# Google Maps Popular Times Scraper (`crawlerbros/google-maps-popular-times`) Actor Extract popular times busy-hours histograms and live busyness data from Google Maps places - all 7 days with hourly percentages, current busyness, and typical time spent. - **URL**: https://apify.com/crawlerbros/google-maps-popular-times.md - **Developed by:** [Crawler Bros](https://apify.com/crawlerbros) (community) - **Categories:** Automation, Developer tools, Integrations - **Stats:** 1 total users, 0 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $3.00 / 1,000 results This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage. Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Google Maps Popular Times Scraper Extract the **Popular Times** histogram for any Google Maps place — the busy-hours bar chart that Google shows on most restaurants, shops, gyms, and tourist attractions. Get hourly busyness percentages for all 7 days of the week, plus the live "current busyness" reading and typical visit duration. ### What It Does Give this actor a Google Maps place URL and it returns: - **Per-day hourly busyness** (0–100%) for Monday through Sunday — a full week of data in one request - **Peak hour** and **peak busyness percentage** for each day - **Quietest hour** for each day - **Live busyness** reading at the moment of scraping (e.g. *"As busy as it gets"*, *"A little busy"*) - **Typical time spent** at the place (e.g. *"People typically spend 30 min to 1 hour here"*) - **Business name + Place ID** for cross-referencing with the Google Maps API - **Location** (lat/lng) and place URL echoed on every record so datasets stay joinable ### Use Cases - Plan field operations and logistics around quietest hours - Find optimal times to visit popular tourist attractions - Build foot-traffic dashboards for retail, restaurants, and gyms - Inform staffing decisions for franchise networks - Power "when to go" recommendations in travel apps ### Input | Field | Type | Required | Description | |---|---|---|---| | `placeUrl` | String | Conditional | Google Maps URL of a single place | | `placeUrls` | Array of strings | Conditional | Multiple places in one run | At least one of `placeUrl` or `placeUrls` must be provided. #### Example input — single place ```json { "placeUrl": "https://www.google.com/maps/place/McDonald%27s/@40.7577297,-73.9853627,17z/" } ```` #### Example input — batch ```json { "placeUrls": [ "https://www.google.com/maps/place/Starbucks/@40.7127281,-74.0060152,17z/", "https://www.google.com/maps/place/McDonald%27s/@40.7577297,-73.9853627,17z/", "https://www.google.com/maps/place/Whole+Foods+Market/@40.7561,-73.9903,17z/" ] } ``` ### Output One record per place: ```json { "businessName": "McDonald's", "placeId": "0x89c2597777397641:0x4387a82ee10d3e3b", "placeUrl": "https://www.google.com/maps/place/McDonald%27s/...", "location": {"lat": 40.7577297, "lng": -73.9853627}, "liveBusyness": "A little busy", "typicalTimeSpent": "People typically spend 15-30 min here", "popularTimes": { "monday": [{"hour": 6, "busyness": 12}, {"hour": 7, "busyness": 38}, "..."], "tuesday": [{"hour": 6, "busyness": 14}, "..."], "wednesday": [{"hour": 6, "busyness": 11}, "..."], "thursday": [{"hour": 6, "busyness": 13}, "..."], "friday": [{"hour": 6, "busyness": 16}, "..."], "saturday": [{"hour": 7, "busyness": 22}, "..."], "sunday": [{"hour": 7, "busyness": 18}, "..."] }, "peakHours": { "monday": {"hour": 12, "busyness": 89}, "tuesday": {"hour": 12, "busyness": 84}, "wednesday": {"hour": 13, "busyness": 91}, "thursday": {"hour": 12, "busyness": 87}, "friday": {"hour": 18, "busyness": 96}, "saturday": {"hour": 14, "busyness": 78}, "sunday": {"hour": 13, "busyness": 71} }, "scrapedAt": "2026-06-16T18:23:11+00:00" } ``` Empty / unavailable fields are omitted from the record — no `null` values appear in the dataset. #### Hourly busyness format Each day in `popularTimes` is an array of `{hour, busyness}` pairs: - `hour` — 0–23 (local time at the business) - `busyness` — integer 0–100 (Google's relative busyness percentage; 100 = peak for that place) Hours with no data (e.g. while the place is closed) are omitted from the array. ### FAQ **Which places have Popular Times data?** Restaurants, cafés, retail stores, gyms, grocery stores, and major tourist attractions almost always have it. Small businesses, services without foot traffic, and very new listings often do not. **Why is `liveBusyness` sometimes missing?** Google only shows live data while the place is currently open and has enough recent visits to compute it. When the place is closed or hasn't reached the data threshold, the field is omitted. **How is `busyness` measured?** Google reports it as a percentage of peak for that specific place. `100` means "as busy as this place ever gets". The values are derived from aggregated, anonymised Google location-history data. **Do I need a proxy or cookies?** No login required. A proxy is not necessary for typical runs; Google Maps serves Popular Times without restriction from datacenter IPs. **Can I scrape hundreds of places in one run?** Yes — pass them as `placeUrls`. The actor processes places sequentially with a polite delay between requests. For very large batches, split into multiple runs. **Does this scrape the Google Places API?