Google Maps scraper vs a ready-made business database
A Google Maps scraper is a tool you run to collect business listings for the searches and places you choose; a ready-made database has done that collection already and lets you search the result.
Scraping suits people who need any country, unusual search terms, very large volumes or extra fields such as review text.
A ready database such as Leadz suits people who want US businesses by category and place within minutes and would rather not run, monitor and clean up scraping jobs.
Last checked: . Facts about other products come from their own public pages, listed under Sources.
Running a scraper yourself and Leadz side by side
| Attribute | Running a scraper yourself | Leadz |
|---|---|---|
| Data source | Running a scraper yourselfGoogle Maps listings, collected at the moment your job runs. | LeadzPublic Google Maps business listings, already collected into one searchable database. |
| Coverage | Running a scraper yourselfWherever the tool works and whatever you search for. Outscraper, for example, describes worldwide coverage. | LeadzUnited States only: 13M+ local business records across all 50 states. |
| Contact types | Running a scraper yourselfBusiness-level listing fields such as name, phone, website and address. Emails usually come from a second step that visits each website; Outscraper offers this as a separate enrichment. | LeadzBusiness-level: the business phone, website and, where one is on file, a business email. It is not a people database. |
| Starting price | Running a scraper yourselfVaries by tool. Two published examples: Outscraper lists $3 per 1,000 records after a free first 500, and the Apify Google Maps Scraper is listed from $1.50 per 1,000 scraped places. | Leadz$39 per month for Basic (1,000 credits per month); Pro is $69 per month (10,000 credits per month). |
| Free tier | Running a scraper yourselfVaries by tool. Outscraper lists the first 500 businesses each month as free; the Apify scraper page has a "Try for free" option. | LeadzFree account with 50 credits, up to 10 results per search and up to 3 saved lists. |
| Export formats | Running a scraper yourselfDepends on the tool. Outscraper lists CSV, Excel, Parquet and JSON; Apify lists JSON, CSV, Excel, XML and HTML. | LeadzCSV on every plan, including the free account; JSON on Pro. |
| How you get the data | Running a scraper yourselfDefine the queries and locations, run the job, wait for it to finish, then merge files and remove duplicates and out-of-area results yourself. | LeadzSearch and filter the ready database, then spend credits to unlock and export records (2 credits for a record with a phone and an email, 1 for phone only, none otherwise). |
Where running a scraper is the better choice
- You need businesses outside the United States. A scraper can be pointed at any country; Leadz cannot help there.
- You need the listing as it appears today. A scrape reads the listing when it runs, while a database serves records gathered earlier.
- Your search does not map to a standard business category. A scraper takes any query you would type into Google Maps.
- You need fields a lead database does not carry, such as review text, photos or opening hours. Scraping services publish separate tools for these.
- You are collecting at very large scale. Published per-1,000 prices for scraping are well below the per-lead cost of a credit-based database, including ours.
- You are a developer and want the data inside your own pipeline, on your own schedule, through an API.
Where Leadz fits better
- You want a list in the next few minutes. The collection is done: choose a category, a state or city, apply filters and export.
- You do not want to maintain anything. There are no jobs to schedule, no runs to monitor and no result files to stitch together.
- You want to see what exists before paying. You can check how many US businesses match your filters and review them, then spend credits only on the ones you want.
- You want email presence without a second tool. Where a business email is on file it is in the same record, and you can filter for businesses that have one.
- You want ranked results. Leadz orders matches by a lead score built from listing signals such as rating, review count and available contact details.
Other alternatives to consider
Listed in no particular order.
Browser extensions and desktop apps
These run on your own computer and collect results from a Google Maps search you have open. They are simple to start with and depend on your own machine and connection.
Cloud scraping services
Services such as Outscraper and the Apify Google Maps Scraper run the collection on their servers and bill per 1,000 records. Outscraper notes that a task keeps running after you close your computer.
Google Places API
Google’s own HTTP service for place data, intended for developers building location features into applications. It is billed by Google and governed by its terms.
Search-based lead tools
Tools such as D7 Lead Finder sit between the two approaches: you search by keyword and city and receive a list, on a monthly plan with a daily search allowance.
Read the comparisonFrequently asked questions
Is a ready-made database cheaper than scraping?
Usually not per record. Published scraping prices start at a few dollars per 1,000 records, while Leadz starts at $39 per month for 1,000 credits. What a database saves is time: no setup, no waiting, no clean-up and no separate email step.
Where does Leadz data come from?
From public Google Maps business listings for the United States, collected into a database of 13M+ records. Because it was collected earlier, a listing may have changed since; a scraper reads the listing on the day you run it.
Do scraped listings include email addresses?
Google Maps listings generally show a phone number and website rather than an email, so scraping tools add emails in a second step by visiting each website. Leadz includes an email only where one is on file, and that share varies by category. Neither is a deliverability check.
Can I combine the two approaches?
Yes. A common pattern is a database for routine US list building and a scraper for one-off needs such as another country or review text.
See whether the data fits before you pay
A free Leadz account includes 50 credits. Search your category and area, and check the records against what you need.
Sources
- Outscraper: Google Maps Scraper (checked ). Product description, tiers and per-1,000 prices, free tier, export formats, cloud execution, email enrichment add-on, other scrapers.
- Outscraper: Pricing (checked ). Pay-as-you-go model, no monthly fee, tiers resetting every 30 days, prepaid credits.
- Apify: Google Maps Scraper (checked ). Listed starting price per 1,000 scraped places, download formats, run via API and scheduling.
- Google for Developers: Places API overview (checked ). Description of the Places API as Google’s own HTTP service for place data.
- D7 Lead Finder: Choose a Plan (checked ). Plan names, displayed monthly prices, daily search allowances, plan FAQ (lists, countries, exports, cancellation).
- Leadz plans and limits: our pricing page.
Prices and features change. If something here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
Product names are trademarks of their respective owners. Leadz.biz is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of the companies named on this page.