Updated Oct 2026

Google Reviews API vs scraping: which one you actually need

Before picking a Google reviews scraper, answer one question: is the business yours? If you own or manage it, the official Google Business Profile API returns all your reviews and lets you reply, no scraping needed. If it belongs to someone else, the official Places API gives you at most 5 reviews per place, and scraping Google Maps goes against Google’s terms. Prisma only helps in the first case.

The decision table

Short version: your business → official API. Someone else’s → you get a sample through Places, and that’s it officially.

Option 1: the official API for your own business

The Google Business Profile API is Google’s API for owners and managers. Its review endpoints (review data docs):

• accounts.locations.reviews.list returns all the reviews associated with a location.
• accounts.locations.reviews.updateReply creates or updates your reply.

The catch is access. According to Google’s prerequisites, you need a Google Cloud project, an organization account, a Business Profile verified and active for 60+ days, a website on that profile, and an approved access request. Until approval, your quota shows 0 QPM; once approved, 300 QPM. Our guide on how to get Google Business Profile API access walks through it.

This is the only route that gives you complete data and the ability to reply.

Option 2: the Places API, for any business

The Places API works for any public place, including ones you don’t own. The trade-off is in its reference: the reviews field returns a maximum of 5 reviews, sorted by relevance. No pagination to get the rest, no replies.

It’s the right tool for showing a rating and a few reviews next to a place in an app or a map. It’s the wrong tool for analytics, monitoring or “all reviews”. See Google Maps reviews API for details.

Option 3: scraping Google reviews

Scraping means loading Google Maps pages with a bot and extracting the text. People do it because it seems to solve the 5-review limit. What to know before you scrape Google reviews:

Terms of service

• Google’s Terms of Service prohibit using automated means to access content in violation of machine-readable instructions such as robots.txt.
• The Google Maps Platform Terms, section 3.2.3(a) “No Scraping”, say customers won’t export, extract or otherwise scrape Google Maps Content, and explicitly list “copy and save business names, addresses, or user reviews”.

Whether a given scraping project is legal depends on your country, the data and what you do with it. This page is not legal advice.

Practical problems

• Blocks: rate limits, CAPTCHAs and IP bans. Scrapers need proxies and maintenance.
• Breakage: Google changes page markup without notice; your parser fails silently.
• Incomplete data: missed reviews, truncated text, no stable review IDs to deduplicate.
• Personal data: reviewer names and photos are personal data under GDPR if you store them.
• No replies: a scraper can read, never answer.

Scraping isn’t a disaster for a one-off look. It’s a weak foundation for a product.

Side by side

If the business isn’t yours

Plainly: Prisma can’t help you, and we won’t pretend otherwise. Prisma only connects locations whose owner or manager signs in through OAuth.

Your honest options:

• Use the Places API for up to 5 reviews per place, within its terms.
• Ask the owner. If you’re an agency, have your client connect their profile; then it’s their business and Option 1 applies.
• Talk to a lawyer before building a product on scraped review data.

If the business is yours: skip all this with Prisma

Prisma uses its own Google Cloud project for the Business Profile API, so you don’t apply for Google’s review or meet the 60-day rule with a project of your own. Connect your locations, then:

curl "https://api.prismareviews.com/v1/reviews?platform=google&location_id=loc_123" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $PRISMA_API_KEY"

const res = await fetch("https://api.prismareviews.com/v1/reviews?platform=google&location_id=loc_123", {
  headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.PRISMA_API_KEY}` },
});
const { data } = await res.json(); // every review, normalized JSON

import os, requests
r = requests.get(
    "https://api.prismareviews.com/v1/reviews",
    params={"platform": "google", "location_id": "loc_123"},
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['PRISMA_API_KEY']}"},
)
print(len(r.json()["data"]))

The same call returns Trustpilot, App Store and Google Play reviews in the same JSON. Need a spreadsheet instead? Use the export Google reviews tool, or embed Google reviews on your site. Start with the quickstart, or read more on the Google Reviews API.

FAQ

Is scraping Google reviews allowed?

Google’s Terms of Service and Maps Platform Terms both restrict it, including copying and saving user reviews. Legality depends on your jurisdiction and use; get legal advice for anything beyond a one-off.

How many reviews does the Google Places API return?

At most 5 per place, sorted by relevance.

How do I get all reviews of my own business?

Through the Google Business Profile API with owner or manager access. It lists all reviews and lets you reply. You need Google’s approval, or a provider that already has it, like Prisma.

Can Prisma get reviews of a competitor?

No. Prisma only works with locations you own or manage.

Can I export my Google reviews to CSV?

Yes, if the business is yours: through the official API, Prisma, or our export tool.