Question 1

Is this comment picker actually random?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Winners are drawn with crypto.getRandomValues, the cryptographically secure random source built into your browser, rather than Math.random, whose output can be predicted from earlier values. On top of that, the draw uses rejection sampling instead of a plain modulo, which removes the small bias that would otherwise make lower-numbered entries slightly more likely, and a partial Fisher-Yates shuffle so no entry can be drawn twice in a multi-winner draw. Nothing about the result depends on comment order, like count, or when somebody entered.

Question 2

Do I need to give access to my YouTube channel?

Accepted Answer

No. There is no login, no OAuth prompt, no extension, and no permission request of any kind. The tool reads the public comments on the video link you paste, which is the same data any viewer can see, so it works on other people's videos as well as your own and it works while you are signed out.

Question 3

Is it legal or allowed to run a giveaway on YouTube?

Accepted Answer

Giveaways are allowed, with conditions. YouTube requires contests to follow its policies and the law that applies to you and your entrants, and it prohibits offering anything of value in exchange for likes, subscriptions, or other engagement, which rules out making a like or a subscription an entry requirement. Ask for a comment instead. Local law is the part people miss: some regions treat a prize draw as a lottery, or require published official rules, an eligibility statement, and a stated end date. Read the YouTube contest policies before you post, and check the rules where you are. This is not legal advice.

Question 4

How do YouTubers usually pick giveaway winners?

Accepted Answer

Most run a comment giveaway: ask viewers to comment something specific, let entries build, then draw at random from the comments with a random YouTube comment picker and post the result publicly. The alternatives are worse. Scrolling and picking a comment yourself is not random and viewers can tell. Screen recording a spinning wheel is theatre on top of whatever picked the entrant. Bigger channels also announce the draw date up front, keep everyone to one entry, and screenshot the result as proof.

Question 5

Can I pick more than one winner?

Accepted Answer

Yes, up to 10 in a single draw. That covers a main prize plus runners-up, or a set of equal winners. Each entry can only be drawn once, so you will never get the same person twice in one draw. If someone turns out to be ineligible, the redraw button runs the selection again on the comments already loaded, with no new request to YouTube.

Question 6

Does it work on YouTube Shorts?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Paste a youtube.com/shorts link and it works exactly like a standard video link, because Shorts comments live in the same place as regular video comments. Mobile links, youtu.be short links, and plain watch links all work too.

Question 7

Is there a limit on how many comments it can read?

Accepted Answer

A single draw reads up to 1,000 comments, newest first, and the results card tells you when a video has more than that so you are never guessing whether everyone was included. There is no smaller free tier and no upgrade that raises the number. The cap keeps large anonymous draws fast and protects the shared service from abuse.

Question 8

Can I filter which comments qualify?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and all the filters are free. Require a keyword or hashtag in the comment, restrict the draw to comments posted inside a date range, set a minimum like count, and keep every commenter to one entry no matter how many times they commented. Comments have to pass your rules before the one-entry-per-person step, so a person's off-topic comment can never use up the slot their qualifying comment earned.

Question 9

What happens if comments are turned off on the video?

Accepted Answer

The tool tells you comments are off rather than showing an empty draw. The same goes for the other cases that block a draw: a private or deleted video, an age restricted video whose comments YouTube will not serve, and a filter combination that nothing matches. Each one gets its own message explaining what to change.

Question 10

Does the picker save my comments or my winners?

Accepted Answer

No. Comments are fetched for the draw, held in your browser tab so you can redraw without another request, and gone when you close or reload the page. Nothing about the draw, the entrants, or the winners is stored on our side.

Free YouTube Comment Picker: Pick a Random Giveaway Winner

Best Practices for Running a YouTube Giveaway

YouTube Comment Picker FAQs

More Free Tools for YouTube Creators

Winner picked. Now grow the channel.