[Blog](https://scrapfly.io/blog) / [api](https://scrapfly.io/blog/tag/api) / [6 Best Local Business Data APIs for Developers in 2026](https://scrapfly.io/blog/posts/best-local-business-data-apis) # 6 Best Local Business Data APIs for Developers in 2026 by [Mohab Yousry](https://scrapfly.io/blog/author/mohab-yousry-9396552a) Sep 16, 2026 14 min read [\#api](https://scrapfly.io/blog/tag/api) [\#python](https://scrapfly.io/blog/tag/python) [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fscrapfly.io%2Fblog%2Fposts%2Fbest-local-business-data-apis "Share on LinkedIn") [ ](https://x.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fscrapfly.io%2Fblog%2Fposts%2Fbest-local-business-data-apis&text=6%20Best%20Local%20Business%20Data%20APIs%20for%20Developers%20in%202026 "Share on X") [ ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fscrapfly.io%2Fblog%2Fposts%2Fbest-local-business-data-apis "Share on Facebook") Summarize this article with [ ](https://chat.openai.com/?q=Summarize%20this%20article%20and%20explain%20how%20Scrapfly%20helps%20me%20scrape%20any%20website%20at%20scale%20and%20bypass%20anti-bot%20systems%20for%20my%20use%20case%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fscrapfly.io%2Fblog%2Fposts%2Fbest-local-business-data-apis) [ ](https://claude.ai/new?q=Summarize%20this%20article%20and%20explain%20how%20Scrapfly%20helps%20me%20scrape%20any%20website%20at%20scale%20and%20bypass%20anti-bot%20systems%20for%20my%20use%20case%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fscrapfly.io%2Fblog%2Fposts%2Fbest-local-business-data-apis) [ ](https://x.com/i/grok?text=Summarize%20this%20article%20and%20explain%20how%20Scrapfly%20helps%20me%20scrape%20any%20website%20at%20scale%20and%20bypass%20anti-bot%20systems%20for%20my%20use%20case%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fscrapfly.io%2Fblog%2Fposts%2Fbest-local-business-data-apis) [ ](https://www.perplexity.ai/search/new?q=Summarize%20this%20article%20and%20explain%20how%20Scrapfly%20helps%20me%20scrape%20any%20website%20at%20scale%20and%20bypass%20anti-bot%20systems%20for%20my%20use%20case%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fscrapfly.io%2Fblog%2Fposts%2Fbest-local-business-data-apis) [ ](https://www.google.com/search?udm=50&aep=11&q=Summarize%20this%20article%20and%20explain%20how%20Scrapfly%20helps%20me%20scrape%20any%20website%20at%20scale%20and%20bypass%20anti-bot%20systems%20for%20my%20use%20case%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fscrapfly.io%2Fblog%2Fposts%2Fbest-local-business-data-apis) A search for `coffee shop` against a places API can return a place ID, coordinates and a display name then stop. The categories, current hours, reviews or ownership records your product needs might live in a different API or nowhere at all. That mismatch is the main problem when choosing a local business data API. Place search, business listings, reviews and map data are 4 different jobs and there is not a single API answering all. This guide compares six local business data APIs by the job each API is built for. ## Key Takeaways - Google Places and Yelp Fusion fit commercial place and business-search applications with platform-specific data. - Foursquare Places focuses on POI discovery and place context. - Overture Maps Places is a bulk open-data option, while OpenStreetMap Overpass supports custom map queries. - GeoNames is a geographic-name and place-context service, not a business-review database. - Scraping is the fallback when a public directory page exposes current fields that an authorized API does not return. **Get web scraping tips in your inbox**Trusted by 100K+ developers and 30K+ enterprises. Unsubscribe anytime. ## Which Local Business Data API Is Best for Developers? Pick the data object first, a place, a business listing, a review, or a map feature, then compare access and data fit. The six APIs below split cleanly along that line, so the real question is which object your feature actually depends on. | API | Best for | Data type | Access | Main limit | |---|---|---|---|---| | [Google Places](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/places/web-service/overview) | Place search | POI + details | Key + billing | Google fields | | [Yelp Places](https://docs.developer.yelp.com/docs/places-intro) | Yelp businesses | Places + reviews | API key | Yelp scope | | [Foursquare](https://docs.foursquare.com/) | POI discovery | Places + taxonomy | API key | Product access | | [Overture Places](https://docs.overturemaps.org/guides/places/) | Bulk place data | Open dataset | Download | Dataset cadence | | [OSM Overpass](https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Overpass_API) | Custom map queries | OSM objects | Public endpoints | Query load | | [GeoNames](https://www.geonames.org/export/web-services.html) | Geographic context | Names + locations | Username | Not reviews | Local business data APIs serve different needs: commercial POI search, business and review data, bulk open place datasets, custom map queries, and geographic context.As shown in the image four data objects show up across these APIs, and it helps to name them before comparing tools: - **Place**: a location with coordinates, a name, and a type, like a pin dropped for `coffee shop`. - **Business listing**: a place with commercial detail added, address, phone, hours, category. - **Review source**: user-generated ratings and feedback, exposed by only some of these APIs. - **Map feature**: a broader geographic object, a road, a park, a boundary, that gives context around a place without being a business itself. Most applications need two or three of these objects, not all four. A store-locator page needs places and listings. A local-discovery app might add reviews. A logistics tool might only need the map feature. Pick only what your product needs. Here is each API in turn, starting with the one built for general place search. ## 1. Google Places API: Best for Commercial Place Search Google Places Text Search returns ranked places with Google place IDs. Those IDs can change over time, so Google recommends refreshing stored IDs that are more than 12 months old. [Places API](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/places/web-service/overview) currently has a text search and a nearby search method, both being a POST request with `places` array in the response. The `X-Goog-FieldMask` header is required to control what fields are returned and billing happens only on those fields. python```python import os import requests resp = requests.post( "https://places.googleapis.com/v1/places:searchText", json={"textQuery": "coffee shop in Seattle"}, headers={ "Content-Type": "application/json", "X-Goog-Api-Key": os.environ["GOOGLE_PLACES_API_KEY"], "X-Goog-FieldMask": "places.id,places.displayName,places.formattedAddress,places.types", }, ) resp.raise_for_status() places = resp.json()["places"] for place in places[:5]: print(place["id"], place["displayName"]["text"], place["formattedAddress"]) ``` The response follows this schema. Placeholder values are used because ranked results and place IDs can change: json```json { "places": [ { "id": "", "displayName": {"text": "", "languageCode": "en"}, "formattedAddress": "", "types": ["cafe", "coffee_shop"] } ] } ``` Nearby search, place details, and autocomplete round out the API, sharing the same key and field-mask model. Google Places fits these jobs: - A store locator - An address or place lookup during checkout - A location picker that needs live, ranked results The access is via a Google Cloud project and billing linked to the field mask that you are requesting. The field that is not included in the returned field list does not mean that it is not available in the area. It simply means that it is not one of the fields that you have requested, and the schema is proprietary to Google. Yelp covers platform-specific business and review data rather than a general place index. ## 2. Yelp Fusion API: Best for Yelp Business and Review Data Use Yelp Places when the required fields come from Yelp's businesses, categories, ratings, or review endpoints rather than a general place index. The business search and business detail services are designed according to Yelp's listing format, rather than an independent map schema. The [Yelp Places API](https://docs.developer.yelp.com/docs/places-intro) uses an API key as a bearer token for authentication, and the search service accepts a search term plus a location or latitude-longitude pair. python```python import os import requests resp = requests.get( "https://api.yelp.com/v3/businesses/search", params={"term": "coffee", "location": "Seattle, WA", "limit": 5}, headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['YELP_API_KEY']}"}, ) resp.raise_for_status() businesses = resp.json()["businesses"] for biz in businesses: print(biz["name"], biz["rating"], biz["location"]["address1"]) ``` The search response follows this schema. Placeholder values are used because Yelp's ranking, ratings, review counts, and distance change: json```json { "businesses": [ { "id": "", "alias": "", "name": "", "is_closed": false, "review_count": 0, "categories": [{"alias": "coffee", "title": "Coffee & Tea"}], "rating": 0.0, "coordinates": {"latitude": 0.0, "longitude": 0.0}, "price": "$$", "location": { "address1": "", "city": "", "zip_code": "", "display_address": [""] }, "phone": "", "distance": 0.0 } ], "total": 0 } ``` Yelp's Reviews endpoint requires Enhanced or Premium access and returns up to three review excerpts per business, including text, rating, timestamp, and basic user metadata. Yelp is a platform-specific dataset, not a general directory, so businesses without a Yelp listing do not appear. The full