Python Libraries & Popular Times Tools
Python Libraries
| Library | Status | API Key? | Fields | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
googlemaps (official) | Active | Yes | 50+ (API) | Official wrapper. Same pricing/limits as API |
gomaps | Dormant (Sep 2023) | No | 9 | Name, URL, address, coords, website, phone, rating, hours, Popular Times. Likely broken |
Popular Times & Foot Traffic Tools
Popular Times is NOT available via any official Google API. Must be scraped or obtained from third-party services. Historical data is also inaccessible.
populartimes (m-wrzr) — 900 Stars
pip install --upgrade git+https://github.com/m-wrzr/populartimesReturns: weekly hourly popularity (0-100 scale), wait times, time spent, current popularity. Requires API key with billing. MIT license. Unstable as Maps updates.
LivePopularTimes (GrocerCheck)
Extension adding live busyness data to populartimes. Functions: get_populartimes_by_address (no API call), get_populartimes_by_PlaceID (API + scrape), get_places_by_search.
BestTime.app (Commercial)
| Endpoints | Forecasts (hourly 0-100%), Live Busyness, Venue Filter (by traffic/day/hour/ratings/type), Venue Search |
| Coverage | 150+ countries |
| Unique | Dwell time analysis, surge detection, filter by foot traffic intensity |
| Free Tier | Test account with limited credits |
Website: besttime.app
LocalAPI
REST API returning 20+ fields per business in 2-3 seconds including Popular Times histograms (peak hours by day of week). Claims to be the only API exposing Popular Times via endpoint. Free tier: 50 searches. local-api.com
Workarounds for the 5-Review API Limit
| Method | Reviews Available | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Official Places API | 5 max | Enterprise tier |
| Google Business Profile API (own locations) | All | Free |
| Google Takeout (own GBP) | All | Free |
| Outscraper | All | First 500 free |
| Apify reviews actors | All | $0.25-0.40/1K |
| google-reviews-scraper-pro | All | Free (+ proxies) |
| Tampermonkey userscript | All (manual) | Free |
| DIY Playwright/Puppeteer scroll | All | Free (+ proxies) |
| SerpAPI reviews endpoint | All | $50+/mo |