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Permit Ledger vs Shovels: Pricing & Alternatives (2026)
Permit Ledger and Shovels both work with building-permit data, but they're aimed at very different users. Shovels is an API-first platform built for software developers and data teams who want to embed permit data into their own products. Permit Ledger is a ready-made weekly insight tool for renovation contractors who just want leads, not an integration project. Here's an honest comparison.
What Shovels costs, and what we cost
Shovels does not publish a price. It is metered on data volume and API usage, and publicly available figures put it at $300+ a month. Permit Ledger is $39/mo, listed on the page, no contract and no sales call.
Buying the permit rows themselves
We also sell the raw records: weekly feeds from $14.99 to $79.99 a month by market size, full history exports from $49.99 to $249.99 once.
Files include every trade and work type. Filter to yours in one click.
Priced on the page and bought self serve, month to month, with no contract and no sales call.
Permit Ledger vs Shovels at a glance
| Permit Ledger | Shovels | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary use case | Renovation insights and dashboard, plus a raw data store | Developer API for permit data |
| Data focus | Dashboard: residential renovation, remodel and addition. Store: every trade and work type | All permit types; API-first, national |
| Delivery | Ready-made web insights and dashboard, or CSV feeds and exports | API / dashboard (you build the workflow) |
| Coverage | 326 major US cities | National |
| Refresh | Computed weekly from official city feeds | Frequent API-based updates |
| Starting price | Free / $39/mo dashboard, feeds from $14.99 a month | ~$300 to $1,500/mo |
| Contract | None, cancel anytime | Usage/volume-based plans |
| Best for | Renovation & remodel contractors | Developers & data teams |
Shovels details are based on publicly available information as of June 9, 2026 and may have changed, always verify current pricing and features on Shovels's own site. Shovels is a trademark of its respective owner; Permit Ledger is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by Shovels.
How much does Shovels cost?
Shovels is an API-first platform, so pricing is built around data volume and API usage rather than a single flat fee. Based on publicly available information as of 2026, paid plans typically start around $300 per month and scale into four figures with higher volume and enrichment tiers. Permit Ledger is not an API. It is two products with listed prices: a ready-made insight dashboard for renovation contractors at $39/mo, and a data store selling the permit rows as weekly CSV feeds or one time history exports at weekly feeds from $14.99 to $79.99 a month by market size, full history exports from $49.99 to $249.99 once. Cancel anytime. Always confirm current Shovels pricing on their own site.
Where each one fits
Permit Ledger: Permit Ledger is built for renovation and remodel contractors who want this week's residential permit activity delivered as ready-to-use insights, free to browse, with a $39/mo dashboard for ZIP and contractor level detail. If you want the records rather than the read, the data store sells them per market from $14.99 a month, every trade and work type. No engineering team required for either.
Shovels: Shovels is an API-first platform with a well-structured national dataset, good documentation, and data enrichment. For an engineering team building a product or internal tool on top of permit data, it's a strong, developer-friendly building block.
Frequently asked questions
Is Permit Ledger a good Shovels alternative?
If you want permit leads without writing code, yes. Permit Ledger delivers ready-made weekly insights and a $39/mo dashboard for 326 cities, no API integration. If you're an engineering team that needs raw permit data via API to build a product, Shovels is purpose-built for that and Permit Ledger is not an API.
Is Permit Ledger cheaper than Shovels?
For a contractor who wants leads without code, yes. Shovels is a usage-based API priced for engineering teams, while Permit Ledger is free to browse with a flat $39/mo all-access dashboard and no contract (see 'How much does Shovels cost?' above). If you specifically need raw permit data via API, Shovels is purpose-built for that; if you want ready-made weekly insights, Permit Ledger is the affordable fit.
Does Permit Ledger offer an API like Shovels?
No. Permit Ledger is a ready-made insight product, not an API, it's designed so a contractor can read weekly permit activity without engineering resources. If you specifically need programmatic API access to national permit data, Shovels is the better fit.
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