# Does Zhihu have an API? Yes: Zhihu's data open platform offers search, the hot list and answers, with a daily free quota and paid calls beyond it. SocialToAI reads its publicly visible answers, comments, accounts and trends without a Zhihu developer account: 16 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-zhihu-have-an-api/ - Last updated: 2026-10-29 ## The short answer Yes: Zhihu's data open platform offers search, the hot list and answers, with a daily free quota and paid calls beyond it. ## What the official API allows Zhihu runs an official data open platform with APIs for searching Zhihu content, the hot list and answers under a question. Any Zhihu user can create an access key; there is a daily free quota, after which calls are paid per use. Source: [Zhihu's own developer documentation](https://developer.zhihu.com/docs), checked 2026-10-17. What a platform allows changes; its own pages are the authority. ## Reading Zhihu's public data with SocialToAI SocialToAI is an API and MCP server for publicly visible content and account information. You need no Zhihu 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/zhihu-search-api.md) | Find answers by keyword: text, author, likes, comment count and publish time. | `zhihu.search` | 2 | | [Search · type=user](https://socialtoai.com/zhihu-search-api.md) | Find accounts by keyword: name, bio and followers. | `zhihu.search:user` | 2 | | [Trending](https://socialtoai.com/zhihu-trending-api.md) | What is trending now: title, rank and heat. | `zhihu.trending` | 2 | | [Detail](https://socialtoai.com/zhihu-detail-api.md) | One answer by ID or link: text, author and publish time. | `zhihu.detail` | 2 | | [Detail · type=question](https://socialtoai.com/zhihu-detail-api.md) | One answer by ID or link: text, comment count, views and publish time. | `zhihu.detail:question` | 2 | | [Detail · type=article](https://socialtoai.com/zhihu-detail-api.md) | One answer by ID or link: text, author, likes, comment count and publish time. | `zhihu.detail:article` | 2 | | [Detail · type=pin](https://socialtoai.com/zhihu-detail-api.md) | One answer by ID or link: text, author, likes, comment count and publish time. | `zhihu.detail:pin` | 2 | | [Comments](https://socialtoai.com/zhihu-comments-api.md) | The comments under one answer: text, likes, reply count and time. | `zhihu.comments` | 2 | | [Comments · reply_of](https://socialtoai.com/zhihu-comments-api.md) | The comments under one answer: text, likes, reply count and time. | `zhihu.comments:replies` | 2 | | [User Profile](https://socialtoai.com/zhihu-user-profile-api.md) | One account: name, bio and followers. | `zhihu.user_profile` | 2 | | [User Posts](https://socialtoai.com/zhihu-user-posts-api.md) | The recent answers of one account. | `zhihu.user_posts` | 2 | | [User Posts · type=answer](https://socialtoai.com/zhihu-user-posts-api.md) | The recent answers of one account. | `zhihu.user_posts:answers` | 2 | 4 more on the [Zhihu API page](https://socialtoai.com/platforms/zhihu.md). **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": "zhihu", "query": "咖啡机推荐" }' ``` - No Zhihu 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 Zhihu and the others. - Prepaid credits from 2 credits a call; 100 free credits on sign-up, no card. ## Reading Zhihu 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 Zhihu 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 Zhihu is our job. | ## FAQ ### Can I read Zhihu without a developer account? Yes. SocialToAI reads its publicly visible answers, comments, accounts and trends for you: 16 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 Zhihu this way get my account banned? No account of yours is involved: you never sign in to Zhihu, hand over a cookie or install anything, so nothing is read in your account's name. ### How much does reading Zhihu 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 Zhihu? 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 - [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 - [Zhihu: developer.zhihu.com](https://developer.zhihu.com/docs), checked 2026-10-17 - [Zhihu API on SocialToAI](https://socialtoai.com/platforms/zhihu.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 - [Zhihu API](https://socialtoai.com/platforms/zhihu.md): Every call on Zhihu, with a request to copy. - [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.