authentication and endpoint walkthrough is in this guide: [How to Use Yelp API to Extract Business and Review DataTake an extensive look into Yelp API, its key features, pricing, and limitations. Additionally, explore potential alternatives.](https://scrapfly.io/blog/posts/guide-to-yelp-api) Foursquare focuses on POI discovery and category filtering rather than review content. ## 3. Foursquare Places API: Best for POI Discovery and Taxonomy Foursquare Places is built for point-of-interest discovery, finding what kind of place exists somewhere and filtering by a detailed category taxonomy, rather than for review content. Its category IDs support filtering and grouping places by type. The current [Foursquare Places API](https://docs.foursquare.com/) serves search from `places-api.foursquare.com`, authenticated with a bearer token plus a required `X-Places-Api-Version` header that pins the response shape to a dated API version. python```python import os import requests resp = requests.get( "https://places-api.foursquare.com/places/search", params={ "query": "coffee", "near": "Seattle, WA", "limit": 5, "fields": "fsq_place_id,name,latitude,longitude,categories,location,tel,website,distance", }, headers={ "Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['FOURSQUARE_SERVICE_KEY']}", "X-Places-Api-Version": "2025-06-17", }, ) resp.raise_for_status() results = resp.json()["results"] for place in results: print(place["name"], place["categories"][0]["name"], place["location"]["formatted_address"]) ``` The response follows this schema. Placeholder values are used because the result row could not be authenticated against the API: json```json { "results": [ { "fsq_place_id": "", "name": "", "latitude": 0.0, "longitude": 0.0, "categories": [{"fsq_category_id": "", "name": ""}], "location": { "address": "", "locality": "", "region": "", "postcode": "", "formatted_address": "" }, "tel": "", "website": "", "distance": 0 } ] } ``` Foursquare fits these applications: - Search based on categories on the map - Location-based recommendations service - Product requiring a unified taxonomy for different place categories, not just one vertical (restaurants) Foursquare returns Pro fields by default. Premium fields such as `rating` require the corresponding plan and must be requested explicitly with the `fields` parameter. Google, Yelp, and Foursquare answer request-by-request place searches. Overture provides a bulk dataset instead. ## 4. Overture Maps Places: Best for Bulk Open Place Data Use Overture Maps Places when you need a bulk dataset rather than request-by-request search. It is an open, downloadable places layer that you can join with other geospatial data at scale. You do not need an API key, the data is directly readable. [Overture's Places documentation](https://docs.overturemaps.org/guides/places/) describes a schema with a primary name, a category taxonomy, a confidence score, and optional contact fields like websites and phones, published as versioned Parquet releases on cloud storage. DuckDB with the spatial and httpfs extensions can query the release directly over the network. python```python import duckdb con = duckdb.connect() con.execute("INSTALL spatial; INSTALL httpfs; LOAD spatial; LOAD httpfs;") con.execute("SET s3_region='us-west-2';") rows = con.execute(""" SELECT names.primary AS name, taxonomy.primary AS category, addresses[1].freeform AS address FROM read_parquet( 's3://overturemaps-us-west-2/release/2026-08-19.0/theme=places/type=place/*', filename=true, hive_partitioning=1 ) WHERE taxonomy.primary = 'coffee_shop' AND bbox.xmin BETWEEN -122.36 AND -122.30 AND bbox.ymin BETWEEN 47.59 AND 47.63 LIMIT 5 """).fetchall() for name, category, address in rows: print(name, category, address) ``` A Parquet query returns exactly the columns in your `SELECT` list, one tuple per row. Running the query above against the live release prints something like this text```text Starbucks coffee_shop 100 Denny Way Cafe Beignet coffee_shop 305 Harrison St Starbucks coffee_shop 305 Harrison St Suite 220 La Marzocco Cafe coffee_shop 472 1st Ave N Starbucks coffee_shop 305 Harrison St ``` Overture fits these jobs: - Local indexing - Area wide analysis - combining places to other map layers, roads, buildings in one query Here you are not asking for what is near this point like in a live search, You are scanning a snapshot you have already queried in place. Pin each pipeline run to a dated release. Overture releases the places theme monthly, and the dataset has known duplicate, junk-record, and field-completeness limits. Overture is a bulk snapshot; Overpass queries the OSM dataset through a live endpoint. Scrapfly #### Scale your web scraping effortlessly Scrapfly handles proxies, browsers, and anti-bot bypass — so you can focus on data. [Try Free →](https://scrapfly.io/register)## 5. OpenStreetMap Overpass