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ConstructConnect vs Shovels

Two ways to find construction work early, built on different data. ConstructConnect sells bid-opportunity leads (Project Intelligence) with plans, specs and contacts, alongside takeoff and bid management products, at published per-market, per-seat prices. Shovels sells U.S. building permit, contractor, property and land-use decision data through a web app, API and CLI, on credit-based plans. Not like-for-like. Desk research from vendor pages read Oct 26, 2026; not tested, no winner.

DESK RESEARCH, NOT TESTED. Compiled from vendors' public websites (accessed Oct 26, 2026). Vendor claims are not verified by Means & Methods Lab. No scores or rankings.

In short: ConstructConnect (Project leads, takeoff & bidding; vendor publishes prices) vs Shovels (Building permit & contractor data; vendor publishes prices). Facts last checked Oct 26, 2026. No winner declared; not tested.

Side by side

ConstructConnect vs Shovels: vendor-published facts side by side
Sheet rowConstructConnectShovels
CategoryProject leads, takeoff & biddingBuilding permit & contractor data
AI role (our label)AI features added to established productAI features added to established product
What it doesConstruction project data and preconstruction software to find projects, do takeoff and estimating, and manage bids. Products listed include Intelligent Leads, ConstructConnect Takeoff ("AI Powered Takeoff"), Takeoff BOOST (AI plan measuring), On-Screen Takeoff, and PlanSwift. Re-read Oct 17, 2026: the homepage now promotes Takeoff BOOST (upload a plan and watch it measure in the browser, free to try) and lists Intelligent Leads, ConstructConnect Takeoff, Takeoff as a Service, On-Screen Takeoff, PlanSwift, Quick Bid, QuoteSoft, SmartBid, Bid Management and iSqFt for GCs; it cites 100K+ commercial construction professionals (vendor figure). Second re-read Oct 17, 2026: the Project Intelligence page says project information combines human expertise with AI, cites 1.4 million+ active private and public projects updated daily by an in-house research team (the homepage cites 825,000+ active projects and 382 metro areas; vendor figures, not verified), and describes Material Intelligence (Material Quantities), a beta search that uses AI to pull materials, quantities and manufacturers from plans and schedules; an Oct 16 blog post calls it a qualifying step, not a substitute for verifying the plans. Re-checked Oct 19, 2026: homepage and pricing are unchanged in substance. The Project Intelligence page now cites 825,000+ projects and, further down, over 1 million public and private projects across 400+ markets sourced from 60,000+ contacts; the 1.4 million figure we recorded Oct 17 is no longer on the page. Material Quantities is still described as AI pulling materials, quantities and manufacturers from plans and schedules (vendor figures, not verified). Re-checked Oct 20, 2026: homepage unchanged in substance (Takeoff BOOST, the same product list, 100K+ professionals, Material Intelligence by material quantities). Re-checked Oct 21, 2026: unchanged in substance; the homepage's featured content now includes Advanced Auto Takeoff for flooring, and the Project Intelligence page and pricing table still list Ask Docs AI-based document searching. Re-checked Oct 22, 2026: unchanged in substance; the homepage calls it construction data and software powered by AI and describes On-Screen Takeoff as using AI-enabled tools, and the pricing page now adds a five-question plan finder. Flag: the Project Intelligence page cites 825,000+ projects and 1 million+ projects across 400+ markets, while its FAQ again cites over 1.4 million active private and public projects; we use none of these figures. Re-checked Oct 23, 2026: homepage unchanged in substance (Takeoff BOOST AI takeoff, On-Screen Takeoff, PlanSwift and QuoteSoft; Bid Management, SmartBid and iSqFt for bid packages; Project Intelligence with Ask Docs AI document search). Re-checked Oct 24, 2026: homepage unchanged in substance (Takeoff BOOST AI takeoff with Auto Name and Auto Count, On-Screen Takeoff, PlanSwift and QuoteSoft; SmartBid and iSqFt; Project Intelligence with Ask Docs AI document search). Project-count figures are not used. Re-checked Oct 25, 2026 (also read for a compare): homepage unchanged in substance (ConstructConnect Takeoff, browser-based AI takeoff with Takeoff BOOST; On-Screen Takeoff, PlanSwift, Quick Bid and QuoteSoft; SmartBid, Bid Management and iSqFt; Project Intelligence with Ask Docs); the pricing page promotes a first-look webinar for ConstructConnect Takeoff on Oct 29, 2026. Customer counts, review ratings and testimonials are not used.U.S. building permit, contractor, property and zoning data gathered from local jurisdictions, with permits AI-classified into structured records. Zoning and land-use decision