# YouTube Channel API. Pay per record.

> YouTube channel data as JSON: subscribers, total views, video count, country and description. From $0.00045 per channel.

Canonical: https://apiforagents.dev/platforms/youtube/channel-api · Updated 2026-10-21

Turn a YouTube @handle, channel id or channel URL into clean JSON: name, description, country, subscribers, total videos, total views and the date the channel joined. Up to ten channels per call, priced per channel.

- Price: $0.00045 / channel
- Billed: Per record
- Free to start: $0.10
- Endpoint: POST /v1/youtube

## What people build with the YouTube Channel API

- **Vet creators.** Check subscribers, total views and video count before you sponsor a channel.
- **Enrich a channel list.** Paste in a list of handles and get back the size and country of each channel.
- **Track competitors.** Measure a rival channel's subscribers and views over time, each row dated.

## Quote it, then run it

1. free quote: the exact price, nothing charged:

```bash
curl -X POST https://apiforagents.dev/v1/youtube \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AFA_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"op":"channels","subjects":["@mkbhd"],"estimateOnly":true}'
```

2. the same call, run:

```bash
curl -X POST https://apiforagents.dev/v1/youtube \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AFA_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"op":"channels","subjects":["@mkbhd"]}'
```

## Inputs

Everything you can send in one channels call. Required inputs first.

| Input | Type | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| subjects * | text list | @handles, UC… ids or channel URLs. 1-10 items |
| include.videos.limit | integer | Recent videos to fetch per channel, newest first; 1-50. |
| include.videos.since | string | Only videos published on or after this day (YYYY-MM-DD). |

## What comes back

The fields of every row, always present. Nothing is guessed: a value that could not be measured is null, and the answer's coverage says why.

| Field | Type |
|---|---|
| handle | string |
| channelId | string |
| name | string |
| description | string |
| avatarUrl | string |
| bannerUrl | string |
| country | string |
| isVerified | boolean |
| joinedOn | string |
| links | list of string |
| subscribers | integer |
| totalVideos | integer |
| totalViews | integer |
| channelUrl | string |
| canonicalHandle | string |
| details | object |

details is always the last field: everything else the source sent for that row, under our own field names. Its keys depend on the source that answered, so read them defensively; it is {} when there is nothing more.

## A sample answer

Made-up names and values in the real field names, so you can see the shape before you spend anything.

| handle | name | description | country | isVerified | joinedOn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| @mirapilates | Mira Pilates | Short pilates classes you can do at home. | IN | true | 2019-03-11 |
| @northfoldhq | Northfold | Finance, made calmer. | GB | false | 2020-07-02 |
| @cookwithkai | Cook with Kai | Weeknight recipes in under 30 minutes. | SG | true | 2016-11-20 |

## Pricing

Pay as you go, in US dollars, per record. No subscription, nothing expires, $5 first top-up, and every new agent starts with $0.10 free.

| Request | Records | At the list price |
|---|---|---|
| One channel | 1 | $0.00045 |
| 10 channels | 10 | $0.0045 |

These are per-record list prices. Some calls also carry a minimum, such as a page of search results, so a small request can cost more than the table shows. The quote ("estimateOnly": true) is free, gives the most your exact request can cost, and the charge then settles to what came back. Records that do not come back are refunded.

## Try it without writing code

- [Open the YouTube Channel API in the playground](https://apiforagents.dev/dashboard/run?platform=youtube&op=channels): The playground runs any endpoint by hand: pick a platform and what you want from it, fill a short form named in plain words (or press Use sample input), see the free quote on the Run button, run it, then read the answer as a table or JSON and download it as CSV or JSON. The same call is written out as cURL, Python and Node while you type.

## Why this one, and not a scraper you run yourself

- No login, no YouTube account, no cookies, no proxies, no browser to babysit.
- When the site changes its pages, your request stays the same: keeping the reads working is our job, not yours.
- A fetch that fails costs nothing: it is named in the answer with a reason, and the quote says the most a call can cost before it runs.

## Use it from your tools

- [YouTube in n8n](https://apiforagents.dev/integrations/n8n/youtube)
- [YouTube in Make](https://apiforagents.dev/integrations/make/youtube)
- [YouTube in Zapier](https://apiforagents.dev/integrations/zapier/youtube)
- [YouTube in Python](https://apiforagents.dev/integrations/python/youtube)
- [YouTube in LangChain](https://apiforagents.dev/integrations/langchain/youtube)
- [YouTube in Claude Code](https://apiforagents.dev/integrations/claude-code/youtube)

## Questions

### What does the YouTube Channel API return?

One row per channel: handle, name, description, country, whether it is verified, the date it joined, subscribers, total videos, total views, channel id, avatar URL and banner URL.

### What do I pass in?

Up to ten @handles, channel ids (starting with UC) or channel URLs in subjects. Add include.videos to get each channel's recent videos (up to 50, with an optional since date) in the same call.

### How much does a YouTube channel lookup cost?

$0.00045 per channel at the list price. A small call can carry a minimum, so quote first with "estimateOnly": true, which is free and is the most the call can cost. You pay for what comes back.

### Can an AI agent use it without me creating an account?

Yes. An agent registers itself with one POST request, gets $0.10 free and can run calls straight away. The recipe is at https://apiforagents.dev/auth.md.

## Why API for Agents

- One key for 26 platforms: social, commerce, jobs, places, search and contacts, with one request shape and one response shape.
- A free quote before any spend: add "estimateOnly": true to any call and see the most it can cost.
- Pay per record in US dollars. No subscription, nothing expires, top-ups from $5.
- $0.10 free to try, no card. An AI agent can sign itself up in one request; a person claims it later.
- Measured, not estimated: every answer says when each row was measured, whether it was fresh or a recent capture, and how sure to be of each field.
- Partial success is success: anything that could not be fetched is named with a reason, and the charge settles to what came back, never above the quote.
- Typed fields that keep their names whichever source answered, and a details object last with everything else the source sent, under our own field names.
- Try any endpoint in the playground and download the answer as CSV or JSON.

## Start

The playground runs any endpoint by hand: pick a platform and what you want from it, fill a short form named in plain words (or press Use sample input), see the free quote on the Run button, run it, then read the answer as a table or JSON and download it as CSV or JSON. The same call is written out as cURL, Python and Node while you type. Open it at https://apiforagents.dev/dashboard/run?platform=youtube&op=channels (sign in first).

Agents register at https://apiforagents.dev/auth.md (one POST, $0.10 free). People: https://apiforagents.dev/docs#start. Prices: https://apiforagents.dev/pricing.md