IBLead vs Apify: Which Google Maps Scraper Wins in 2025?

Apify and IBLead both extract Google Maps data, but they work in fundamentally different ways. Apify is a general-purpose web scraping marketplace with thousands of APIs. IBLead is a pre-indexed database of 50M+ businesses across 37 countries, updated monthly, ready to export.

The difference matters. One requires building custom workflows. The other requires two clicks.

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Quick Comparison: TL;DR

Feature	IBLead	Apify
Setup time	2 minutes	30+ minutes (learning curve)
Google Maps data	Pre-indexed, monthly updates	Real-time scraping via API
Minimum price	€44/month (all features)	€49/month (pay-as-you-go)
Email extraction	Included	Requires separate API
Review scraping	✅ Full text, date, author	❌ Not available
Tech detection	160+ technologies	❌ Not available
Best for	Sales teams, lead gen, B2B outreach	Developers, custom workflows
Learning curve	None (UI-based)	High (code/API knowledge needed)

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Pricing: The Real Cost Comparison

IBLead Pricing (€/month, all features included)

Plan	Credits/month	Price	Cost per business
Free	5,000	€0	Free (trial only)
Starter	10,000	€44	€0.0035
Pro	20,000	€89	€0.0028
Business	40,000	€179	€0.0025
Enterprise	100,000	€449	€0.0025

Key point: Every feature (filters, email enrichment, review scraping, tech detection) is included in every paid plan. No feature gating.

Apify Pricing ($USD/month, variable costs)

Plan	Monthly credits	Price	Notes
Free	Limited	$0	Trial only, very restricted
Starter	Pay-as-you-go	$49	Base fee + per-API costs
Professional	Pay-as-you-go	$199	Base fee + per-API costs
Enterprise	Custom	Custom	Negotiated pricing

The catch: Apify charges for each API separately. To extract Google Maps data AND get email addresses AND detect website technologies, you need multiple APIs. Each one costs extra.

Real-world example: - Google Maps Scraper API: $10-50/run - Google Maps Email Extractor API: $10-50/run
- Website tech detection: Additional API or manual work

A single extraction with all features can cost $50-150+ on Apify. On IBLead Starter (€44/month), you get 10,000 businesses with everything included.

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Feature Comparison: What You Actually Get

Feature	IBLead	Apify
Search by city	✅	✅
Search by region	✅	✅
Search by country	✅ (€44/mo)	✅ (requires custom setup)
Filter by category	✅ 4,000+	✅ Via custom API
Filter by rating	✅	✅
Filter by review count	✅	✅
Filter by claimed status	✅	⚠️ Partial
Extract emails	✅ Enriched from website	⚠️ Requires separate API
Extract phone	✅	✅
Extract address	✅ Full breakdown	✅
Extract website	✅	✅
Scrape Google reviews	✅ Text, date, author	❌ Not available
Detect website tech	✅ 160+ technologies	❌ Not available
Social media links	✅	⚠️ Via email extractor
SIRET/SIREN (France)	✅ Auto-matched	❌
Export to CSV/Excel	✅	✅
API access	✅ REST API	✅
CRM integrations	✅ HubSpot, Salesforce	✅ Zapier, custom

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Where IBLead Wins: 3 Concrete Advantages

1. Pre-Indexed Database = No Scraping Wait

Apify scrapes Google Maps in real-time when you run a job. This means: - Job can take 5-30 minutes depending on volume - You wait for results - Rate limits apply - Potential for incomplete data if Google blocks mid-scrape

IBLead's database is pre-indexed and updated monthly. Export 10,000 businesses in 30 seconds. No waiting. No rate limits. No failed jobs.

Real impact: You need 5,000 plumbers in France by tomorrow? IBLead: 2 minutes. Apify: 20+ minutes plus setup time.

2. Google Reviews Scraping (Exclusive)

IBLead scrapes the full text of Google reviews—the actual customer feedback. You get: - Review text (full message) - Star rating (1-5) - Date posted - Author name

Use cases: - Find businesses with low ratings (<3 stars) to pitch reputation services - Analyze customer pain points by reviewing feedback - Personalize outreach: "I saw your recent 2-star review about slow service..." - Identify trending complaints in an industry

Apify doesn't touch reviews at all. You'd need a separate tool or manual extraction.

Concrete example: A reputation management agency scraped 500 restaurants with <3 stars in London. Found 47 with common complaint about "rude staff." Pitched staff training consulting. 8% conversion rate.

3. Website Technology Detection (160+ Technologies)

IBLead detects if a business uses WordPress, Shopify, WooCommerce, HubSpot, Mailchimp, Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, Stripe, PayPal, and 150+ more.

