TL;DR: Nobody can see another channel's private YouTube Analytics unless the owner gives them access. Third-party tools only read public data (views, subscribers, uploads, likes, comments) and estimate the rest. Use Social Blade for free growth history, the vidIQ or TubeBuddy extension for per-video tags and keyword scores, and an outlier tool such as OutlierKit to see which of a channel's videos beat its own average.
Last updated: September 27, 2026
This guide shows what you can and cannot see about another YouTube channel, and which tool reads each piece of public data. To judge whether a channel's numbers are strong for its niche, compare them with our YouTube subscriber benchmarks by niche. For your own channel's dashboard, start with our YouTube Analytics guide.
Which tool for which case?
Tool | Best for | Choose it if |
|---|---|---|
Social Blade | Free subscriber and view history for any channel | You want to know if a channel is growing or flat, at no cost |
vidIQ | Tags, keyword scores and view velocity on video pages | You research keywords and want data beside each video as you browse |
TubeBuddy | Browser extension with competitor tools plus A/B tests and bulk edits | You also want to split test titles and thumbnails on your own channel |
OutlierKit | Research layer: which videos beat a channel's own average, plus script and audience analysis | You want to know what to make next |
YouTube (no tool) | Sorting a channel's uploads by Popular and reading comments | You check one channel once and do not need charts |
Socialinsider | Competitor benchmarks across YouTube and other social networks | You report on YouTube and other social platforms together |
NoxInfluencer | Estimated channel stats and audience data for influencer vetting | You vet creators for a brand deal |
Watch: YouTube analytics for ANY channel, not just yours.
Related: YouTube Analytics Guide · How to Check Channel Health · YouTube Competitor Analysis Guide
How can you see YouTube analytics for other channels?
You cannot open another channel's private YouTube Analytics dashboard, but you can see its public performance data by pasting the channel URL into a third-party analytics tool. Views, subscribers, upload cadence, engagement and which videos outperform are all visible, and that is enough to benchmark the channel and find content gaps. The only way to see a channel's real analytics is for the owner to add you in YouTube channel permissions, for example as a Viewer or Manager.
Step 1: Pull subscriber and view history from Social Blade (free) to see whether the channel is growing or flat.
Step 2: Open individual videos with the vidIQ or TubeBuddy extension for tags and keyword data.
Step 3: Paste the channel URL into the OutlierKit channel analyzer to get its outlier videos, posting cadence and inferred audience psychographics. The free trial includes 30 credits, no card.
What stays hidden: revenue and RPM, click-through rate, audience retention, traffic sources and detailed demographics. No tool can show these for a channel you do not own. Some tools show estimates for earnings or audience, but those are guesses from public data, not the channel's real numbers.
Question | Short answer | Why it matters |
Can you see another channel's private analytics? | No (revenue, CTR, retention are locked) | Sets realistic expectations for what tools can show |
What public data is usable? | Views, subs, upload cadence, titles, engagement, outliers | Enough to benchmark and find content gaps |
Best free starting point? | Social Blade for stats; OutlierKit trial for strategy | Test before paying for anything |
Best for finding what to make next? | OutlierKit (outlier scoring plus script analysis) | Turns competitor data into a content plan |
To turn what you find into a content plan, follow the YouTube competitor analysis guide.
Why check another channel's analytics?
Checking similar channels shows you what already works for your audience, so you can decide what to make with less guessing. Use it to:
find content gaps your competitors do not cover
spot new trends before they get crowded
learn what your niche's audience prefers
benchmark your channel against channels of a similar size
find outlier videos that far outperform the rest of a channel
What analytics can you see for another channel, and what stays hidden?
You can see anything YouTube shows on the public page: views, subscribers, uploads and engagement. Revenue, click-through rate, retention, traffic sources and real demographics stay private.
Visible metrics:
View counts and growth rates
Subscriber counts and trends
Upload frequency and timing
Video titles, descriptions and tags
Engagement (likes, comments)
Top performing videos
Content categories and formats
Hidden metrics you can't access:
Revenue and RPM
Click-through rates
Audience retention graphs
Traffic sources
Detailed demographics
Tools that claim to show a competitor's audience age or country infer it from public signals. Our guide on how to check YouTube video demographics covers what you can see for your own videos and what you can only estimate for others.
How do you check a channel's growth on Social Blade?
