Similar Channels API

Discover YouTube channels similar to any target channel — competitors, collaboration opportunities, and niche adjacents.

Base URL: https://prod.dashboard.nexlev.io — see Authentication.

Search Similar Channels

POST /api/external/similar-channels/search

Description: Discover YouTube channels that are similar to a given channel using advanced similarity algorithms. Returns a ranked list of channels based on content, audience, and channel characteristics.

cURL Example:

curl -X POST https://prod.dashboard.nexlev.io/api/external/similar-channels/search \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"channelId": "UCc9CjaAjsMMvaSghZB7-Kog", "channelType": "all", "level": 1}'

Request Body:

{
  "channelId": "UCc9CjaAjsMMvaSghZB7-Kog",
  "channelType": "all",
  "level": 1
}

Body Parameters: channelId (required), channelType (optional - "all" or "short"), level (optional - depth level, default: 1)

🥞 Quota Cost: 20 quota per request — see Rate Limits & Quota.

Status Code: 200 OK

Description: Returns a list of channels similar to the target channel, ranked by similarity score. Each result includes channel information, subscriber count, and a similarity score indicating how closely the channel matches the target channel.

Response Body:

{
  "data": [
    {
      "tags": [
        "tech tutorials",
        "software development",
        "coding",
        "programming",
        "web development",
        "javascript",
        "python",
        "developer tools",
        "tech reviews",
        "software engineering"
      ],
      "keywords": [],
      "about": {
        "links": [
          {
            "url": "https://twitter.com/techinnovators",
            "title": "Twitter"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://techinnovators.com",
            "title": "Website"
          }
        ],
        "country": "United States",
        "viewCount": 15230450,
        "channelId": "UCHbx9IUW7eCeJsC4sBCTNBA",
        "hasShorts": true,
        "joinedDate": "2018-03-15T10:30:00.000Z",
        "channelUrl": "http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHbx9IUW7eCeJsC4sBCTNBA",
        "videoCount": 287,
        "channelName": "Tech Innovators",
        "description": "Innovative tech content and tutorials for creators and developers",
        "daysSinceStart": 2819,
        "avgVideoLength": "00:12:45",
        "subscriberCount": 142500,
        "lastVideoUploadDate": "2 days ago",
        "avgVideoLengthSeconds": 765,
        "thumbnail": [
          {
            "url": "https://yt3.googleusercontent.com/example-thumbnail-url-1/s160-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj",
            "width": 200,
            "height": 200
          }
        ],
        "updatedAt": "2025-12-02T10:15:30.123Z"
      },
      "similarityScore": 72
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "content creation",
        "youtube tips",
        "digital marketing",
        "social media",
        "video production",
        "branding",
        "monetization",
        "creator economy",
        "influencer marketing"
      ],
      "keywords": [],
      "about": {
        "links": [
          {
            "url": "https://instagram.com/digitalcreatorspo",
            "title": "Instagram"
          }
        ],
        "country": "United Kingdom",
        "viewCount": 8742190,
        "channelId": "UCBJycsmduvYEL83R_U4JriQ",
        "hasShorts": false,
        "joinedDate": "2019-06-20T14:00:00.000Z",
        "channelUrl": "http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBJycsmduvYEL83R_U4JriQ",
        "videoCount": 195,
        "channelName": "Digital Creators Pro",
        "description": "Professional tips and strategies for digital content creators",
        "daysSinceStart": 2356,
        "avgVideoLength": "00:10:32",
        "subscriberCount": 98300,
        "lastVideoUploadDate": "5 days ago",
        "avgVideoLengthSeconds": 632,
        "thumbnail": [
          {
            "url": "https://yt3.googleusercontent.com/example-thumbnail-url-2/s160-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj",
            "width": 200,
            "height": 200
          }
        ],
        "updatedAt": "2025-12-01T18:22:45.678Z"
      },
      "similarityScore": 68
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "content strategy",
        "audience growth",
        "youtube algorithm",
        "engagement tips",
        "analytics",
        "seo",
        "thumbnails",
        "video optimization"
      ],
      "keywords": [],
      "about": {
        "links": [
          {
            "url": "https://contentstrategyhub.com",
            "title": "Website"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://facebook.com/contentstrategyhub",
            "title": "Facebook"
          }
        ],
        "country": "Canada",
        "viewCount": 5234567,
        "channelId": "UCMiJRAwDNSNzuYeN2uWa0pA",
        "hasShorts": true,
        "joinedDate": "2020-01-10T08:45:00.000Z",
        "channelUrl": "http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMiJRAwDNSNzuYeN2uWa0pA",
        "videoCount": 156,
        "channelName": "Content Strategy Hub",
        "description": "Master content strategy and grow your audience with proven techniques",
        "daysSinceStart": 2153,
        "avgVideoLength": "00:15:20",
        "subscriberCount": 67800,
        "lastVideoUploadDate": "1 week ago",
        "avgVideoLengthSeconds": 920,
        "thumbnail": [
          {
            "url": "https://yt3.googleusercontent.com/example-thumbnail-url-3/s160-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj",
            "width": 200,
            "height": 200
          }
        ],
        "updatedAt": "2025-11-30T12:05:18.234Z"
      },
      "similarityScore": 62
    }
  ]
}

Response Fields:

data - Array of similar channel objects with detailed information
- tags - List of tags/topics associated with the channel
- keywords - List of keywords related to the channel
- about - Comprehensive channel information object
  - channelId - Unique identifier for the similar channel
  - channelName - Display name of the similar channel
  - channelUrl - Full YouTube URL of the channel
  - description - Channel description/bio
  - subscriberCount - Number of subscribers (numeric value)
  - videoCount - Total number of videos on the channel
  - viewCount - Total view count across all videos
  - thumbnail - Array of thumbnail objects with different sizes
    - url - URL to the channel's profile image
    - width - Width of the thumbnail image
    - height - Height of the thumbnail image
  - country - Country where the channel is based
  - joinedDate - ISO 8601 date when the channel was created
  - daysSinceStart - Number of days since the channel was created
  - lastVideoUploadDate - Human-readable text of last video upload time
  - avgVideoLength - Average video length in HH:MM:SS format
  - avgVideoLengthSeconds - Average video length in seconds
  - hasShorts - Whether the channel has YouTube Shorts
  - links - Array of external links (social media, websites)
    - url - URL of the external link
    - title - Title/label of the external link
  - updatedAt - ISO 8601 timestamp of when the data was last updated
- similarityScore - Similarity score (0-100), higher indicates greater similarity

Error Responses

Status Code: 400 Bad Request

Description: The request was invalid or malformed.

{
  "error": {
    "code": 400,
    "message": "Invalid channel ID format",
    "details": "Channel ID must be a valid YouTube channel identifier"
  }
}