Best Google Maps scraper API: 5 tested on one search

A Google Maps scraper API turns a search such as "coffee shop in Austin" into rows: name, address, rating, phone and website. The price per search is only half the comparison. On 2026-10-28 we ran the same search through the 5 Google Maps scraper APIs in the looot catalog that bill per call, and one search returned anywhere from 10 places to about 100.

This post ranks those providers by live price per search, shows what each returned on that test, and helps you choose. It ends with a prompt and a FAQ. The ranking with logos is on the best Google Maps scraper API page.

Last checked 2026-10-28, against looot's live catalog and 5 paid search runs.

Best Google Maps scraper API: the short answer

Each bullet names one need. Prices are in the live table, because they change.

• Serper, best for a fast search with a city name: query, location, country and language, up to a hundred results a page.
• AnyAPI, best for filters: rating, category and website filters, each of which costs more.
• DataForSEO, best for many places per call: up to the top hundred results in one task.
• SearchAPI.io, best for searching around a point: it takes map coordinates.
• SerpApi, best for Google Local next to other engines: a separate Maps search, Yelp and more from one provider.

How we ranked these Google Maps scraper APIs

We rank by the live price per call of each provider's `maps.local.search` endpoint, read from the looot catalog when the page loads. One Maps search endpoint in the catalog bills per place returned, so its price per call depends on the result count, and it is left out. Vendors outside the catalog are not ranked.

We also ran each provider once on 2026-10-28: "coffee shop" in Austin, Texas. That shows how many places one call returns and which fields come back. It is one search in one city, so it does not move the rank.

One Google Maps search through 5 scraper APIs

Seconds are from the start to the end of the run. Phone means a phone field appeared in the part of the answer we read.

The count matters more than it looks. A provider that returns about 100 places for one call can cost less per place than a cheaper call that returns 10. Divide the live price by the places you get back. Serper takes a results count of up to a hundred, so ask for more than the default when you compare.

1. Serper, best for a fast search with a city name

Serper's `serper-places` returns Google local places for a query, with a free-text location, country, language and a results count. It was the fastest answer on our test.

• Best for: a quick list of places in one city; an agent that needs an answer in a couple of seconds.
• Strengths: a simple input; a results count you set.
• Limits: ten places by default, and no rating or category filter.
• Does not fit: filtered lists, such as places with a rating of four or higher.

2. AnyAPI, best for filters

AnyAPI's `anyapi-run-maps-search` takes a query and a location and returns up to twenty places. It can keep only places with a minimum rating, a category or a website.

• Best for: lead lists of businesses with a website; shortlists by rating.
• Strengths: filters most providers lack; place details and reviews from the same provider.
• Limits: each filter routes the call to a dearer source, so the price shown is for a search with no filter.
• Does not fit: lists that need more than twenty places from one call.

3. DataForSEO, best for many places per call

DataForSEO's `dataforseo-serp-google-maps-live-advanced` reads up to the top hundred Google Maps results for a keyword and a location. On our test it returned about 100 places.

• Best for: covering a whole city in few calls; local SEO checks.
• Strengths: the most places per call on our test; business listings and Google organic from the same provider.
• Limits: a verbose task format in and out, and one of the slower answers.
• Does not fit: a quick lookup of a few places.

4. SearchAPI.io, best for searching around a point

SearchAPI.io's `searchapi-io-google-maps` searches Google Maps and pages through the results. It has no city field, so the place goes in the query text or as map coordinates.

• Best for: searches around an exact point; paging past the first results.
• Strengths: coordinates give tight control of the area; place details and reviews endpoints.
• Limits: an ad can appear among the results, so filter it out.
• Does not fit: an agent that only has a city name and no geocoder, unless it puts the city in the query.

5. SerpApi, best for Google Local next to other engines

SerpApi's `serpapi-google-local` returns Google Local results for a query and a free-text location, with an offset for the next page. A separate Google Maps search and Yelp search come from the same provider.

• Best for: comparing Google and Yelp for the same businesses; teams that already use other SerpApi engines.
• Strengths: many engines behind one provider.
• Limits: check its live price against the others before a long run.
• Does not fit: the cheapest possible list.

How to choose a Google Maps scraper API

Start from the list you want at the end.

How many places do you need per area?

For a few places, Serper or SearchAPI.io. For a whole city, DataForSEO returns the most per call.

Do you need filters?

AnyAPI filters by rating, category and website, at a higher price per call. Without it, filter the rows yourself after the search.

Do you need emails?

A Maps listing gives a website, not an email. Send each domain to an email finder, billed on its own. The local business search guide walks through the whole flow.

Will you refresh the list?

Refreshing on a timer needs scheduled runs, not available yet. Run the same searches by hand and keep the new places.

Try it

What this test does not show

One search in one city is a sample. It shows the place count and the fields each provider returned for that search. It does not show coverage in smaller towns, how fresh the listings are or how often a call fails. For the step by step lead flow, read scrape Google Maps for leads with an agent.