Google Maps scraper and Justdial data extractor: the risks
How scrapers and extractors work, the rules they run into, and when a ready list does the job better.
By Saurabh Khatri · Published · 6 min read
What a Google Maps scraper or Justdial extractor does
A Google Maps scraper, or a Justdial data extractor, is software that runs a search such as "pharma companies in Hyderabad" and copies each result into a spreadsheet: the business name, phone number, address, website, category, rating and number of reviews. They come as browser extensions, desktop programs and online services, and they are advertised widely to Indian sales teams as a cheap way to collect "Google Maps leads".
The short answer on whether to use one: Google's and Justdial's terms of use don't allow automated collection of their content, the data needs a lot of cleaning, and it rarely includes emails. For most teams, Google Maps used by hand to check businesses, plus a ready list for the bulk of the calling, works better. The rest of this page explains why. It does not explain how to scrape.
What the sites' terms and India's data law say
- The sites' terms. Google's terms of service and Justdial's terms of use both restrict copying their content by automated means. Breaking them can get your Google account, IP address or office network blocked, and a site can take legal action against anyone who copies its data at scale.
- The official route. Google offers a paid Places API for developers. It has its own terms, which also limit how you may store the results, so it is not a way to build a permanent contact database either.
- India's data law. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 treats information about an identifiable person, such as a proprietor's name with their mobile number, as personal data. Anyone who collects and uses it takes on duties: a clear purpose, reasonable security, and acting on requests to correct or erase it. A listing being visible online does not by itself settle how you may use it.
- The IT Act. The Information Technology Act, 2000 also has provisions on copying data from a computer system without its owner's permission.
This is general information, not legal advice. If your business depends on collected data, take advice from a lawyer who knows technology law.
The practical problems
Even setting the rules aside, scraped data is harder to use than the adverts suggest:
- Blocks and breakages. Sites limit automated traffic, so tools slow down, stop part-way or get blocked. When a site changes its layout, the tool breaks until its maker updates it.
- Capped results. A map search shows only a limited number of places, so covering a city means thousands of small searches by area and keyword, with a lot of overlap.
- Duplicates. The same business turns up under several searches, spellings and branches, sometimes twice with different numbers.
- Messy categories. Businesses choose their own categories, so a search for "chemical companies" brings back paint shops, labs and transporters.
- Old and wrong listings. Closed businesses stay listed, numbers change, and some directory listings show a forwarding number instead of the business's own.
- Few emails or names. Map listings rarely show an email address or the owner's name, and many of the numbers are landlines.
Add the hours someone spends cleaning, de-duplicating and checking the sheet, and the risk to the Google account the work is tied to, and a "free" scrape is rarely cheap.
When a ready list does the job better
| Scraping tool | Ready contact list | |
|---|---|---|
| What you know before you pay | Little, until you run it | Sample rows and the share of each field |
| Cleaning | Your job: duplicates, categories, formats | Cleaned and de-duplicated before sale |
| Emails and contact names | Rare | Shown for each list before you buy |
| Time to start calling | Days of searching and cleaning | The same day |
| Freshness | As of the day you ran it | As of the list's last rebuild, shown on the page |
A ready list makes sense when you need every business of one trade in a city or state, want mobile numbers and emails in separate columns, and would rather spend the time selling. Starleads lists are Excel files with mobile numbers in +91 format, cleaned and de-duplicated. Each list page shows 60 real contacts, the share of rows with each field and the month the list was rebuilt, and a city, state or specialisation list costs ₹499. The biggest All-India lists:
- Website Owners 9,03,365 contacts · 99% email · 88% mobile ₹1,999
- IT & Networking Professionals 7,52,206 contacts · 97% email · 99% mobile ₹1,999
- Purchase & Procurement Heads 7,20,929 contacts · 28% email · 93% mobile ₹1,999
- General & Senior Managers 3,82,111 contacts · 98% email · 97% mobile ₹1,999
- Business Owners & Proprietors 3,27,377 contacts · 2% email · 98% mobile ₹1,999
- Company Secretaries 3,21,625 contacts · 98% email · 99% mobile ₹1,999
No list is complete or permanently current, ours included: businesses close and numbers change. If you can't find the trade or town you need, ask us for it, or combine industries and cities in the list builder. Our comparison of lead generation tools shows where lists fit beside LinkedIn, email finders and CRMs.
Using Google Maps the right way
Used by hand, Google Maps is one of the most useful free sales tools there is:
- Check before you call or visit. Opening hours, photos and recent reviews tell you whether a business is active and roughly how big it is.
- Plan visits by area. Sort your list by locality or PIN code, then use Maps to plan a day's route through one industrial area or market.
- Read the market. Searching your own trade in a town shows how many competitors work there and what their customers praise or complain about.
- Keep your own listing up to date, so buyers searching for you reach the right number. Our business directory websites guide covers the free listings worth having.
When you start calling, the 7-day calling plan keeps the work organised, and the DND guide covers the rules for promotional calls and SMS.
Questions people ask
Is it legal to scrape Google Maps in India?
India has no law aimed only at scraping, but Google's terms don't allow automated collection, the IT Act has provisions on copying data without permission, and the data protection law applies to the personal data you gather. Together they make it a risk most businesses should avoid.
Can I get email addresses from Google Maps?
Rarely. Listings show a phone number and often a website, but seldom an email. Tools that promise emails usually visit each website and pick up whatever address they find, which brings back many generic or wrong ones.
Is there a free Google Maps data extractor?
Free versions exist, usually limited to a few results or tied to a browser extension that asks for wide permissions. Free doesn't change the terms-of-use problem, and an extension that can read every page you open is a security risk of its own.
What about Justdial's own paid services?
Justdial sells listings and advertising to businesses that want customers to find them. That is a way to receive enquiries, not a way to download its directory.