Scrape YouTube comments from any public video — author, comment text, like counts, reply counts, timestamps, thread level, channel ID, avatar and verification status — as clean, structured data. No API key, no login, no cookies or account required. Export scraped data to JSON, CSV, Excel, or XML, schedule runs via API, and integrate with your tools and AI workflows.
Built for AI agents: call this Actor directly from Claude, ChatGPT / Codex, and Cursor through the Apify MCP server — hand your assistant a YouTube link and get back ready-to-use comment data.
What it does · AI agents (MCP) · How to use · Output data · Limits · Example · Pricing · Integrations · FAQ · Other Actors
*** ### What can YouTube Comment Scraper do? {#what-can-youtube-comment-scraper-do} **YouTube Comment Scraper** lets you scrape YouTube comments from any public video and returns them as structured, analysis-ready data. Drop in one or more video links (or a channel, a Shorts tab, a search-results page, or plain search keywords) and the Actor gathers the comment threads for you — no scrolling, no browser extensions, no Google account, and no developer API key. Every comment comes back with the author, the full comment text, like counts, reply counts, the thread level (top-level comment vs. reply), the published timestamp, the author's channel ID and avatar, and whether the author is a verified channel. It works with only **publicly available data**, goes beyond the limitations of the official YouTube API, and lets you scrape YouTube comments **at scale**. Export scraped data to JSON, CSV, Excel, or XML, schedule runs via API, and integrate with your tools and AI workflows. #### 💬 Scrape comments from any public YouTube video Paste a `watch?v=…` link, a `youtu.be` short link, or a Shorts URL. The Actor reads the comment section and returns each comment as its own record — ready for sentiment analysis, moderation, or research. **Get your first results free in under 2 minutes.** #### 🗂️ Scrape YouTube comments across channels, Shorts tabs & search pages Pass a **channel URL**, a channel's **/shorts** tab, or a **YouTube search-results URL** and the Actor expands it into the underlying videos, then scrapes comments from each one. One input, many videos — scrape YouTube comments from a bunch of videos at once. #### 🔎 Search YouTube by keyword Provide plain search terms like `best places of england` and the Actor finds matching videos and scrapes their comments alongside anything you linked directly — great when you don't already have specific URLs. #### 🔁 Capture replies, not just top-level comments Replies are included in the results and marked with a `replyLevel` field so you can tell a top-level comment (`0`) from a reply. The per-video comment budget counts replies too, so you always know your ceiling. #### 📊 Rich engagement metadata Each record carries `likeCount` and `replyCount` (in YouTube's human-readable form, e.g. `269K`), plus `publishedTime`, `authorIsVerified`, `authorChannelId` and `authorAvatar` — enough to rank, filter, and profile commenters. #### ↕️ Sort by Top or Newest Choose whether to pull the most-engaged comments first (`top`) or the latest ones (`new`) — perfect for tracking reactions to a fresh upload or surfacing the most-liked takes. #### ⚡ Zero setup — no API key, no login, we handle it for you No cookies to paste, no proxies to configure, no rate-limit juggling. The Actor manages access and formatting internally and returns clean, fresh records every time — fast response times deliver data in seconds. 🚀 *** ### Use with AI agents — Claude, ChatGPT & Cursor (MCP) {#use-with-ai-agents-mcp} This Actor is fully compatible with the [Apify MCP server](https://apify.com/apify/actors-mcp-server), so AI assistants can run it as a tool and reason over the results. - **Claude** (Desktop, Code, or the API) — add the Apify MCP server and let Claude fetch and analyze comments on demand. - **ChatGPT / Codex** — expose the Actor as a tool and have the model summarize sentiment or extract themes. - **Cursor** — call the scraper from your editor while building comment-analysis features. Because output is clean JSON, it drops neatly into downstream **MCP connectors and automation platforms** — Slack, Notion, Airtable, Google Sheets, Zapier, Make, and n8n — so an agent can scrape YouTube comments, summarize, and file the results without you writing glue code. > Example agent prompt: *"Use the YouTube Comment Scraper to pull the top 100 comments from this video, then give me the five most common complaints and the overall sentiment."* *** ### How to scrape YouTube comments {#how-to-scrape-youtube-comments} 1. Click **Try Now** (or open the Actor at [apify.com/myagizm/youtube-comment-scraper](https://apify.com/myagizm/youtube-comment-scraper)). 