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PlacesData API
vs Google Places APIvs Outscrapervs SerpApivs Apify Google Maps Scrapervs Bright Datavs PhantomBustervs Scrap.iovs Geocodio (geocode.io)

PlacesData API vs SerpApi · ValueSERP · ScaleSERP

$29/mo vs $75/mo
entry plan ($0.20–$0.50/1K places vs $15/1K calls).

SerpApi is a general-purpose search engine scraper that charges $75/month for just 5,000 searches ($15.00 per 1,000 requests), bills per request even when only a handful of places are returned, and lacks website email enrichment. PlacesData API is purpose-built for Google Maps intelligence—delivering up to 100 places per call at $0.20–$0.50 per 1,000 places, plus non-expiring Pay-As-You-Go packs from $10.

Start Free ($1.20 · 12,000 Free Credits — No Card) →Compare All Plans

Instant API key in 5s · No credit card required (+20,000 Sandbox Streak Credits) · Pay via Stripe (Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay) or 0%-fee Crypto (+5% bonus)

Cost per 1,000 Google Maps Business Records (with Phone, Website & Hours)

PlacesData API (Business $0.20 · Base $0.50)$0.20 – $0.50
Official Google Places API (Text Search Pro + Contact SKU)$32.00

$1.00 = 10,000 Credits (5 Credits / place). Empty search results (0 matches) cost 0 Credits. Crypto top-ups automatically include +5% Bonus Credits.

Side-by-side comparison.

PlacesData API compared with SerpApi, Official Google Places, and Outscraper
CapabilityPlacesData APIserpapi.comOfficial Google PlacesOutscraper
Entry pricing$10 PAYG or $29/mo (350,000 Credits)$75/mo (5,000 searches)$32.00 / 1,000 calls$2.85 / 1,000 places
Cost for 100,000 Google Maps places$20 – $50 total$75+ (requires 5,000+ paginated calls)$3,200+$100 – $285
Billing unitPer returned record (0 Credits if empty)Per HTTP request (even if 1 result)Per HTTP request + FieldMask SKUsPer returned record
Website email & social link extractionBuilt-in (/v1/leads/enrich)Not availableNot availablePaid add-on
Non-expiring Pay-As-You-Go creditsYes ($10 / $50 / $100 / $500)No (credits expire every 30 days)NoYes

Competitor pricing verified from public pricing pages as of November 2026. Actual costs may vary based on plan tier, concurrency add-ons, and overage rates. All third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners. PlacesData API rates: $0.20 / 1K places (Business), $0.25 / 1K places (Pro), $0.50 / 1K places (Base PAYG).

PlacesData API transparent per-endpoint rate card ($1 = 10,000 Credits).

PlacesData API per-endpoint credit and USD rate card
CapabilityEndpointCredit RateEffective USD / 1K
Google Maps Text Search (Places, Ratings, Phone, Website, Hours, Coordinates)GET /v1/places/search5 Credits / place returned (min 10 Credits; 0 if empty)$0.20 – $0.50 / 1,000 places
Bounding-Box & Radius Viewport Search (Polygon / Grid Scanning)GET /v1/places/nearby5 Credits / place returned (min 10 Credits; 0 if empty)$0.20 – $0.50 / 1,000 places
Full Business Profile & Enriched Contacts (Place ID / CID / Google ID)GET /v1/places/details, GET /v1/places/{place_id}20 Credits / business profile$0.80 – $2.00 / 1,000 profiles
Verified Customer Reviews, Owner Replies & Reviewer MetadataGET /v1/places/reviews, GET /v1/places/{place_id}/reviews2 Credits / review returned (min 10 Credits; 0 if empty)$0.08 – $0.20 / 1,000 reviews
High-Res Business & StreetPhotos MetadataGET /v1/places/photos, GET /v1/places/{place_id}/photos2 Credits / photo returned (min 6 Credits; 0 if empty)$0.08 – $0.20 / 1,000 photos
Website Email, Phone & Social Media Lead Enrichment (8 Social Platforms)GET /v1/leads/enrich, GET /v1/domains/{domain}/contacts20 Credits / enriched domain (0 Credits if no emails/socials found)$0.80 – $2.00 / 1,000 enriched domains
Typeahead Place Autocomplete & Reverse Geocoding (Lat/Lng to Address)GET /v1/places/autocomplete, GET /v1/geocode/reverse5 Credits / request$0.20 – $0.50 / 1,000 calls

Why engineering teams switch from SerpApi.

