Export Google Maps dataCSV, XLSX, or JSON: pick the right one
The free Vonsel Chrome extension captures businesses from Google Maps and exports them three ways. Here is which format to use, and why the file is only the beginning.
Extension··7 min read
Key takeaways
CSV imports anywhere, XLSX arrives formatted for Excel and Sheets, JSON keeps nested fields for scripts and AI
The Vonsel extension exports all three from one capture, free, with no trial and no credit card
The export is the means. The Vonsel dashboard (mapped CRM, review and email intelligence) is where the file becomes revenue
The short answer
Three formats, one capture
Most Google Maps scrapers hand you a single download and call it a day. The Vonsel Chrome extension lets you run one capture, then export the same list to CSV, XLSX, or JSON depending on what you plan to do next. You do not choose upfront and get locked in.
The choice matters because each format is good at a different job. A CSV drops cleanly into any CRM. An XLSX opens with columns and tabs already laid out. A JSON keeps opening hours, categories, and review objects intact for a script or a model. Picking the wrong one means reformatting later, so it pays to match the format to the destination.
Everything below assumes the free extension. There is no paywall on the export button, no trial timer, and no card required to capture and download. You install it, open Google Maps, run a search, and export.
Get the export button first
Add the Vonsel extension, run a Google Maps search, and download CSV, XLSX, or JSON in a couple of clicks.
export formats from a single capture: CSV, XLSX, JSON
0
cost to download: no trial, no credit card
1
click to reopen a past scrape and add more before exporting
Format comparison
CSV vs XLSX vs JSON, side by side
Here is the practical breakdown. Think about where the file is going, not just what looks familiar.
Question
CSV
XLSX
JSON
Imports into any CRM
Best
Often
Rarely
Opens formatted in Excel or Sheets
Plain
Best
No
Keeps nested fields (hours, reviews)
Flattened
Flattened
Best
Feeds scripts and AI models
OK
No
Best
Human readable at a glance
Yes
Yes
Some
Smallest file size
Yes
Larger
Medium
CSV is a comma separated text file, standardized in RFC 4180, so almost every tool on earth reads it. XLSX is the modern Excel format defined by the ECMA-376 Office Open XML standard, which is why it carries formatting and multiple sheets. JSON is the structured format that scripts and language models expect.
Grab the format you need
Run one capture, then export CSV, XLSX, or JSON as many times as you like. Install the extension and try it now.
You are importing into a CRM, a mail tool, or a spreadsheet you will clean by hand. CSV is the universal handoff. If you later push these into a pipeline, see how to move Google Maps leads to a CRM.
Reach for XLSX when
You are sending the list to a colleague or client who lives in Excel. Columns arrive typed and tidy, ready for filters and formulas, with no import wizard. It is the polished deliverable format.
Reach for JSON when
A script, an automation, or an AI model will read the file. JSON keeps opening hours, category arrays, and review objects nested the way those tools expect, instead of squashing them into flat cells.
Do not overthink it
Because Vonsel lets you export all three from the same capture, you never have to guess right the first time. Grab CSV now, and re-export the same list as JSON later if a workflow needs it.
The end to end flow
From search to a clean export
The capture itself is quick. Open a Chrome extension like Vonsel on a Google Maps results page, run your search (a category and a city, for example), and let the panel collect the businesses. When it finishes, choose your format and download.
Before you export, you can filter. Drop businesses that already have a website, keep only the ones missing a phone number, or narrow by rating. That means the CSV or XLSX you hand off is already qualified, not a raw dump you clean afterward. For a deeper walkthrough, read how to export Google Maps data to CSV or how to export search results to Excel.
Vonsel also enriches each business by visiting its website in the background, pulling emails, phone numbers, and social profiles that never appear on the Maps card. So the file you export is richer than the listing you saw, whichever format you pick.
A file is a snapshot, not a workflow. The moment you close the spreadsheet, the data stops working for you. That is the ceiling every export-only scraper hits, and the reason the export is a means, not the end.
The real differentiator
What a plain export cannot do
A CSV, XLSX, or JSON is static. Once downloaded, it does not grow, update, or connect to anything. Most Google Maps scrapers stop there, which leaves you juggling files. Vonsel treats the download as one option among many, because the same capture also lives in your account.
That unlocks things a file simply cannot:
Reopen and edit a past scrape
Come back to a capture from last week, add fresh businesses to it, then re-export the combined list. A downloaded CSV can never absorb new rows on its own.
Add reviews to captured businesses
Layer Google reviews onto businesses you already saved, then feed them to Reviews Intelligence to surface pain points and buying signals.
Keep a searchable history
Every capture is stored, organized, and reopenable. No folder of nameless CSVs, no wondering which download held which city.
Turn data into outreach
Inside the mapped CRM, Email Intelligence drafts a tailored email per business and Sales Intelligence scores who to contact first. The list becomes a pipeline.
This is the difference between a spreadsheet and a value added database versus a raw CSV. The export gets the data out. The Vonsel dashboard turns it into contextualized, review-aware leads you can actually sell to. Browse the full Extension guides or the features to see the whole workflow.
Anyone can hand you a file. Fewer can hand you a living pipeline
Export it your way, then do more with it
Capture from Google Maps, download CSV, XLSX, or JSON, and keep the same list working inside a mapped CRM. Try the finder or explore features.
What is the best format to export Google Maps data?
CSV is best for quick imports into any CRM or spreadsheet. XLSX is best when you want formatting, tabs, and formulas ready for a colleague. JSON is best when the data feeds an app, a script, or an AI model. The free Vonsel Chrome extension supports all three, so you can pick per task instead of committing to one.
Can I export Google Maps data to Excel for free?
Yes. The Vonsel Chrome extension captures businesses from a Google Maps search and exports them to XLSX, CSV, or JSON at no cost, with no trial and no credit card. XLSX opens directly in Excel, Numbers, or Google Sheets with columns already mapped.
Why export to JSON instead of CSV?
JSON keeps nested and structured fields intact, such as opening hours, categories, and review objects, which a flat CSV would flatten or lose. If you plan to feed the data to a script or an AI model, JSON preserves the shape those tools expect.
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