2. Add one or more **Video URLs** under `startUrls` — or paste channel / Shorts / search-result links. 3. *(Optional)* Add plain **Search terms** to discover videos by keyword. 4. Choose a **Sort** order — `top` or `new`. 5. Set **Max comments per video** and the overall **Max total comments** cap. 6. Click ▶ **Save & Start**. 7. When the run finishes, open the **Dataset** tab and export as JSON, CSV, Excel, or XML — or grab it via API. That's it. No API key, no login, no configuration files — and no limitations on the number of videos you queue. *** ### What data can you scrape from YouTube comments? {#what-data-can-you-scrape-from-youtube-comments} Each item in the dataset is a single comment (top-level or reply). When you scrape YouTube comments, these fields are returned: | Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | `text` | string | The full comment text | | `author` | string | Commenter's handle, e.g. `@YouTube` | | `authorChannelId` | string | The commenter's YouTube channel ID | | `authorAvatar` | string | URL of the commenter's profile picture | | `authorIsVerified` | boolean | Whether the commenter's channel is verified | | `commentId` | string | Unique ID of the comment | | `likeCount` | string | Likes in human-readable form, e.g. `269K` | | `replyCount` | string | Number of replies, e.g. `961` | | `replyLevel` | integer | `0` for a top-level comment, higher for replies | | `publishedTime` | string | Relative timestamp, e.g. `1 year ago` | | `videoUrl` | string | URL of the video the comment belongs to | | `videoTitle` | string | Title of the source video | *** ### Use cases for scraping YouTube comments - **Sentiment & opinion analysis** — measure how an audience reacts to a launch, trailer, or announcement. - **Brand & product research** — mine feedback, feature requests, and complaints from your own or competitors' videos. - **Content strategy** — find the questions and topics your viewers care about most. - **Community moderation** — export comments for keyword and spam review. - **Influencer vetting** — inspect engagement quality and the audience behind a creator's videos. - **Competitor analysis & campaign tracking** — monitor how audiences respond across rival channels over time. - **Academic & social research** — build datasets of public discourse around a topic or event. - **Lead & audience discovery** — surface verified and highly-engaged commenters for outreach. *** ### Input examples for scraping YouTube comments All examples use the Actor's real input fields. Only the fields you need are required — everything else has sensible defaults. #### Scrape comments from a single video ```json { "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ" } ], "maxCommentsPerVideo": 100, "sort": "top" } ``` #### Scrape comments from several videos at once ```json { "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ" }, { "url": "https://youtu.be/9bZkp7q19f0" }, { "url": "https://www.youtube.com/shorts/abc1234XYZ" } ], "maxCommentsPerVideo": 50, "sort": "new", "maxItems": 100 } ``` #### Expand a channel or Shorts tab ```json { "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://www.youtube.com/@YouTube" }, { "url": "https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast/shorts" } ], "maxCommentsPerVideo": 40, "sort": "top" } ``` #### Discover videos by keyword ```json { "searchTerms": [ "best places of england", "iphone 16 review" ], "maxCommentsPerVideo": 30, "maxItems": 100, "sort": "top" } ``` #### Scrape from a YouTube search-results URL ```json { "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=machine+learning" } ], "maxCommentsPerVideo": 25, "sort": "new" } ``` *** ### Input reference | Field | Key | Type | Default | Notes | |-------|-----|------|---------|-------| | Video URLs | `startUrls` | array of URLs | `watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ` | Video, channel, `/shorts`, or search-result URLs; each is expanded automatically | | Max comments per video | `maxCommentsPerVideo` | integer | `100` | Upper bound per video, replies included (1–100) | | Sort | `sort` | string | `top` | `top` or `new` | | Max total comments | `maxItems` | integer | `100` | Hard cap across all videos (1–100) | | Search terms | `searchTerms` | array of strings | `[]` | Plain YouTube search queries; Shorts results keep only Shorts | *** ### Limiting results {#limits} Two fields keep your runs fast and predictable: - **`maxCommentsPerVideo`** *(default 100)* — the ceiling on comments fetched **per video**, replies included. - **`maxItems`** *(default 100)* — a hard cap on the **total** number of comment records across every video in the run. Whichever limit is reached first stops that portion of the run. A single run lasts at most about ten