I tested all three major B2B data sources by scraping 1,000 records from each. Here's what I found about data quality, accuracy, and which one to use for what.
The Test Setup
Goal: Find 1,000 valid B2B leads in the "marketing agency" niche
Sources tested:
- Google Maps (local businesses)
- Yelp (reviewed businesses)
- Apollo (business database)
What I measured:
- Email deliverability rate
- Phone number accuracy
- Company data completeness
- Duplicates between sources
Google Maps: Best for Local B2B
What you get:
- Business name, address, phone
- Category/industry tags
- Hours of operation
- Website URL
- Review count and rating
Email data: ❌ Not included (need separate email finder)
Phone accuracy: 92% based on testing 100 random calls
Best for: Local service businesses, brick-and-mortar, regional targeting
Quality issues I found:
- 8% of phone numbers were disconnected or wrong
- About 30% of businesses had no website listed
- Some listings were home addresses (solo entrepreneurs)
- Categories can be vague
When to use Google Maps:
- Targeting specific cities or regions
- Looking for local service providers
- Need physical location data
- Want businesses with customer reviews
Yelp: Best for Reputation Data
What you get:
- Business name, address, phone
- Detailed categories
- Price range indicators
- Photos
- Review text and ratings
- Claimed vs unclaimed business status
Email data: ❌ Not included
Phone accuracy: 89% (slightly worse than Google Maps)
Best for: Businesses that care about reviews, consumer-facing B2B
Quality issues I found:
- 11% phone number issues
- Many listings are consumer-focused (restaurants, etc.)
- Fewer pure B2B companies compared to Google Maps
- Website URLs often missing
When to use Yelp:
- Want to filter by review quality
- Need price range data
- Targeting businesses that engage with customers publicly
- Looking for claimed businesses (more likely to be active)
Apollo: Best for Contact Data
What you get:
- Company name, industry, size
- Employee names and titles
- Direct email addresses
- Phone numbers (both company and direct)
- LinkedIn profiles
- Technology stack
- Funding information
Email data: ✅ YES - included for most contacts
Phone accuracy: 78% (lower than map-based sources)
Best for: Sales prospecting, finding decision-makers, tech companies
Quality issues I found:
- 22% of phone numbers were wrong
- Email bounce rate around 15-20%
- Data can be 6-12 months old
- Smaller local businesses often missing
When to use Apollo:
- Need decision-maker contact info
- Want to target by job title
- Looking for tech stack data
- Prospecting at enterprise companies
The Verdict: Which Should You Use?
Use Google Maps when:
- You need local businesses in specific cities
- Phone calls are your main outreach method
- You want the most accurate phone numbers
- Physical location matters
Use Yelp when:
- You want businesses with strong reputations
- Review quality is a qualifying factor
- Targeting consumer-facing B2B
- Price range matters for your ICP
Use Apollo when:
- You need direct email addresses
- Targeting specific job titles
- Want company size and funding data
- Enterprise sales focus
My Actual Workflow
I don't pick just one. Here's what works:
- Start with a Google Maps scraper to find businesses in target cities
- Run those through an email finder tool
- Cross-reference with Apollo for decision-maker contacts
- Check Yelp reviews to qualify the best prospects
This combined approach gave me:
- 1,000 businesses from Google Maps
- 680 valid email addresses after enrichment
- 420 decision-maker contacts from Apollo
- 850 businesses with 4+ star Yelp ratings
Total cost using ScraperCity: Around $12 for all three sources plus email finding.
Bottom Line
None of these sources is perfect. Google Maps has the best phone data, Apollo has the best email data, and Yelp has the best reputation data.
For most B2B use cases, start with Google Maps scraper, enrich with emails, and qualify with reviews. You'll get better data than using any single source alone.
Have you compared these sources? What's been your experience? Drop a comment below.
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