data are included. Vendor figures (not verified): 196M+ building permits, 3.89M+ licensed contractors, 2,820+ jurisdictions, 7M+ new permits a month; it says land-use decisions can be public as much as 18 months before a permit is filed. Delivered through the Shovels Online web app, a REST API, and bulk data shares. Charlie, the AI agent inside Shovels Online, answers plain-English questions about permits, contractors, and city decisions, filters false positives, builds charts, and shows the SQL behind each answer. Re-read Oct 17, 2026: headline figures unchanged. The pricing page says the web app, API, CLI and Charlie share one credit balance, Charlie is included on every plan, the free plan returns up to 10 results per query, and Shovels is SOC 2 Type II certified; the Charlie FAQ says permit coverage spans jurisdictions covering roughly 85% of the U.S. population (vendor statements). Re-checked Oct 19, 2026: the homepage now calls Shovels the prediction engine for the built world and says its data is gathered directly from each jurisdiction rather than licensed or brokered; bulk delivery is parquet files or table shares in Snowflake, Databricks or BigQuery, and the data is also offered as hosted feature layers in Esri ArcGIS. The Charlie page is unchanged (plain-English questions, false-positive filtering, the SQL behind each answer, coverage of jurisdictions covering roughly 85% of the U.S. population). Re-checked Oct 20, 2026: homepage figures unchanged (196M+ building permits, 3.89M+ licensed contractors, 2,820+ jurisdictions, 7M+ new permits a month; vendor figures) with the same four datasets (decisions, permits, contractors, properties) and delivery options; the Charlie page is unchanged in substance (plain-English questions, false-positive filtering, the SQL behind each answer, charts and saved chats). Re-checked Oct 22, 2026: homepage figures and the four headline datasets unchanged (vendor figures); the pricing page's plan table lists Permits, Contractors, Decisions, Properties and Residents (residents and homeowners tied to properties, with contacts) on every plan and Employees (employee counts and roles on contractor profiles) on Basic and Pro; the Charlie page is unchanged in substance. Re-checked Oct 23, 2026: the homepage still calls Shovels the prediction engine for the built world, with the same four datasets (decisions, permits, contractors, properties) delivered through Shovels Online, the API and enterprise warehouse shares, plus Esri ArcGIS layers; the pricing page lists Charlie and the CLI on every plan and says Shovels is SOC 2 Type II certified. Homepage figures are vendor claims and not used. Re-checked Oct 24, 2026: unchanged (decisions, permits, contractors and properties datasets, all included on every paid plan; Charlie and the CLI listed; Esri ArcGIS layers). The footer now links vendor-written comparison pages against other permit and construction data providers; we do not use them. Vendor figures are not used. Re-checked Oct 25, 2026: unchanged (decisions, permits, contractors and properties datasets; Charlie and the CLI on every plan; Esri ArcGIS layers). Vendor figures are not used.
Who it's forContractors and building-product manufacturers.Building materials and equipment companies, construction technology firms, energy and climate, home services, real estate, insurance, telecom, and research teams (Shovels's industry list).
Pricing (as publicly stated)Project Intelligence (leads): Starter $129/mo per market, per seat (month-to-month); Professional from $199/mo per market, per seat (annual contract; adds plans/specs/addenda, contacts, and Ask Docs LLM document search); Premium from $10,000/yr. ConstructConnect Takeoff: Starter $1,200/yr (shown as $100/mo; 1 seat, 25 plans per project); Professional $2,200/yr for the first seat and $1,700 per additional seat (adds AI Auto Takeoff, part of Takeoff Boost). Takeoff is on annual contracts; the FAQ says no refunds for mid-term cancellation. (Pricing re-checked Oct 14, 2026.) Re-checked Oct 17, 2026: Project Intelligence prices unchanged (Starter notes 10% off when billed annually); the pricing page now shows ConstructConnect Takeoff as Starter $100 per seat per month (1 seat max) and Professional $183 per seat per month (adds Auto Takeoff), both on annual contracts with annual payment. Re-checked Oct 19, 2026: unchanged (Project Intelligence Starter $129, Professional from $199 per market per seat, Premium from $10,000/yr; Takeoff Starter $100 and Professional $183 per seat per month on annual contracts). The FAQ adds a guided proof-of-value for Project Intelligence Professional and Takeoff and repeats that unused time is not refunded. Re-checked Oct 20, 2026: no price changes. Project Intelligence is still Starter $129 per market per month, Professional from $199 per market per seat and Premium from $10,000/yr; ConstructConnect