Search for the channel on Social Blade and read its subscriber and view history. It is free to browse, and it covers any public YouTube channel. If you want other options, see our list of Social Blade alternatives.
Strengths:
Free for basic features
Historical subscriber and view data
A grade for each channel
Future projections based on growth rates
Limitations:
Surface-level data only
No content analysis or keyword data
It can't tell you why a video worked
Few recommendations you can act on
How to use it:
Visit socialblade.com
Search for any YouTube channel
Review subscriber trends and view statistics
Check the channel's grade and rankings
Verdict: Social Blade is the best free check of a channel's size and growth. It does not show what to make next.
What does vidIQ show for other channels?
vidIQ's browser extension shows estimated analytics and SEO data beside videos and channels as you browse YouTube. Our vidIQ alternatives post compares it with similar tools.
Strengths:
Shows video tags and keyword scores
View velocity graphs
Competitor tracking
Channel audit tools
Limitations:
Many features sit on paid plans (Max is $49/month)
The data-heavy interface can overwhelm beginners
It focuses on SEO metrics more than content strategy
How to use it:
Install the vidIQ browser extension
Visit any YouTube video or channel
Review the sidebar data
Track competitors in your dashboard
Verdict: vidIQ suits creators who research keywords and want data on each video page.
What does TubeBuddy show for other channels?
TubeBuddy is another browser extension, with competitor tools plus tools for managing your own channel. See our TubeBuddy alternatives for similar options.
Strengths:
A/B tests for titles and thumbnails
Bulk editing tools
Click Magnet for thumbnail and CTR analysis on your own channel
Competitor analysis
Limitations:
A busy interface
The best features sit on the Legend plan ($27/month billed annually, $324/year)
Little outlier video detection
How to use it:
Install the TubeBuddy extension
Open its competitor analysis tool
Compare video performance patterns
Track ranking changes
Verdict: TubeBuddy is stronger for managing your own channel than for studying others.
Where does OutlierKit fit?
OutlierKit is a research layer, not a private analytics viewer. It finds outlier videos (videos that far outperform a channel's own average) so you can see which topics and formats drive a channel's growth. Like every tool here, it works from public data.
Outlier detection: the channel analyzer ranks each video against the channel's median views.
Video Script Analysis (10 credits) breaks down why a video's script and hook work.
Audience analysis: the channel report includes inferred demographics and psychographics.
Keyword Research (2 credits) shows demand and competition for a topic.
Web-based, so there is no extension to install.
Pricing:
Hobby $29/month, Pro $49/month, Max $199/month. The free trial gives 30 credits with no card; there is no free plan.
Pro and Max add Competitor Studio plus API and MCP access.
A channel analysis costs 10 credits.
How to use it:
Enter a competitor's channel URL
Open the outlier videos and performance patterns
Run Video Script Analysis on the top outliers
Note the content gaps the report shows
Check demand and competition for those topics in Keyword Research
Verdict: Pick OutlierKit when you want to know what to make next. It does not show another channel's private analytics, write scripts from scratch, design thumbnails or run A/B tests. OutlierKit is rated 5.0/5 from 13 Product Hunt reviews.
What can YouTube itself show you for free?
YouTube shows a channel's uploads, view counts and comments on its public page, and you can sort uploads by Popular. YouTube Studio only holds analytics for channels you own or were invited to.
What you can see:
Trending videos in your niche
Any channel's uploads sorted by Popular
Comment and engagement patterns
Upload schedules and consistency
How to use it:
Sort a channel's videos by Popular
Study its top 10 videos for patterns
Check video descriptions for keywords
Watch engagement on its community posts
Limitations:
Manual and slow
No aggregated data or trends
No side-by-side comparison of channels
No context on whether a video did well for that channel
Verdict: Free, but only good for a quick look at one channel.
How do the tools compare?
The table sums up what each tool offers for studying other channels. For tools that analyze your own videos in depth, see our roundup of the best YouTube video analytics tools.
Tool | Free features | Competitor analysis options | Unique features |
|---|---|---|---|
30-credit trial | Outlier score, audience analysis | Keyword research, script analysis | |
TubeBuddy | Partial | Competitor analysis, channel audit | A/B testing, bulk actions |
vidIQ | Partial | Competitor tracking | Tag and copy audit, historical performance charts |
Social Blade | Yes | Growth stats, trend detection | Free, projections, channel rankings |
Socialinsider | 14-day trial | Social channel performance | Cross-platform analytics |
NoxInfluencer | Yes | Influencer and competitor stats | Influencer marketing analysis |
How do you run a competitor analysis step by step?
