# Google Maps Scraper (Cheap) — Places, Phones, Websites (`istmobot/google-maps-scraper-cheap`) Actor

Low-cost Google Maps scraper with the same input and output fields as the most popular one: title, totalScore, reviewsCount, address, phone, website, categories, location, opening hours, placeId. Free filters. $2.25 per 1,000 places.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/istmobot/google-maps-scraper-cheap.md
- **Developed by:** [Istmobot](https://apify.com/istmobot) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, Travel, Business
- **Security:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.25 / 1,000 place 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

## Google Maps Scraper (Cheap): Places, Phones, Websites

**A cheaper drop-in alternative to the most popular Google Maps scraper on Apify, with the same input and output fields.** Paste the input JSON you already use (`searchStringsArray`, `locationQuery`, `maxCrawledPlacesPerSearch`, `language`, `startUrls`) and get places with the same field names (`title`, `totalScore`, `reviewsCount`, `address`, `phone`, `website`, `categoryName`, `location`, `placeId`, `url`...). Your Google Sheets, Make, Zapier, n8n or code integrations keep working. You pay **$2.25 per 1,000 places instead of $4**.

### Price comparison

| | This Actor | Popular Google Maps scraper (free plan price) |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 places | **$2.25** | $4.00 |
| 10,000 places | **$22.50** | $40 |
| Filters (min stars, website, skip closed, name match) | **free** | +$1 per 1,000 places per filter |
| Opening hours, rating distribution, attributes | **included** | included / detail add-on |
| Actor start | $0.001 | $0.00005 |

The Apify free plan's $5 monthly credit covers about **2,200 places**.

### What data do you get?

One record per place, using the same field names as the popular scraper:

- `title`, `categoryName`, `categories`, `description`
- `address`, `street`, `neighborhood`, `city`, `postalCode`, `state`, `countryCode`, `location` (`lat`, `lng`), `timezone`
- `phone`, `phoneUnformatted`, `website`
- `totalScore` (rating), `reviewsCount`, `reviewsDistribution` (`oneStar`...`fiveStar`)
- `openingHours` (`[{ day, hours }]`, Monday first), `additionalInfo` (accessibility, service options, amenities, payments...)
- `permanentlyClosed`, `temporarilyClosed`
- `placeId`, `fid`, `cid`, `kgmid`, `url` (Google Maps link), `imageUrl`, `imagesCount`
- `searchString`, `rank`, `searchPageUrl`, `isAdvertisement`, `language`, `scrapedAt`

```json
{
    "searchString": "restaurant",
    "rank": 1,
    "title": "Kim's Island",
    "categoryName": "Chinese restaurant",
    "categories": ["Chinese restaurant", "Meal delivery"],
    "address": "175 Main St, Staten Island, NY 10307",
    "neighborhood": "Tottenville",
    "street": "175 Main St",
    "city": "Staten Island",
    "postalCode": "10307",
    "state": "New York",
    "countryCode": "US",
    "website": "http://kimsislandsi.com/",
    "phone": "+1 718-356-5168",
    "phoneUnformatted": "+17183565168",
    "location": { "lat": 40.5107736, "lng": -74.2482624 },
    "totalScore": 4.5,
    "reviewsCount": 104,
    "reviewsDistribution": { "oneStar": 4, "twoStar": 3, "threeStar": 4, "fourStar": 11, "fiveStar": 82 },
    "placeId": "ChIJJQz5EZzKw4kRCZ95UajbyGw",
    "fid": "0x89c3ca9c11f90c25:0x6cc8dba851799f09",
    "cid": "7838756667406262025",
    "openingHours": [{ "day": "Monday", "hours": "Closed" }, { "day": "Tuesday", "hours": "11 AM to 9:30 PM" }],
    "additionalInfo": { "Service options": [{ "Takeout": true }, { "Dine-in": true }] },
    "url": "https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Kim's%20Island&query_place_id=ChIJJQz5EZzKw4kRCZ95UajbyGw"
}
```

### Use cases

- **Lead generation**: local businesses with phone numbers and websites for sales outreach.
- **Market research**: competitors, ratings and review counts by city and category.
- **Local SEO**: track rankings (`rank`) and ratings for a search over time.
- **Data enrichment and AI**: feed place data into CRMs, dashboards, LLM agents and RAG.

### How to use it

1. Add **search terms** such as `restaurant` or `dentist`.
2. Set a **location** such as `New York, USA` (one per run, like the original).
3. Set **max places per search term** (leave empty for all).
4. Optionally add **Google Maps URLs** (search or place URLs) and **free filters**.
5. Click **Start** and export as JSON, CSV, Excel, or use the API.

