YouTube · free lookup

Check the views on a YouTube video

Paste a YouTube video or Shorts link and see the view, like and comment counts, with the time they were read. Free with a Sourcevine account.

Public URLs only 1 credit a run Read time shown

Check several links at once (up to 10)

1 credit per run, from your own balance. Sourcevine account required, no YouTube login. No account? Get 100 free credits, once →

How it works

From URL to result

Paste a public YouTube video URL

The lookup accepts a public URL and resolves the platform id for you.
Read the public counts

Views, likes, comments and platform-specific fields are returned when the platform publishes them.
Check freshness

Every successful lookup includes the time Sourcevine read the public page.

Recorded example

What a real one looked like

recorded https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wq3VHsL_bE

Likes: 25,105
Views: 1,264,904
Account: NASA

A real response from /v1/youtube/stats, kept so this page can show something true without spending anyone’s credits. Run the tool above for a live read of your own link.

Why Sourcevine

What to know about this lookup

One URL per lookup

No browser extension, no spreadsheet formula and no platform login are needed for a quick public check.

Works with Shorts and youtu.be

Watch URLs, Shorts URLs and short youtu.be links all resolve to the same video, and return the same fields.

Clear unavailable states

Private, deleted and unsupported URLs return a status instead of a stale-looking success.

Use cases

Where this lookup fits

Editors and repurposing teams

Rank a back catalogue by public performance before deciding what to cut down.
Creator ops

Compare public engagement across shortlists without opening every platform tab by hand.
Analysts

Validate whether a public link still exists before adding it to a report or dataset.

Boundaries

What this tool will not return

Public data only
Private accounts and restricted content are not accessed. Deleted resources return an availability status.
No contact fields
Bios, emails, phone numbers, addresses and messenger handles are outside this product boundary.
Like counts can be hidden
A channel can hide its like count. When YouTube does not publish one, the field is empty rather than filled with a guess. There are no shares or saves on YouTube at all.

Questions

Before you run it

Does it work with Shorts?

Yes, and with youtu.be links.

Why can I not see the like count?

Some channels hide it. When YouTube does not publish a number, the field is left empty rather than filled with a guess.

What does this not show me?

Private or restricted content, bios and contact details are not returned. A platform may show a sign-in prompt for public content; the scope is public data, not whether the platform presents a login screen. If an account is private, the tool says so.

Do I need an account?

Yes, a free Sourcevine account; you never log in to the platform itself. Signing up gives you 100 credits once, no card, and they do not renew. A lookup spends one or two of them, and you can see every run in your dashboard. When they are gone, a prepaid pack tops the balance up and never expires.

API

Checking many YouTube links?

Move from one-off checks to a repeatable API call with the same timestamps and availability metadata.

/v1/youtube/stats

Public stats by URL
A fetch timestamp on every success
Typed status for dead or private links

Get an API key See the API