BasedOnBusiness vs Apify: Google Maps Scraping Comparison
When you need business data from Google Maps, two names come up often: Apify and BasedOnBusiness. They both get the job done, but they were built for very different users. One is a flexible developer platform. The other is a focused tool that does one thing extremely well.
This comparison breaks down what each tool actually offers, what it costs, and which one makes sense depending on your situation.
What Is Apify?
Apify is a cloud-based web scraping and automation platform. It hosts thousands of pre-built "Actors" — small programs that can scrape data from almost any website. There is an Actor specifically for Google Maps, which is popular and well-maintained.
The platform is genuinely powerful. If you have developer experience and need custom automation pipelines, Apify gives you a lot of control.
What Is BasedOnBusiness?
BasedOnBusiness is a purpose-built Google Maps scraper. You enter a city, country, and business category. You set how many leads you need. You download a CSV. That's the entire workflow — no code, no setup, no API keys.
It was built for marketers, sales teams, and agency owners who need clean, structured business data fast.
Data You Can Extract
Both tools pull the same publicly available Google Maps fields:
- Business name
- Phone number
- Physical address
- Website URL
- Google rating and review count
- Business category
Neither tool can extract email addresses. Google Maps does not publish email contacts, so no legitimate scraper can provide them.
Setup and Learning Curve
This is where the two tools diverge most sharply.
Apify requires you to find the right Actor, configure input parameters (often in JSON), understand how storage and proxy settings work, and manage API tokens if you want to integrate with other tools. For developers, this is fine. For non-technical users, the onboarding curve is real.
BasedOnBusiness has no setup at all. You create an account, get 50 free credits instantly, and run your first search in under two minutes. There is nothing to configure beyond your search criteria.
Pricing Comparison
Apify charges based on compute units consumed per run. Google Maps scraping jobs vary in cost depending on result volume, proxy usage, and Actor efficiency. It is genuinely difficult to predict the cost of a large job without running it first.
BasedOnBusiness uses a flat, transparent model: 1 credit = 1 business record, regardless of fields returned.
| | BasedOnBusiness | Apify |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | 1 credit = 1 lead (flat) | Compute units (variable) |
| Free tier | 50 credits, no card needed | $5 free trial |
| Predictability | High — fixed cost per lead | Variable per run |
| Setup required | None for UI; API available | Moderate to high |
| REST API | Yes — /api/v1/scrapes | Yes — Apify API |
| Webhooks | Yes — job completion events | Yes |
| Export formats | CSV, Excel, JSON via API | Apify storage / API |
| Target user | Marketers, agencies, sales teams | Developers, technical teams |
When Apify's Flexibility Is Worth It
If you need to scrape dozens of different websites, build complex multi-step pipelines, or integrate with custom internal systems, Apify's platform approach is genuinely useful. You are paying for flexibility, and the flexibility is real.
When BasedOnBusiness Makes More Sense
If your only goal is to get business data from Google Maps — names, phone numbers, addresses, websites, ratings — then Apify's complexity adds friction without adding value. BasedOnBusiness is faster to start, simpler to use, and cheaper at scale for this specific use case.
Practical Workflow Comparison
Here is what scraping 500 local businesses looks like on each platform:
On Apify:
- Log in and navigate to the Google Maps Scraper Actor
- Configure input JSON with search terms, location, and result limits
- Set proxy configuration (recommended for reliability)
- Run the Actor and wait for results
- Download from Apify storage or connect via API
On BasedOnBusiness:
- Log in
- Enter category, city, and country
- Set target lead count to 500
- Click run
- Download CSV or Excel — or retrieve results as JSON via the REST API
Both deliver the same data. One takes significantly more time to set up. For teams that want API-driven automation, BasedOnBusiness provides a straightforward REST API and webhook notifications without the overhead of Apify's full platform.
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Apify if you are a developer building automated data pipelines, need to scrape multiple sources beyond Google Maps, or require deep custom configuration.
Choose BasedOnBusiness if you want Google Maps business data quickly, you are not a developer, and you want to know exactly what each lead will cost before you run a job.
Get Started Free
You can test BasedOnBusiness before spending anything. Sign up at basedonb.com and get 50 free credits immediately — no credit card required. Run a real search on your target market and see the data quality for yourself before deciding on a plan.