What the numbers mean
- Views — counted when a viewer intentionally watches for a meaningful time. Views can be updated with a delay and adjusted if spam is removed.
- Likes — public like count (dislikes are hidden since 2021).
- Comments — total public comments.
- Like rate — likes ÷ views. Around 2–5 % is common; strongly engaged niches go higher.
Benchmarking a video
Raw views mean little without context. Compare a video with the channel's average (see YouTube Channel Statistics), with how long ago it was published, and with competitor videos on the same topic. A video with 10× the channel's usual views is an "outlier" — study its title, thumbnail and topic.
What the public stats do not show
Only the channel owner sees watch time, average view duration, click-through rate, traffic sources and audience retention in YouTube Studio. Those metrics drive the algorithm far more than likes.
Data source
With the YouTube Data API configured, numbers are exact. Without it, we read the public video page, which may omit comments. Get the video's tags with the Tag Extractor, or estimate earnings with the YouTube Money Calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check how many views a YouTube video has?
Paste the video link. The tool shows views, likes, comments, duration, publish date and like rate.
Can I see dislikes?
No. YouTube made dislike counts private in 2021. Only the creator can see them in YouTube Studio.
What is a good like-to-view ratio?
Roughly 2 to 5 percent is typical. Higher ratios suggest a highly engaged audience.
Why are view counts sometimes frozen?
YouTube verifies views to filter spam, so counts can update with a delay, especially on new or fast-growing videos.