API: Best for Custom Map Queries Overpass API is the querying component of OpenStreetMap used to pull out exactly what tagged features you are looking for from the map, instead of downloading the entire planet data. If your job is "every cafe inside this neighborhood boundary" Overpass QL is built to answer that directly. The [Overpass API](https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Overpass_API) runs at a public endpoint that accepts a query in Overpass QL, OSM's own query language, over a simple POST request. No API key is required, but a descriptive `User-Agent` header is expected of every client. python```python import requests query = """ [out:json][timeout:25]; nwr["amenity"="cafe"](47.59,-122.36,47.63,-122.30); out center; """ resp = requests.post( "https://overpass-api.de/api/interpreter", data={"data": query}, headers={"User-Agent": "local-business-api-guide/1.0"}, ) resp.raise_for_status() elements = resp.json()["elements"] for element in elements[:5]: point = element.get("center", element) print(element["tags"].get("name"), point["lat"], point["lon"]) ``` The response wraps matched OSM objects in an `elements` array, each one carrying its raw coordinates and a `tags` dictionary of whatever OSM contributors mapped for that feature: json```json { "elements": [ { "type": "node", "id": 663911505, "lat": 47.599091, "lon": -122.331856, "tags": {"name": "Zeitgeist Coffee", "amenity": "cafe"} } ] } ``` Overpass fits these jobs: - Retrieving mapped amenities, shops or transit features inside a defined area - Powering a custom map layer - Backing a research query a commercial API does not expose at all As OSM is community mapped, coverage and tag completeness varies by area for example a city center usually is better mapped than a rural area. Overpass should not be regarded as a review source as it gives back the tags that have been placed on the object on the map without any information regarding ratings, ownership, or other details of business operation that might be of interest to you. `GeoNames` addresses a completely different problem. ## 6. GeoNames Web Services: Best for Geographic Names and Context Use GeoNames for geographic names and hierarchy: resolving a name to coordinates, finding the nearest populated place, or moving from a city to its parent region or country. GeoNames is a gazetteer, not a directory. The [GeoNames web services](https://www.geonames.org/export/web-services.html) cover search, nearby-place lookup, postal codes, and timezone resolution, all keyed by a required `username` parameter tied to a free account. Yelp Fusion or Foursquare app tokens do not apply here, GeoNames uses its own registration system. python```python import os import requests resp = requests.get( "http://api.geonames.org/searchJSON", params={ "q": "Seattle", "featureClass": "P", "maxRows": 5, "username": os.environ["GEONAMES_USERNAME"], }, ) resp.raise_for_status() geonames = resp.json()["geonames"] for place in geonames: print(place["name"], place["countryName"], place["lat"], place["lng"]) ``` The documented response wraps matches in a `geonames` array, each entry carrying a name, coordinates, and administrative context rather than any business attributes json```json { "geonames": [ { "name": "Seattle", "lat": "47.60621", "lng": "-122.33207", "countryName": "United States", "adminName1": "Washington", "fcodeName": "seat of a second-order administrative division" } ] } ``` GeoNames record represents a geographic object like a city, mountain, or administrative division, not a business listing. Proper ways to use GeoNames include: - Enhancing place name information hierarchy for a location - Normalizing a free-form place name before feeding it coordinates to one of the business APIs above The `demo` account is only for GeoNames' sample links. Register and enable your own username; the free service allows 10,000 credits per day and 1,000 per hour. The full [GeoNames service catalog](https://www.geonames.org/export/web-services.html), including postal codes and elevation lookups, is worth checking out directly. These are the six APIs, but what if the field you need only exists on a live, rendered page. ## When Should You Scrape a Local Business Directory Instead? When the public page is the source of truth for a field and it is not provided by an authorized API or an open dataset, then scraping it is the only option. An API schema is fixed by its provider. A rendered page shows whatever the site displays to visitors right now, which sometimes includes a field no API exposes at all, a "temporarily closed" badge, a response-time indicator, or a locally computed ranking. These guides cover the fetch and parsing paths for each platform: [How to Use Yelp API to Extract Business and Review DataTake an extensive look into Yelp API, its key features, pricing, and limitations. Additionally, explore