Honest Comparison

PermitGrab vs Shovels.ai — Enterprise Data vs SMB Contractor Tool

Shovels.ai is a well-funded enterprise data company — depth on 2.3M contractors with employee-level contact info, typically $1K-$5K+/mo with annual contracts. PermitGrab is the SMB contractor's equivalent: $149/mo flat, no annual contract, focused on getting today's permits to your inbox.

1,061
US cities live
310,281
permits, last 90 days
154,583
contractor profiles
20,856
enriched with phone

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
2026-06-29 Clearwater, FL Fire Protection S•••••• I••••••• INC (813) •••-••05
2026-06-29 Clearwater, FL Plumbing D•••••• P••••••• INC (727) •••-••79
2026-06-29 Menlo Park, CA General Construction O•• P••••••• A•• C••••••• INC (650) •••-••55
2026-06-29 Menlo Park, CA Electrical F••• S•••••• INC (408) •••-••30
2026-06-29 Clearwater, FL HVAC A•••••• A•• INC (727) •••-••99
2026-06-29 Clearwater, FL HVAC O••••• P••••• - E•••• H••• (727) •••-••46
Unmask these leads — start now

Cancel anytime. Your leads aren't resold to four competitors like Angi or HomeAdvisor.

What you get

Every count above is live from the PermitGrab database. Here's what's in the product.

Shovels.ai: enterprise pricing ($1K-$5K+/mo), annual contracts.
PermitGrab: $149/mo flat, cancel anytime, all cities included.
Shovels has deeper employee-level data (good for B2B sales teams).
PermitGrab has permit-fresh data + owner enrichment (good for trade contractors).
Both honest products — different price points, different buyers.
If you're a 5-50 employee SMB roofer/HVAC/solar, PermitGrab is the no-brainer.
Simple pricing
$149/mo
Cancel anytime. No annual contract.
  • All 770+ US cities included
  • Daily permit collection + owner enrichment
  • CSV export to any CRM
  • Email digest with today's hot leads
  • First 10 reveals every month are free
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14-day trial · Cancel anytime in one click

Frequently asked questions

Real questions contractors have asked us. If yours isn't here, email [email protected].

Is PermitGrab really a viable alternative to Shovels?

Yes — for trade contractors (roofing, HVAC, plumbing, solar, electrical, general construction) who want daily permit data instead of shared form-fills. Different model, different price point, different buyer.

Are these leads shared with other contractors?

No. Building permits are public records — every PermitGrab subscriber in a given city sees the same underlying list, but unlike Angi and HomeAdvisor, we don't sell the same lead 5 times to compete with you. You decide who to call.

How fresh are the leads?

We collect permits daily from the city and county portals. Most cities show permits within 24-48 hours of issuance. The 'Today's Hot Leads' block on each city page shows permits issued in the last 7 days.

Do they include phone numbers?

Yes — owner phones where available (from enrichment), plus the contractor's business phone where the permit data publishes it. Coverage varies by city — Phoenix, Miami-Dade, San Antonio currently top 3 by phone count.

How much does it cost?

PermitGrab is $149/month flat. No annual contract. Cancel anytime. No per-lead fee, no shared-lead surcharge, no surprises.

Can I try before paying?

Yes. Start a 14-day free trial with full Pro access — every contractor and owner phone, unlimited reveals, CSV export, and city alerts. A card is required to start, but cancel in one click anytime before day 14 and you won't be charged. After that it's $149/month, cancel anytime.

Can I import the leads into my CRM?

Yes — CSV export is included on Pro. Works with ServiceTitan, Jobber, Housecall Pro, JobNimbus, HubSpot, and any CRM that accepts CSV.

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