# Is there an API to search TikTok videos by keyword?

> Search TikTok videos by keyword from code and get plays, likes, comments and shares for each one: the endpoint, the price per page, a curl example and the limits.

Canonical page: https://okdata.online/answers/tiktok-video-search-api/

**Short answer: **Yes. TikTok video search (/v1/tiktok/videos/search) takes a keyword and returns a page of about 30 public videos with caption, author, plays, likes, comments and shares for $0.002 a call. 1,000 videos take 34 calls, $0.068 in total, with no TikTok account and no approval process.

Say a sunscreen brand wants to know what TikTok shows for "sunscreen review" this week: which videos rank, who made them, and how many people watched. In the app that is ten minutes of scrolling and screenshots. With an API key it is one request that returns the same kind of list as structured data, ready for a spreadsheet or a model.

## The endpoint

[TikTok video search](/apis/tiktok/videos/search/) needs one parameter, `query`, typed the way a person types into TikTok's search box. `sort` is optional: `relevance` (the default) or `most_liked`. Each video in the page carries:

- `text` (the caption), `hashtags`, `published_at` and `url`
- `author` with handle, display name and verification
- `metrics.views`, `metrics.likes`, `metrics.comments`, `metrics.shares` and `metrics.favorites` (saves)
- `images` for photo posts, and with `view=full` the length, music title and region under `ext`

## Price

| You want | Calls | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| One page (about 30 videos) | 1 | $0.002 |
| About 300 videos | 10 | $0.02 |
| 1,000 videos | 34 | $0.068 |

Each page is charged when it comes back, and calls that fail are not charged at all.

## Try it

```bash
curl -s -G "https://api.okdata.online/v1/tiktok/videos/search" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OKDATA_API_KEY" \
  --data-urlencode "query=sunscreen review" \
  -d sort=most_liked \
  -d fields=id,url,text,published_at,author.username,metrics

# next page: send page.next_cursor back as cursor
curl -s -G "https://api.okdata.online/v1/tiktok/videos/search" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OKDATA_API_KEY" \
  --data-urlencode "query=sunscreen review" -d sort=most_liked \
  --data-urlencode "cursor=<page.next_cursor>"
```

## What search will not do

- There is no country or date filter. TikTok ranks by relevance or by likes, so `sort=latest` does not promise newest first; sort on `published_at` yourself and drop what is too old.
- `author.followers` is empty inside search results. Look up the creators you care about with [TikTok account profile](/apis/tiktok/users/get/).
- When TikTok hides a play count, `metrics.views` is null and the field is named in `meta.unavailable`.
- How many pages a keyword yields is up to TikTok. Stop when `page.has_more` is false.

## Other ways to search TikTok

- **TikTok's Research API** has keyword, date and region queries and costs nothing, but only approved non-profit academic researchers get access.
- **TikTokApi and similar open-source libraries** drive a real browser. They are free and fine for a weekend project; expect bot checks and empty responses on a server.
- **The app itself** is the right tool for a one-off look at twenty videos.

The [content research](/solutions/content-research/) page shows a full keyword study across platforms, and every TikTok price is on [pricing](/pricing/).

## Endpoints used

- [TikTok video search](https://okdata.online/apis/tiktok/videos/search/) `tiktok.videos.search`: $0.002 per call · about 30 videos per page

Updated 2026-11-12