Best YouTube Data APIs in 2025
Looking for a reliable YouTube data API? Whether you need video transcripts, comments, detailed metadata, or AI-powered summaries, choosing the right API can make or break your project.
In this guide, we'll compare the top YouTube data APIs available in 2025, breaking down their features, pricing, and use cases to help you make the best decision.
Quick Comparison
| API | Transcripts | Summaries | Comments | Video Details | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SocialKit | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | $13/mo |
| Supadata | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ YouTube only | $29/mo |
| ScrapeCreators | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | $47 one-time |
| Bright Data | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | $500+/mo |
| YouTube-Transcript.io | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | $9.99/mo |
1. SocialKit - Best Overall YouTube Data API
Best for: Developers who need comprehensive YouTube data extraction with AI capabilities
SocialKit specializes in social media video data extraction with a complete suite of APIs for YouTube (including Shorts) and TikTok.
Key Features
- ✅ YouTube Transcripts - Extract accurate transcripts from any video
- ✅ AI Video Summaries - Get instant AI-powered summaries
- ✅ Comments Extraction - Pull all comments with metadata
- ✅ Video Details - Complete video stats and metadata
- ✅ YouTube Shorts Support - Full support for Shorts
- ✅ TikTok Support - Same capabilities for TikTok
- ✅ Free Tools - Test before integrating
Pricing
- Free: 20 credits
- Basic: $13/month (2,000 credits)
- Pro: $27/month (10,000 credits)
- Ultimate: $79/month (50,000 credits)
All plans include access to all 8 APIs with no feature restrictions.
Why Choose SocialKit?
Unique AI Summarization: SocialKit is the only API on this list that offers AI-powered video summarization. Get instant, concise summaries of any YouTube video without processing transcripts yourself.
Free Tools Available: Test the quality with free web tools for YouTube summarizer, transcript extractor, and comments analyzer before committing to the API.
Best Value: At $27/month for 10,000 credits, you get transcripts, summaries, comments, and video details - all included. Most competitors charge more for fewer features.
Multi-Platform: Unlike other YouTube-only APIs, SocialKit also supports TikTok with the same capabilities.
Try SocialKit Free Tools · View API Documentation · See Pricing
2. Supadata - General Web Scraping Platform
Best for: Projects needing both YouTube data and general web scraping
Supadata is a broader web scraping API that includes YouTube data extraction among many other platforms.
Key Features
- ✅ YouTube transcripts
- ✅ Video details (YouTube only)
- ✅ Multi-platform web scraping
- ❌ No AI summaries
- ❌ No comments extraction
- ❌ No TikTok support
Pricing
- Starter: $29/month (10,000 credits)
- Growth: $99/month (50,000 credits)
- Scale: $249/month (150,000 credits)
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Versatile for general web scraping needs
- Good for YouTube + other platforms
Cons:
- More expensive than specialized YouTube APIs
- No AI summarization capabilities
- Missing comments extraction
- Video details only work for YouTube
When to Choose: If you need YouTube data AND general web scraping capabilities, Supadata might be worth the premium. For YouTube-only projects, specialized APIs offer better value.
3. ScrapeCreators - Multi-Platform Social Media API
Best for: Projects requiring data from 25+ social platforms
ScrapeCreators offers extensive platform coverage including YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and more.
Key Features
- ✅ YouTube transcripts
- ✅ Comments extraction
- ✅ Video details
- ✅ 25+ platforms supported
- ❌ No AI summaries
- ❌ Pay-as-you-go only
Pricing
- Free Trial: 100 credits
- Freelance: $47 one-time (25,000 credits)
- Business: $497 one-time (500,000 credits)
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Extensive platform coverage
- Pay-as-you-go pricing model
- Bulk channel extraction
Cons:
- No AI summarization
- No monthly subscription option
- Higher entry cost
- Features spread across many platforms
When to Choose: If you need data from multiple social platforms beyond just YouTube, ScrapeCreators' broad coverage might justify the higher cost.
4. Bright Data - Enterprise Web Data Platform
Best for: Large enterprises with significant budgets
Bright Data is an enterprise-grade web data platform that offers YouTube scraping among hundreds of other data sources.
Key Features
- ✅ YouTube transcripts
- ✅ Comments extraction
- ✅ Video details
- ✅ Proxy infrastructure
- ✅ Dedicated support
- ❌ No AI summaries
- ❌ Complex setup
Pricing
- Starting at: $500+/month
- Custom enterprise pricing
- Complex pricing tiers
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Enterprise-grade infrastructure
- Extensive proxy network
- White-glove support
- Compliance tools
Cons:
- Extremely expensive
- Overkill for YouTube-only needs
- Complex setup and onboarding
- Requires technical expertise
- No AI capabilities
When to Choose: Only if you're an enterprise with a massive budget and need industrial-scale data collection across many sources. For YouTube data specifically, it's significant overkill.
5. YouTube-Transcript.io - Simple Transcript Extraction
Best for: Projects needing only YouTube transcripts
YouTube-Transcript.io is a focused tool for extracting YouTube transcripts with some web-based study tools.
Key Features
- ✅ YouTube transcripts
- ✅ Bulk extraction
- ✅ Study tools (flashcards, guides)
- ❌ No AI summaries API
- ❌ No comments extraction
- ❌ No video details
- ❌ No TikTok support
Pricing
- Free: 25 tokens
- Plus: $9.99/month (1,000 transcripts)
- Pro: $24.99/month (3,000 transcripts)
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Simple and focused
- Good for transcript-only needs
- Educational study tools included
Cons:
- Transcripts only - no other data
- No AI summarization API
- No video metadata or stats
- No comments extraction
- Limited to YouTube only
When to Choose: If you ONLY need transcripts and nothing else, YouTube-Transcript.io offers a budget option. However, for $27/month, SocialKit gives you 10,000 credits covering transcripts, summaries, comments, and video details.
