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Mercator.ai vs Shovels

Two ways to see construction work before it reaches a bid board, built for different users. Mercator.ai is an AI-first lead service for construction business developers that watches land, zoning, site plan, permit and occupancy records in its Texas, Florida and Indiana markets, scores each signal against your criteria and pushes projects to your CRM, priced by coverage from $24,000 a year. Shovels sells U.S. building permit, contractor, property and land-use decision data through a web app, API, CLI and bulk shares on credit-based plans, with a free tier. Desk research from vendor pages read Oct 29, 2026; not tested, no winner, not like-for-like.

DESK RESEARCH, NOT TESTED. Compiled from vendors' public websites (accessed Oct 29, 2026). Vendor claims are not verified by Means & Methods Lab. No scores or rankings.

In short: Mercator.ai (Private project lead intelligence; vendor publishes prices) vs Shovels (Building permit & contractor data; vendor publishes prices). Facts last checked Oct 29, 2026. No winner declared; not tested.

Side by side

Mercator.ai vs Shovels: vendor-published facts side by side
Sheet rowMercator.aiShovels
CategoryPrivate project lead intelligenceBuilding permit & contractor data
AI role (our label)AI-firstAI features added to established product
What it doesEarly private-project intelligence for construction business developers, with an "Ask Scout" assistant and MCP + CRM integrations. It also offers a free permit app. Vendor claims visibility 3-24 months ahead of the market (vendor claim). Re-read Oct 17, 2026: the homepage says it watches land title changes, municipal hearings, rezonings, site plan applications, permits and occupancy, that AI scores each signal against your criteria, that qualified projects can be pushed to HubSpot, Salesforce, Unanet CRM, ProjectMark, Pipedrive or Zoho (CSV and PDF export on every plan), and that a Mercator MCP lets Claude, ChatGPT or other agents query it. Live coverage listed: Texas (Austin, DFW, Houston, San Antonio), Florida (North, Central, South, Gulf Coast, Gold Coast) and Indiana statewide. Homepage claims 3-24 months ahead of the market, 5 minutes to research a pursuit and 2-3 new projects won per year (vendor claims, not verified). Re-checked Oct 19, 2026: homepage and pricing page unchanged in substance; the pricing page lists current markets as Austin, Houston, San Antonio and Dallas-Fort Worth in Texas and Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Tampa-St. Petersburg, Orlando and Jacksonville in Florida (Indiana coverage has its own page), the free permit app covers Texas and Florida, and the FAQ says most teams are set up within an hour. Re-checked Oct 21, 2026: homepage and pricing page unchanged in substance; the FAQ still says most teams are set up within an hour. Re-checked Oct 22, 2026: homepage and pricing page unchanged in substance (same signal types, CRM pushes, Mercator MCP, Ask Scout, the eight listed metros plus Indiana statewide; most teams set up within an hour). Re-checked Oct 24, 2026: homepage and pricing page unchanged in substance (signals from land title changes, hearings, rezonings, site plans, permits and occupancy; Ask Scout; CRM push and an MCP connection for AI assistants; CSV and PDF export on every plan). Vendor ROI, accuracy and market-share figures are not used. Re-checked Oct 26, 2026: homepage and pricing page unchanged in substance (Ask Scout, MCP and CRM integrations, priced by coverage; Texas, Florida and Indiana coverage; free Texas and Florida permit apps). Vendor ROI and timing figures are not used. Re-read Oct 29, 2026 for a compare: homepage and pricing page unchanged in substance (signals from land title changes, hearings, rezonings, site plans, permits and occupancy scored by AI against your criteria; Ask Scout; CRM push to HubSpot, Salesforce, Unanet CRM, ProjectMark, Pipedrive or Zoho and a Mercator MCP; CSV and PDF export on every plan; Texas, Florida and Indiana coverage). Vendor ROI and timing figures 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. Re-checked Oct 27, 2026: homepage and pricing page unchanged in substance (prediction engine for the built world; decisions, permits, contractors and properties datasets gathered directly from each jurisdiction; Shovels Online with Charlie, the API and the CLI share one credit balance on every plan). Vendor figures are not used. Re-checked Oct 29, 2026: homepage, Charlie and pricing pages unchanged in substance (same headline figures and datasets; Charlie answers plain-English questions on every plan; SOC 2 Type II). The pricing page's plan table also lists a Google Sheets add-on (Shovels formulas in Google Sheets using API credits) on every plan, alongside the web app, API, CLI and GIS layers.
Who it's forConstruction business developers.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)Vendor-listed pricing (homepage plans section, checked Oct 16, 2026), priced by coverage, not by seat: Single Metro starts at $24,000/year; Whole State starts at $40,000/year; Enterprise (multi-state / national) custom. Prices are annual; the pricing page lists unlimited team members and free onboarding and training on all subscriptions. Confirm current pricing with the vendor. Re-checked Oct 17 and Oct 19, 2026: unchanged; all plans also list early access to feature releases. Re-checked Oct 21, 2026: unchanged (Single Metro from $24,000/yr, Whole State from $40,000/yr, Enterprise custom; annual; unlimited team members, free onboarding and training, early access to feature releases); the market list is unchanged (four Texas and four Florida metros, plus an Indiana coverage page). Re-checked Oct 22, 2026: unchanged (Single Metro from $24,000/yr, Whole State from $40,000/yr, Enterprise custom; annual; unlimited team members, free onboarding and training, early access to feature releases). Re-checked Oct 24, 2026: unchanged (Single Metro from $24,000/yr, Whole State from $40,000/yr, Enterprise custom; annual; unlimited team members, free onboarding and training, early access to feature releases). Re-checked Oct 26, 2026: unchanged (Single Metro $24,000, Whole State $40,000, Multi-state / national custom; unlimited team members, free onboarding and training, early access to feature releases; the FAQ still says most teams are up and running within one hour). Re-checked Oct 28, 2026: unchanged (Single Metro $24,000, Whole State $40,000, Multi-state / national custom; unlimited team members, free onboarding and training, early access to feature releases). Re-checked Oct 29, 2026: unchanged (Single Metro from $24,000/yr, Whole State from $40,000/yr, Enterprise multi-state or national custom; annual; unlimited team members, free onboarding and training, early access to feature releases).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). Re-checked Oct 27, 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 and up to 2 seats; Enterprise custom; Enterprise Data License by agreement). Re-checked Oct 28, 2026: unchanged (Free $0 with 500 credits a month, 1 year of history, 1 seat and up to 10 results per query, no credit card; Basic $599/mo with 25,000 credits; Pro $999/mo with 50,000 credits and up to 2 seats; Enterprise custom; Enterprise Data License). Re-checked Oct 29, 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; 1 credit = 1 record, credits reset monthly).
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Facts last checked: Oct 29, 2026. Prices change; check the vendor page before relying on them.