Moving from the other scraper? Use the same input JSON. Unsupported fields are ignored.

### Input

| Field | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `searchStringsArray` | | Search terms, e.g. `["restaurant", "cafe"]` |
| `locationQuery` | | City, region or country, e.g. `New York, USA` |
| `maxCrawledPlacesPerSearch` | all | Max places per term or URL |
| `language` | `en` | Result language (`en`, `de`, `es`, `fr`, `pt-BR`, `ja`...) |
| `startUrls` | | Google Maps search or place URLs |
| `placeMinimumStars` | | `two`, `twoAndHalf`, `three`, `threeAndHalf`, `four`, `fourAndHalf` |
| `website` | `allPlaces` | `allPlaces`, `withWebsite`, `withoutWebsite` |
| `skipClosedPlaces` | `false` | Skip temporarily or permanently closed places |
| `searchMatching` | `all` | `all`, `only_includes`, `only_exact` (name vs. search term) |

### What is not included (yet)

To keep the price low, this Actor reads Google Maps search results and does not open each place's detail page. So it does **not** return individual reviews, review images, the photo gallery, menus, price level, Q\&A, "people also search", hotel prices, reservation links, or website contact enrichment (emails, social profiles). Inputs for those add-ons (`maxReviews`, `maxImages`, `scrapeContacts`, `placeIds`...) are ignored. Need one of them? Open an issue.

### How many places can I get?

Google Maps shows at most about 180 places per search. When you ask for more, the Actor splits the location's area (from OpenStreetMap) into map tiles, searches each one, and removes duplicates. A large city usually yields thousands of places per category.

### FAQ

**Is it legal?** It collects publicly visible business information. Personal data may be protected by laws such as GDPR; use it responsibly.

**Do I need a Google API key or proxy?** No. Proxy costs are included in the price.

**Are failed searches charged?** No. Only places in the output are charged.

# Actor input Schema

## `searchStringsArray` (type: `array`):

What you would type into Google Maps, e.g. "restaurant", "dentist" or "coffee shop". Each term is searched separately. Put the place in the Location field below, not in the term.

## `locationQuery` (type: `string`):

City, region or country in free text, e.g. "New York, USA" or "Prague". Above ~180 places per term the Actor splits the area (from OpenStreetMap) into map tiles to collect more.

## `maxCrawledPlacesPerSearch` (type: `integer`):

Number of places to extract for each search term and each URL. Leave empty to get all places Google shows for the area.

## `language` (type: `string`):

Language of place names, categories and opening hours.

## `startUrls` (type: `array`):

Optional. Google Maps search URLs (https://www.google.com/maps/search/pizza/@40.71,-74.0,13z) or place URLs (https://www.google.com/maps/place/...). A place URL returns that one place.

## `placeMinimumStars` (type: `string`):

Only places rated at or above this. Places without reviews are skipped. Free (no add-on charge).

## `website` (type: `string`):

Free filter.

## `skipClosedPlaces` (type: `boolean`):

Skip places marked temporarily or permanently closed. Free filter.

## `searchMatching` (type: `string`):

Free filter.

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

Apify datacenter proxy works and keeps the price low. The Actor switches IP on every blocked request.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "searchStringsArray": [
    "restaurant"
  ],
  "locationQuery": "New York, USA",
  "maxCrawledPlacesPerSearch": 50,
  "language": "en",
  "placeMinimumStars": "",
  "website": "allPlaces",
  "skipClosedPlaces": false,
  "searchMatching": "all",
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# 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 = {
    "searchStringsArray": [
        "restaurant"
    ],
    "locationQuery": "New York, USA",
    "maxCrawledPlacesPerSearch": 50,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("istmobot/google-maps-scraper-cheap").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 = {
    "searchStringsArray": ["restaurant"],
    "locationQuery": "New York, USA",
    "maxCrawledPlacesPerSearch": 50,
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": True },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("istmobot/google-maps-scraper-cheap").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 '{
  "searchStringsArray": [
    "restaurant"
  ],
  "locationQuery": "New York, USA",
  "maxCrawledPlacesPerSearch": 50,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}' |
apify call istmobot/google-maps-scraper-cheap --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,istmobot/google-maps-scraper-cheap"
        }
    }
}
```

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/y7pPmpl7q5oLdwSJ4/builds/Ms1hfFr2LQJeChOKx/openapi.json