channel-lookalike-finder").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 '{
  "seed_channel_ids": [
    "UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA"
  ],
  "limit": 100
}' |
apify call dataovercoffee/youtube-channel-lookalike-finder --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=dataovercoffee/youtube-channel-lookalike-finder",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/yBkAu5XWbja6dz0K9/builds/WdjMeiajBNsWLBTjr/openapi.json