YouTube Trends API - search volume & trending videos as JSON

YouTube trend data as clean JSON: search interest time series for any keyword, growth rates, and the live trending videos feed from one REST endpoint. No Google Cloud project, no quota math.

One endpoint. One API key. One normalized 0-100 trend score you can compare against 14 other platforms.

Docs: https://trendsapi.ai/#quickstart · llms.txt: https://trendsapi.ai/llms.txt · Free API key (100 req/mo): https://trendsapi.ai/#get-key

What a call looks like

curl -X POST https://api.trendsapi.ai/api \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"mode": "get_growth", "source": "youtube", "keyword": "mrbeast", "percent_growth": ["3M", "12M"]}'

{
  "keyword": "mrbeast",
  "source": "youtube",
  "growth": { "3M": 41.8, "12M": 212.4 },
  "timestamp": "2026-08-03T12:00:00Z"
}

Quickstart (60 seconds)

1. Get a free API key at https://trendsapi.ai/#get-key - 100 requests/month, no credit card.

2. Make your first call:

curl -X POST https://api.trendsapi.ai/api \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"mode": "get_time_series", "source": "youtube", "keyword": "mrbeast"}'

Python:

import requests

res = requests.post(
    "https://api.trendsapi.ai/api",
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={"mode": "get_growth", "source": "youtube", "keyword": "mrbeast",
          "percent_growth": ["3M", "12M"]},
)
print(res.json())

Node.js:

const res = await fetch("https://api.trendsapi.ai/api", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    Authorization: "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY",
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({ mode: "get_growth", source: "youtube", keyword: "mrbeast",
                          percent_growth: ["3M", "12M"] }),
});
console.log(await res.json());

The three modes

Why teams switch

Use cases

• Video ideation: validate a topic's search interest before scripting
• Channel strategy: track your niche's rising keywords week over week
• Competitor research: compare search demand for competing channels or formats
• Sponsorship: show brands category growth with hard numbers

Use it from your AI assistant (MCP)

The same API key powers the Trends API MCP server, so Claude, Cursor, VS Code, ChatGPT and any MCP-compatible client can query this data in natural language.

+ Add to Cursor (one click)

Cursor / Windsurf / Cline (~/.cursor/mcp.json or equivalent):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "trendsapi": {
      "url": "https://api.trendsapi.ai/mcp",
      "transport": "http",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" }
    }
  }
}

VS Code / GitHub Copilot (.vscode/mcp.json):

{
  "servers": {
    "trendsapi": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.trendsapi.ai/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" }
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop (claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "trendsapi": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://api.trendsapi.ai/mcp", "--header", "Authorization:${AUTH_HEADER}"],
      "env": { "AUTH_HEADER": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" }
    }
  }
}

Claude.ai (browser): Settings -> Connectors -> Add custom connector -> https://api.trendsapi.ai/mcp

Then ask things like:

How did "creatine gummies" grow on TikTok vs Google over the last 12 months?
What is trending on YouTube right now?

Every source on the same key

Live feeds (get_top_trends, no keyword needed)

FAQ

What YouTube data does Trends API provide?

Keyword search volume over time (normalized 0-100), growth over 3M/6M/12M/5Y windows, and the live YouTube Trending feed of top videos right now.

How is this different from the YouTube Data API?

The YouTube Data API returns video and channel metadata but no search-interest metric. Trends API gives you the demand side: how often people search for a topic, plus a normalized score you can compare against TikTok, Google and 13 other sources.

Do I need a Google Cloud project?

No. One Trends API key, one POST endpoint, no OAuth and no quota-unit accounting.

How fresh is the data?

The trending feed updates continuously through the day. Keyword series are pulled on demand at request time; every response carries its own timestamp.

Can I track a topic across YouTube and TikTok together?

Yes. Make one get_growth call per source with the same keyword and compare the percentages directly - both are on the same normalized scale.

Links

• Docs & quickstart: https://trendsapi.ai/#quickstart
• llms.txt (machine-readable API reference): https://trendsapi.ai/llms.txt
• Pricing (free tier: 100 requests/month): https://trendsapi.ai/#pricing
• Get an API key: https://trendsapi.ai/#get-key

License

MIT - see LICENSE. Data is served by Trends API; usage of the API itself is subject to the plan limits on your key.