“Best” depends on your trade, your market, and whether you want inbound calls or a list to work. This breaks the options into four categories and gives an honest read on each.
Category 1 — Shared-lead marketplaces
Examples: Angi Leads, Thumbtack, HomeAdvisor, Networx, Modernize.
A homeowner fills a form; the service sells it to several contractors; you pay per lead ($30 to $150). Pros: instant volume, no marketing skill required. Cons: shared, variable quality, price competition, zero asset ownership. Best for newer companies buying time while they build owned channels.
Category 2 — Bid boards and project intelligence (commercial)
Examples: ConstructConnect, Dodge Construction Network, BuildingConnected, PlanHub.
Aggregated plans, bid invites and project pipelines, mostly commercial and public. Annual subscriptions, often in the thousands. Best for commercial GCs and larger subs doing hard-bid work.
Category 3 — Permit data and construction intelligence
Examples: Build Siren (Southeast Michigan), Shovels, BuildZoom, Construction Monitor, BuildFax.
Aggregates public building permit records; you get address-level projects filtered by trade, area and type, and reach out first. Pros: not shared, verified projects, early timing, flat pricing, unlimited volume. Cons: you do the outreach; national tools can be broad and pricey, or thin in a specific metro.
Where Build Siren fits: hyper-focused on Southeast Michigan — Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw — with per-trade filtering, lead scoring, and daily HTML/PDF/CSV delivery, priced for local contractors (from $99/month) rather than enterprise. See Build Siren vs Shovels.
Category 4 — Owned channels (best ROI)
Google Business Profile, local SEO, Google Local Services Ads, referral systems, email and postcard to past customers. You own it, leads are exclusive, cost per lead drops over time. Slow to build. Best for every contractor, as the foundation.
Quick comparison
| Service type | Lead type | Shared | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angi / Thumbtack | Inbound form | Yes | Per lead |
| ConstructConnect / Dodge | Bid pipeline | Board-wide | $$$/yr |
| Permit data (Build Siren, Shovels) | Address-level project | No | Flat monthly |
| Google LSA | Inbound call | No | Per lead |
| Local SEO / GBP | Inbound | No | Time / retainer |
How to choose
- Residential service trade, want a daily pipeline you control: permit data + GBP.
- Commercial GC or big sub: a bid board + permit data for early signals.
- Just need calls this week: one shared-lead service, capped budget, while you build the above.
FAQ
What is the best lead service for a small residential contractor?
Usually a combination: Google Business Profile for inbound plus a permit-monitoring service for outbound.
What makes Build Siren different from Shovels or BuildZoom?
Local focus. Build Siren only covers Southeast Michigan, tunes to local jurisdictions and trades, scores leads, and prices for local contractors.
Related
Alternatives to Angi Leads & Thumbtack · How to Get Construction Leads from Building Permits · Compare Build Siren
Request access to Build Siren — daily permit leads for Southeast Michigan contractors, from $99/month. Call (248) 290-8979.