YouTube Channel Scraper
Subscriber count, video list and channel metadata without a YouTube API key
What it does
Scrape YouTube channel metadata and video lists without a YouTube Data API key: subscriber count, video count, description, country, avatar, banner URL, and a list of videos with title, views, publish date, duration and thumbnail. HTTP only — no browser, no quota.
Built in
- ✓ Subscriber count, video count, description and country
- ✓ Avatar and banner image URLs
- ✓ Video list: title, views, publish date, duration and thumbnail
- ✓ No YouTube Data API key required
- ✓ HTTP-only — no browser overhead, fast and cheap
- ✓ Accepts channel handles, channel IDs and @username format
Common questions
Do I need a YouTube Data API key? +
No. The actor extracts channel data from the public YouTube channel page using the same ytInitialData payload the browser already loads — no API key, no quota consumption, no Google Cloud project required.
What input formats does it accept? +
Channel handles (e.g. @MrBeast), channel IDs (UC... format) and full channel URLs are all accepted. The actor normalises them internally.
Does it include YouTube Shorts in the video list? +
Yes. Shorts appear in the video list alongside regular uploads. The duration field distinguishes them — Shorts are always under 60 seconds.
How accurate is the subscriber count? +
YouTube displays rounded subscriber counts publicly (e.g. "505M" rather than the exact figure). The actor records the displayed value. For channels under 1,000 subscribers the exact number is shown.
Can I scrape private or unlisted channels? +
No. The actor only accesses publicly visible channel pages. Private channels return no data; unlisted videos do not appear in the channel video list.
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