FirstDig vs PermitVector

A daily permit lead email per county in Texas, Colorado, Florida, Arizona and California, from $19.99 a month. How it compares with FirstDig for local service businesses, from both sites (checked Oct 31, 2026).

	FirstDig	PermitVector
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.	Contractors and suppliers: solar, roofing, HVAC, distributors.
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.	43 markets in 34 counties across Texas, Colorado, Florida, Arizona and California, by its own count.
How fresh	City feeds read about every hour; the matching permits arrive by email every morning (Pro), within the hour (Business) or weekly (Free).	Feeds pulled early each morning, email around 6 AM Central; it notes some counties publish days to a week late.
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 daily email with the 25 best-fit leads per county, all matches attached as CSV; chosen by county and trade.
Homeowner names	Never: owner and applicant names are removed before anything is saved. Alerts go to businesses.	Owner name and mailing address from the public record where published.
Contractor details	The contractor's business name on each permit; the busiest builders in your area (Business).	Contractor lookup with phone and website (500 a month); state licence checks in TX, FL, CA and AZ.
Exports and API	No exports; connect ChatGPT or Claude to ask about your permits (Pro and Business).	Daily CSV; search, dashboard and an API (up to 20,000 requests a day).
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.	$19.99 a month for one county, $9.99 for each extra county; 14-day trial with a card.

Choose PermitVector if

Your work is inside its counties and you want a low price per county.
You want owner names, CSV files and an API.

Choose FirstDig if

You work outside those five states, or across county lines (FirstDig covers 29 states and DC).
You want a free plan, your service area drawn on a map, and job-finished alerts, ready dates and a route planner.
You prefer to approach the job through the permit and the contractor, without homeowners' personal data.

Questions

What is the difference between FirstDig and PermitVector?

FirstDig: Home-service businesses and contractors (pool, roofing, solar, HVAC, plumbing, remodel and more) who want the new jobs in their own service area. PermitVector: Contractors and suppliers: solar, roofing, HVAC, distributors.

How much does PermitVector cost compared with FirstDig?

PermitVector: $19.99 a month for one county, $9.99 for each extra county; 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 PermitVector or FirstDig include homeowner names?

PermitVector: Owner name and mailing address from the public record where published. 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

PermitVector'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.