Millions of videos get uploaded on YouTube every day. This platform is popular among many people around the world, making its data very valuable for various businesses. Companies scrape YouTube to get profitable insights from video descriptions, keywords, subtitles, and so on.
Producing so much content, YouTube can become a source for predicting upcoming trends, analyzing user interests, and many other use cases. The best way to collect this priceless data is by using a YouTube scraper. Web scraping is a process that helps extract data from YouTube in a structured way.
Let’s see what YouTube scrapers are the best in 2022, what features they can offer, and how much they cost. We reviewed the ten best web scraping tools for YouTube and listed their pros and cons, which can help you decide which tool to choose.
1. Scraper API
Scraper API works on many pages, including YouTube. This tool makes sure you don’t have to deal with the most common web scraping challenges, including CAPTCHAs and geo-location blocks. It’s one of the best tools for YouTube scraping.
One of the greatest features of the Scraper API tool is that it covers everything from proxy management to browser settings. All you need to do is provide your target URL, and this scraper will return the data in HTML format.
It’s a powerful tool with more than 40M IPs from over 50 locations around the world.
Features:
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Proxy management
- 99.9% uptime
Pros:
- Fully customizable
- Fast crawling
- Automatic retries
Cons:
- IP rotation with every request is not always an advantage
Pricing:
Scraper API offers a free 7-day trial with 5,000 API credits. Paid plans start from $49 a month for 100,000 API credits and 20 concurrent threads. The largest plan includes 14,000,000 API credits and 400 concurrent threads for $999/month.
2. Phantombuster
Phantombuster offers different YouTube API integrations for data scraping. These include YouTube Channel Scraper, which can scrape all the available data from YouTube channels. YouTube Channel Video Extractor can extract videos from a list of different channels. Last but not least, the YouTube video scraper can collect data from a list of videos.
In general, Phantombuster is great for collecting leads. It can import data into your CRM and has pre-built workflows that help you reach your goals quickly. This web scraping tool also ensures that you don’t get your social media accounts blocked by guiding you through network rate limits.
Features:
- YouTube API integrations
- YouTube channel and video scraping
- No coding skills required
Pros:
- Pre-built workflows
- Guidance for beginners
- Imports data to any CRM
Cons:
- Little space for customizations
Pricing:
Phantombuster comes with a 14-day free trial, which covers 2 hours of task execution a month and five slots for phantoms or flows to run simultaneously. Paid plans start from $59/month and go up to $399/month. Annual bills come with a 16% discount.
3. YouTube Scraper on Apify
Apify has many ready-to-use tools for web scraping and automation on different targets. YouTube Scraper is one of them. This tool helps extract data from YouTube keyword search results, allows scraping data from videos, and enables downloading captions, among other features.
To get data from the YouTube scraper, you need to provide a video URL, channel URL, or a target keyword. The tool will then automatically return the results. You can customize the tool by specifying how many results you’d like to get and how old the data should be.
Features:
- Can scrape channel details
- Open-source tool
- Comment scraping
Pros:
- You can use your own proxies
- Scrapes comments, video captions, subtitles
- Scrapes results without limits and log-in requirement
Cons:
- Coding skills required
Pricing:
Apify has a number of different pricing options. You can start by testing the platform with a free trial. With this, you’ll receive $5 platform credits, allowing you to test the YouTube Scraper. Paid plans start from $49/month and go up to $499/month. Yearly billing gives a 20% discount.
4. Octoparse
Octoparse is one of the best YouTube scrapers for those with little to no coding skills. Using this tool is very simple, and it returns organized web data. To collect data, you need to provide a URL, select the data you want to scrape, and the tool will do the rest.
The tool deals with all the web scraping challenges you may have, so you don’t need to worry about proxy management or browser settings. Octoparse can extract text from YouTube content and deliver it to you conveniently.
Features:
- Ready-to-use web scraping tool
- No coding skills required
- Deals well with complex websites
Pros:
- Very simple to use
- Provides Cloud services
- Allows task scheduling
Cons:
- Limited customization
Pricing:
Octoparse is one of the more expensive tools. It has a free plan, which covers up to 10 tasks and runs them on your local IP address. You can also get your money back if you realize the tool is not for you, as there’s a five-day money-back guarantee. Paid plans vary from $89/month for 100 tasks to $249/month for 250 tasks.
5. ScrapingBee
ScrapingBee web scraping API can collect data from various websites, one of which is YouTube. It also takes care of a headless browser and proxies for you, so you can scrape data without getting blocked.
It features a large proxy pool with geo-targeting, so you can gather data from YouTube which is specific for a particular geo-location. This tool automatically rotates proxies and uses the latest Chrome version.
Features:
- Large proxy pool
- The latest version of Chrome
- Javascript rendering
Pros:
- Proxy management
- Has a version that doesn’t require coding
- Can take screenshots
Cons:
- Can’t add your own proxies
Pricing:
ScrapingBee allows testing their services by providing 1,000 free API calls. If you’re happy with their services, you can choose from multiple subscription plans. The smallest plan is $49/month and provides 1,000 API calls. Keep in mind that if you don’t use them up during a month, they won’t roll over to the next month.
