Best Business Lookup API in 2026: Google Places vs Yelp vs Rebirth API

What Is a Business Lookup API?

A business lookup API lets you programmatically search for businesses and get structured data back. Instead of scraping Google or Yelp (which will get you banned), you send a query like "Smith Plumbing in Austin, TX" and get clean JSON with the business name, address, phone number, website, rating, review count, and hours.

Common Use Cases

• CRM enrichment — Auto-fill business details when a sales rep enters a company name
• Lead generation — Build targeted lists of businesses by category and location
• Local SEO tools — Audit business listings across platforms
• Review monitoring — Track ratings and review counts over time
• Directory apps — Power business search in your own application

The Real Cost Comparison

Most API comparisons only show the per-call price. That's misleading. What matters is: how much does it cost to get the full business profile you actually need?

Google Places is price-competitive per individual call, but you need two calls to get a complete business profile (Text Search + Place Details). At scale, that means double the API calls and the cost adds up fast. Plus you're managing two different response formats.

Yelp is free but comes with strings: you must display Yelp branding, their data skews toward restaurants and consumer businesses, and their ToS restricts competitive use cases.

Google Places API

The industry standard. Massive dataset, global coverage.

Strengths

• Most comprehensive business database globally
• 200+ countries covered with real-time updates
• Well-documented with SDKs for every language
• Photo URLs included

Weaknesses

• Complex pricing with multiple SKUs (Text Search, Nearby Search, Place Details, Photos — all billed separately)
• Requires Google Cloud Console setup and billing
• Rate limits are restrictive on lower tiers
• Overkill for simple "give me this business's info" use cases

Best for: Enterprise apps that need global coverage and can absorb the cost and complexity.

Yelp Fusion API

Strong for restaurants and local services. Rich review data.

Strengths

• Free tier with 5,000 calls/day
• Excellent restaurant and nightlife data
• Review text and photos available

Weaknesses

• Attribution required — you must show Yelp branding in your UI
• Data heavily skews toward consumer businesses
• Limited B2B coverage (good luck finding a SaaS company on Yelp)
• Terms of service restrict competitive use cases
• US-focused with limited international coverage

Best for: Consumer-facing apps in food, nightlife, and local services that can display Yelp attribution.

Rebirth API

Built specifically for developers who need business data without the overhead.

Strengths

• One call returns everything — name, address, phone, website, rating, reviews, hours
• Same API key works across 5 endpoints (business lookup, website audit, lead enrichment, review response, SMS generation)
• Flat $0.05/call pricing — no SKU confusion
• Free tier with 100 calls/month, no credit card required
• 30-second setup: signup, get key, call endpoint

Weaknesses

• US-focused (international coverage coming soon)
• Newer platform with a smaller dataset than Google
• No photo URLs (yet)

Best for: Developers and startups who need a complete business profile in one call without enterprise pricing or setup complexity.

Code Comparison

Google Places (2 calls required)

// Call 1: Find the business
const search = await fetch(
  `https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/place/textsearch/json?query=Smith+Plumbing+Austin+TX&key=${GOOGLE_KEY}`
);
const { results } = await search.json();
const placeId = results[0].place_id;

// Call 2: Get the details
const details = await fetch(
  `https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/place/details/json?place_id=${placeId}&fields=name,formatted_address,formatted_phone_number,website,rating,user_ratings_total,opening_hours&key=${GOOGLE_KEY}`
);
const { result } = await details.json();
// Now you have the full profile — after 2 API calls and $0.049

Rebirth API (1 call)

const res = await fetch('https://rebirthapi.com/api/v1/business-lookup', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer rb_live_your_key',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    query: 'Smith Plumbing',
    city: 'Austin, TX',
    limit: 5
  })
});
const data = await res.json();
// Full profile in one call — $0.05

Which API Should You Choose?

• Need global coverage and budget isn't a concern? Go with Google Places.
• Building a restaurant or nightlife app? Yelp Fusion is hard to beat for that niche.
• Want a complete business profile in one call + additional endpoints for website audits and lead enrichment? Rebirth API gives you five tools for the price of one.

FAQ

Can I use Google Places API for free?

Google gives you a $200/month credit, which covers roughly 4,000-6,000 business lookups depending on the calls you make. After that, you pay per call.

Does Yelp Fusion require attribution?

Yes. You must display the Yelp logo and link back to the business's Yelp page in your UI. This is a hard requirement in their ToS.

Is Rebirth API free?

There's a free tier with 100 calls/month and no credit card required. Paid plans start at $49/month for 5,000 calls.

Which API has the best data quality?

Google Places has the largest dataset globally. For US business data, all three are comparable. Yelp has the best restaurant data. Rebirth API returns the most complete profile per call.