# Youtube Search Scraper (`scrapesmith/youtube-search-scraper`) Actor

⚡ Fast YouTube Search Query Scraper – Extract video titles, views, likes, comments, publish dates, thumbnails & channel info directly from search results. No proxies needed. Get thousands of videos in minutes, 100% free.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/scrapesmith/youtube-search-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Scrape Smith](https://apify.com/scrapesmith) (community)
- **Categories:** Automation, Social media
- **Stats:** 427 total users, 38 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 12 bookmarks
- **User rating**: 5.00 out of 5 stars

## Pricing

from $0.45 / 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.

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

## YouTube Search Scraper — Extract Videos from Any YouTube Search

**Scrape YouTube search results at scale. Get views, likes, comments, titles,
descriptions, thumbnails, and channel data from any search query —
no login required. Priced at just $0.45 per 1,000 results.**

***

### 🔍 What Is the YouTube Search Scraper?

The **YouTube Search Scraper** is a fast, reliable, and affordable Apify Actor
that extracts complete video data from any YouTube search query. Whether you
need results for a single keyword or hundreds of queries in bulk, this scraper
delivers clean, structured results ready for analysis, research, or automation.

No login. No proxies. No complex setup. Just paste your search query and get your data.

***

### ✅ Why Use This YouTube Search Scraper?

- 💰 **Lowest cost on the market** — only **$0.45 per 1,000 results**
- ⚡ **Blazing fast** — 1,000 results in under 5 minutes
- 🔓 **No login required** — works entirely on public data
- 📦 **Bulk scraping** — add multiple search queries at once
- 📊 **Multiple export formats** — JSON, CSV, XML, Excel, HTML, JSONL
- 🔌 **Easy integrations** — works with Make.com, Zapier, n8n, Google Sheets
- 🤖 **AI workflow compatible** — plug directly into LangChain or any LLM pipeline

***

### 📦 What Data Does It Extract?

For every video in the search results, you receive:

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `video_id` | Unique YouTube video identifier |
| `title` | Title of the video |
| `views` | Total view count |
| `likes` | Total like count |
| `comments` | Total comment count |
| `comments_turned_off` | Whether comments are disabled |
| `duration` | Video duration |
| `date_posted` | Publication date |
| `subscribers` | Channel subscriber count |
| `channel_name` | Name of the YouTube channel |
| `channel_id` | Unique channel identifier |
| `channel_url` | Direct link to the channel |
| `video_url` | Direct link to the video |
| `description` | Full video description |
| `thumbnail` | High-quality thumbnail URL |
| `source_input` | The search query used to find this video |

***

### 🚀 How to Use the YouTube Search Scraper

1. **Create a free Apify account** — you get $5 in free credits every month
2. **Open the YouTube Search Scraper** in Apify Store
3. **Enter your search query or queries**
4. **Set your results limit**
5. **Click "Save & Start"** and wait for the run to complete
6. **Download your data** in JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, or HTML

***

### 📤 Sample Output

```json
{
  "video_id": "_JUlWtSCNbs",
  "title": "Who's The Strongest Streamer?",
  "views": 122163950,
  "likes": 2300000,
  "comments": 9500,
  "comments_turned_off": false,
  "duration": "Short",
  "date_posted": "Apr 3, 2026",
  "subscribers": 475000000,
  "channel_name": "MrBeast",
  "channel_id": "UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA",
  "channel_url": "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA",
  "video_url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JUlWtSCNbs",
  "description": "New Merch - https://mrbeast.store...",
  "thumbnail": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_JUlWtSCNbs/hqdefault.jpg",
  "source_input": "strongest streamer"
}
```

***

### 💵 Pricing

| Volume | Cost |
|---|---|
| 1,000 videos | $0.45 |
| 10,000 videos | $4.50 |
| 100,000 videos | $45.00 |
| 1,000,000 videos | $450.00 |

> 💡 **New to Apify?** Every free account includes **$5 in monthly credits**.

***

### 🎯 Who Is This For?

#### 📣 Social Media Managers & Marketers

Track what content ranks for your target keywords, monitor competitor
video strategies, and identify trending topics before they peak.

#### 📊 Data Analysts & Researchers

Build large-scale YouTube search datasets for trend analysis,
content research, or academic study.

#### 🛠️ Developers & Engineers

Integrate via Apify API or SDK. Works with Python, Node.js,
and any REST client. Schedule runs and automate everything.

#### 🤖 AI & Automation Builders

Feed YouTube search data directly into LLM workflows.
Clean structured output ready for zero-preprocessing ingestion.

