Google Maps Scraper vs Google Places API
Table of Contents
Introduction
Have you ever tried to compile hundreds of business leads from Google Maps and felt it would take forever to finish?
That’s how Google Maps Scraper and Google Places API intervene; they both function to lessen the burden of manual entry of business insights, including leads, NAP (Name, Address, Phone number), etc., and have a structured and enriched dataset.
However, what’s evident is that both may ensure the production of data of such quality, but are regulated by subscription and pricing to achieve this. And what is pressing is that there are possibilities that clients may lose more on their investment because they don’t use the right tools.
Consequently, choosing the right tools can reduce wastage of funds and resources. It is crucial to know which product to choose, not just to improve productivity but also to deliver value for the money spent.
This article will help to compare which is best to use and will inform new, seasoned, and expert clients about Google Maps Scraper and Google Places API data coverage, limits, costs, and risks. Thus, it breaks down clear examples and experts’ insight, so users can make an informed decision and actionable insights backed by a substantial dataset.
What is Google Maps Scraper
Google Maps is known for its navigation and location intelligence capabilities. Providing vast data about routes (logistics), roads, establishments, businesses, and anything that can occupy space on Earth’s geographic orientation. It also provides a visual representation pertaining to businesses, which is helpful in online visibility. Thus, it is helpful for Google Maps Scraper to extract data that is visibly available on Google Maps and on other sites online.
Moreover, Google Maps Scraper refers to using a software tool that automates data extraction from the Google Maps website or any online resource that is readily available online. It is typically a substitute for a human user in extracting data and converting it into a structured dataset. It covers NAP (Name, Addresses, Phone numbers), ratings, reviews, opening hours, categories, and much more. Accordingly, there are over 200+ million businesses in the Google Maps database.
In the business landscape, marketers, researchers, and analysts use Google Maps Scraper just like MapDataScraper to build a solid network of lead lists according to category (e.g., “Clinics in Chicago”). It is also used for competition benchmarking, data research, and analysis. Some tools use extensions and no-code apps. Programmers can also create custom scrapers using API integrations.
Exploring Google Places API
Google Places API is the official paid service designed to extract data using API Keys. It requires an activated billing to get access to the API, wherein developers use it to have API keys or an Auth Token, specified queries (text search, nearby search, place, details, etc.), and Google returns structured JSON (or XML) data about documentation. Thus, Google Places API provides location data and imagery for establishments, geographic locations, and points of interest through a variety of endpoints.
Moreover, Google Places API is a feature of Google that enables users to gain access to applications and websites with a detailed description of the information about places, such as businesses, landmarks, addresses, and points of interest, directly from the Google Maps Database.
A very useful feature that helps developers search places based on the name of the business (e.g., Starbucks), category (restaurants near me), type ( Japanese or American Cafe), or simply using geographic coordinates to pinpoint certain locations. This information is valuable for finding leads that are specified based on what industries they belong to or mapping out competitors for competition benchmarking, market analysis, or simply getting data that gives more depth and variety on the business database.
Google Places API Features Available
Google Places API has several features that can be exploited when used correctly. Take note that these features are available to both free-tier and activated billing accounts.
- Searching for places using text search or keyword search
- Autocomplete for location and place suggestions
- Retrieving Place details using a Place ID
- Access to place photos
- Access to ratings, reviews, opening hours, and places in the database.
Key Comparison of Google Maps Scraper vs. Google Places API
Google Maps Scraper and Google Places API both have limitations that restrict certain actions pertaining to data coverage, technical and service limitations, and cost.
Data Coverage
- Google Maps Scraper, like MapDataScraper, has a vast amount of data coverage, depending on the account’s subscription, whether it is a free-tier or a funded account. It covers name, address, phone number, ratings, reviews, opening hours, social links, and other significant business insights.
- On the other hand, Google Places API does not give access to the Google Maps Database regarding email addresses or private data, and if requested, it may include a summary for reviews. This provides a curated subset that Google shares.
Result Limits
- Limiting search results is one of the anti-scraping measures made by Google. It prevents Google Maps Scraper from extracting large amounts of data. It was typically limited to around 100 to 120 places or areas per query. Users can still extract more data, but the area should be subdivided into smaller geographic zones (it can be in the form of zip codes or a specific location of the city). Or fund your account, which will extract more data and more enriched datasets.
- Users of the Google Places API must use an API key, and the number of requests allowed per day depends on the billing plan associated with the account. Free-tier (unverified or non-billing) accounts typically have very limited allowable requests. In comparison with accounts that activated their Google Cloud Billing, they can access much higher data usage limits, dependent on how it is used and the user’s ability to pay. That is 60 results per query.
Usage Cost
- Google Maps Scraper (MapDataScraper) is a pay-as-you-go platform that allows users to pay for what they have requested to extract. Free-Tiers are available with 100 requests per month, Medium-Tiers, that is $0.005 /business price per place for the usage from 101 to 10k businesses (places). Lastly, Usage after 10001 businesses is $0.003/ business price per place for the usage from 10001 businesses (places) or more.