Feature Comparison
Data Extraction Capabilities
| Feature | SocialKit | Supadata | ScrapeCreators | Bright Data | YouTube-Transcript.io |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transcripts | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| AI Summaries | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Comments | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Video Details | ✅ | ✅ YouTube | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| YouTube Shorts | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| TikTok | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Free Tools | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
Platform Support
SocialKit: YouTube (including Shorts) and TikTok - specialized and optimized for video platforms.
Supadata: YouTube + general web scraping - jack of all trades approach.
ScrapeCreators: 25+ platforms including YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook - breadth over depth.
Bright Data: Hundreds of data sources - enterprise-scale but complex.
YouTube-Transcript.io: YouTube only - narrow focus on transcripts.
Pricing Value Analysis
Let's compare the cost per 10,000 operations:
| API | Price for ~10K Credits | What's Included |
|---|---|---|
| SocialKit | $27/month | Transcripts + Summaries + Comments + Video Details |
| Supadata | $99/month | Transcripts + Video Details only |
| ScrapeCreators | $47 one-time | Transcripts + Comments + Video Details (25K credits) |
| Bright Data | $500+/month | Everything but requires enterprise setup |
| YouTube-Transcript.io | $24.99/month | Transcripts ONLY (3,000 limit) |
Winner for Value: SocialKit offers the most features at the best price point for YouTube-focused projects.
Use Case Recommendations
Choose SocialKit if you need:
- ✅ AI video summarization
- ✅ Complete YouTube data (transcripts, comments, stats)
- ✅ TikTok support
- ✅ Free tools to test quality
- ✅ Best pricing for comprehensive features
- ✅ Developer-friendly API
Choose Supadata if you need:
- ✅ YouTube data + general web scraping
- ✅ Mixed-use scraping platform
Choose ScrapeCreators if you need:
- ✅ Data from 25+ social platforms
- ✅ Pay-as-you-go pricing
- ✅ One-time purchase option
Choose Bright Data if you:
- ✅ Are an enterprise with massive budget
- ✅ Need industrial-scale data collection
- ✅ Require dedicated infrastructure
Choose YouTube-Transcript.io if you:
- ✅ Only need transcripts (nothing else)
- ✅ Want educational study tools
- ✅ Have very basic requirements
Getting Started with YouTube Data APIs
1. Define Your Requirements
- What data do you need? (transcripts, comments, stats, summaries?)
- What platforms? (YouTube, TikTok, others?)
- What's your budget?
- Do you need AI capabilities?
2. Try Before You Buy
Most APIs offer free trials or tiers. SocialKit offers both free web tools AND 20 free API credits, so you can test everything before committing.
3. Check Documentation
Good documentation saves hours of development time. Make sure the API you choose has clear, comprehensive docs with code examples.
4. Consider Support
When things go wrong (and they will), responsive support matters. Look for APIs with dedicated support channels.
Why SocialKit Stands Out
After comparing all these APIs, here's why SocialKit is the best choice for most YouTube data projects:
1. Only API with AI Summarization
Get instant video summaries without building your own NLP pipeline. This alone saves weeks of development time.
2. Complete Feature Set
Why pay for three different APIs when one does it all? SocialKit includes transcripts, summaries, comments, and video details.
3. Free Tools to Test
Try our free YouTube Summarizer, Transcript Extractor, and Comments Analyzer before using the API.
4. Best Value
At $27/month for 10,000 credits, you get more features than competitors charging 3-4x more.
5. Multi-Platform
Start with YouTube, expand to TikTok - same API, same quality.
6. Developer-Friendly
Clean API, great documentation, responsive support. Built by developers, for developers.
Complete YouTube Toolkit
Beyond data extraction, SocialKit offers a complete YouTube toolkit:
APIs:
Free Tools:
TikTok:
Frequently Asked Questions
Which YouTube API is the cheapest?
YouTube-Transcript.io starts at $9.99/month, but only offers transcripts. For comprehensive features, SocialKit at $13/month offers the best value with transcripts, summaries, comments, and video details included.
Can I get YouTube video summaries through an API?
Yes, SocialKit is the only API on this list that offers AI-powered video summarization through a REST API. Other services either don't offer summaries or only provide them through web interfaces.
Which API is best for extracting YouTube comments?
SocialKit, ScrapeCreators, and Bright Data all offer comment extraction. SocialKit provides the best value at $27/month for 10,000 credits with comments plus all other features included.
Do I need an enterprise solution like Bright Data for YouTube data?
No. Unless you need industrial-scale data collection across hundreds of sources, specialized YouTube APIs like SocialKit offer better value and simpler integration at a fraction of the cost.
Can I test these APIs before paying?
Yes. SocialKit offers free web tools and 20 free API credits. YouTube-Transcript.io offers 25 free tokens. ScrapeCreators offers 100 free credits. Always test before committing.
Final Recommendation
For most YouTube data projects, SocialKit is the clear winner:
✅ Most comprehensive features - transcripts, summaries, comments, video details
✅ Only API with AI summarization
✅ Best value - $27/month for 10,000 credits
✅ Free tools to test quality
✅ Multi-platform - YouTube + TikTok
✅ Developer-friendly with great documentation
Special cases:
- Need 25+ platforms? → ScrapeCreators
- Need general web scraping too? → Supadata
- Enterprise with massive budget? → Bright Data
- Only transcripts, nothing else? → YouTube-Transcript.io
Get Started Today
Ready to extract YouTube data? Start with SocialKit:
- Try Free Tools - Test quality instantly
- Read the Docs - Complete API documentation
- Start Free - Get 20 free credits
No credit card required. Start building in minutes.