The YouTube Data V3 API is completely "free". You have a default quota limit (quite limited even for small projects) and you can see here how it is consumed based on how you make use of the API.
Answer from E-Berry on Stack OverflowGoogle
developers.google.com › youtube › data api › quota calculator
Quota Calculator | YouTube Data API | Google for Developers
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-12-04 UTC."],[],["API requests have quota costs, with a minimum of one point per request, even if invalid. Retrieving multiple result pages from methods like `search.list` costs quota for each page. Live Streaming API methods, part of the YouTube Data API, also incur costs.
Google Groups
groups.google.com › g › google-api-objectivec-client › c › -xhvHwtI25o
YouTube API v3 - API request quotas, costs, pricing, rates
The docs for the apis and/or the developer console for enabling apis would be where you are more likely to find information about quotas and costs. ... Either email addresses are anonymous for this group or you need the view member email addresses permission to view the original message ... Thanks for the response. Google provides an excellent Youtube quota calculator.
Videos
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What is the YouTube Data API pricing?
The YouTube Data API v3 is free but uses quotas. For example, a search request costs 100 units, while retrieving video details costs 1 unit.
getphyllo.com
getphyllo.com › post › is-the-youtube-api-free-costs-limits-iv
Is the YouTube API Free? Costs, Limits, and What You Actually Get
What is the cost of using the YouTube API?
The YouTube API is free but operates on a quota system. Each request consumes units, with a daily limit of 10,000 units by default.
getphyllo.com
getphyllo.com › post › is-the-youtube-api-free-costs-limits-iv
Is the YouTube API Free? Costs, Limits, and What You Actually Get
Is the YouTube API free for developers?
Yes, the YouTube API is free for all developers, provided they stay within the quota limits.
getphyllo.com
getphyllo.com › post › is-the-youtube-api-free-costs-limits-iv
Is the YouTube API Free? Costs, Limits, and What You Actually Get
RapidAPI
rapidapi.com › ytdlfree › api › youtube-v31 › pricing
Youtube v3
Without any api key use YT api v3 functionalities through our api. Just follow the YT api v3 docs and send same parameters to our service, get same response. For custom plan, please contact us. For quick chat: https://t.me/api_chat_support
Phyllo
getphyllo.com › post › is-the-youtube-api-free-costs-limits-iv
Is the YouTube API Free? Costs, Limits, and What You Actually Get
September 7, 2025 - While the YouTube API itself does ... request, the higher the cost. Yes. If your project requires more than the default 10,000 units per day, you can apply ......
Phyllo
getphyllo.com › post › youtube-api-limits-how-to-calculate-api-usage-cost-and-fix-exceeded-api-quota
Youtube API limits : How to calculate API usage cost and fix exceeded API quota | Phyllo
July 26, 2025 - Before delving into the calculation process, let's first understand the basic information about YouTube API quotas. Each Google Cloud project has a default limit of 10,000 "units" per day. It's important to note that the term "cost" refers to API usage limits rather than monetary charges.
GitHub
github.com › ThioJoe › YT-Spammer-Purge › wiki › Understanding-YouTube-API-Quota-Limits
Understanding YouTube API Quota Limits
Actually on that form, it does say, "If you are looking for support or quota increments for Reporting and Content ID APIs, please contact your YouTube Partner Manager".
Author ThioJoe
ProxiesAPI
proxiesapi.com › articles › accessing-youtube-apis-pricing-quotas-and-keys
Accessing YouTube APIs: Pricing, Quotas and Keys | ProxiesAPI
The YouTube API allows free access for non-commercial use, but there are daily request quotas. To increase quotas, register and get an API key. Paid plans are available for larger user bases. Be aware of potential changes and restrictions.
Apidog
apidog.com › blog › youtube-api
YouTube Data API Overview | How to Implement it in Your Applications
July 26, 2025 - However, the usage of YouTube Data API is not free. For each Google Cloud project created, you are allocated 10,000 "units" of quota per day.
Elfsight
elfsight.com › blog › youtube-data-api-v3-limits-operations-resources-methods-etc
Your Complete Guide to YouTube Data API v3 – Quotas, Methods, and More
1 month ago - Learn YouTube Data API v3 quota limits, cost structure, HTTP methods, authentication, and optimization techniques. Includes real scenarios and quota increase strategies.
