# Python Libraries & Popular Times Tools

## Python Libraries

<table id="bkmrk-librarystatusapi-key"><tr><th>Library</th><th>Status</th><th>API Key?</th><th>Fields</th><th>Notes</th></tr><tr><td>`googlemaps` (official)</td><td>Active</td><td>Yes</td><td>50+ (API)</td><td>Official wrapper. Same pricing/limits as API</td></tr><tr><td>`gomaps`</td><td>Dormant (Sep 2023)</td><td>No</td><td>9</td><td>Name, URL, address, coords, website, phone, rating, hours, Popular Times. Likely broken</td></tr></table>

## Popular Times &amp; 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/populartimes
```

Returns: 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)

<table id="bkmrk-endpointsforecasts-%28"><tr><td>Endpoints</td><td>Forecasts (hourly 0-100%), Live Busyness, Venue Filter (by traffic/day/hour/ratings/type), Venue Search</td></tr><tr><td>Coverage</td><td>150+ countries</td></tr><tr><td>Unique</td><td>Dwell time analysis, surge detection, filter by foot traffic intensity</td></tr><tr><td>Free Tier</td><td>Test account with limited credits</td></tr></table>

Website: [besttime.app](https://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](https://local-api.com)

### Workarounds for the 5-Review API Limit

<table id="bkmrk-methodreviews-availa"><tr><th>Method</th><th>Reviews Available</th><th>Cost</th></tr><tr><td>Official Places API</td><td>5 max</td><td>Enterprise tier</td></tr><tr><td>Google Business Profile API (own locations)</td><td>All</td><td>Free</td></tr><tr><td>Google Takeout (own GBP)</td><td>All</td><td>Free</td></tr><tr><td>Outscraper</td><td>All</td><td>First 500 free</td></tr><tr><td>Apify reviews actors</td><td>All</td><td>$0.25-0.40/1K</td></tr><tr><td>google-reviews-scraper-pro</td><td>All</td><td>Free (+ proxies)</td></tr><tr><td>Tampermonkey userscript</td><td>All (manual)</td><td>Free</td></tr><tr><td>DIY Playwright/Puppeteer scroll</td><td>All</td><td>Free (+ proxies)</td></tr><tr><td>SerpAPI reviews endpoint</td><td>All</td><td>$50+/mo</td></tr></table>