We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page. It never changes a score or a ranking. How we make money
Outscraper is a hosted source for local-business data, with pay-as-you-go use and free tiers. Replacing it means deciding whether you need Google Maps data specifically or a more general web-data stack. Compare the API or crawler interface, pricing at your expected volume, and how results fit your pipeline. Reddit users report slow runs, outages and unexpected bills; those reports are reasons to validate service and cost with a small batch before moving production jobs.
01Why people leave Outscraper
Reported reliability problems
One Reddit thread includes reports of nonfunctional service and slow runs; these are user reports, not a measured uptime record.
Unexpected bills
A cold-emailing thread reports a bill higher than expected, so confirm what counts as a result and which enrichments add cost.
Unclear pricing rules
A Reddit commenter complains about monthly credit rules and pricing-page availability; check how credits expire and usage is billed.
02The alternatives, ranked by fit
- Google Maps actors
ApifyApifyApify is the closest fit when you want ready-made web scrapers or need to build custom Actors. A Reddit commenter points to a Google Maps Actor, though verify its current features and price before migrating. Apify starts at $19 with a free plan; the platform has usage costs and concurrency limits to account for as volume grows.
Trade-off: Actor usage and concurrency add cost and capacity planning that a simple CSV workflow may avoid.
7.7/10from
$19/mofree plan - Managed web data
Bright DataBright DataBright Data suits teams that want a broader web-data stack and managed proxy infrastructure rather than a Maps-only workflow. It starts at $0 with a free plan, but the pricing card does not establish your cost at production volume. Check whether your target data is supported and model usage before replacing a per-result Outscraper job.
Trade-off: It is a broader collection stack, not a documented drop-in Google Maps replacement.
7.0/10from
$499/mofree plan - Self-hosted Python crawlers
ScrapyScrapyScrapy is an open-source, self-hostable crawler for Python teams that want control over code and deployment. It is a better fit when you can build and operate custom crawlers than when you need ready-made local-business records. Scrapy works best on mostly static pages; browser rendering and hosted scaling require extra setup.
Trade-off: You take on crawler development and operations, and Maps-specific coverage is not established.
8.1/10from
$9/mofree plan - Managed proxies and APIs
OxylabsOxylabsOxylabs offers a hosted API-and-proxy stack for teams that need managed infrastructure or are building web-grounded AI agents. It starts at $15 with a free plan. That gives you a different integration path from CSV-first collection, but the listed starting price does not show what a Maps workload will cost at scale.
Trade-off: Confirm Maps coverage and usage pricing before treating it as a direct replacement.
6.8/10from
$15/mofree plan - REST enrichment workflows
Captain DataCaptain DataCaptain Data is worth considering when the job is B2B people-and-company enrichment, not simply collecting local listings. Its REST interface gives developers an integration point for existing workflows. Pricing is not published, so ask for a volume estimate and clarify data rights before committing or moving a pipeline.
Trade-off: It is enrichment-focused, and unpublished pricing makes cost comparison harder.
5.8/10from
Custom - Web pages for AI
FirecrawlFirecrawlFirecrawl is an open-source API for turning live web pages into Markdown or JSON, making it a fit when your replacement need has shifted from Maps listings to page extraction for AI agents. It starts at $16 with a free plan. Check operational details before scaling; it is not presented as a Maps data source.
Trade-off: It targets page extraction, not local-business data collection.
7.4/10from
$16/mofree plan
03Side by side
| Tool | Score | From | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Outscraper Outscraper (current) | 6.8 | $1/mo | Yes | Local-business data collection |
| Apify Apify | 7.7 | $19/mo | Yes | Teams needing ready-made web scrapers |
| Bright Data Bright Data | 7.0 | $499/mo | Yes | Teams collecting public-web data at scale |
| Scrapy Scrapy | 8.1 | $9/mo | Yes | Python teams building custom crawlers |
| Oxylabs Oxylabs | 6.8 | $15/mo | Yes | Teams building web-grounded AI agents |
| Captain Data Captain Data | 5.8 | Custom | No | B2B SaaS enrichment workflows |
| Firecrawl Firecrawl | 7.4 | $16/mo | Yes | AI agents that need live web data |
Questions people ask
Which Outscraper alternative is closest for Google Maps data?
Apify is the closest option in this list: it supports ready-made web scrapers and custom Actors, and a Reddit commenter points to a Google Maps Actor. Confirm the Actor’s current coverage, output shape and cost. The other options here are broader web-data tools, crawlers or enrichment APIs.
Which alternative gives us the most control over infrastructure?
Scrapy is open source and self-hostable, so your team can control crawler code and deployment. That also means you own operations and scaling. The project is aimed at Python teams crawling mostly static pages; browser rendering and hosted scaling take extra setup.
How should we compare costs before migrating?
Compare the vendor’s listed starting price with an estimate for your actual volume, not just a free tier or sample run. Ask how results and credits are counted, whether enrichments change the bill, and what concurrency limits apply. For Captain Data, pricing is not published, so request a quote.