YouTube Comments Discrepancy Explained

The discrepancy between YouTube Studio/API comment counts and public page counts typically occurs because YouTube’s systems process and display comments through different pathways - the public page shows all comments including those held for review or filtered by automated systems, while Studio and the API may only display certain subsets of comments depending on your access level, permissions, and system processing delays. This difference is often exacerbated by YouTube’s comment moderation systems, real-time processing delays, and technical limitations in how the API retrieves and processes comment data.

Contents

• Understanding the YouTube Comment Discrepancy
• Technical Reasons for API vs Public Count Differences
• What Comments Are Included vs Excluded
• Working Around the Discrepancy
• When to Expect Resolution

Understanding the YouTube Comment Discrepancy

The comment count discrepancy you’re experiencing is a well-documented issue that affects many YouTube content creators and developers. When you see different numbers across YouTube’s platforms, it’s not necessarily an error but rather the result of how YouTube processes, filters, and displays comments through different systems.

According to Google’s official support documentation, “You may currently be experiencing an issue where the comment count on a video’s watch page is different from what you see in YouTube Analytics.” This indicates that YouTube is aware of this issue and attributes it to system updates aimed at maintaining content consistency.

The core issue stems from the fact that YouTube uses multiple independent systems for different purposes:

• The public watch page displays all visible comments
• YouTube Studio shows comments filtered for creator access
• The API provides programmatically accessible comments

These systems don’t always sync perfectly, leading to the count differences you’re observing.

Technical Reasons for API vs Public Count Differences

Several technical factors contribute to the comment count discrepancy between YouTube’s platforms:

Real-Time Processing Delays

YouTube Studio and the API may experience processing delays of several hours or even days compared to the public watch page. As noted in the research findings, this can happen because “YouTube Studio provides more real-time data compared to the YouTube video page which often displays a slightly…” delayed count [source: ContentForest].

API Technical Limitations

The YouTube Data API has inherent technical constraints that limit how comments are retrieved. As developers have discovered, “internally (not specified publicly, not documented) the API has a limit on the sheer length of the HTTP requests it accepts from its callers” [source: StackOverflow]. This means that even if you try to retrieve all comments, the API may not return them all in a single request.

Comment Processing Systems

YouTube processes comments through multiple systems including:

• Automated spam and content filters
• Human review queues
• Real-time moderation systems
• Privacy and age restriction filters

Each system operates independently and may process comments at different rates, leading to count discrepancies.

What Comments Are Included vs Excluded

The key to understanding the discrepancy lies in understanding what each system includes in its comment count:

Public Page Comments

The YouTube public watch page typically includes:

• All publicly visible comments
• Comments held for review but still visible to the video owner
• Comments that passed automated filters
• Replies and nested comments
• Comments from all time periods

Studio/API Comments

YouTube Studio and the API may include:

• Only comments visible to your account level
• Comments that have passed all moderation queues
• Comments accessible through your API permissions
• Sometimes excludes certain reply types
• May have delayed processing of recent comments

As one StackOverflow developer explained, “statistics.commentCount returned on the videoResource gives the total count of comments + replies to that comment together” [source: StackOverflow], but this may not include all comments that are visible publicly.

Held and Filtered Comments

A significant source of the discrepancy comes from held comments. Comments that are “heldForReview” status may be visible to the video owner on the public page but not accessible through the API. As one developer noted, “they becomes invisible after changes. I also checked if the discrepancy in number of comments is related with moderation status (two of them might be in ‘heldForReview’ status so that we can’t see two of them in Youtube.com)” [source: StackOverflow].

Important Note: The YouTube API v3 commentCount field “is the number of comment for the channel” rather than for individual videos, which can contribute to confusion in counting [source: StackOverflow].