- Google Places API also has a pay-as-you-go pricing based on SKU (Stock Keeping Units). It shows that users are only charged for features that were used each month. Google Maps platform provides a Free Usage Cap for most SKUs, which is a set amount of free billable events per month. In addition, new users and existing users have a monthly credit of $200, which automatically applies to eligible SKUs.
Speed and Convenience
- Scraping tools such as Google Maps Scraper (MapdataScraper) require no code to set up and can be used within the app. Though limited by using the free tier, it has a significant contribution to business insights with API integrations to smooth out data extraction from multiple sources. Thus, additional filters and enrichments can be used with funded accounts.
- In contrast to the Google Places API, it requires a Google Cloud project, billing account, and writing code to handle requests/ responses. And uses API keys to code and custom requests, and handles structured JSON or XML.
Legal And Policy Compliance
In both legal and policy compliance, Google made sure that all the anti-scraping measures and guidelines for scraping are enforced. Failure to do so may lead to IP blocking and termination of accounts. It is expected that Google Maps Scraper and Google Places API users comply with GDPR and CCPA.
Major Takeaway
Google Maps Scraper is designed to extract business insights, but it is highly dependent on the subscription and filters available for enriched datasets. It has API integrations that help ensure that the data privacy law is followed. In the same way, Google Places API gives guaranteed compliance and stability, but enforces limits and charges for data usage and excess data from extracting data.
Use Case for Google Maps Scraper vs. Google Places API
| Practical Use Case | Google Maps Scraper | Google Places API |
|---|---|---|
|
Lead Generation |
Excellent |
Moderate |
|
Data Extraction |
Excellent |
Moderate |
|
Clean and Structured
Data |
Moderate |
Excellent |
|
Market Research |
Excellent |
Excellent |
|
App Development (location-based platform) |
Moderate |
Excellent |
|
CRM Enrichment |
Excellent |
Excellent |
Practical Insights and Misconceptions
“Is scraping illegal?”
Legally, scraping publicly available info is generally allowed. But it is against Google’s service terms. Some think “nobody cares” because many companies do it. Yet Google can block repeat offenders, usually by IP bans. Many scrapers rotate proxies to mitigate this. The bottom line: don’t
“Will the API Return Everything I see on Google Maps?”
Not always. Developers frequently notice that a place visible on maps isn’t returned by the API query. The APIs focus on the “best” matches within radius or text search, not every pin. So even with the API, you may need to experiment (use different search methods) to get all the desired listings. Scrapers bypass that discrepancy by simply reading the UI (User Interface) result list directly.
Maintenance
The Places API rarely changes its output format, so once you code against it, your solution is stable. A scraper can break overnight if Google tweaks its webpage or injects new anti-bot measures. You must be prepared to update your scraping logic or pay a service that does it for you.
Data Freshness and Accuracy
Both methods rely on Google’s data, which is usually current. With the API, you’re getting data straight from Google’s servers. With scraping, you also see what Google’s UI (User Interface) shows (which is real-time or recently cached). In practice, neither method gives “stale” data if used correctly, but scraping can sometimes catch interface errors or unpublished local info faster until Google corrects it.
Ethical and Reputational Risk
Using an official API shows conformity with the rules. A crucial matter is building tools for clients or public products. Scraping without permission is, at best, a gray area. Some industries might avoid it to stay on the safe side or to negotiate data licensing.
Conclusion
It is a comparative article that discusses Google Maps Scraper and Google Places API as tools for extracting business insights. It covers names, addresses, phone numbers, and reviews. It explains that Google Maps Scraper automates data extraction directly from what is visibly available on Google Maps, providing broad data coverage depending on service subscription (free-tier or funded account). It is often used in lead generation, competition research, analysis, and wider coverage of data extraction.
In contrast, Google Places API is an official, paid Google service that returns structured JSON/XML data through API keys and supports precise searches using text, categories, coordinates, and Place IDs, but provides only curated data and is limited by quotas, billing plans, and result caps.
The article highlights key differences in data coverage, limits, cost, convenience, speed, and compliance.
Scrapers can access more visible data but face search-result limits and anti-scraping measures, while the API ensures reliability, uniform structure, and legal compliance but restricts data types and volume.
Practical comparisons show scrapers performing better for high-volume lead generation and broad datasets, while the API excels in structured data, CRM integration, and enterprise-level compliance. The article concludes that both have strengths and limitations, and the choice depends on user needs, budget, data requirements, and compliance considerations.
FAQ
Most frequent questions and answers
A Google Maps Data Scraper is a tool that automatically extracts business details from Google Maps listings. This includes business names, addresses, phone numbers, websites, categories, ratings, and more — perfect for lead generation, market research, and business directories.
Yes! You can easily download the extracted data in popular formats like CSV or Excel, making it ready for lead generation, CRM upload, or email outreach.
With our Google Maps Data Scraper, you can extract:
Business Name
Address (street, city, postal code)
Phone Number
Website URL
Business Category
Rating and Number of Reviews
Latitude & Longitude
Opening Hours (if available)
No coding skills are required! Our tool is beginner-friendly with a simple, intuitive interface. Just enter your search keywords or location, run the scraper, and download your data in CSV or Excel format.
There’s no strict limit — you can scrape thousands of business listings per run, depending on your chosen subscription plan and Google Maps result availability for your search query.