minutes, so set your caps to match how many comments you actually need. ```json { "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ" } ], "maxCommentsPerVideo": 25, "maxItems": 50, "sort": "top" } ``` *** ### Output example {#output-example} A single record from the dataset: ```json { "text": "can confirm: he never gave us up", "author": "@YouTube", "videoUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ", "commentId": "Ugzge340dBgB75hWBm54AaABAg", "likeCount": "269K", "replyCount": "961", "replyLevel": 0, "videoTitle": "Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (Official Video) (4K Remaster)", "authorAvatar": "https://yt3.ggpht.com/3s6evpqAiDU9tQR4sC2siJippbH2RWVPnwHgyl4V0th2iuQz0VDQZbUhQBGmsxLYo-mjG6TqZQ=s88-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj", "publishedTime": "1 year ago", "authorChannelId": "UCBR8-60-B28hp2BmDPdntcQ", "authorIsVerified": true } ``` Each run produces a dataset of records like this one — export the whole set as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, HTML, or RSS from the **Dataset** tab or via API. *** ### How much does scraping YouTube comments cost? {#how-much-does-scraping-youtube-comments-cost} Scraping YouTube comments runs on a simple **pay-per-result** model — you pay for the comments you collect, nothing more. There are no monthly platform fees to use it and no separate YouTube API costs, because no developer API key is involved. Because it fetches comments efficiently and caps each run, costs stay low and predictable. New Apify accounts include free monthly usage credits, so you can **get your first results free in under 2 minutes** at no cost. See the **Pricing** tab on the Actor page for current per-result rates. *** ### Integrate with n8n, Zapier, and Make {#integrations} Run the Actor from anywhere via the Apify API. The Actor path is `myagizm~youtube-comment-scraper`. #### Run synchronously and get the dataset items ```bash curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/myagizm~youtube-comment-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ" } ], "maxCommentsPerVideo": 100, "sort": "top" }' ``` #### Start a run asynchronously ```bash curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/myagizm~youtube-comment-scraper/runs?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "searchTerms": [ "iphone 16 review" ], "maxItems": 100, "sort": "new" }' ``` #### Fetch results from a finished run ```bash curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/datasets/DATASET_ID/items?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN&format=json" ``` Native connectors are available for **Make, Zapier, n8n, Slack, Airbyte, Gumloop, CrewAI, IFTTT, Lindy, GitHub, Google Sheets, and Google Drive**, plus webhooks that fire when a run finishes — so you can push comments downstream automatically. *** ### Support {#support} Questions, feature requests, or a video that isn't scraping as expected? Open an **Issue** on the Actor page and include your input configuration and the video URL. Feedback directly shapes updates, and reproducible reports are handled quickly. *** ### FAQ — scraping YouTube comments {#faq} #### Do I need a YouTube API key or a Google account to scrape YouTube comments? No. There is no API key, no login, and no OAuth — no cookies or account required. Just add a link or a search term and run it. #### Is it legal to scrape YouTube comments? This Actor collects only **publicly available** comments — the same content anyone can see without logging in. As with any scraping, you are responsible for how you use the data. Avoid collecting personal data unlawfully and follow YouTube's terms and applicable regulations such as GDPR. #### Can I use YouTube Comment Scraper with the Apify API? Yes. Start runs and fetch results through the Apify API using the Actor path `myagizm~youtube-comment-scraper` — see the API snippets above for synchronous and asynchronous examples. #### Can I get YouTube comment data through an MCP server (AI agents)? Yes. It works as a tool through the Apify MCP server, so AI agents like Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor can run it and analyze the results. #### Do I need proxies to scrape YouTube comments? No. Access and formatting are handled internally, so there's nothing to set up — no proxies, no cookies. #### Can I integrate YouTube comment data with other apps? Yes. Native connectors cover Make, Zapier, n8n, Slack, Google Sheets, and more, plus webhooks — so scraped comments flow into your stack automatically. #### Can I export YouTube comments to CSV, Excel, or JSON? Yes — JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, HTML, and RSS, from the Dataset tab or via the API. #### Can I scrape comments from multiple videos at once? Yes. Add several