Both Build Siren and Shovels turn public building-permit records into usable data. The difference is scope and audience.
Shovels is a national construction-data platform. It covers permit and contractor data across much of the US, offers search, analytics and an API, and is widely used by suppliers, lenders, SaaS companies and larger contractors who want broad coverage or to build data into their own tools.
Build Siren covers Southeast Michigan only — Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties — and delivers a finished daily lead report for one trade (or all), with each permit scored Premium / Strong / Usable and formatted as an HTML dashboard, a printable PDF and a CSV. It is made for a local roofer, HVAC company or remodeler who wants leads in the inbox, not a dataset to query.
| Build Siren | Shovels | |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage | Southeast Michigan | National (US) |
| Format | Daily email report (HTML/PDF/CSV) | Platform + API |
| Trade filtering | Built in, per plan | Via search filters |
| Lead scoring | Yes (Premium/Strong/Usable) | Analytics-oriented |
| Audience | Local contractors | Contractors, suppliers, data teams, lenders |
| Pricing | From $99/mo (local) | Platform / API pricing |
Choose Build Siren if you are a Southeast Michigan contractor who wants a done-for-you daily list for your trade. Choose Shovels if you need national coverage, raw data, or an API.
Request Build Siren access — from $99/month. Call (248) 290-8979. See permit leads by trade.