How to get YouTube comments
GET request to /v1/youtube/comments with your input. You get clean JSON back in seconds for 2 credits per call — no OAuth, scraping or platform SDKs. Get comments on any YouTube video — text, author, likes, and timestamp, with cursor pagination (nextCursor + hasMore). Flat 2 credits per call.How to get YouTube comments (step by step)
- 1
Get a free API key
Create a free Captapi account (100 credits, no card) and generate an API key from the dashboard.
- 2
Call the YouTube Comments API
Send an authenticated GET request to /v1/youtube/comments with your input. No OAuth, no scraping setup.
- 3
Read the JSON response
Parse the clean JSON response. Pass cache=true for a free 24h cache hit; default is always fresh.
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_..."
# or: -H "x-api-key: capt_live_..."What the response looks like
{
"success": true,
"data": {
"url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
"videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
"totalReturned": 5,
"totalComments": 2446085,
"nextCursor": "Eg0SC2RRdzR3OVdnWGNRGAYyJSIRIgtkUXc0dzlXZ1hjUTAAeAJCEGNvbW1lbnRzLXNlY3Rpb24%3D",
"hasMore": true,
"comments": [
{
"id": "Ugzge340dBgB75hWBm54AaABAg",
"author": "@YouTube",
"authorAvatarUrl": "https://yt3.ggpht.com/3s6evpqAiDU9tQR4sC2siJippbH2RWVPnwHgyl4V0th2iuQz0VDQZbUhQBGmsxLYo-mjG6TqZQ=s88-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj",
"authorIsVerified": true,
"authorIsChannelOwner": false,
"text": "can confirm: he never gave us up",
"likeCount": 274000,
"replyCount": 961,
"hasCreatorHeart": true,
"publishedTimeText": "1 year ago"
},
{
"id": "UgyBphvOZuIgdVHgFvx4AaABAg",
"author": "@Neouss",
"authorAvatarUrl": "https://yt3.ggpht.com/GEhF3wh6dcR36TBui5D4TxzcMAjZXtUdo4neBfxJnbNMpqvbThH31zYQnB9QH-7PeydlKc4ueA=s88-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj",
"authorIsVerified": false,
"authorIsChannelOwner": false,
"text": "MuffinJuice sent me here",
"likeCount": 1200,
"replyCount": 260,
"hasCreatorHeart": true,
"publishedTimeText": "18 hours ago"
},
{
"id": "UgyEnXfdC-umwvTt8JF4AaABAg",
"author": "@Oatman69",
"authorAvatarUrl": "https://yt3.ggpht.com/ghenbV7T5VMOA3iqp3PThC82exqcu7iVng_iWNx1Ujak72Ti4oZZ_XzSVzIrfk9arP1XrFtnZA=s88-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj",
"authorIsVerified": false,
"authorIsChannelOwner": false,
"text": "Gonna flag this for nudity so I can rick roll the YouTube staff",
"likeCount": 561000,
"replyCount": 670,
"hasCreatorHeart": true,
"publishedTimeText": "6 years ago"
},
{
"id": "Ugxzbv_ZeZXNRcfwsSF4AaABAg",
"author": "@candycake9531",
"authorAvatarUrl": "https://yt3.ggpht.com/ytc/AIdro_mEO82VrM8XtyGrBUkJgbAYgpAmDpUZixd1QvK9kyA=s88-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj",
"authorIsVerified": false,
"authorIsChannelOwner": false,
"text": "Is everyone going to ignore the fact that Rick Astley looks like a twelve year old boy but has a uniquely deep voice?",
"likeCount": 288000,
"replyCount": 635,
"hasCreatorHeart": true,
"publishedTimeText": "6 years ago"
},
{
"id": "UgyOBSJT7Ca0h-XMMQ54AaABAg",
"author": "@Aubslovesredbull",
"authorAvatarUrl": "https://yt3.ggpht.com/3qSnEkftXN9c1oU3e7lh106XqMKEG1_sYJ8G_PznBozt1qyMcJYS7E0aHBAU1c0FktK9x-w7p5k=s88-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj",
"authorIsVerified": false,
"authorIsChannelOwner": false,
"text": "MUFFIN JUICE RICK ROLLED ME",
"likeCount": 94,
"replyCount": 3,
"hasCreatorHeart": true,
"publishedTimeText": "18 hours ago"
}
]
}
}Billing metadata (credits charged, cache hit/miss) is returned in the X-Captapi-Credits and X-Captapi-Cache response headers.
Request parameters
| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| url | string | Yes | Public 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. |
| limit | integer | No | Max items to return (default 50, max 500). Billed per result. |
| cursor | string | No | Pagination cursor. Leave empty for the first page; then pass the nextCursor value returned in the previous response. |
| cache | boolean | No | Set true to serve from the 24h response cache. Default false — always fetch fresh data. |
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 infrastructure setup required.
How many credits does the YouTube Comments API cost?
Each successful call costs 2 credits. Pass cache=true to serve from the 24h shared cache (0 credits on hit); default is always fresh. 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, Rumble, Spotify, Kwai, and more. 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 and automatic retries. Pass cache=true to serve from the 24h shared cache (0 credits on hit); default is always fresh. Use it for analytics, monitoring, and content automation.
Ready to get YouTube comments?
Start free with 100 credits — no credit card required.
Get your free API key