Shovels has a place.
Shovels may fit data teams that need API, warehouse, GIS, and data-feed workflows.
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Comparison
PermitPub vs Shovels
Shovels is the closest data-platform competitor because it combines permit data, contractor data, property data, APIs, and data feeds.
PermitPub is lighter-weight and sales-rep-first: buy fresh lead records, search markets, export CSVs, and move quickly.
Built for street-level reps, territory sellers, and teams that need a current reason to knock, call, mail, or visit.
Last reviewed: May 28, 2026. Based on publicly available pages and search evidence reviewed on that date; competitor products may change.
PermitPub starts with the sales signal.
You need affordable public-record sales triggers and permit or license lead inventory for reps.
Use both when it helps.
PermitPub identifies local sales triggers and Shovels supports broader data infrastructure or enrichment.
Different sales motions
Different tools for different parts of the sales motion.
Shovels may help with its specific data or workflow lane. PermitPub is built for the moment a public record says someone is building, opening, remodeling, licensing, or spending money in a market.
| Question | Shovels | PermitPub |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | Shovels | Fresh public-record event: permit, license, opening, buildout, or local market signal. |
| Main buyer | Data teams, manufacturers, lenders, real estate teams, contractors, and analytics teams. | Street reps, territory sellers, contractors, merchant-services reps, and local B2B teams. |
| Primary data | Building permits, contractors, parcels, property data, and related built-world records. | Permit and license lead records, market inventory, sales angles, and member-only details. |
| Alert/search workflow | Search, API, data feed, GIS, and data warehouse style workflows. | Plain-English search, lead views, market filters, CSV export, and monthly access. |
| API or export | Strong API and data feed positioning. | CSV and custom public data feeds. Full API-style needs can be quoted as custom feeds. |
| Pricing transparency | Free search and public pricing language; detailed enterprise use may require sales contact. | Transparent Live Lead Inventory, monthly plans, and custom feed pricing. |
| Best-fit use case | Organizations that want permit data infrastructure instead of individual lead records. | Finding fresh local sales triggers that a rep can work quickly. |
PermitPub advantage
Where PermitPub is built to win.
PermitPub does not ask a rep to start with a cold list and guess who might care. It starts with a fresh public-record signal and turns that into something a seller can work.
Prove the records exist
PermitPub lets buyers search live inventory before committing to monthly access.
Beyond contractor leads
Lead views can support merchant services, retail openings, clinics, home services, commercial buildouts, and more.
Transparent access path
Live Lead Inventory proof, monthly access, and custom feeds give reps a clear way to test a market.
When to start here
Start with PermitPub when the rep needs a reason to move now.
The stronger the signal, the easier it is to decide where to spend the next hour. That is the lane PermitPub is built for.
PermitPub helps reps find the address, project signal, and market context behind a current public-record event.
You need affordable public-record sales triggers and permit or license lead inventory for reps.
Buyers can filter by market, lead view, value, and keyword before choosing monthly access.
Start with live markets, proof-only Live Lead Inventory, or monthly access before quoting a custom feed.
Better starting signal
The best sales workflow starts with a reason, not a random name.
A rep still has to sell. PermitPub helps them start with better timing: fresh permits, licenses, openings, buildouts, remodels, and local activity that can justify outreach.
- Find the public-record signal
- Filter by market, project, value, or vertical
- Prove the records exist worth working
- Unlock exact details and export
- Knock, call, mail, visit, and follow up
FAQ
Straight answers before you buy.
Is PermitPub a replacement for Shovels?
PermitPub is often the sharper first step when you want fresh public-record sales triggers. Shovels can still fit teams that need this workflow: Organizations that want permit data infrastructure instead of individual lead records.
Which tool is better for fresh permit leads?
PermitPub is purpose-built around permit and license lead inventory, market proof, CSV exports, and sales-ready public-record signals.
Can I use both?
PermitPub identifies local sales triggers and Shovels supports broader data infrastructure or enrichment.
What evidence was used?
This page uses PermitPub's competitive research corpus and public pages or search-result snippets captured on May 20, 2026.
Evidence notes
Sources used for this comparison
- https://www.shovels.ai/Crawled pages describe Shovels as an intelligence layer for the built world.
- https://www.shovels.ai/apiResearch corpus includes Shovels API and data-feed pages.
Move first
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