YouTube API for channel data without quota units
Read any public YouTube channel by handle or ID: subscribers, total views, video count, and a description-code check that proves ownership. Priced per request like the rest of this API, so there is no separate quota budget to model and no midnight reset to plan around.
- Endpoints for YouTube
- 45
- Free to start
- 500 requests
- Paid from
- $69/ 30 days
One request, no application
Send a key, get an answer. Every endpoint on this page uses the same header, the same envelope and the same error codes as the other six platforms.
curl "https://api.playersells.com/v2/accounts/youtube/MrBeast" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $PLAYERSELLS_API_KEY"What the YouTube API returns
- channel title, handle and description
- subscriber count, as YouTube publishes it
- total view count and video count
- channel creation date
- thumbnail and banner URLs
- subscriber history for channels in the catalog
Where the data comes from
The YouTube Data API where a key is configured, and the public channel page where it is not. Both paths are used automatically and the response says which one answered, because the two differ in one respect that matters (see the limits below).
What this API cannot do
- A channel that hides its subscriber count cannot be read at all: the count and the description arrive in the same response, and without the count the read fails with the source's own message rather than returning a partial answer.
- Without a configured Data API key, descriptions come from the page's social preview tag, which YouTube collapses to one line and truncates. Ownership codes should therefore be placed near the start of a description.
- Per-video analytics, watch time and revenue are owner-only data and are not available through any public route.
YouTube endpoints
17 built specifically for YouTube, plus 28 that cover every platform.
Specific to YouTube
| Endpoint | What it does | Scope |
|---|---|---|
GET/accounts/{platform}/{handle} | Check one account against our catalog | directory:read |
GET/accounts/{platform}/{handle}/livelive | Check one account live, at the source | scrape:live |
GET/accounts/resolve | Find one handle on every platform at once | directory:read |
GET/directory/{platform} | List and filter a catalog | directory:read |
GET/directory/{platform}/{id} | One account or channel | directory:read |
GET/directory/{platform}/{id}/growth | Daily audience history | directory:read |
GET/directory/{platform}/{id}/followers | Inbound graph edges | directory:read |
GET/directory/{platform}/{id}/following | Outbound graph edges | directory:read |
POST/directory/{platform}/bulk | Resolve up to 100 records at once | directory:read |
GET/directory/{platform}/facets | Distribution of the catalog | directory:read |
GET/directory/search | Search every platform at once | directory:read |
GET/people/lookup | Find one handle across every catalog | directory:read |
GET/people/search | Find accounts matching audience and engagement criteria | directory:read |
GET/scrape/youtube/verifylive | Prove ownership of a YouTube account | scrape:live |
GET/marketplace/listings | Browse active marketplace listings | marketplace:read |
POST/tools/youtube/moneylive | Estimate YouTube ad earnings | tools:use |
POST/tools/youtube/channel-valuelive | Estimate what a YouTube channel is worth | tools:use |
Across all platforms
| Endpoint | What it does | Scope |
|---|---|---|
GET/accounts/platforms | What a check can answer, per platform | directory:read |
POST/accounts/check | Check up to 50 accounts at once | directory:read |
GET/directory | Catalog capability map | directory:read |
GET/scrape/status | Live backend health and capacity | scrape:live |
GET/insights/audience | Who follows an account, and what they have in common | insights:read |
GET/research/findings | Findings the research engine is willing to state | research:read |
GET/research/findings/{id} | One finding with its full test history | research:read |
GET/research/runs | Research pass history | research:read |
GET/research/events | The research changelog | research:read |
GET/engines | Operational health of every insight engine | engines:read |
GET/engines/{key} | One engine in detail | engines:read |
GET/marketplace/listings/{id} | Get one public listing | marketplace:read |
GET/marketplace/stats | Platform totals | marketplace:read |
GET/marketplace/leaderboard | Best-selling sellers | marketplace:read |
GET/marketplace/pricing | Live fee schedule and boost packages | marketplace:read |
GET/tools | List every analysis tool | tools:use |
POST/tools/valuationlive | Value an X account | tools:use |
POST/tools/shadowban-checklive | Check an X account for visibility filtering | tools:use |
POST/tools/follower-auditlive | Audit an X account's followers for fakes | tools:use |
POST/tools/engagement-calculatorlive | Measure an X account's engagement rate | tools:use |
POST/tools/best-posting-timelive | Find when an X account should post | tools:use |
POST/tools/algorithm-scorelive | Score an X account against the ranking signals | tools:use |
POST/tools/bio-optimizerlive | Score and rewrite an X bio (AI) | tools:use |
POST/tools/profile-roastlive | Roast and fix an X profile (AI) | tools:use |
POST/tools/tweet-analyzerlive | Analyze a single X post | tools:use |
POST/tools/mention-checkerlive | See who is mentioning an X account | tools:use |
POST/tools/growth-simulator | Project how long a follower target takes | tools:use |
GET/tools/profile-piclive | Fetch an X profile picture URL | tools:use |
YouTube API questions
How is this different from the YouTube Data API?
The Data API prices in quota units, where different calls cost different amounts and everything stops when the daily allowance runs out. This API prices in requests against a monthly plan, so a channel lookup costs the same as any other read and there is no daily cliff. Under the hood we use the Data API when a key is configured, because it is the more complete source.
Can I verify who owns a YouTube channel?
Yes. The owner places a short code in the channel description and you call the verification endpoint with the handle and the code. One caveat worth knowing before you build on it: without a Data API key the description we can read is truncated, so tell owners to put the code at the start.
Why did a lookup fail on a channel that clearly exists?
Almost always because the channel hides its subscriber count. The count and the rest of the channel data come from the same read, so when the source withholds the count there is nothing partial to return. The error quotes YouTube's own explanation rather than inventing one.
The same API, on six other platforms
One key, one envelope, one bill. Reading a second platform is a different path, not a different integration.