links to `startUrls`, or pass a channel URL, a `/shorts` tab, a search-results URL, or `searchTerms` — each is expanded into videos automatically, with no limitations on how many you queue. #### Can I schedule the YouTube Comment Scraper? Yes. Use Apify **Schedules** to run it hourly, daily, or on any cron pattern, and webhooks to deliver new comments downstream. #### Can I scrape comments from private videos? No. Only publicly available comments are collected — private or unlisted content requiring a login is not accessible. #### Does it include replies or only top-level comments? Replies are included and marked with `replyLevel` (top-level comments are `0`). Replies also count toward the per-video comment budget. #### How many comments can I get per video? Up to `maxCommentsPerVideo` (default and maximum 100 per video, replies included), bounded by the overall `maxItems` cap. #### What's the difference between `sort: top` and `sort: new`? `top` returns the most-engaged comments first; `new` returns the most recent comments first. #### Why are `likeCount` and `replyCount` strings like "269K"? They're returned in YouTube's human-readable abbreviated form. Convert them to numbers in your own pipeline if you need exact integers. #### How long does a run take? A single run lasts at most about ten minutes. Set your `maxCommentsPerVideo` and `maxItems` caps to match the volume you need — fresh data, no caching. #### What happens if a video has comments disabled? Videos with disabled comments simply return no comment records; the run continues with the remaining inputs. *** ### Want other YouTube data? {#want-other-youtube-data} Scraping comments is just one piece. Explore the rest of the **myagizm** YouTube toolkit to scrape everything else YouTube exposes: - [YouTube Channel Scraper](https://apify.com/myagizm/youtube-channel-scraper) — list a channel's videos with stats and metadata. - [YouTube Video Info Scraper](https://apify.com/myagizm/youtube-video-info) — pull views, likes, description, and details for any video. - [YouTube Transcript Scraper](https://apify.com/myagizm/youtube-transcript-scraper) — extract full video transcripts and subtitles. - [YouTube Video Downloader](https://apify.com/myagizm/youtube-video-downloader) — download videos in multiple resolutions. - [YouTube Shorts Downloader](https://apify.com/myagizm/youtube-shorts-downloader) — download Shorts quickly. - [YouTube to MP3](https://apify.com/myagizm/youtube-mp3-downloader) — grab audio from any YouTube video. *** ### Related searches {#related-searches} youtube comment scraper · export youtube comments · youtube comments to excel · youtube comment sentiment analysis · youtube feedback mining · scrape youtube comments without api key · youtube comment export tool · youtube comments csv · product feedback from youtube · x402 actor · ai agent scraper no account · pay with usdc api · mcp scraper for agents *** ### Run it from an AI agent — no Apify account needed (x402) {#x402} This actor accepts **agentic payments** over the open [x402 protocol](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/x402). An AI agent can pay for a run in **USDC on Base** and get the data without an Apify account, a credit card, or an API key: ```bash ## one-time: wallet + prepaid token (agent side) npx -y awal auth loginhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ. You can also pass channel/profile URLs (incl. the /shorts tab, e.g. https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast/shorts) and YouTube search-result URLs (e.g. https://www.youtube.com/results?search\_query=machine+learning); each is expanded automatically.
## `maxCommentsPerVideo` (type: `integer`):
Upper bound on comments fetched per video (includes replies). For example, set 50 to collect up to 50 comments from each video.
## `sort` (type: `string`):
Comment order. Choose top to get the most-engaged comments first, or new for the most recent — e.g. use new to track reactions to a fresh upload.
## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):
Hard cap across all videos in the run. For example, set 100 to stop once 100 comment records have been collected in total. A run lasts at most ~10 minutes.
## `searchTerms` (type: `array`):
Plain YouTube search queries (e.g. best places of england or iphone 16 review). Matching videos are processed alongside any links above. For Shorts, only Shorts among the results are kept.
## Actor input object example
```json
{
"startUrls": [
{
"url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
}
],
"maxCommentsPerVideo": 100,
"sort": "top",
"maxItems": 100,
"searchTerms": []
}
```
# Actor output Schema
## `results` (type: `string`):
All scraped items as structured JSON.
# 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 '