Getlate
getlate.dev › blog › youtube-api-limits-how-to-calculate-api-usage-cost-and-fix-exceeded-api-quota
YouTube API Quota Exceeded? Here's How to Fix It [2025]
September 27, 2025 - This guide compares pricing, features, and performance to help you migrate from the expensive official X API. ... Post everywhere. One API.Try Free · If you want to get a handle on the YouTube API, the first thing you need to wrap your head around is its quota system.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/webdev › i just started playing with youtube api and i"ve already exceeded my limits?!
r/webdev on Reddit: I just started playing with YOUTUBE API and i"ve already exceeded my limits?!
August 4, 2023 -
I've been playing with YT API for a few hours, and mainly practicing searching for videos..
and for each video I'm checking the snippet data (status and stuff)
I left the search params mostly default so I'm getting around 10 results per page only therefore I assume for every time I run my code I hit the API with 11 requests
Again, 1 for listing of videos (search)
$apiUrl = "https://www.googleapis.com/youtube/v3/search?part=snippet&maxResults={$maxResults}&q=" . urlencode($searchTerm) . "&key={$apiKey}&isVideoEmbeddable=true";
and 10 for checking each video's status
$apiUrl = "https://www.googleapis.com/youtube/v3/videos?part=status&id={$videoId}&key={$apiKey}";
Now I estimate I've run my code definitely less than 100x so I'm baffled why I hit the 10K requests per day limit!
confused
Reddit
reddit.com › r/googlecloud › has anyone increased their youtube data v3 api quota before? what's the highest quota you have been granted?
r/googlecloud on Reddit: Has anyone increased their YouTube Data V3 API quota before? What's the highest quota you have been granted?
March 26, 2024 -
I've currently got 100k quota (received an increase). But I can't really scale it at the moment because costs are high for quota (e.g posting a comment is 50 unitsx20 comments day = 100 users). I'd like to know if anyone has received any quota beyond this, thanks!
https://developers.google.com/youtube/v3/determine_quota_cost
Top answer 1 of 4
1
I'm interested too, that limit seems extremly low... is there a version where you can pay for an youtube api ?
2 of 4
1
I know this is old but did you have any luck? How as the process for increasing to 100,000? I would love to have 100,000 at this point. I don't have a programming background so the process of getting approval seems rigorous and daunting. Their form is asking me to upload diagrams and screencasts? I already optimized the best I could to limit API calls but 10,000 is barely anything for my use case. And this is for personal use only which I'm not sure if they would look down upon. I don't have a user interface or anything it's just a script that copies a Spotify playlist and searches for the best video for each song in the playlist to make a YouTube video playlist. With the 10,000 limit it only allows me to do one 65-song playlist a day. Any tips on applying? I don't even know what they mean when they want diagrams of how I'm going to use the API. I don't have a programming background.
Practiceprobs
practiceprobs.com › problemsets › youtube-data-api
YouTube Data API - Practice Probs
Each call to the YouTube data API incurs a "quota cost" (even if your API call is invalid!). How much quota do I get? 10,000 per day.
Labnol
labnol.org › youtube-quota-request-201016
How to Request Additional Quota for your YouTube API Project
How to calculate your YouTube API quota cost and request Google to increase the Quota Limits of your YouTube application.
Google
developers.google.com › youtube › data api › youtube data api overview
YouTube Data API Overview | Google for Developers
The Quota costs for API requests table shows the quota cost of each API method. With these rules in mind, you can estimate the number of requests that your application could send per day without exceeding your quota.
Faj News
gessa.tech › blog › is-the-youtube-api-free-1761252753896
Is The YouTube API Free Or Paid?
October 23, 2025 - This generous starting point is why, for the vast majority of developers and creators just starting out, the YouTube API feels entirely free. You can build your app, experiment, and integrate YouTube features without spending a dime. It's Google's way of encouraging innovation and making its platform accessible to a wider audience. This free tier is a massive benefit for indie developers and small businesses trying to leverage YouTube's power without a hefty upfront investment.