Free API replaces Google Places with global business data

Google’s Places API has crossed a critical threshold for solo developers and early-stage teams. Starting in 2026, the basic tier now costs $275 per month, with contact details pushing costs over $400. For indie developers building MVPs or running side projects, this pricing shift makes Google’s solution financially unviable.

To fill the gap, BizData launched as a free REST API and MCP server that returns structured business data for any location globally—no API key, no signup, and no rate limits (yet).

What BizData Delivers

The service accepts a city and business category, returning structured JSON with essential details: business name, address, phone, website, email, coordinates, and opening hours. It covers 37 categories, from restaurants and cafes to hospitals and banks.

A typical request for cafes in Paris might look like this:

GET 

The response includes a paginated list of businesses with clean, normalized data:

{
  "businesses": [
    {
      "name": "Café de Flore",
      "address": "172 Boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris",
      "phone": "+33 1 45 48 55 26",
      "website": "
      "latitude": 48.8540,
      "longitude": 2.3325
    }
  ],
  "count": 2309,
  "city": "paris",
  "category": "cafe"
}

Behind the Scenes: How It Works

BizData leverages the OpenStreetMap Overpass API and standardizes its unstructured tagging system into a clean REST interface. Data completeness varies by region: European cities typically have 50–70% coverage, with Paris alone hosting over 8,300 restaurants and 2,300 cafes.

While global coverage isn’t uniform, the service provides a practical alternative for prototyping and early-stage products where cost and simplicity outweigh exhaustive data requirements.

MCP Server Support for AI Agents

Developers using Claude, Cursor, or other MCP-compatible clients can integrate BizData as a remote MCP server via Streamable HTTP transport. This enables natural language queries for business data directly within AI agents.

BizData vs. Google Places: When to Choose Each

When deciding between services, weigh these trade-offs:

• Price: Free vs. $275–$400+ monthly for Google Places
• Authentication: No API key required vs. Google’s strict key management
• Data source: Community-driven OpenStreetMap vs. Google’s proprietary dataset
• Use case fit:
• BizData: Best for Europe, Asia, prototypes, or projects prioritizing cost savings
• Google Places: Ideal for US/UK markets or apps requiring 95%+ global coverage

Completeness snapshot:

• Europe: 50–70% coverage
• US/UK: 20–33% coverage
• Google Places: 90%+ globally

For indie devs building in Europe or prototyping globally, BizData offers a compelling zero-cost alternative. For production apps targeting the US or UK with high accuracy demands, Google Places remains the stronger choice—despite the price tag.

Try It Today

Getting started is straightforward:

• Query businesses by city and category: `
• Explore city-specific datasets: `
• Compare alternatives: `

Simply make a GET request—no signup, no API key, and no hidden fees.

Full Category List

The API supports 37 business categories, including:

• Dining: restaurant, cafe, bar, fast_food, bakery, butcher, convenience
• Lodging: hotel
• Healthcare: hospital, pharmacy, dentist, veterinary
• Financial: bank, post_office
• Retail: supermarket, clothes, electronics, furniture
• Services: gym, school, university, library, cinema, theatre, museum, park, parking, fuel, car_repair, car_wash, laundry, hairdresser, beauty
• Public services: police, fire_station, embassy, nightclub

BizData was built as a solo project with a focus on accessibility and affordability. The creator welcomes feedback, especially reports of data gaps in specific cities, to improve coverage over time.

As API pricing continues to rise, tools like BizData highlight the growing demand for cost-effective, developer-friendly alternatives—proving that high-quality data doesn’t always require a premium price.