Pick the right competitors, study their outliers, then turn the gaps into your own video plan.
Step 1: Identify your true competitors
Channels with a similar subscriber count (within a 10x range)
Same niche or overlapping audience
Similar content style or format
Step 2: Analyze their outlier videos
Look for videos with 5 to 10x the channel's average views
Find patterns in titles, topics and formats
Note the timing and trends they caught
Step 3: Understand their audience
Read the comments and any audience analysis your tool offers
Note video lengths and content styles that do well
Match your content to what that audience responds to
Step 4: Find content gaps
List topics they haven't covered
Find low-competition keywords they miss
Look for new trends they haven't noticed
Step 5: Build your video plan
Start with the topics that show the most room
Adapt formats that worked to your own style
Publish, check results, and adjust
What mistakes should you avoid?
Don't copy content directly. Use competitor research to test ideas, not to duplicate videos.
Don't study only the biggest channels. Channels slightly ahead of you teach you more than MrBeast.
Don't ignore outliers. Average performance hides breakout topics; outliers show them.
Don't overlook small channels. Small channels sometimes find a winning topic before bigger ones notice.
Don't rely on one data point. Look for patterns across several videos and channels.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not the private dashboard. Only people the owner adds through channel permissions can see a channel's real YouTube Analytics. Tools like Social Blade, vidIQ, TubeBuddy, OutlierKit, Socialinsider and NoxInfluencer show public stats and estimates, which is enough to benchmark a channel.
Social Blade shows subscriber and view history for any public channel at no cost, and NoxInfluencer shows basic channel stats. OutlierKit has a 30-credit free trial with no card, and vidIQ and TubeBuddy have free tiers with limited features.
You can see views, subscribers, upload cadence, engagement and which videos outperform. You can't see revenue, RPM, click-through rate, retention, traffic sources or real demographics; any tool figure for those is an estimate.
Combine tools by job. Use Social Blade for growth history, vidIQ or TubeBuddy for tags and keyword scores, OutlierKit for outlier videos and script analysis, and Socialinsider if you compare several social platforms.
vidIQ and TubeBuddy show a video's tags and keyword scores on the video page, and OutlierKit's Keyword Research shows demand and competition for a topic. No tool shows the search terms that actually sent traffic to a competitor's video, because traffic sources are private.
TubeBuddy and vidIQ both run as Chrome extensions and show data beside videos while you browse YouTube. OutlierKit and Social Blade are web apps you open separately.
TubeBuddy lists a competitor analysis tool in its extension for comparing your channel with others on public stats. Its A/B testing and Click Magnet tools work on your own channel, not on competitors.
Social Blade keeps subscriber and view history, and vidIQ shows historical performance charts. OutlierKit shows growth trends and ranks each video against the channel's median views.
Socialinsider covers YouTube plus TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter in one dashboard. YouTube's own rivals, such as Vimeo, Dailymotion and Twitch, need their own analytics.
Social Blade shows public channel stats, trends and projections for free. OutlierKit has no free plan, but its 30-credit trial lets you analyze a competitor channel and see which videos beat the channel's average.
Social Blade for free growth history, vidIQ and TubeBuddy for keyword data on video pages, OutlierKit for outlier research, Socialinsider for cross-platform reports and NoxInfluencer for influencer vetting. Pick by the job, using the table above.
Related reading
Sources
TubeBuddy, TubeBuddy vs vidIQ: "Pro, $12/mo ($144/yr)" and "Legend, $27/mo ($324/yr)", billed annually.
YouTube Help: channel permissions: Manager and Editor roles "Can view all channel data"; only people the owner adds get analytics access.
vidIQ pricing: Max plan $49/mo.
TubeBuddy tools: lists A/B Testing to "Split Test Thumbnails and Titles" and Click Magnet to "Analyze Thumbnails & CTR Performance".
Socialinsider: competitor analysis across TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, with a 14-day free trial.
NoxInfluencer: "Basic metric analytics of each channel" plus estimated audience demographics.
OutlierKit Channel Analyzer help: 10 credits per analysis; audience data is inferred from public data.
OutlierKit on Product Hunt: 5.0/5 from 13 reviews.
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