Working Around the Discrepancy

While you may not be able to eliminate the discrepancy entirely, there are several approaches to work around it:

1. Use Multiple Data Sources

Combine data from different sources to get a more complete picture:

• Public page observation for real-time counts
• YouTube Studio for creator-specific data
• API for programmatic access and historical trends

2. Implement Caching and Averaging

Since the discrepancy often involves temporary delays, implement:

• Time-based averaging of counts
• Caching mechanisms to store historical data
• Confidence intervals for your comment counts

3. Account for API Limitations

When using the API:

• Handle pagination properly to get more comments
• Use retry logic for failed requests
• Consider implementing exponential backoff for rate limits
• Monitor API response sizes and adjust your requests accordingly

4. Regular Monitoring

Set up monitoring to track when discrepancies occur and their magnitude. This can help you:

• Identify patterns in when discrepancies happen
• Determine if the issue is temporary or persistent
• Make informed decisions about which data source to trust for specific purposes

Practical Example: One developer shared their approach to handling comment counting discrepancies:

def count_video_comments(youtube, video_id):
    comment_counter = 0  # number of comments as per video statistics
    top_comments_count = 0  # actual number of top-level comments retrieved/counted
    reply_count_info = 0  # number of replies as per top-level comment snippet
    reply_counted = 0  # actual number of replies retrieved/counted
    
    # Make API requests to get comments
    request = youtube.commentThreads().list(
        part="snippet,replies",
        videoId=video_id,
        order='time',
        maxResults=100)
    response = request.execute()
    
    # Compare API results with statistics
    request2 = youtube.videos().list(
        part="statistics",
        id=video_id)
    response2 = request2.execute()

This code demonstrates how developers are trying to reconcile the differences between API-returned comments and the official comment count statistics.

When to Expect Resolution

Based on the research findings, there are several scenarios when you might see the discrepancy resolve:

System Updates

Google has acknowledged that “We’re updating our systems to make sure it maintains con[sistency]” as mentioned in their support documentation [source: Google Support]. These updates can sometimes temporarily worsen the issue before improving it.

Account Permissions

The discrepancy may be related to your YouTube account permissions and API access level. Some users report that the issue resolves when they apply for special API access or exemptions, similar to how YouTube handles dislike count access [source: GitHub].

Temporary Nature

Many users report that the discrepancy is temporary and resolves within a few days or weeks. This suggests it’s often related to:

• System migrations
• Backend processing changes
• Temporary API limitations
• Data synchronization delays

Current Status: As of the research findings, this appears to be an ongoing issue that YouTube is actively working on. The best approach is to monitor the situation and adjust your expectations and systems accordingly.

Conclusion

The YouTube comment count discrepancy between Studio, API, and public pages is a complex issue resulting from multiple technical factors including real-time processing delays, API limitations, and comment filtering systems. To work effectively with YouTube comment data:

1. Understand that discrepancies are normal - Different systems serve different purposes and may include different subsets of comments
2. Use multiple data sources - Relying on just one method gives you an incomplete picture
3. Implement robust error handling - Account for API limitations and processing delays in your systems
4. Monitor for patterns - Track when discrepancies occur to better understand their causes
5. Stay informed about updates - YouTube is actively working on this issue, so keep an eye on official announcements

While you may not eliminate the discrepancy entirely, understanding its causes and implementing appropriate workarounds will help you work more effectively with YouTube’s comment systems.

Sources

1. Stack Overflow - YT Studio + API shows incorrect/much lower number of comments than the video on Youtube actually has
2. Google Support - Changes to comment counts
3. Stack Overflow - Imprecise number of comments and replies in Youtube Data Api
4. Stack Overflow - YouTube API commentCount statistic not equal to number of actual comments retrieved
5. ContentForest - Why does YouTube Studio show more views?
6. GitHub - Found an API endpoint that returns actual YT dislike count
7. Stack Overflow - Why is the YouTube API v3 inconsistent with the amount of comments it lets you download before an error 400?
8. Stack Overflow - Youtube Data API v3 Comment Thread Discrepency