# BBB Business Scraper - Ratings, Phones, Addresses (US/CA/MX) (`fabrikit/bbb-business-scraper`) Actor

Scrape the BBB business directory by keyword and location: name, address, phone, categories, BBB rating A+ to F, accreditation, coordinates and service areas for US, Canada and Mexico. No login. From US$2.00 per 1,000 businesses.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/fabrikit/bbb-business-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Fabrikit](https://apify.com/fabrikit) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, Automation, Other
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.00 / 1,000 business scrapeds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
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.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## 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.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## BBB Business Scraper

Pull business listings from the Better Business Bureau (bbb.org) directory by keyword and location. For every business you get the name, street address, phone numbers, BBB categories, the **BBB rating (A+ to F) and numeric score**, accreditation status, coordinates, service areas and the local BBB chapter. Covers the United States and Canada (Mexico has very few listings). No login, no cookies, only public business listings.

### What you get

| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| `name`, `url` | Calixto Plumbing, BBB profile link |
| `primaryCategory`, `categories` | Plumber; Plumbing Renovation; Commercial Plumber |
| `rating`, `ratingScore` | A+, 98.49 |
| `isAccredited` | true |
| `address`, `city`, `state`, `postalCode`, `country` | 8410 Georgian Dr # B, Austin, TX, 78753-6003, US |
| `phone`, `phones` | (512) 945-3143 |
| `latitude`, `longitude` | 30.3, -97.76 |
| `serviceAreas` | Travis County, TX |
| `bbbName`, `bbbId`, `logoUrl` | BBB Heart of Texas |

Not included: websites, opening hours, years in business and complaint counts. BBB only exposes those on profile pages, which are protected by a bot challenge, so this Actor deliberately sticks to the search data. No reviewer or complainant data is collected.

### Input

```json
{
  "searchTerms": ["plumber", "roofing contractor"],
  "locations": ["Austin, TX", "78701", "Toronto, ON"],
  "maxItems": 500,
  "accreditedOnly": false,
  "minRating": "A-"
}
```

- **searchTerms** - business types or names. One search per term and location.
- **locations** - `City, ST`, a ZIP/postal code or a state. Empty means everywhere.
- **country** - optional `USA`, `CAN`, `MEX`.
- **maxItems** - exact cap on saved businesses.
- **accreditedOnly / minRating / includeOutOfBusiness** - filters.
- **skipLikelyIndividuals** (default on) - drops listings that look like a person's name only.
- **expandQueries** (default on) - BBB shows at most 225 results per query. Large searches are split automatically (sort order, accreditation, category, state) and de-duplicated so you can go far beyond 225.
- **proxyConfiguration** - datacenter by default; switches to US residential IPs automatically if BBB blocks requests.

### Output example

```json
{
  "id": "1000223803",
  "name": "Calixto Plumbing",
  "url": "https://www.bbb.org/us/tx/austin/profile/plumber/calixto-plumbing-0825-1000223803",
  "primaryCategory": "Plumber",
  "categories": ["Plumber", "Plumbing Renovation", "Commercial Plumber", "Plumbing Plan"],
  "rating": "A+", "ratingScore": 98.49, "isAccredited": true,
  "address": "8410 Georgian Dr # B", "city": "Austin", "state": "TX", "postalCode": "78753-6003", "country": "US",
  "phone": "(512) 945-3143", "phones": ["(512) 945-3143"],
  "serviceAreas": ["Travis County, TX", "Williamson County, TX"],
  "bbbName": "BBB Heart of Texas"
}
```

### Pricing

Pay per event: **US$2.00 per 1,000 businesses** (`business-result`), plus a tiny actor-start fee. You only pay for businesses saved, and the Actor respects your spending limit.

### FAQ

**Can I get websites or years in business?** Not from this Actor; the BBB search data does not include them.
**Why fewer results than the site shows?** BBB reports thousands of matches but only serves 225 per query; enable `expandQueries` (default) to split the query.
**Is personal data collected?** No. Only business listings; listings that look like individuals are skipped by default.

### Use cases

Lead lists by trade and city, reputation screening of contractors, competitor mapping, accredited-business directories.

### En español

Extrae fichas de empresas del directorio del Better Business Bureau (EE. UU., Canadá): nombre, dirección, teléfono, categorías, calificación A+ a F, acreditación y coordenadas. Busca por rubro y ubicación ("Austin, TX"). Precio: US$2 por 1.000 empresas. No incluye sitio web ni años en el negocio.

# Actor input Schema

## `searchTerms` (type: `array`):

Business types or names, e.g. plumber, dentist, roofing contractor. One search per term and location.

## `locations` (type: `array`):

Use 'City, ST' (Austin, TX), a ZIP/postal code or a state. Leave empty to search everywhere (results are then not geographically focused).

## `country` (type: `string`):

Optional. Needed mainly for Canada or Mexico locations.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Stop after this many businesses in total.

## `accreditedOnly` (type: `boolean`):

Only BBB Accredited Businesses.

## `minRating` (type: `string`):

Only businesses rated at least this high. Unrated businesses are dropped when set.

## `includeOutOfBusiness` (type: `boolean`):

Off by default.

## `skipLikelyIndividuals` (type: `boolean`):

Skips listings that look like a person's name only (first name + surname) with no business wording.

## `expandQueries` (type: `boolean`):

BBB shows at most 225 results per query. When on, big searches are split automatically (sort order, accreditation, category, state) to reach more businesses.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Datacenter proxy by default; falls back to residential US IPs automatically if BBB blocks the requests.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "searchTerms": [
    "plumber"
  ],
  "locations": [
    "Austin, TX"
  ],
  "country": "",
  "maxItems": 50,
  "accreditedOnly": false,
  "minRating": "",
  "includeOutOfBusiness": false,
  "skipLikelyIndividuals": true,
  "expandQueries": true,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `businesses` (type: `string`):

All businesses in the default dataset

# 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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "searchTerms": [
        "plumber"
    ],
    "locations": [
        "Austin, TX"
    ],
    "maxItems": 50,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("fabrikit/bbb-business-scraper").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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "searchTerms": ["plumber"],
    "locations": ["Austin, TX"],
    "maxItems": 50,
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": True },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("fabrikit/bbb-business-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "searchTerms": [
    "plumber"
  ],
  "locations": [
    "Austin, TX"
  ],
  "maxItems": 50,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}' |
apify call fabrikit/bbb-business-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,fabrikit/bbb-business-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/htjpzbEJRReHaTkTS/builds/9qN8po8cixLrpSrBw/openapi.json