Google Places API pricing hit a breaking point in 2026. The basic "Essentials" tier starts at $275/month, and if you need contact details it's $400+. For indie developers, MVPs, and side projects, that's a non-starter.
I built BizData — a free REST API and MCP server that returns business data for any location worldwide. No API key. No signup. No rate limits (yet).
What It Does
Query any city + business category and get structured JSON back: name, address, phone, website, email, coordinates, opening hours. 37 business categories from restaurants to hospitals.
Example — find cafes in Paris:
GET https://bizdata-web.vercel.app/api/businesses?city=paris&category=cafe&limit=5
Returns:
{
"businesses": [
{
"name": "Café de Flore",
"address": "172 Boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris",
"phone": "+33 1 45 48 55 26",
"website": "https://cafedeflore.fr",
"latitude": 48.8540,
"longitude": 2.3325
}
],
"count": 2309,
"city": "paris",
"category": "cafe"
}
How It Works
BizData wraps the OpenStreetMap Overpass API and normalizes the messy OSM tag system into a clean REST interface. European cities have 50-70% data completeness. Paris alone has 8,300+ restaurants and 2,300+ cafes.
Also an MCP Server
If you're building with Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client:
https://bizdata-web.vercel.app/api/mcp
Add it as a remote MCP server (Streamable HTTP transport). Your AI agent can then search businesses in natural language.
When to Use BizData vs Google Places
| BizData | Google Places | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $275-400+/month |
| Auth | None | API key required |
| Data source | OpenStreetMap (community) | Google's proprietary data |
| Best for | Europe, Asia, prototypes | US/UK, production apps needing 95%+ coverage |
| Completeness | 50-70% (Europe), 20-33% (US/UK) | 90%+ globally |
Honest take: If you need comprehensive US data, Google is still better. If you're building an MVP, working with European data, or just don't want to pay $275/month for a side project, BizData works.
Try It
- API: https://bizdata-web.vercel.app/api/businesses?city=london&category=restaurant&limit=3
- Comparison of 7 alternatives: https://bizdata-web.vercel.app/compare
- City explorer: https://bizdata-web.vercel.app/cities/paris
No signup. No API key. Just make a GET request.
37 Supported Categories
restaurant, cafe, bar, hotel, hospital, pharmacy, bank, supermarket, gym, school, university, library, cinema, theatre, museum, park, parking, fuel, car_repair, dentist, veterinary, post_office, police, fire_station, embassy, nightclub, fast_food, bakery, butcher, convenience, clothes, electronics, furniture, hairdresser, beauty, laundry, car_wash
Built this as a solo project. Feedback welcome — especially if you find data gaps in specific cities.