Why this matters: - Web agencies: Find businesses with outdated WordPress sites (pre-5.0) → pitch modernization - SEO agencies: Find businesses WITHOUT Google Analytics → pitch analytics setup - SaaS sales: Find all Mailchimp users in your territory → pitch your email platform - Payment processors: Find Stripe users → pitch competitor features

Apify has no tech detection. You'd have to manually check each website or buy a separate data enrichment tool.

Concrete example: An email marketing SaaS found 1,200 businesses using Mailchimp (all in their target industry). Pitched 400. Got 28 qualified demos (7% response). Closed 3 customers at €5k/year each.

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Where Apify Wins: 2 Honest Points

1. Real-Time Scraping for Volatile Data

If you need data that changes hourly (stock prices, live availability, real-time inventory), Apify's real-time scraping is better. IBLead updates monthly, so you miss daily changes.

Who cares: Ecommerce platforms, price comparison sites, job boards.

Who doesn't: Sales teams, lead generation, B2B prospecting (business data doesn't change weekly).

2. Extreme Customization via Marketplace

Apify has 1,000+ pre-built Actors (APIs) for different scraping tasks. If you need something very specific (extract data from a custom website structure, scrape competitor pricing, monitor social media), Apify's flexibility wins.

IBLead is Google Maps only. If you need multi-source data, Apify is better.

Who cares: Data analysts, researchers, developers building custom data pipelines.

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Detailed Feature Breakdown: What You're Really Paying For

Input Methods

IBLead: - Country - Region (level 1) - Sub-region (level 2) - City - Category (4,000+ options)

One unified interface. Pick your criteria, click search, filter, export.

Apify: - Keyword + location - Google Maps URL (longitude, latitude, zoom) - Custom polygon/circle (draw your own area) - Requires choosing which API to use first

Apify is more flexible if you need pixel-perfect geographic targeting. IBLead is faster for standard searches.

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Filtering Capabilities

IBLead filters (all included): - ✅ Rating (min/max) - ✅ Review count (min/max) - ✅ Claimed status (yes/no) - ✅ Contact info (email, phone, website present/absent) - ✅ Social media (has Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.) - ✅ Website tech (filter by specific technology) - ✅ Ad pixels (filter by marketing platform) - ✅ Price range - ✅ Photo count

Apify filters (varies by API): - ✅ Rating - ✅ Business name keyword - ⚠️ Some others require custom code

Apify's filtering is basic unless you write custom code. IBLead's filtering is advanced and pre-built.

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Data Output Comparison

IBLead exports (per business): - Name, address (full breakdown), phone, email (enriched) - Website, Google Place ID, CID - Rating, review count, review details (text, date, author) - Claimed status, photo count - Website title, meta description, meta keywords, meta image - 160+ detected technologies - Ad pixels (Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, etc.) - Social media profiles (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok) - SIRET, SIREN, APE, director name (France only) - GPS coordinates, opening hours

Apify exports (varies by API): - Name, address, phone, website - Rating, review count - Google Place ID - ⚠️ Email requires separate API - ⚠️ Social media requires separate API - ❌ No review text - ❌ No tech detection - ❌ No SIRET data

IBLead gives you everything in one export. Apify requires multiple APIs and manual data consolidation.

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Real-World Testing: Extracting 100 Restaurant Listings

Scenario

Extract 100 restaurants in Paris with email addresses, phone numbers, and current ratings.

IBLead Process

1. Go to app.iblead.com
2. Select "France" → "Île-de-France" → "Paris" → "Restaurants"
3. Click "Search" (preview shows 847 results)
4. Click "Filters" → set rating ≥ 4.0, must have email
5. Click "Export" → select CSV → download

Time: 3 minutes
Cost: 100 credits (€0.35 on Starter plan)
Data quality: Complete, including review text and website tech

Apify Process

1. Create account, verify email
2. Browse marketplace, find "Google Maps Scraper" Actor
3. Read documentation (10+ minutes)
4. Choose input type: keyword + location
5. Enter "restaurants" + "Paris, France"
6. Set filters: rating ≥ 4.0
7. Run job (15-20 minutes)
8. Get results without emails
9. Run separate "Google Maps Email Extractor" job (another 15-20 minutes)
10. Consolidate data manually in Excel

Time: 45-60 minutes
Cost: $30-80 depending on APIs used
Data quality: Basic, requires manual work to consolidate

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Pricing Deep Dive: Why IBLead Is 2-3x Cheaper

Scenario: Extract 20,000 businesses with full data

IBLead: - Pro plan: €89/month (20,000 credits) - All features included - Total: €89

Apify: - Starter plan: €49/month - Google Maps Scraper: ~$30 (for 20K businesses) - Google Maps Email Extractor: ~$30 (for 20K businesses) - Website tech detection: Manual or third-party tool - Total: $109+ (~€100+)

IBLead is 45% cheaper and includes everything Apify charges extra for.