Takeoff is now shown as yearly figures, Starter $1,200 per seat per year (1 seat max) and Professional $2,200 per seat per year, the same as the $100 and about $183 per month recorded earlier, and the FAQ still says $1,700 for each additional Professional seat. Re-checked Oct 21, 2026: no price changes (Project Intelligence Starter $129 per market per month, Professional from $199 per market per month billed annually, Premium custom; Takeoff Starter $1,200 and Professional $2,200 per seat per year, $1,700 for each additional Professional seat). Re-checked Oct 22, 2026: no price changes (Project Intelligence Starter $129 per market per month, month-to-month; Professional from $199 per market per seat per month on an annual contract; Premium from $10,000 a year; Takeoff Starter $1,200 per seat per year, 1 seat max, 25 plans per project; Professional $2,200 per year for the first seat and $1,700 per additional seat, unlimited plans per project). The FAQ says there are no refunds for mid-term cancellation or unused time. Re-checked Oct 23, 2026: unchanged (Project Intelligence Starter $129/month per market, Professional from $199/month per market per seat billed annually, Premium from $10,000/yr; Takeoff Starter $1,200/yr for 1 seat, Professional $2,200/yr for the first seat and $1,700 per additional seat). Re-checked Oct 24, 2026: unchanged (Project Intelligence Starter $129/month per market, Professional from $199/month per market per seat billed annually, Premium from $10,000/yr; Takeoff Starter $1,200/yr for 1 seat, Professional $2,200/yr for the first seat and $1,700 per additional seat; no refunds for mid-term cancellation). Re-checked Oct 25, 2026: no price change (Project Intelligence Starter $129/month per market, month-to-month; Professional from $199/month per market per seat billed annually; Premium from $10,000/yr). The Takeoff plan cards again show monthly equivalents, Starter $100 and Professional $183 per seat per month on annual contracts, while the comparison table and FAQ still say $1,200 and $2,200 a year with $1,700 for each additional Professional seat. The FAQ still says no refunds for mid-term cancellation, no pausing, and a guided proof-of-value or trial for Professional and Takeoff. Re-checked Oct 26, 2026: no price changes (Project Intelligence Starter $129/mo per market, per seat with 10% off billed annually, Professional from $199/mo per market, per seat on an annual contract, Premium from $10,000/yr; ConstructConnect Takeoff Starter $100 per seat per month, 1 seat max, and Professional $183 per seat per month, both on annual contracts with annual payment).Credit-based (a credit is one record retrieved). Free $0/mo (500 credits, 1 year of history, 1 seat); Basic $599/mo (25,000 credits, full history, 1 seat); Pro $999/mo (50,000 credits, up to 2 seats); Enterprise custom. Bulk Enterprise Data License by quote. (Pricing checked Oct 15, 2026.) Re-checked Oct 17, 2026: unchanged; Basic and Pro are billed monthly. Re-checked Oct 19, 2026 (headless Chrome): unchanged; one credit balance across the web app, API, CLI and Charlie, SOC 2 Type II, free plan up to 10 results per query. Re-checked Oct 20, 2026: unchanged (Free $0 with 500 credits, 1 year of history and 1 seat; Basic $599/mo with 25,000 credits; Pro $999/mo with 50,000 credits and up to 2 seats; Enterprise custom; bulk Enterprise Data License by quote). Re-checked Oct 22, 2026: unchanged (Free $0 with 500 credits, 1 year of history and 1 seat, no credit card; Basic $599/mo with 25,000 credits; Pro $999/mo with 50,000 credits, up to 2 seats and dedicated support; Enterprise custom; bulk Enterprise Data License by quote; Basic and Pro billed monthly). Re-checked Oct 23, 2026: unchanged (Free $0 with 500 credits, 1 year of history, 1 seat and up to 10 results per query; Basic $599/mo with 25,000 credits; Pro $999/mo with 50,000 credits and up to 2 seats; Enterprise custom; Enterprise Data License by quote; Basic and Pro billed monthly). Re-checked Oct 24, 2026: unchanged (Free $0 with 500 credits, 1 year of history and 1 seat; Basic $599/mo with 25,000 credits; Pro $999/mo with 50,000 credits and up to 2 seats; Enterprise custom; Enterprise Data License by quote). Re-checked Oct 25, 2026: unchanged (Free $0 with 500 credits a month, 1 year of history and 1 seat; Basic $599/mo with 25,000 credits; Pro $999/mo with 50,000 credits and up to 2 seats; Enterprise custom; Enterprise Data License by quote). Re-checked Oct 26, 2026: unchanged (Free $0 with 500 credits a month, 1 year of history and up to 10 results per query, no card; Basic $599/mo with 25,000 credits; Pro $999/mo with 50,000 credits; Enterprise and Enterprise Data License priced by agreement; Basic and Pro billed monthly).
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Facts last checked: Oct 26, 2026. Prices change; check the vendor page before relying on them.

