For contractors comparing Shovels.ai but balking at enterprise-tier pricing

The Shovels Alternative — Real Permits, Public Pricing, No API Tax

Shovels.ai built a great permit data API — for venture-funded enterprise customers. The list price is "talk to sales" because most contractors can't afford their API tier. PermitGrab gives you the same daily permit feed at a contractor price: $149/mo flat, unlimited records, web dashboard + CSV export + daily email digest. No API required, no enterprise contract.

Filed this week — live sample

● Pulled from official city records, updated daily

Real permits filed in the last 7 days. Contractor names and phone numbers unmask on the trial.

Date City Trade Contractor Phone Value
2026-06-30 Long Beach, NJ General Construction H••• U••••••• INC (888) •••-••87
2026-06-30 Long Beach, NJ HVAC C••••••• T••••••• INC (562) •••-••65
2026-06-30 Long Beach, NJ General Construction A•••••• G•••• LLC (800) •••-••90
2026-06-30 Long Beach, NJ General Construction M••••• W•••• (310) •••-••60
2026-06-30 Long Beach, NJ HVAC M••••••• B••••••• C••••••• INC (949) •••-••83
2026-06-30 Long Beach, NJ HVAC V•••• C••••••• LLC (310) •••-••79
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Why PermitGrab

Flat $149/mo unlimited — vs Shovels custom enterprise pricing
Web UI + daily email — no API integration required
70+ cities live with full 4-pillar data (permits, contractors, owners, violations)
Marcus Reeves expert review on every city page — transparent author byline
14-day free trial with full Pro access — card required to start, cancel in one click anytime
Trade filtering built-in: roofers see roofing, solar sees solar, HVAC sees HVAC

Frequently asked questions

Is Shovels.ai worth it for solo contractors?

Shovels publishes excellent data but their pricing is built for venture-backed enterprises (proptech, insurance, fintech). Solo contractors and small crews rarely justify their custom API tier. PermitGrab covers the same use case — fresh permit leads, daily-updated — at a $149/mo flat price built for individual contractors and small teams.

What's the data coverage difference?

Shovels claims 4,000+ jurisdictions; PermitGrab actively serves 70+ sellable cities with 4-pillar data (permits + contractors + owners + violations) plus ~98 cities collecting raw permits. For most contractors, 1-3 metro service areas matter — and we cover the largest US metros at full depth.

Do you offer an API like Shovels?

CSV export is included on every Pro plan and most subscribers find it sufficient. A direct API is on the roadmap — message [email protected] if you need programmatic access today and we'll work out a tier.

How fresh is the permit data vs Shovels?

Both update at least daily on most cities. PermitGrab's data pulls run every 12 hours on sellable cities and update the `dateModified` timestamp on each city page so search engines and AI assistants see fresh content. Subscriber 7am Central digest always contains permits filed since the prior digest.

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