Scraping vs the Places APIWhat the terms actually say
Browser scraping and the official Places API solve the same problem two different ways. Here is a balanced look at their terms, costs, and limits.
Legal··7 min read
Key takeaways
The Places API is Google's official, paid, contract-based interface: a key, a billing account, quotas, and documented usage rules
Browser scraping reads the same public listings a person sees, with no key and no billing account, but under Google's general terms
Both approaches meet the same practical ceiling on Maps: roughly 120 results per search, which you work around by narrowing the query
The core distinction
Two doors into the same data
When people talk about getting business data out of Google Maps, they are usually choosing between two paths. One is the official Places API, a documented web service you call with a key and a billing account. The other is scraping: reading the public map pages the way any visitor's browser does.
They look similar because the underlying data overlaps. The difference is the contract you are operating under, the cost model, and the practical ceilings each one hits. Understanding those three axes makes the choice clearer than any blanket claim that one is "allowed" and the other is not.
This post is educational and balanced. It is not legal advice, and terms change, so treat the linked documents as the source of truth. For a fuller read on the legality question itself, see our overview on whether it is legal to scrape Google Maps.
Prefer the browser route with no setup?
The Vonsel extension captures what you already see on Google Maps and sends it to a mapped CRM. No API key required.
The Places API is governed by the Google Maps Platform Terms of Service. In plain terms, you agree to a set of rules in exchange for structured, reliable access. Two rules tend to surprise newcomers.
First, the data is generally meant to be used with Google Maps and in a live context, not extracted and stored to build a standalone database. Second, caching is restricted: most fields cannot be retained beyond short, defined windows, and identifiers have their own handling rules. If your goal is to accumulate a permanent local business database, the official terms are stricter than many people expect.
The API is also metered. You call an endpoint, you get billed per request, and the meter keeps running as your volume grows. For developers building a live product feature, that trade is often worth it. For a salesperson who just wants a list of businesses in a city, it can feel like paying for plumbing you did not need.
Key
the Places API needs a key and an active billing account
~120
results per search on the public Maps interface, for people and tools alike
$0
to install and run the Vonsel extension: no trial, no card
The browser route
What scraping does and does not change
Browser scraping does not touch the API contract at all. It reads the same public listing a human sees when they open Maps and search. There is no key, no per-request bill, and no separate billing account. It falls instead under Google's general Terms of Service, which is a different and broader document.
What scraping does not do is remove the practical friction. Public pages are built for people, so heavy automated access can trigger the same defenses any site uses: CAPTCHAs and rate limits. A tool that behaves like a firehose gets treated like one. A tool that behaves like a careful person browsing rarely does.
The data itself is largely business information: names, addresses, phone numbers, categories, hours. That is a different sensitivity level from personal data, though reviews and the people who write them sit closer to the line. If GDPR is on your mind, our note on Google Maps scraping and GDPR unpacks where business and personal data diverge.
One thing surprises people who assume the API sees more than a browser: the public Maps interface caps a single search at roughly 120 listings, no matter how many businesses actually match. That is a product decision about the browsing experience, and it applies to anyone reading those pages, person or tool.
The fix is not a bigger firehose, it is a narrower query. Split a city into neighborhoods, split a broad category into specific ones, and run the searches you would run by hand anyway. Our piece on why Google limits results to 120 explains the mechanic and the workaround.
The honest summary: the Places API buys you structure and reliability at the price of a contract, a bill, and storage limits. Scraping buys you the exact view a person has, for free, at the price of the same practical ceilings a person hits. Neither is a loophole. They are just different doors.
Where Vonsel fits
The extension is the means, the dashboard is the end
Vonsel takes the browser route on purpose. The Chrome extension reads the same Maps listing you are already looking at, so there is no key to provision and no billing account to open. It is free to install, with no trial and no card. That is the means.
The end is what happens after capture. Instead of a raw CSV, businesses land in a mapped CRM where you can add reviews to a captured business later, reopen a previous scrape to enrich it, and enrich websites for extra contact detail. Sales, Reviews, and Email Intelligence turn listings into a value-added database, with an AI email drafted per business around its real context.
So the terms question is less "scrape or API" and more "raw data or usable pipeline." If you want a live product feature, the official API is the right door. If you want leads you can act on today, the browser door, done carefully, gets you there without a meter running.
The API sells you structure. The browser gives you the view. Vonsel gives you the workflow
Turn the public map into a working pipeline
Install the extension, capture what you see, and let the dashboard handle the rest. Explore features or read more on the legal blog.
What is the difference between scraping Google Maps and using the Places API?
The Places API is Google's official, paid, contract-based way to request business data through a documented interface with quotas and usage rules. Scraping reads the same public pages a person can see in a browser, without an API key or a billing account. Each carries its own terms, costs, and practical limits.
Why does Google Maps only show around 120 results per search?
The public Maps interface paginates local results and stops after roughly 120 listings per query, regardless of how many businesses actually match. This is a product limit on the browser experience, so both people and browser-based tools see the same cap. Splitting a city into smaller areas or categories is the usual way to cover more ground.
Do you need an API key or a credit card to use the Vonsel extension?
No. The Vonsel Chrome extension works from your own browser session on Google Maps with no API key, no trial, and no credit card. The extension captures what you see, and the Vonsel dashboard turns it into a mapped CRM with review and email intelligence.
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