Where the vendor descriptions differ

  • Who each is for: Mercator.ai's homepage is headed For construction business developers and is written for general contractors chasing private, negotiated work. Shovels lists building materials and equipment companies, construction technology, energy, home services, real estate, insurance, telecommunications and research teams; it sells data you query rather than a BD pipeline.
  • What each watches: Mercator.ai says it reads land title changes, municipal hearings, rezonings, site plan applications, permits and occupancy as they are filed in its markets. Shovels describes permit, contractor, property and land-use decision records gathered directly from each jurisdiction it covers, not licensed or brokered, with records linked across datasets; its pricing table also lists residents and, on paid plans, employee counts on contractor profiles.
  • Coverage: Mercator.ai lists live coverage in Texas (Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio), Florida (North, Central, South, Gulf Coast and Gold Coast) and Indiana statewide, with a request-your-state option, plus free permit apps for Texas and Florida. Shovels covers U.S. jurisdictions nationally; its Charlie FAQ says permit coverage spans jurisdictions covering roughly 85% of the U.S. population (vendor statement).
  • Where the AI sits: Mercator.ai says AI scores every signal against your criteria and attaches owner, timeline and context, offers Ask Scout for questions, and has a Mercator MCP so Claude, ChatGPT or other agents can query it. Shovels AI-classifies permits into structured records and includes Charlie, an in-app agent that answers plain-English questions and shows the SQL behind each answer. We tag Mercator.ai AI-first and Shovels AI features added to an established product.
  • Getting the data out: Mercator.ai pushes qualified projects to HubSpot, Salesforce, Unanet CRM, ProjectMark, Pipedrive or Zoho, with CSV and PDF export on every plan. Shovels delivers through the Shovels Online web app, a REST API, a CLI, a Google Sheets add-on, Esri ArcGIS feature layers, and bulk parquet or warehouse shares, all drawing on one credit balance.
  • Pricing (checked Oct 29, 2026): Mercator.ai Single Metro starts at $24,000 a year and Whole State at $40,000 a year, with multi-state or national Enterprise custom; prices are annual, priced by coverage not seat, with unlimited team members and free onboarding. Shovels Free is $0 (500 credits a month, 1 year of history, 1 seat), Basic $599 a month (25,000 credits), Pro $999 a month (50,000 credits, up to 2 seats), with Enterprise and an Enterprise Data License by agreement; a credit is one record retrieved. See each tool page for detail.
  • Not used here: Mercator.ai's months-ahead, research-time, projects-won and market-share figures, and Shovels's permit, contractor and jurisdiction counts (vendor figures). Neither tool has been tested by Means & Methods Lab.

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.

Used either of these? Share your take

Good or bad, an honest review from an estimator, PM or super helps the next team more than another vendor demo. You post under a handle; your email is never shown.

Questions to ask in your review

  • Whether you want scored, CRM-ready project leads (Mercator.ai) or raw permit and contractor records to build your own targeting (Shovels)
  • How well each covers your region, given Mercator.ai's Texas, Florida and Indiana focus
  • How many Shovels credits a real BD search workflow would use in a month
  • 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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