Where the vendor descriptions differ

  • What each sells (vendor pages): ConstructConnect's Project Intelligence covers projects open for bid, with a digital bid board, profile matching and, on Professional, plans, specifications, addenda, planning projects, contact information and data export. Shovels describes permit, parcel, contractor and land-use decision records from U.S. local government, gathered directly from each jurisdiction it covers rather than licensed or brokered, with records linked across datasets.
  • Where they fit: ConstructConnect is aimed at contractors and building-product manufacturers chasing projects that are out to bid. Shovels lists building materials and equipment companies, construction technology, energy, home services, real estate, insurance and research teams, and its data starts earlier and wider: land-use decisions and permits rather than bid packages.
  • Other products: ConstructConnect also sells ConstructConnect Takeoff, On-Screen Takeoff, PlanSwift, QuoteSoft, SmartBid, Bid Management and iSqFt. Shovels includes the Shovels Online web app, a REST API and a CLI on every plan, all drawing on one credit balance.
  • AI: ConstructConnect's Professional plan lists Ask Docs, LLM-based document searching, and its takeoff products promote AI takeoff (Takeoff BOOST). Shovels includes Charlie, an AI assistant in Shovels Online that answers plain-English questions about permits, contractors and city decisions and shows the SQL behind each answer. Both are tagged AI features added to established product.
  • Pricing (checked Oct 26, 2026): ConstructConnect Project Intelligence Starter $129/mo per market, per seat (10% off billed annually, no annual commitment), Professional from $199/mo per market, per seat on an annual contract, Premium from $10,000/yr. Shovels Free $0 (500 credits a month, 1 year of history, up to 10 results per query, no card), Basic $599/mo (25,000 credits), Pro $999/mo (50,000 credits); Enterprise and data licenses by agreement. A Shovels credit is one record retrieved through the API or an export.
  • Not used here: both vendors' project, permit, contractor and jurisdiction counts (vendor figures).

Paraphrased from the sources listed above. Vendor claims are reported as claims.

What users say

The facts above come from vendor websites. Whether either tool is any good for your work is something only people who use them can say. These are member reviews, all ratings shown, never edited or removed for being negative.

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Questions to ask in your review

  • Whether you need bid-ready project leads with documents (ConstructConnect) or raw permit and contractor records to build your own targeting (Shovels)
  • How many records or markets you would actually use, which drives cost on both pricing models
  • How well either source covers your region and project types
  • What did you use it for, on what kind of work and project size?
  • How long did setup and training take, and who on your team did it?
  • What does it cost you in practice, compared with what the sales call said?

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