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YouTube · Guide

How to get YouTube comments

TL;DR
To get YouTube comments, sign up for a free Captapi key, then send one GET request to /v1/youtube/comments with your input. You get clean JSON back in seconds for 20 credits per call — no OAuth, scraping or platform SDKs. Pull YouTube comments at scale with author, text, likes, and reply threads.
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How to get YouTube comments (step by step)

  1. 1

    Get a free API key

    Create a free Captapi account (100 credits, no card) and generate an API key from the dashboard.

  2. 2

    Call the YouTube Comments API

    Send an authenticated GET request to /v1/youtube/comments with your input. No OAuth, no scraping setup.

  3. 3

    Read the JSON response

    Parse the clean JSON response. Results are cached for 24 hours, so repeat calls are free.

Code example

curl "https://api.captapi.com/v1/youtube/comments?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DdQw4w9WgXcQ" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer capt_live_..."

What the response looks like

{
  "success": true,
  "cached": false,
  "creditsUsed": 20,
  "data": {
    "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
    "videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
    "totalReturned": 10,
    "totalComments": 2440329,
    "comments": [
      {
        "id": "Ugzge340dBgB75hWBm54AaABAg",
        "author": "@YouTube",
        "authorAvatarUrl": "https://yt3.ggpht.com/ytc/AIdro_kGrq2ESLGCrvGKMsFcW-hnMJb0tqmQlpBLQI2sMac9vzE=s88-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj",
        "authorIsVerified": true,
        "authorIsChannelOwner": false,
        "text": "can confirm: he never gave us up",
        "likeCount": 249000,
        "replyCount": 1000,
        "hasCreatorHeart": false,
        "publishedTimeText": "1 year ago",
        "replyToId": null
      },
      {
        "id": "Ugw7WhzhWF8NenpDXyd4AaABAg",
        "author": "@Purpleguy6f7e",
        "authorAvatarUrl": "https://yt3.ggpht.com/ytc/AIdro_default=s88-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj",
        "authorIsVerified": false,
        "authorIsChannelOwner": false,
        "text": "Someone linked me here :/",
        "likeCount": 1,
        "replyCount": 0,
        "hasCreatorHeart": false,
        "publishedTimeText": "10 minutes ago",
        "replyToId": null
      }
    ]
  }
}

Request parameters

NameTypeRequiredDescription
urlstring YesPublic YouTube video URL, e.g. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ID. Not a TikTok/Instagram/Facebook URL. The URL platform must match this endpoint's platform. Do not pass cross-platform URLs, e.g. YouTube to TikTok, Instagram to Facebook, LinkedIn to X/Twitter, or Pinterest to Rumble.
limitintegerNoMax items to return (default 50, max 500). Billed per result.

Frequently asked questions

What does the YouTube Comments API do?

The YouTube Comments API lets you pull comments with author, text, likes, and replies from a public YouTube video using one GET request to /v1/youtube/comments. It returns clean JSON — no OAuth or scraping setup required.

How many credits does the YouTube Comments API cost?

Each successful call costs 20 credits. Responses are cached for 24 hours, and cached results cost 0 credits. Failed or empty results are never charged.

Do I need a YouTube API key or OAuth?

No. A single Captapi key works across every platform Captapi supports — YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, Reddit, Threads, Bluesky, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Rumble. We handle proxies, rate limits, retries, and authentication for you.

Is the YouTube Comments API suitable for production use?

Yes. It is a stable REST endpoint with predictable JSON, automatic retries, and a shared 24-hour cache. Use it for RAG pipelines, analytics, monitoring, and content automation.

Ready to get YouTube comments?

Start free with 100 credits — no credit card required.

Get your free API key