Stop Paying $0.015 for Sparse or Empty Map Viewport Calls

When scanning a geographic grid with SerpApi (engine=google_maps), every single coordinate check costs 1 full search credit ($0.015)—even if the viewport is over a residential area with 0 or 2 businesses. PlacesData API charges strictly per returned business record (and 0 Credits when a viewport returns 0 results).

Up to 100 Places per Request Instead of 20

SerpApi forces you to paginate 20 results at a time using start=0, 20, 40, burning 5 API calls to retrieve 100 places. PlacesData API returns up to 100 places in a single /v1/places/search or /v1/places/nearby call.

Enrich Decision-Maker Emails Without a Second Vendor

SerpApi stops at the raw SERP HTML. PlacesData API includes /v1/leads/enrich to extract verified emails and social media handles directly from the business's domain.

Switch from SerpApi engine=google_maps to PlacesData API

Replace SerpApi's generic search endpoint with dedicated, typed Google Maps routes:

Before (SerpApi — $75/mo for 5,000 calls, 20 results/call)
import requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://serpapi.com/search.json",
    params={
        "engine": "google_maps",
        "q": "plumbers in Chicago",
        "ll": "@41.8781,-87.6298,14z",
        "api_key": "serpapi_secret_key",
    },
)
places = res.json().get("local_results", [])
After (PlacesData API — Up to 100 Places/Call + E.164 Phone & Domain)
import requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://api.placesdataapi.com/v1/places/nearby",
    headers={"x-api-key": "pd_live_your_api_key"},
    params={
        "q": "plumbers",
        "lat": 41.8781,
        "lng": -87.6298,
        "zoom": 14,
        "limit": 100,
    },
)
places = res.json()["data"]

1-Click Remote MCP Connector · Claude Web & ChatGPT

Connect live Google Maps & B2B email tools via OAuth 2.1.

Paste https://mcp.placesdataapi.com/v1/mcp into Claude.ai Settings → Connectors or ChatGPT Developer Mode for 1-click PKCE S256 login (or use https://api.placesdataapi.com/mcp with x-api-key in Cursor, Windsurf, and n8n).

Core Endpoints & Enrichment Docs

Interactive Engineering Workbench · Benchmark vs SerpApi

Verify real-time latency, credit math & JSON schema

5,000 places/day
5,000 reviews/day
500 domains/day
HTTP Calls / Day
600
Up to 100 items/call
Credit Unit
$1 = 10,000
Unified across 8 routes
Empty Result Fee
0 Credits
$0.00 for 0 matches
Estimated Monthly Pipeline Cost (30 Days)
$54.00/ mo on Business ($76.95 on Pro)
Monthly consumption: 1,350,000 Credits (45,000 Credits/day)
PlacesData API (Business $0.20/1K):$54.00 / mo
Official Google Places API ($32/1K):$5175.00 / mo
Empty search / unfound email fee:$0.00 (0 Credits)
Start Free (12,000 Credits) →Full Rate Card

Frequently asked questions

Do my credits expire at the end of the month like SerpApi?
Pay-As-You-Go credit packs ($10, $50, $100, $500) never expire. Monthly subscription plans grant high-volume bonus credits (+20% to +150%) for teams with recurring monthly pipelines.
Does PlacesData API support Google Maps Reviews like SerpApi's google_maps_reviews engine?
Yes. Call GET /v1/places/reviews?place_id=...&sort=newest&limit=100 at 2 Credits ($0.00008–$0.0002) per review—up to 90% cheaper than SerpApi.

Test it against SerpApi for free.

Every new account receives 12,000 free Credits immediately — no card required.

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