The Google Places scraper returns clean JSON from the API, or the same rows as CSV: name, address, category, rating, review count, coordinates, and a Google place ID (CID) for every business. One credit per successful search, however many results come back, and empty searches are free.
The same businesses render as CSV, so they drop straight into Sheets or a CRM:
Add gl and hl for country and language, and page with page for more results.
Every business comes complete, so you build a list or a dataset with no second call. The same record as CSV, ready for Sheets or a database:
Or the same record as clean JSON from the API:
All three return Google Places as JSON. The difference is how you pay for it and how long the credits last.
| Other Places APIs | CrustAPI Places | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing unit | Per search, even when it returns nothing | One credit per successful search; empty ones free |
| Each result | Name, address, rating, review count | Adds category, coordinates, and a Google CID |
| Free tier | Trial credits that expire | 3,000 credits / month, no card |
| Credits expiry | Expire monthly or in 6 months | Never expire |
| Format | JSON | Clean JSON, or the same rows as CSV |
| Storing the data | Varies by provider | No storage limits. Keep it, export it, build on it |
Prepaid packs, and credits never expire: 25k for $49 · 100k for $149 · 500k for $549 · 2.5M for $1,999 · up to 250M, all self-serve, ex-tax. A search costs one credit however many businesses come back, and a search that returns none costs nothing.
Every business carries its exact latitude and longitude plus Google's place cid. So you can plot a whole result set on a map or match each business to a record you already hold, with no second lookup.
Related: Google Maps API · Google Search API · Google News API · Docs
When to reach for more: type=places returns the lean business listing, which is what most list-building and research needs. If you also want phone numbers, websites, and opening hours, use the richer Google Maps endpoint. If you need a contractual SLA on live place details, Google's own Places API is the licensed source.
3,000 free credits covers a real business list. Run one search and look at the JSON that comes back.
Get 3,000 free credits