Does replying to YouTube comments help a channel grow?

Absolutely conversation is the best way of interaction or engagement, so in my opinion replying the youtube comments and Satisfactory answers which solve the problem of audience or viewer can help to gain better interaction. Usually when the viewer ask about anything he saw in the video in comment section most people ignore it or answer it very late this thing hurts the viewer because he want quick reply to solve his problem. So replying comments means you importance your audience and this thing will win the heart of your viewers.

if you can keep the engagement bait active , it certainly can work in various wayss

I think replying to comments helps more with audience loyalty than directly boosting the channel. It keeps conversations active and gives viewers a reason to come back, while the bigger growth signals are still things like watch time, retention, and shares.

Yeah, replying to comments can help keep people engaged and make your channel feel more alive.

if you go to a door and knock on it then noone comes to open the door now 2nd scenario you knock a door and there is always a friendly face you are inclined to knock the 2nd door its called engagement.

In my opinion, you don’t need to reply to every comment on your videos. I think it’s enough to engage with a few of the more interesting or meaningful comments.