FirstDig vs New Permit Alerts

Florida-only weekly permit lists per county for pool service, enclosures, insurance, dumpsters and other follow-on trades. How it compares with FirstDig for local service businesses, from both sites (checked Oct 31, 2026).

	FirstDig	New Permit Alerts
Built for	Home-service businesses and contractors (pool, roofing, solar, HVAC, plumbing, remodel and more) who want the new jobs in their own service area.	Florida businesses that come after a permit: pool service, screen enclosures, pool fences and pavers, insurance, inspectors, pest and lawn, solar, dumpsters; roofers and HVAC on a separate plan.
Coverage	100 city and county permit feeds in 29 states and DC; 113,450 permits in the last 30 days. Any other city can be requested.	Florida only: 34 counties per its FAQ (35 on its home page).
How fresh	City feeds read about every hour; the matching permits arrive by email every morning (Pro), within the hour (Business) or weekly (Free).	Permits read every night; county lists emailed weekly (every Monday); the roofer and HVAC plan is daily.
Alerts	Draw your service area on a map and pick your trades; plus job-finished alerts, ready dates, busy streets and a route planner. Works inside ChatGPT and Claude too.	A weekly email and CSV per county and trade, with at most 5 subscribers per trade per county.
Homeowner names	Never: owner and applicant names are removed before anything is saved. Alerts go to businesses.	Says it does not sell phone numbers or owner names.
Contractor details	The contractor's business name on each permit; the busiest builders in your area (Business).	Contractor names and licence numbers where the county publishes them (roofer and HVAC page).
Exports and API	No exports; connect ChatGPT or Claude to ask about your permits (Pro and Business).	A CSV with the county emails; no API mentioned.
Price	Free (weekly, one area, one trade); Pro $49 a month, Business $99 a month. Every account starts with 14 days of Pro, no card.	$49 a month per county for most trades ($79 for insurance agents); roofers and HVAC $99, or $249 statewide; a 14-day trial with a card.

Choose New Permit Alerts if

You work only in Florida and a weekly list per county is enough.
You like that only 5 businesses per trade get each county's list.

Choose FirstDig if

You want the permits every morning (or within the hour on Business), not once a week.
Your service area crosses county lines or states: draw it on a map, one price for several areas.
You want job-finished alerts, so you hear when a pool or roof is done (where the city records final inspections), not only when it is permitted.

Questions

What is the difference between FirstDig and New Permit Alerts?

FirstDig: Home-service businesses and contractors (pool, roofing, solar, HVAC, plumbing, remodel and more) who want the new jobs in their own service area. New Permit Alerts: Florida businesses that come after a permit: pool service, screen enclosures, pool fences and pavers, insurance, inspectors, pest and lawn, solar, dumpsters; roofers and HVAC on a separate plan.

How much does New Permit Alerts cost compared with FirstDig?

New Permit Alerts: $49 a month per county for most trades ($79 for insurance agents); roofers and HVAC $99, or $249 statewide; a 14-day trial with a card. FirstDig: Free (weekly, one area, one trade); Pro $49 a month, Business $99 a month. Every account starts with 14 days of Pro, no card.

Does New Permit Alerts or FirstDig include homeowner names?

New Permit Alerts: Says it does not sell phone numbers or owner names. FirstDig: Never: owner and applicant names are removed before anything is saved. Alerts go to businesses.

Start free with FirstDig (14 days of Pro, no card needed).

Sources

New Permit Alerts's side comes from its own website, read on Oct 31, 2026; prices and features may have changed since. FirstDig's side is live. Spotted a mistake? Write to support@firstdig.net.