***

### 🧩 Use Cases

- **SEO research** — analyze what videos rank for your target keywords
- **Competitor monitoring** — track what your competitors are publishing
- **Trend detection** — spot rising topics before they go mainstream
- **Content ideation** — find gaps in existing content for any niche
- **Influencer discovery** — find creators in any topic area at scale
- **AI training data** — build labeled video metadata datasets
- **Market research** — understand what content performs in any industry

***

### 🔌 Integrations

- 🟣 **Make.com** — automate daily search exports
- ⚡ **Zapier** — send data to Google Sheets, Slack, or CRMs
- 🔁 **n8n** — build no-code workflows processing search results
- 📊 **Google Sheets** — export directly for quick analysis
- 🪝 **Webhooks** — instant notifications when runs finish

***

### ❓ FAQ

**Do I need a YouTube account?**
No. Works entirely on public data, no login required.

**Can I scrape multiple search queries at once?**
Yes. Add as many queries as needed in one run.

**Does it filter out Shorts?**
Yes. Shorts are automatically filtered from search results.

**Can I schedule runs automatically?**
Yes. Use Apify's built-in scheduler for any interval.

**Is this legal?**
Collects publicly available data only. Ensure your use complies
with YouTube's Terms of Service and applicable data protection laws.

***

### 🔗 Related Actors

- 🎬 **YouTube Shorts Scraper** — extract Shorts from any channel
- 📺 **YouTube Channel Scraper** — get all videos from any channel
- 📝 **YouTube Transcript Scraper** — extract full spoken transcripts
- 💬 **Instagram Comments Scraper** — scrape Instagram post and reel comments
- \#️⃣ **Instagram Hashtag Scraper** — discover trending posts under any hashtag

***

*⚡ YouTube Search Scraper — Fast, affordable YouTube search data.
No login. No proxies. Just results.*
------------------------------------

### YouTube Search Scraper vs Other Methods

| Feature | YouTube Search Scraper | Manual Copy-Paste | Browser Extensions | Official API |
|---------|-------------|-------------------|-------------------|-------------|
| Bulk extraction | Unlimited | One at a time | Limited | Rate-limited |
| No login needed | Yes | Yes | Often required | Key required |
| API access | REST API + SDKs | No | No | Yes |
| Export formats | CSV, JSON, Excel, XML | None | CSV only | JSON only |
| Scheduling | Automated (cron) | Manual | Manual | Manual |
| Cost | $0.50/1k results | Free but slow | $20-50/month | Free + limits |
| Proxy handling | Built-in | N/A | N/A | N/A |

***

### Tips for Best Results with YouTube Search Scraper

- **Start small** — test with a small batch first to verify the output matches your needs before running large jobs
- **Use Bulk Edit** — paste hundreds of URLs or inputs at once instead of adding them one by one
- **Schedule regular runs** — set up automated daily or weekly scrapes to keep your dataset fresh
- **Export to Google Sheets** — use the built-in Google Sheets integration for easy sharing and analysis
- **Combine with other scrapers** — pair this tool with other Instagram, YouTube, or social media scrapers for a complete dataset

***

**Can I use YouTube Search Scraper for free?**
Yes. Every new Apify account gets $5 in free monthly credits. Free accounts are limited to 100 results per run on this Actor. Upgrade to any paid plan to remove the limit.

**How to scrape YouTube search results without coding?**
Just paste your URLs or search terms into the input form, click Start, and download the results. No code, no terminal, no technical skills required. You can also use the REST API or Python/Node.js SDKs if you prefer to code.

**Is there a YouTube search results API?**
Yes. This Actor provides a full REST API. You can trigger runs, check status, and download results programmatically from any language. See the API tab on this Actor's page for endpoints and examples.

**How much does it cost to scrape YouTube search results?**
Pricing is pay-per-result at $0.50 per 1,000 results. You only pay for the data you receive. There are no monthly subscriptions or hidden fees. Free accounts get $5/month in credits.

**Can I integrate YouTube search results scraping into my workflow?**
Yes. This Actor integrates with Make.com, Zapier, n8n, Google Sheets, webhooks, and any REST API client. You can automate YouTube search results extraction as part of any data pipeline.

# Actor input Schema

## `searchTerms` (type: `array`):

Keywords to search on YouTube. Each entry is a separate query. Note: YouTube typically returns 500–600 results per query. To get more, use variations like 'cooking 2024', 'cooking latest', 'cooking tutorial'.

## `searchUrls` (type: `array`):

Full YouTube search URLs. Supports filter-applied URLs — any filters you set in the browser (upload date, duration, type, sort) are automatically preserved. Example: https://www.youtube.com/results?search\_query=cooking\&sp=EgIQAQ%3D%3D

## `maxResultsPerQuery` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of videos to scrape per search term or URL. YouTube caps search results at ~600 per query regardless of this setting.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "searchTerms": [
    "cooking recipes"
  ],
  "searchUrls": [],
  "maxResultsPerQuery": 10
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

No description

# 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 = {
    "searchTerms": [
        "cooking recipes"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("scrapesmith/youtube-search-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 = { "searchTerms": ["cooking recipes"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("scrapesmith/youtube-search-scraper").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 '{
  "searchTerms": [
    "cooking recipes"
  ]
}' |
apify call scrapesmith/youtube-search-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

```

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/xaIAq34UcjhN3MEMG/builds/063hWrHwK9v1f3AEY/openapi.json