FirstDig vs Projects Ahead

Construction intelligence across 204 cities and counties, with full permit history and company research. How it compares with FirstDig for local service businesses, from both sites (checked Oct 31, 2026).

	FirstDig	Projects Ahead
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.	Specialty contractors and businesses that sell into construction: distributors, manufacturers' reps, rental, finance, insurance, staffing.
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.	204 cities and counties in 37 states and about 8.5 million permits including history, 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).	Refreshed nightly.
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.	Saved searches with email alerts: 1 daily alert free; instant and daily alerts on paid plans (5, 15 or unlimited).
Homeowner names	Never: owner and applicant names are removed before anything is saved. Alerts go to businesses.	Says it does not sell a contact database.
Contractor details	The contractor's business name on each permit; the busiest builders in your area (Business).	Company histories (18,615 by its count), with contractor names matched across spellings.
Exports and API	No exports; connect ChatGPT or Claude to ask about your permits (Pro and Business).	CSV exports on paid plans; 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.	Free (newest 7 days); $49, $147 or $299 a month for 1, 5 or every market (half price the first 3 months).

Choose Projects Ahead if

You sell into construction and research companies and projects across many markets.
You need years of permit history and exports.

Choose FirstDig if

You run a local service business and want the new permits in your own service area each morning.
You want the permits sorted by your trade on a map, with job-finished alerts, ready dates and a route planner.

Questions

What is the difference between FirstDig and Projects Ahead?

FirstDig: Home-service businesses and contractors (pool, roofing, solar, HVAC, plumbing, remodel and more) who want the new jobs in their own service area. Projects Ahead: Specialty contractors and businesses that sell into construction: distributors, manufacturers' reps, rental, finance, insurance, staffing.

How much does Projects Ahead cost compared with FirstDig?

Projects Ahead: Free (newest 7 days); $49, $147 or $299 a month for 1, 5 or every market (half price the first 3 months). 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 Projects Ahead or FirstDig include homeowner names?

Projects Ahead: Says it does not sell a contact database. 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

Projects Ahead'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.