# Does YouTube have an API?

Yes: the YouTube Data API reads public videos, channels, comments and search, within a free daily quota. SocialToAI reads its publicly visible videos, comments and accounts without a YouTube developer account: 8 interfaces from 2 credits a call (≈ $0.004–$0.0067), and failed calls are free. Official facts checked 2026-10-17.

- Page: https://socialtoai.com/does-youtube-have-an-api/
- Last updated: 2026-10-29

## The short answer

Yes: the YouTube Data API reads public videos, channels, comments and search, within a free daily quota.

## What the official API allows

YouTube offers the official YouTube Data API. Any developer can enable it in a Google Cloud project and read public videos, channels, comments and search results with an API key, within a free daily quota; more quota requires a compliance audit.

Source: [YouTube's own developer documentation](https://developers.google.com/youtube/v3/getting-started), checked 2026-10-17. What a platform allows changes; its own pages are the authority.

## YouTube's official APIs, side by side

| Official API | Who can use it and how | Cost | Limits | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| YouTube Data API v3 | Any developer with a Google Cloud project and an API key. | Free within the quota: by default 100 search.list calls and 10,000 units a day for the other endpoints. | A read of a list usually costs 1 unit; more quota is requested through Google's quota extension form. | [developers.google.com](https://developers.google.com/youtube/v3/getting-started), checked 2026-10-29 |
| Captions download | A signed-in user with permission to edit the video. | 200 quota units a call. | Downloads caption tracks only of videos the user can edit, so not of any public video. | [developers.google.com](https://developers.google.com/youtube/v3/docs/captions/download), checked 2026-10-29 |

## Reading YouTube's public data with SocialToAI

SocialToAI is an API and MCP server for publicly visible content and account information. You need no YouTube account and no app review: one SocialToAI key, or signing in from [Claude](https://socialtoai.com/connect/claude.md), [ChatGPT](https://socialtoai.com/connect/chatgpt.md), [Claude Code](https://socialtoai.com/connect/claude-code.md), [Cursor](https://socialtoai.com/connect/cursor.md) and [Codex](https://socialtoai.com/connect/codex.md). Each call costs a fixed number of credits, and a failed call costs nothing.

| Interface | What it returns | Price key | Credits |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Search](https://socialtoai.com/youtube-search-api.md) | Find videos by keyword: text, author and views. | `youtube.search` | 2 |
| [Detail](https://socialtoai.com/youtube-detail-api.md) | One video by ID or link: text, author, likes, comment count, views and publish time. | `youtube.detail` | 2 |
| [Detail · include=transcript](https://socialtoai.com/youtube-detail-api.md) | One video by ID or link: full text and timed segments. | `youtube.detail:transcript` | 2 |
| [Comments](https://socialtoai.com/youtube-comments-api.md) | The comments under one video: text, likes and reply count. | `youtube.comments` | 2 |
| [Comments · reply_of](https://socialtoai.com/youtube-comments-api.md) | The comments under one video: text and likes. | `youtube.comments:replies` | 2 |
| [User Profile](https://socialtoai.com/youtube-user-profile-api.md) | One account: name, bio, followers and post count. | `youtube.user_profile` | 2 |
| [Channel posts](https://socialtoai.com/youtube-community-posts-api.md) | Get a page of the posts on a YouTube channel's Posts tab (once Community) by channel ID or handle, newest first. | `youtube.community_posts` | 2 |
| [Post detail](https://socialtoai.com/youtube-community-post-api.md) | Get one YouTube channel post (once a Community post) by ID or link. | `youtube.community_post` | 2 |

**One call: Search**

```
curl https://api.socialtoai.com/v1/search \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SOCIALTOAI_API_KEY" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: $(uuidgen)" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "platform": "youtube",
    "query": "meteor shower"
  }'
```

- No YouTube account, cookie or developer approval on your side.
- What comes back is what the platform shows publicly; commenters are anonymised.
- Every platform answers in the same response format, so the same code reads YouTube and the others.
- Prepaid credits from 2 credits a call; 100 free credits on sign-up, no card.

## Reading YouTube without the official API

There are three ways in, and they differ in what you have to hand over and keep running. These are kinds of tool, not products.

| Way | What you need | What to watch for |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Write your own scraper | Code, proxies, and often your own YouTube login or cookies | Requests made in your account's name can get it limited or banned; pages and signatures change, so the code needs upkeep. |
| Run an open-source MCP server or script locally | Install it, then sign in with your account or paste its cookies | It reads as your account, and stops when the platform changes or your computer is off. |
| Call a hosted API (SocialToAI) | One SocialToAI key, or one MCP address and sign-in | No account of yours is used; you pay from 2 credits a call and nothing for a failed one; keeping up with YouTube is our job. |

## FAQ

### What is the YouTube API quota?

By default a project gets 100 search.list calls, 100 videos.insert calls and 10,000 units a day for the other endpoints; a read of a list usually costs 1 unit, and more quota is requested through the quota extension form. Source: [developers.google.com](https://developers.google.com/youtube/v3/getting-started), checked 2026-10-29.

### Can I get YouTube transcripts with the official API?

Only of videos you can edit: captions download requires the user to have permission to edit the video, and costs 200 quota units a call. Source: [developers.google.com](https://developers.google.com/youtube/v3/docs/captions/download), checked 2026-10-29.

### Can I read YouTube without a developer account?

Yes. SocialToAI reads its publicly visible videos, comments and accounts for you: 8 interfaces from 2 credits a call (≈$0.0067), and failed calls are free. You need one SocialToAI key, or sign-in from your AI client.

### Will reading YouTube this way get my account banned?

No account of yours is involved: you never sign in to YouTube, hand over a cookie or install anything, so nothing is read in your account's name.

### How much does reading YouTube cost here?

From 2 credits a call: $0.0067 at the first pack, $6.67 for a thousand such calls. A failed call costs nothing, and every answer states what it charged. 100 free credits on sign-up, no card.

### Can Claude and ChatGPT read YouTube?

Yes: add SocialToAI's MCP address in Claude or ChatGPT, sign in and press Allow, then ask in plain words. Each answer states the credits it used.

## Read next

- [YouTube transcript API](https://socialtoai.com/youtube-transcript-api.md): The full transcript of any public video, by link.
- [Official social media API prices and limits](https://socialtoai.com/data/official-social-api-pricing.md): Every platform's official API on one page, with sources.

## Sources

- [YouTube: developers.google.com](https://developers.google.com/youtube/v3/getting-started), checked 2026-10-17
- [developers.google.com](https://developers.google.com/youtube/v3/docs/captions/download), checked 2026-10-29
- [YouTube API on SocialToAI](https://socialtoai.com/platforms/youtube.md): every call and its credits, last tested 2026-10-17
- [The live catalog](https://api.socialtoai.com/v1/capabilities): what is offered now and its credits, readable without a key

- [YouTube API](https://socialtoai.com/platforms/youtube.md): Every call on YouTube, with a request to copy.
- [YouTube MCP server](https://socialtoai.com/mcp/youtube.md): Let your AI read YouTube.
- [Claude](https://socialtoai.com/connect/claude.md): Connect Claude: sign in, no key.
- [ChatGPT](https://socialtoai.com/connect/chatgpt.md): Connect ChatGPT: sign in, no key.