Comparisons / Google Maps API

Clair vs Google Places API: local business data compared

For lead lists and local research that need each business's phone, website, and rating, Clair costs less than Google's Places API from about 2,500 searches a month and less than half from 5,000, and one Clair search returns every place the Maps list loads instead of 20. Google's API is official and stable, answers without driving a browser, gives the first 1,000 Enterprise searches a month free, and has autocomplete, geocoding, and photos. If you build a product on Maps data rather than collect it, or search fewer than about 2,500 times a month, use Google.

Published by Clair. Google Places API facts checked September 28, 2026 against the sources listed below.

Cost

Monthly cost at the same volume

Searches	Clair	Google Places API	Clair as share
1,000 / month	$20.10 (Pay as you go)	$0 (free allowance)	–
5,000 / month	$67.76 (Pro)	$140	48%
10,000 / month	$134.76 (Pro)	$315	43%
25,000 / month	$252.02 (Ultra)	$840	30%
50,000 / month	$402.24 (Mega)	$1,715	23%
100,000 / month	$807.24 (Mega)	$3,465	23%

Clair: the cheapest Google Maps API plan for each volume, fee plus overage. Google Places API: list price per request after the monthly free allowance. USD, before tax.

Google bills a Text Search by the most expensive field you ask for. Phone number, website, rating, and opening hours are Enterprise fields, so a lead-list search is a Text Search Enterprise request: $35 per 1,000 up to 500,000 a month, with the first 1,000 a month free.
Asking for reviews moves the request up to the Enterprise + Atmosphere SKU, $40 per 1,000 for Text Search and $25 per 1,000 for Place Details, each with 1,000 free a month.
A Google Text Search page holds up to 20 places, and a query returns at most 60 across pages, each page billed. A Clair search scrolls the Maps list and returns every place it loaded, usually 20 to 70, as one request. The table counts searches, so for the same number of places Google's side is higher than shown.
Clair prices the cheapest of its plans for that volume. Requests that fail on Clair's side (5xx) are refunded.

Request

The same search on each

Clair

curl "https://api.clair.im/v1/search?engine=google_maps&q=plumbers+in+Denver&country=us" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CLAIR_API_KEY"

Google Places API

curl -X POST "https://places.googleapis.com/v1/places:searchText" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-Goog-Api-Key: $GOOGLE_API_KEY" \
  -H "X-Goog-FieldMask: places.id,places.displayName,places.formattedAddress,places.nationalPhoneNumber,places.websiteUri,places.rating,places.userRatingCount" \
  -d '{"textQuery": "plumbers in Denver"}'

Google needs a field mask on every request and bills by the fields in it; Clair returns the same fields every time. Clair's place_id is Google's place ID, so the two can be joined. The full Clair response is on the Google Maps API page.

Features

What each returns and supports

	Clair	Google Places API
Places per search	Every place the list loads, usually 20 to 70	Up to 20 per page, 60 across pages
Phone, website, rating, and hours in search results	Yes	Yes, at the Enterprise price
Reviews	The ones Google shows first, on Place	Yes, at the Enterprise + Atmosphere price
Price the same whatever fields you use	Yes	No
Search by coordinates	latitude, longitude, zoom	Location bias or restriction
Official and stable schema	No	Yes
Complete data on every place	Not always: Google sometimes serves a limited view, flagged in place.view	Yes
Autocomplete, geocoding, and photos	No	Yes
Free usage each month	200 requests	1,000 Enterprise searches
Needs a Google Cloud billing account	No	Yes

Verdict

When to pick each

Pick Clair when

You build lead lists or market maps and need phone and website for every business: from 5,000 searches a month, Clair costs less than half as much in the table above, and returns more places per search.
You want the same fields on every call without tuning a field mask to control cost.
You also need the businesses' own contacts, reviews elsewhere, or Google Search results under one key.

Pick Google Places API when

You search fewer than about 2,500 times a month: Google's free allowance and list price come out cheaper than Clair's pay as you go.
You build a product on Maps data, such as a store locator or an address form, and need autocomplete, geocoding, photos, or a stable official schema.
Each search waits on a user. Clair drives a real browser and takes seconds per call.
Every record must be complete. Clair sometimes receives Google's limited view of a place, without reviews and most of the week's hours.

FAQ

Common questions

Is Clair's place_id the same as Google's place ID?

Yes. It is the ID Google uses in Maps, so you can store Clair results and look the same place up in Google's Places API later, or the other way round.

Why does Google's price change with the fields I request?

Places API (New) bills each request at the SKU of the most expensive field in its field mask. Address and location are Essentials fields and name is Pro; phone, website, rating, and hours are Enterprise; reviews are Enterprise + Atmosphere.

Can I use both?

Yes. A common split is Clair for collecting lists in bulk, and Google's API for the parts of a product users interact with, such as autocomplete.

Sources

Where the numbers come from

Competitor details read from these pages on September 28, 2026. Plans change; check the source before deciding.

Try Google Maps API free

200 requests a month on the free tier, no card. Compare the output on your own queries.

Get API Key →Compare plans