YouTube scraper API
YouTube channels, videos, shorts, comments, transcripts and search as JSON. No daily quota to ration and no Google Cloud project.
26 endpoints · from 20 credits a call · 10 free calls · no credit card
curl "https://api.insightsocial.app/v1/youtube/channel?handle=MrBeast" \-H "x-api-key: $INSIGHTSOCIAL_API_KEY"
What YouTube data can you get?
Public YouTube data only, returned in the same JSON envelope as every other platform.
Channels
Subscribers, description, links and business email, plus a channel's videos, shorts, lives and playlists.
Videos and transcripts
A video's details and statistics, its transcript and subtitles, and the brands likely sponsoring it.
Comments and replies
Top-level comments under a video and the replies under each one.
Search and trends
Videos by keyword or hashtag, advanced search filters, and trending videos and shorts.
YouTube API endpoints
All 26 YouTube endpoints and their price in credits. 12 are metered: they show a range and charge what the call actually read.
| Endpoint | Credits | What it returns |
|---|---|---|
| /channel | 20 | Returns a YouTube channel's public profile: subscriber count on author.followers (rounded above 1,000), video and view totals, description, banner and avatar URLs, and author.ext.public_email. |
| /channel/about | 500 | Returns the address behind a channel's View email address control on author.ext.public_email, its listed country, and the profile: id, handle, name, avatar, bio, URL, subscribers, join date, views. |
| /channel/videos | 20–40 | Returns recent videos published by a channel, each with title, view count, duration, thumbnail, and publish date; pass includeExtras=true to add like and comment counts. |
| /video | 20 | Returns full details for one video: title, view, like and comment counts, description, tags, duration, channel info, and publish date. |
| /video/sponsors | 200 | Returns whether a video carries a paid-promotion disclosure plus the brands likely sponsoring it, each with supporting evidence and a confidence score. |
| /video/comments | 20–100 | Returns comments on a video, each with the author name, comment text, like count, reply count, and publish timestamp. |
| /video/comment/replies | 20–100 | Returns the replies under one comment, each with the reply text, author details, like count, and publish date. |
| /search | 20–380 | Returns YouTube search results for a keyword: videos, channels, playlists, shorts, and live streams, each with title, thumbnail, views, and channel. |
| /channel/shorts | 20–40 | Returns the Shorts published by a channel, each with title, view count, like count, and thumbnail. |
| /community-post | 20 | Returns one YouTube community post: its text, like count, comment count, attached images, and author info. |
| /playlist | 20–220 | Returns the videos in a playlist in playlist order: video id, title, thumbnail, channel and publish date. |
| /search/hashtag | 20–220 | Returns videos posted under a hashtag, each with view count, channel info, and publish date. |
| /shorts/trending | 100–300 | Returns the Shorts trending on YouTube right now, each with view count, like count, channel info, and thumbnail. |
| /video/transcript | 60 | Returns the spoken transcript of a video as timestamped segments, each with text, start time and duration, plus language, word count, and speech rate. |
| /channel/playlists | 20 | Returns the playlists on a channel's Playlists tab, each with playlist id, title, thumbnail, video count, channel info, and playlist URL. |
| /channel/lives | 20–140 | Returns the live and past streams on a channel's Live tab, each with title, URL, thumbnail, view count, publish time, and duration. |
| /channel/community-posts | 20 | Returns the posts on a channel's Posts tab, each with post id, URL, text, images, attached video, like count, publish time, and channel info. |
| /videos/trending | 20–120 | Returns the trending videos for a country and category, each with title, thumbnail, duration, view, like and comment counts, channel, and publish time. |
| /playlist/items | 20–220 | Returns the videos of a playlist in playlist order, each with video id, title, thumbnail, the video's own channel, its publish date, and its position and insertion time on post.ext. |
| /search/advanced | 20–220 | Returns video search results with the full filter set: sort order, length, live status, license, category, country, language, and publish date window. |
| /search/suggestions | 20 | Returns the autocomplete suggestions YouTube's own search box shows for a partial query, as a plain list of strings. |
| /video/audio | 100 | Returns the downloadable audio streams for a video, each with a direct media URL, mime type, bitrate, audio quality, sample rate, channels, and duration. |
| /video/files | 100 | Returns the downloadable video streams for a video, each with a direct media URL, mime type, resolution, quality label, frame rate, bitrate, and duration. |
| /video/subtitles | 20 | Returns the caption track files for a video, each with a language code and name, file format, and a direct download URL, including auto-generated tracks. |
| /video/thumbnails | 20 | Returns a video's thumbnail images at every available size, each with a direct image URL, width, height, aspect ratio, and image format. |
| /profile/full | 100 | Returns a channel's profile, up to 30 recent videos, and computed metrics in one call: engagement rate by views and by followers, posting cadence, top post, and format mix. |
Parameters, response fields and examples for each endpoint are in the YouTube API reference.
InsightSocial vs the official YouTube API
The YouTube Data API v3 runs on a default quota of 10,000 units a day, where one search costs 100 units, and it downloads captions only for videos you own.
| InsightSocial API | Official YouTube API | |
|---|---|---|
| Limits | Your credit balance | 10,000 quota units a day by default; a search is 100 |
| Transcripts | Any public video | Only videos on channels you manage |
| Setup | Sign in and copy a key | Google Cloud project, API key or OAuth |
| Sponsors and business email | Returned by dedicated endpoints | Not offered |
The official API is the right tool for posting, messaging or managing accounts you own. This one is read-only public data.
How much does the YouTube API cost?
YouTube calls start at 20 credits. Every endpoint's price is in the table above and in the free GET /v1/endpoints catalogue, so you know the cost before you call.
Failed calls are free
A call that errors or finds nothing costs 0 credits.
Repeats are free
Call the same thing again inside its window, 1 to 24 hours depending on the endpoint, and it costs 0.
One balance
API calls and Chrome extension exports share the same credits. The free plan includes 500 a month.
Not writing code?
The free YouTube scraper for Chrome exports the same data to Excel, CSV or Google Sheets from your browser, on the same account.
YouTube API: frequently asked questions
No daily quota. The only limits are 60 requests a minute per key and your credit balance. The official YouTube Data API allows 10,000 units a day by default, and a single search spends 100 of them.
Yes, for public videos. /v1/youtube/video/transcript returns the spoken text, and /v1/youtube/video/subtitles returns caption tracks. The official API only downloads captions for videos you own.
/v1/youtube/channel returns the email when the channel lists it in its description, and contact_email=1 picks out the creator's personal address when several are listed. When the description has none, /v1/youtube/channel/about reads the address behind the channel's View email address button.
A channel lookup is 20 credits. Comments and search are metered and charge what the call read. Calls that fail or find nothing are free.
No. There is no YouTube app, OAuth flow or review. One API key in the x-api-key header works for YouTube and the other 8 platforms.
Yes. Your first 10 calls priced at 200 credits or less are free, and the free plan includes 500 credits every month. No credit card is needed to get a key.