Comparison
Maplist vs Apify Google Maps Scraper: Which Is Actually Cheaper?
Updated September 26, 20267 min read
Apify isn't a single scraper -- it's a marketplace of thousands of "actors" built by different developers, and Google Maps scraping is one of its most popular categories. That flexibility is powerful, but it also means the price you pay depends on which actor you pick and which Apify plan you're on. Here's what that looks like next to Maplist's one flat price.
Quick answer
The leading Apify Google Maps actor charges $5 per 1,000 places on the free plan, down to about $2.10 per 1,000 on Apify's paid Business subscription -- before add-ons like contact enrichment. Maplist charges a flat $0.57 per 1,000 ($28.50 per 50,000) for the same base fields, with no separate platform subscription required to get that rate.
Pricing: two layers vs one
Apify's pricing has two moving parts. First, the actor itself is billed pay-per-event -- for the most widely used Google Maps Scraper (built by Compass), that's roughly $5 per 1,000 places on Apify's free plan. Second, that per-place rate drops the more you pay for Apify's own platform subscription: roughly $4/1,000 on Starter, $3/1,000 on Scale, and $2.10/1,000 on Business. On top of the base rate, extras like full place-detail pages, contact/email enrichment and review scraping are billed separately, often a few tenths of a cent per place each -- which adds up the same way Outscraper's add-ons do.
Because Apify is a marketplace, other actors publish different prices for the same basic job -- some as low as $1.50-$2 per 1,000 places -- so part of using Apify well is comparing actors, not just plans. Maplist skips that evaluation step: one product, one flat price.
| Maplist | Apify (Google Maps Scraper actor) | |
|---|---|---|
| Base rate per 1,000 places | $0.57 | $2.10 – $5.00, by Apify plan |
| Platform subscription required for best rate | None | Yes (Apify Business plan) |
| Email / contact enrichment | Optional, billed separately | Optional, billed separately per place |
| Interface | Draw-to-scrape map, no code | Developer console, actor inputs (JSON) |
| Choosing a scraper | One product | Marketplace of actors to compare |
Pricing shown as of September 2026 and subject to change -- Apify's per-actor and per-plan rates are set independently by each actor's developer and by Apify's own platform pricing. Figures based on the Compass Google Maps Scraper actor listing.
Workflow: actors and JSON vs drawing a map
Apify is genuinely excellent if you're technical and want a scraping platform you can wire into a larger pipeline: input parameters as JSON, schedule recurring runs, pull results via API, and swap actors as your needs change. That power comes with a learning curve -- you're configuring an "actor run," not filling out a simple form.
Maplist has none of that surface area on purpose. Draw the area you want, choose business categories, hit scrape, and the CSV is ready when the job finishes. There's no actor to pick, no JSON input schema, and no Apify Console to learn.
Who should use which
- Pick Maplist if you want a predictable flat price and a workflow anyone on the team can run without touching an API.
- Pick Apify if you already run other scrapers on the platform, want to schedule recurring automated runs via API, or need a specific actor's unusual fields that a purpose-built tool won't have.
FAQ
How much does the Apify Google Maps Scraper cost?
The most-used actor (Compass's Google Maps Scraper) is pay-per-event: about $5 per 1,000 places on Apify's Free plan, dropping to roughly $4, $3 or $2.10 per 1,000 as you move up Apify's Starter, Scale and Business platform subscriptions. Extra place details, contact enrichment and review scraping are billed as separate add-ons on top.
Do I need a paid Apify subscription to use the Google Maps Scraper?
No, you can run it on Apify's free plan, but you pay the highest per-place rate there. Cheaper per-place pricing is only unlocked with a paid Apify platform plan on top of the actor's own usage cost — a second layer of billing Maplist doesn't have.
Is Apify or Maplist easier to use?
Maplist, for non-developers. Apify is a general-purpose scraping platform built around "actors," runs and JSON/CSV datasets in a developer console. Maplist is one focused tool: draw an area on a map, pick categories, export a CSV.
Which one gives more control over the scrape?
Apify, if you need it. Its marketplace has dozens of Google Maps actors with different fields, rate limits and price points, plus a full API, scheduling and integrations. That flexibility is real, but it also means comparing actors and reading docs before you start. Maplist trades that flexibility for one consistent, pre-built workflow.
Skip the actor comparison shopping
One tool, one flat price. Draw your area and see your lead count before you pay.
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