# Is there an API for WeChat article read counts and likes?

> Get read counts and likes for WeChat Official Account articles without a backend login: which endpoint carries them, what a snapshot means, cost and code.

Canonical page: https://okdata.online/answers/wechat-article-read-count-api/

**Short answer: **Yes, in the article list: Official Account article history returns each article with its reads and likes where available, 10 articles per call at $0.04, so the numbers for an account's last 100 articles cost $0.40. Article detail returns text, not metrics. For an account-level benchmark, account search with view=full adds average headline reads and likes.

Before you pay a WeChat account for a placement, you want to see how its last 30 articles actually performed. The old ways to get reads and likes involve capturing your phone's traffic for a `key` and `appmsg_token` that expire within the hour. Here they come with the article list: [Official Account article history](/apis/wechat_mp/accounts/articles/list/) returns 10 articles per call, and each one carries `metrics.views` (reads) and `metrics.likes` when they are available.

## Where the numbers are, and where they aren't

| Need | Endpoint | Field |
|---|---|---|
| Reads and likes per article | [Article history](/apis/wechat_mp/accounts/articles/list/) | `metrics.views`, `metrics.likes` |
| Typical headline performance of an account | [Account search](/apis/wechat_mp/accounts/search/) with `view=full` | `ext.avg_top_read`, `ext.avg_top_likes` |
| Full text of one article | [Article detail](/apis/wechat_mp/articles/get/) | no metrics; reads and likes are null here |

There is no call that takes a single article link and returns only its reads. To get one article's numbers, page through its account's history until you reach it; for recent articles that is the first page or two.

## Cost

| Job | Calls | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Last 30 articles of one account | 3 | $0.12 |
| Last 100 articles of one account | 10 | $0.40 |
| Last 30 articles of 20 shortlisted accounts | 60 | $2.40 |

## Pull the numbers

```bash
curl -G "https://api.okdata.online/v1/wechat_mp/accounts/articles/list" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OKDATA_API_KEY" \
  --data-urlencode "id=gh_363b924965e9" \
  --data-urlencode "view=full" \
  --data-urlencode "fields=title,published_at,metrics.views,metrics.likes,ext.position"
```

`ext.position` separates the headline (1) from secondary slots. Compare headlines with headlines: secondary slots get a fraction of the reads by design.

## How to read them

- **They are snapshots.** Reads keep growing for days after publishing. Compare articles at a similar age, or note the fetch time next to each number.
- **Not always there.** If reads or likes can't be fetched for a page, they come back null and `meta.unavailable` names them. Count those as unknown, not zero.
- **No 在看, shares or comment counts.** Those fields are null for WeChat.
- **Only public articles.** Deleted articles are gone, along with their numbers.

## Other routes

If the account is yours, the official data analytics API in WeChat's developer platform gives exact reads, shares and follower sources. That is the authoritative source and it is free. For accounts you don't own, asking the owner for a backend screenshot is standard practice before a paid placement, and it covers metrics no API sees. For a recurring view of several accounts, see [competitor monitoring](/solutions/competitor-monitoring/).

## Endpoints used

- [Official Account article history](https://okdata.online/apis/wechat_mp/accounts/articles/list/) `wechat_mp.accounts.articles.list`: $0.04 per call · about 10 articles per page
- [Official Account search](https://okdata.online/apis/wechat_mp/accounts/search/) `wechat_mp.accounts.search`: $0.058 per account · at most $0.58 per call

Updated 2026-11-12