6. Parsehub
Parsehub comes as a desktop app. You can simply select the data you want to collect, and the tool will deliver it to you in JSON or an Excel file. The tool is also cloud-based, so it can automatically store the data on its servers.
While Parsehub is not specifically built for YouTube scraping, it helps you extract data from any public website. It can extract text, HTML, and attributes, as well as get data stored behind a log-in wall.
Features:
- Can schedule scraping tasks
- Automatically rotates IPs
- Saves data into JSON or Excel
Pros:
- Simple to get up and running
- Cloud-based
- The free version is quite advanced
Cons:
- The paid version is expensive
Pricing:
Parsehub falls on the more expensive side compared to other YouTube scraping tools. Their cheapest subscription plan starts from $189/month. However, this scraper has a free plan that can deliver 200 pages of data in 40 minutes. The free plan doesn’t include proxy rotation or scheduling.
7. Data Miner
Data Miner calls itself the most powerful web scraping tool. This tool is a web browser extension, and it can scrape data straight into a CSV file or Excel spreadsheet. This tool allows creating customized data extraction rules, so it’s rather flexible.
This web scraper has over 50,000 pre-made queries for the most popular websites, including YouTube. It can automatically fill out forms and scrape pages in bulk. When it comes to YouTube scraping, the main benefit of the Data Miner is that it can seamlessly bypass anti-bot mechanisms on the site and return data without a glitch.
Features:
- Browser extension for Chrome and Microsoft Edge
- Supports over 15,000 popular target sites
- Auto-filling feature for forms
Pros:
- Over 50,000 pre-made queries
- Extracts data into JSON or Excel
- Simple to use
Cons:
- Limited customer support
Pricing:
Data Miner offers a free starter plan that covers up to 500 pages a month. If you go over this number, your account will be locked until you purchase a paid plan. Paid subscriptions start from $19.99 for 500 pages, $49 for 1,000 pages, and go up to $200/month for scraping 9,000 pages.
8. Helium Scraper
Helium Scraper is capable of scraping YouTube video data and any other information you may need from YouTube channels. This scraper can automatically identify and scrape lists and table rows. It can also detect similar elements from given examples.
You can make your data extraction even faster by blocking images or web requests that you don’t need. You can also schedule tasks and export data into your preferred format.
Features:
- Scheduling
- Can be scaled on demand
- Simple workflows
Pros:
- Can scrape data quickly
- Proxy rotation at your set intervals
- Automatically detects lists
Cons:
- No live support with the smallest plan
Pricing:
Contrary to most YouTube scraping tools, this service only requires a one-off payment and not a monthly subscription. For $99, you can get one license, and two user licenses will cost you $199. With this plan, you’ll get one month of premium support.
9. ScrapeStorm
ScrapeStorm is an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based web scraper. This tool can automatically identify various data, such as lists, forms, images, email addresses, etc., so you can easily extract the exact data you need from YouTube channels. If this approach doesn’t work for you, you can skip the AI part and set your own rules for web scraping.
This web scraping tool can extract data into your preferred format, as well as in a local file or a cloud server. ScrapeStorm doesn’t require any coding skills. You can simply enter the URL of your target and click on the data you want to extract.
Features:
- AI-powered visual operation
- No programming skills required
- Supports many data export options
Pros:
- Supports all operating systems (OS)
- Automated batch URL generation
- CAPTCHA solving feature
Cons:
- Users report it has many bugs
Pricing:
ScrapeStorm features a five-day money-back guarantee on all of its plans. You can opt for a free version or the smallest subscription plan for personal use for $49.99/month. It covers up to 100 web scraping tasks and two concurrent sessions.
10. Bright Data
Bright Data has created a web scraper called Data Collector. This tool promises to get access to the most complex websites. The Data Collector features ready-made code templates that help start scraping YouTube quickly. You can customize your scraper by adding certain functions, choosing if you need real-time data, and picking the format and delivery method for your data.
Features:
- Ready-made code templates
- No coding required
- Web-based service (no installation required)
Pros:
- A powerful web scraper
- Can be scaled easily
- Supports multiple delivery methods
Cons:
- Expensive
- No information about the uptime
Pricing:
Bright Data aren’t shy when it comes to pricing. They don’t offer a free trial and their cheapest subscription starts at $500/month for self-service collectors. This plan doesn’t include an SLA and maintenance. If you want the company to ensure the data delivery, then the Data Collector will cost you from $1,000/month with an annual subscription.
Conclusion
Companies use YouTube automation tools and YouTube scrapers to make the most of this channel. Businesses scrape data to get insights about user needs, upcoming trends, marketing opportunities, and many other cases. YouTube scrapers can help gather valuable data from one of the largest video content platforms on the internet, used all around the world.
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YouTube scrapers come with many different features. Some can gather text content, while others will deliver images and scrape subtitles. You can choose an AI-powered web scraping tool or an open-source solution depending on your needs. Some scrapers come with their own proxies and offer end-to-end data collection, while others require more knowledge about programming and can be customized to suit your needs.
Regardless of your business case, we’re sure you’ll find a YouTube scraper that will suit your needs and help you make the most of this channel’s valuable data.