potential alternatives.](https://scrapfly.io/blog/posts/guide-to-yelp-api) [How to Scrape Google MapsWe'll take a look at to find businesses through Google Maps search system and how to scrape their details using either Selenium, Playwright or ScrapFly's javascript rendering feature - all of that in Python.](https://scrapfly.io/blog/posts/how-to-scrape-google-maps) Selectors change and fields move. A scraper can return HTTP 200 after losing result cards, so validate required fields and monitor result counts from the first run. For directories that require JavaScript or block direct requests, Scrapfly handles the fetch, proxy selection, ASP, and browser rendering in one API call. python```python import os from scrapfly import ScrapeConfig, ScrapflyClient client = ScrapflyClient(key=os.environ["SCRAPFLY_KEY"]) result = client.scrape(ScrapeConfig( url="https://www.google.com/maps/search/coffee+shop+Seattle+WA/", asp=True, render_js=True, country="US", )) print(result.scrape_result["status_code"]) print(result.content[:500]) ``` ### Web Scraping API Scrape any website with our powerful API. Anti-bot bypass, JavaScript rendering, and rotating proxies built-in. [Try Web Scraping API](https://scrapfly.io/docs/scrape-api/getting-started) The linked Yelp and Google Maps guides cover field parsing and validation after the fetch. ## FAQ Is there a free local business data API?OpenStreetMap, Overture, and GeoNames provide open or public access models, while commercial places APIs use their own account and billing rules. The data models are not interchangeable. Which API includes local business reviews?Review access is platform-specific. Yelp and Google expose only the review data their current products and permissions support. What is the difference between a Places API and a business directory API?A Places API centers on geospatial entities and location search. A directory API may add business categories, contact fields, reviews, or platform-specific metadata. Can OpenStreetMap replace Google Places?Not universally. OSM is open map data with variable community coverage, while Google Places is a commercial place-search product with a different schema and access model. ## Summary Six APIs, four jobs. Google Places and Yelp Fusion cover commercial place search and platform-specific business and review data. Foursquare adds POI discovery with a detailed category taxonomy. Overture Maps Places and OpenStreetMap Overpass cover open map data, one as a bulk dataset, one as a live query layer. GeoNames rounds it out with geographic names and hierarchy rather than business listings. Match the API to the data object your feature depends on first, then compare access and data fit. When a public directory page is the only source for a field none of these expose, the [Scrapfly Web Scraping API](https://scrapfly.io/products/web-scraping-api) handles the rendering and anti-bot side of that scrape in a single call. Legal Disclaimer and PrecautionsThis tutorial covers popular web scraping techniques for education. Interacting with public servers requires diligence and respect: - Do not scrape at rates that could damage the website. - Do not scrape data that's not available publicly. - Do not store PII of EU citizens protected by GDPR. - Do not repurpose *entire* public datasets which can be illegal in some countries. Scrapfly does not offer legal advice but these are good general rules to follow. For more you should consult a lawyer. [ Add as a preferred source ](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=scrapfly.io) Table of Contents Table of Contents- [Key Takeaways](#key-takeaways) - [Which Local Business Data API Is Best for Developers?](#which-local-business-data-api-is-best-for-developers) - [1. Google Places API: Best for Commercial Place Search](#1-google-places-api-best-for-commercial-place-search) - [2. Yelp Fusion API: Best for Yelp Business and Review Data](#2-yelp-fusion-api-best-for-yelp-business-and-review-data) - [3. Foursquare Places API: Best for POI Discovery and Taxonomy](#3-foursquare-places-api-best-for-poi-discovery-and-taxonomy) - [4. Overture Maps Places: Best for Bulk Open Place Data](#4-overture-maps-places-best-for-bulk-open-place-data) - [5. OpenStreetMap Overpass API: Best for Custom Map Queries](#5-openstreetmap-overpass-api-best-for-custom-map-queries) - [6. GeoNames Web Services: Best for Geographic Names and Context](#6-geonames-web-services-best-for-geographic-names-and-context) - [When Should You Scrape a Local Business Directory Instead?](#when-should-you-scrape-a-local-business-directory-instead) - [FAQ](#faq) - [Summary](#summary) Join the Newsletter Get monthly web scraping insights Scale Your Web Scraping Anti-bot bypass, browser rendering, and rotating proxies, all in one API. Start with 1,000 free credits. 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