Building Sauce vs Shovels
Written by Building Sauce research desk, updated .
Shovels is a national permit and contractor data product with an API. It is good at telling you what has been permitted and who pulled the permit. Building Sauce is built for the stage before that: a filed condition with no repair permit yet.
| Building Sauce | Shovels | |
|---|---|---|
| What it sells | A weekly list of NYC buildings with a dated public filing that calls for work, plus the registered owner entity and managing agent | National building permit and contractor data, searchable in a platform and via APIsource, checked Nov 7, 2026 |
| Triggers | FISP Unsafe and SWARMP filings, sidewalk sheds with no repair permit, Local Law 126 garage conditions (next), Local Law 152 due lists (2027) | Issued and applied-for permits, contractor activitysource, checked Nov 7, 2026 |
| Contact type | Registered owner entity, managing agent and head officer from the HPD registration, accepted only when it post-dates the last deed. Office lines only | Contractor and permit applicant details as filed on permits; owner data where availablesource, checked Nov 7, 2026 |
| Price model | $400 a month per feed, month to month. First 5 firms pay $300 for as long as they stay | Basic $599 a month, Pro $999 a month when checkedsource, checked Nov 7, 2026 |
| Contract terms | None. Cancel by replying to any invoice | Monthly plans listed; check the pricing page for current termssource, checked Nov 7, 2026 |
| Coverage | New York City, all five boroughs. Florida condos planned | National (United States)source, checked Nov 7, 2026 |
| Delivery | Email, CSV and a web page every Monday at 7am Eastern. No portal | Web platform and APIsource, checked Nov 7, 2026 |
Where Shovels is the better choice
- You sell in more than one city or state.
- You want to find contractors, not building owners, for example to sell them materials or services.
- You need an API or bulk data rather than a weekly list.
Where Building Sauce is the better choice
- You want to reach the owner before a permit exists, not after.
- You work NYC only and want one trade's trigger, pre-checked.
- You want a price that one job covers many times over.
Fair questions
Questions
Is this comparison independent?
No. Building Sauce wrote it. Every competitor fact links to the competitor's own page with the date we checked it. If something has changed, email hello@buildingsauce.com and we will correct it.
Can I use both?
Often, yes. Most services here sell a different kind of lead. A permit or bid feed and a compliance-trigger feed cover different stages of the same job.
Sources
- Shovels website checked Nov 7, 2026
- Shovels pricing checked Nov 7, 2026