** No. It loads the public-facing Google Maps web page (Playwright + Chromium) and extracts the embedded data block, so no API key, no billing, no quota. ### Data Source Public Google Maps web UI (`google.com/maps`). No Google API key or login is required. ### 🗺️ Complete Google Maps Scraper Suite This actor is part of a comprehensive Google Maps data extraction toolkit by **crawlerbros**. All actors run on the free Apify plan, use no proxy by default, and return clean, structured data. | Actor | What it does | |---|---| | 🏢 [Google Maps Business Scraper](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/google-maps-scraper) | Extract business data — name, address, phone, website, rating, reviews, hours, amenities | | ⭐ [Google Maps Reviews Scraper](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/google-maps-reviews-scraper) | Scrape reviews with reviewer Local Guide level, photos, mentioned items, owner replies | | 📸 [Google Maps Photos Scraper](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/google-maps-photos) | Extract all photos from any place — max-resolution URLs, contributor info, categories | | 🕐 [Google Maps Business Hours Scraper](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/google-maps-business-hours) | Full 7-day hours, timezone, current local time, next open/close, holiday hours | | 📧 [Google Maps Email Extractor](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/google-maps-email-extractor) | Find business emails + social media links by crawling websites | | 🗺️ [Google Maps Area Scanner](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/google-maps-area-scanner) | Geographic grid scanning — bypass the 120-place limit with bounding box / circle / polygon | | 💼 [Google Maps Leads Scraper](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/google-maps-leads) | B2B lead generation with email + phone enrichment, US states + global countries | | 🤖 [Google Maps MCP Server](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/google-maps-mcp) | Unified MCP server combining search + reviews for AI assistants | | 🧭 [Google Maps Directions Scraper](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/google-maps-directions) | A→B routing — distance, duration, traffic, route alternatives for driving/walking/transit | | 📍 [Google Maps Geocoding Scraper](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/google-maps-geocoding) | Bidirectional geocoding — address ↔ coordinates, with address components | | 🔗 [Google Maps Similar Places Scraper](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/google-maps-similar-places) | "People also search for" / related place discovery — competitor & alternative finder | | 🍽️ [Google Maps Menu Scraper](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/google-maps-menu) | Restaurant menu items, prices, descriptions, photos | | 📌 [Google Maps Nearby Scraper](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/google-maps-nearby) | Find places near a coordinate point — lightweight POI search by category | | 📋 [Google Maps Place List Scraper](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/google-maps-place-list) | Extract Google's curated "Top X in Y" lists — best hotels/restaurants/things to do | | 🌍 [Google Maps Timezone Scraper](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/google-maps-timezone) | IANA timezone + current local time from coordinates | # Actor input Schema ## `placeUrl` (type: `string`): Google Maps URL of a single place. Copy the URL directly from Google Maps when viewing a place page. ## `placeUrls` (type: `array`): Scrape popular times from multiple places at once. ## Actor input object example ```json { "placeUrl": "https://www.google.com/maps/place/McDonald%27s/@40.7577297,-73.9853627,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x89c2597777397641:0x4387a82ee10d3e3b!8m2!3d40.7577297!4d-73.9853627!16s%2Fg%2F11fld77pvs" } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `popularTimes` (type: `string`): Dataset containing all scraped popular times records. # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "placeUrl": "https://www.google.com/maps/place/McDonald%27s/@40.7577297,-73.9853627,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x89c2597777397641:0x4387a82ee10d3e3b!8m2!3d40.7577297!4d-73.9853627!16s%2Fg%2F11fld77pvs" }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("crawlerbros/google-maps-popular-times").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "placeUrl": "https://www.google.com/maps/place/McDonald%27s/@40.7577297,-73.9853627,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x89c2597777397641:0x4387a82ee10d3e3b!8m2!3d40.7577297!4d-73.9853627!16s%2Fg%2F11fld77pvs" } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("crawlerbros/google-maps-popular-times").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "placeUrl": "https://www.google.com/maps/place/McDonald%27s/@40.7577297,-73.9853627,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x89c2597777397641:0x4387a82ee10d3e3b!8m2!3d40.7577297!4d-73.9853627!16s%2Fg%2F11fld77pvs" }' | apify call crawlerbros/google-maps-popular-times --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=crawlerbros/google-maps-popular-times", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Google Maps Popular Times Scraper", "description": "Extract popular times busy-hours histograms and live busyness data from Google Maps places - all 7 days with hourly percentages, current busyness, and typical time spent.", "version": "1.2", "x-build-id": "0D1HghgW4Ax7kh0Nb" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/crawlerbros~google-maps-popular-times/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-crawlerbros-google-maps-popular-times", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/crawlerbros~google-maps-popular-times/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-crawlerbros-google-maps-popular-times", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/crawlerbros~google-maps-popular-times/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-crawlerbros-google-maps-popular-times", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "placeUrl": { "title": "Place URL", "type": "string", "description": "Google Maps URL of a single place. Copy the URL directly from Google Maps when viewing a place page." }, "placeUrls": { "title": "Multiple Place URLs", "type": "array", "description": "Scrape popular times from multiple places at once.", "items": { "type": "string" } } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```