Google Map LeadsGuide
Best Chrome extension for Google Maps leads: how to compare
A Chrome extension is the quickest way to turn Google Maps into a lead list: it reads the map you already have open and writes the businesses into a spreadsheet. But the ones on offer differ a lot in what they collect, how far they scan and what they cost. Here's how to compare them, and what to check before you install one.
Why people use a Chrome extension for this
Google Maps already lists almost every local business — plumbers, roofers, dentists, cafés, garages. Copying those details out by hand takes minutes per business, and a cloud scraper needs an account and often an API key before it collects anything. An extension sits on top of the Maps page you're already using, so you can start in a couple of minutes and watch the list build as it works. If you're weighing that against the other approaches, the comparison of Google Maps scrapers covers hand copying, cloud tools and extensions side by side.
The three kinds of Maps lead extension you'll find
Extensions that read Google Maps come in three broad shapes, and they suit different people. The descriptions below are about the category as a whole — what any individual tool does depends on the version you install, so always read its own listing or documentation.
1. Free and open-source scrapers
Scripts and small extensions published for anyone to use. They cost nothing, but usually need some technical comfort to install, cover one search at a time, and stop when a listing fails to load.
2. Marketplace toolbar extensions
Extensions installed from the Chrome Web Store, often bundled with a wider sales or marketing toolkit. Most need an account, and what they can collect — and how many rows — depends on the plan you buy.
3. Purpose-built lead scanners
Extensions written for one job: work through a Maps area, filter what you keep, and write the results to a spreadsheet. This is the category Google Map Leads sits in.
Side-by-side
| Free / open-source | Marketplace toolbar | Google Map Leads | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup | Load from source, often with technical steps | Install from the store, usually with an account | Unzip and load unpacked — no account, no Google API key |
| Cost | Free, but paid for in your time | Subscription or credits, varies by provider | Free up to 25 leads, then Pro at $25/month or $199/year |
| Area coverage | Usually one search at a time | Varies by provider | Grid per town (1, 3×3 or 5×5) plus city lists in 45 countries |
| Website filter | Rarely built in | Varies by provider | All, with website, or without — plus a website status column |
| Mobile numbers | Rarely built in | Varies by provider | Mobile-only filtering in 40 countries |
| Export | CSV at best, sometimes needs code | CSV or Excel, often with row limits | CSV and Excel, one row per business |
| Long scans | Typically stop when a listing fails | Varies by provider | Slow listings retried then skipped; only a real captcha pauses |
| Where it runs | Your machine | Their servers, yours, or both | Your own browser, on the page you're looking at |
The first two columns describe the category, not any named product — details vary by provider, so check each one's own listing or documentation.
What to check before you install
Does it cover more than one search?
One Maps search returns a limited number of places. A tool worth paying for repeats the search — square by square over a town, or town by town across a region — so the list doesn't quietly stop early.
Can it filter while it scans?
Web design prospects are the businesses with no website; SMS and WhatsApp outreach needs mobile numbers. Filtering as the scan runs saves cleaning the sheet afterwards.
What does the export actually contain?
Look past the word 'CSV' to the columns: website, website status, phone, mobile, address, country, region, rating, reviews and a link back to the listing.
How does it behave on a bad listing?
Long scans meet slow pages and dead ends. Check whether the tool retries, skips and carries on, or stops and loses the run.
How does pricing scale?
Per-result or per-run pricing gets expensive on big lists. A flat monthly price is easier to predict if you scan every week.
What does it need to run?
Some tools need an account, an API key or a credit card before you see a single lead. Others read the public page in your own browser and start immediately.
What Google Map Leads does
Google Map Leads is a Chrome extension built for people who sell to local businesses. These are its own features:
Scan modes
Current map area, top 100 world cities, city lists in 45 countries, full UK presets, or your own town list anywhere in the world.
Grid per town
Small (1 square), Medium (3×3) or Large (5×5) — reaches past Google's 120-result limit in big towns.
Website filter
Keep every business, only those with a website, or only those without one.
Mobile filter
Keep all numbers, or mobiles only — recognised in 40 countries, including the UK, most of Europe, Australia, India, Japan, Brazil and much of the Middle East and Africa — perfect for SMS and WhatsApp outreach.
Results table
Search, review and remove leads in a full-page table before exporting.
CSV + Excel
Name, website, website status, phone, mobile, address, country, region, category, rating, reviews and Maps link.
Auto-recovery
Stuck listings are retried then skipped; slow areas reload automatically. Only real captchas pause.
No duplicates
Leads persist between searches and repeats are skipped.
The full walkthrough — search, grid, filters, review and export — is in the Google Maps lead finder guide, and the built-in city lists by market are on the country pages.
Free and paid
The free plan scans up to 25 leads and exports them as CSV from the current map area — enough to check the details are clean before you rely on it. Pro removes the cap, adds Excel export and every town-list scan mode, and costs $25 a month or $199 a year, payable in your local currency.
Before you contact anyone
Any extension of this kind collects publicly listed business details. How you use them is your responsibility — check the marketing rules where you and your customers are, like GDPR and PECR in the UK or CAN-SPAM in the US, before calling, texting or emailing businesses from a list.
Still deciding? Read the comparison of Google Maps scrapers, the lead finder guide, or the FAQ.