Volume Pricing Comparison

Volume	IBLead	Apify	Savings
10K	€44	$49 (~€45)	22%
20K	€89	$109+ (~€100)	45%
40K	€179	$199+ (~€180)	45%
100K	€449	$499+ (~€450)	44%

At scale, IBLead costs less than half of Apify.

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Ease of Use: Learning Curve Matters

IBLead Learning Curve

• Day 1: Sign up, run first search (5 minutes)
• Day 2: Understand filters, export CSV (2 minutes)
• Day 3: Integrate with CRM (5 minutes if using Zapier)

Total onboarding: 15 minutes

Apify Learning Curve

• Day 1: Sign up, explore marketplace (15 minutes)
• Day 2: Choose an Actor, read docs (30 minutes)
• Day 3: Set up inputs, run first job (20 minutes)
• Day 4: Understand why results are incomplete, find email extractor (20 minutes)
• Day 5: Run second job, consolidate data (30 minutes)
• Week 2: Learn API for automation (2+ hours if needed)

Total onboarding: 2-4 hours

For non-technical users, IBLead saves 10+ hours of learning.

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Integration Capabilities

IBLead Integrations

• ✅ CSV/Excel export
• ✅ Zapier (trigger workflows)
• ✅ HubSpot (direct CRM sync)
• ✅ Salesforce (direct CRM sync)
• ✅ REST API (custom integrations)
• ✅ Lemlist (email outreach)
• ✅ Instantly (email outreach)

Apify Integrations

• ✅ CSV/JSON export
• ✅ Zapier
• ✅ Webhooks (custom)
• ✅ API (REST)
• ⚠️ CRM integrations require custom setup

Both integrate well, but IBLead's direct CRM connectors save setup time.

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Data Freshness & Update Frequency

IBLead

• Update frequency: Monthly
• Data age: 0-30 days old
• Guarantee: All data re-verified before export
• Duplicate removal: Automatic

Best for: Sales teams, lead generation, B2B outreach (data doesn't change weekly)

Apify

• Update frequency: Real-time (on-demand)
• Data age: Current (scraped at request time)
• Guarantee: No guarantee of completeness (Google may block)
• Duplicate removal: Manual or custom script

Best for: Researchers, analysts, platforms needing live data

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Support & Documentation

IBLead

• Email support (response <24 hours)
• Knowledge base with tutorials
• Video guides for common tasks
• Community Slack channel

Apify

• Documentation (extensive, technical)
• Community forum
• Email support (response 24-48 hours)
• No video tutorials for beginners

IBLead's support is more beginner-friendly. Apify's support assumes technical knowledge.

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Who Should Use What: Honest Recommendation

Use IBLead If You're...

1. A sales team looking to build prospect lists
2. A marketing agency prospecting for clients
3. A B2B SaaS doing outbound lead gen
4. A real estate agent finding properties in a region
5. A recruiter finding companies to source talent from
6. Non-technical and want results fast
7. Budget-conscious and want all features included
8. Time-constrained and need data in minutes, not hours

You want: Quick exports, ready-to-use data, low cost, no learning curve.

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Use Apify If You're...

1. A developer building custom data pipelines
2. A researcher needing real-time, volatile data
3. An analyst combining data from multiple sources
4. A company needing extreme customization
5. Technical and comfortable with APIs/code
6. Scraping non-Google-Maps data (Apify's real strength)

You want: Flexibility, real-time data, custom workflows, developer control.

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Limitations: What Each Tool Can't Do

IBLead Limitations

• ❌ Real-time scraping (monthly updates only)
• ❌ Non-Google Maps data (it's Google Maps only)
• ❌ Custom website scraping (not supported)
• ❌ Historical data tracking (can't see how ratings changed over time)

Apify Limitations

• ❌ Pre-indexed data (slower than ready-made databases)
• ❌ Email enrichment (requires separate APIs)
• ❌ Tech detection (not available)
• ❌ Review text scraping (Google blocks it)
• ❌ Beginner-friendly (steep learning curve)
• ❌ Affordable for small teams (costs add up quickly)

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I use IBLead and Apify together?

A: Yes. Use IBLead for your main Google Maps exports (faster, cheaper), then use Apify for supplementary data (custom website scraping, real-time monitoring). Most teams just use IBLead and don't need Apify.

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Q: Does IBLead have an API?

A: Yes. IBLead offers a REST API for custom integrations. You can automate exports, trigger searches programmatically, and build custom workflows. API documentation is at app.iblead.com/docs.

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Q: Can I scrape Google Maps reviews with Apify?

A: No. Google blocks review scraping at scale. Apify can't extract review text. IBLead scrapes reviews because we have a pre-indexed database—Google doesn't block us the same way.

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Q: Is web scraping Google Maps legal?

A: Yes, scraping publicly available data is legal in most jurisdictions. Both IBLead and Apify operate legally. However: - Only scrape public information - Respect rate limits - Don't resell scraped data (unless permitted) - Follow Google's Terms of Service