YouTube Video Comments API

Endpoint

GET /v1/youtube/comments

Parameters

url *

YouTube video URL or 11-character video ID

pages

Number of pages to fetch, 1-10 (default: 1). Each page returns up to ~100 comments.

sort_by

Sort order: most_recent, relevance (default: relevance)

Response fields

comments

Array of comment threads (top-level comments)

comment_id

Unique comment ID

text

Comment text

author

Comment author's display name (handle)

author_channel_id

Comment author's channel ID

author_channel_url

Comment author's channel URL

author_thumbnail

Comment author's profile image URL

likes

Number of likes on the comment

reply_count

Total number of replies to the comment

date

Publication date and time

updated_date

Last edited date and time

url

Direct link to the comment

video_id

YouTube video ID

channel_id

Channel ID of the video

source

Platform name (YouTube)

domain

youtube.com

replies

Array of up to 5 preview replies (comment_id, text, author, author_channel_id, author_channel_url, author_thumbnail, likes, date, url, video_id)

pages

Number of pages requested (each page is billed)

count

Total comments returned

Example Request

curl "https://apidirect.io/v1/youtube/comments?url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ&pages=1&sort_by=relevance" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"

import requests

response = requests.get(
    "https://apidirect.io/v1/youtube/comments",
    headers={"X-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    params={
        "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
        "pages": 1,
        "sort_by": "relevance"
    }
)
print(response.json())

Example Response

{
  "comments": [
    {
      "comment_id": "Ugzge340dBgB75hWBm54AaABAg",
      "text": "can confirm: he never gave us up",
      "author": "@YouTube",
      "author_channel_id": "UCBR8-60-B28hp2BmDPdntcQ",
      "author_channel_url": "http://www.youtube.com/@YouTube",
      "author_thumbnail": "https://yt3.ggpht.com/.../photo.jpg",
      "likes": 261929,
      "reply_count": 1000,
      "date": "2025-04-22 19:05:08",
      "updated_date": "2025-04-22 19:05:08",
      "url": "https://youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ&lc=Ugzge340dBgB75hWBm54AaABAg",
      "video_id": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
      "channel_id": "UCuAXFkgsw1L7xaCfnd5JJOw",
      "source": "YouTube",
      "domain": "youtube.com",
      "replies": [
        {
          "comment_id": "Ugzge340dBgB75hWBm54AaABAg.AHE8_QAWJx9AHE9eIiztxR",
          "text": "YOUTUBE AND ONE LIKE WOOHAAAAH",
          "author": "@linganguliguliwatcha",
          "author_channel_id": "UCjFRISlX-LPxiqViJAE3h6Q",
          "author_channel_url": "http://www.youtube.com/@linganguliguliwatcha",
          "author_thumbnail": "https://yt3.ggpht.com/.../photo.jpg",
          "likes": 7026,
          "date": "2025-04-22 19:14:32",
          "url": "https://youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ&lc=Ugzge340dBgB75hWBm54AaABAg.AHE8_QAWJx9AHE9eIiztxR",
          "video_id": "dQw4w9WgXcQ"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "pages": 1,
  "count": 100
}

Frequently asked questions

How do I specify which video to get comments from?

Pass the video's URL in the url parameter. Most YouTube URL formats are accepted (watch, youtu.be, shorts, embed, live), as is a bare 11-character video ID.

How are comments sorted?

Use sort_by=relevance (default) for the most relevant comments first, or sort_by=most_recent for newest first. A video's pinned comment may appear first regardless of sort order.

Are replies included?

Each comment includes its total reply_count plus up to 5 preview replies in the replies array. Comments with more replies will show only the first few.

What if a video has comments disabled or doesn't exist?

Videos with comments disabled (or otherwise unavailable) return an empty comments array. A nonexistent, private, or removed video returns a 404 with code video_not_found.

How does pagination and pricing work?

Each page returns up to ~100 comments. Set pages (1-10) to fetch and merge multiple pages in one call. You are billed per page requested at $0.005 per page.

How does pricing work?

You only pay for successful requests. The YouTube Video Comments API costs $0.005 per page. There are no monthly fees or commitments. You get 50 free requests per endpoint every month.

Do I need a credit card to start?

No. You can sign up and use the free tier (50 requests/endpoint/month) without adding a payment method. You only need to add a card when you want to exceed the free tier.

Are there rate limits?

Yes, there's a concurrency limit of 3 simultaneous requests per endpoint per user. If you need more, just get in touch.