The Shovels alternative built on the full public record
Shovels is a permit-data API and analytics product aimed at data teams and fintechs, with strong national permit coverage and contractor benchmarking.
Teams usually switch to (or add) Sunwrit for reasons that come down to the data model: code violations alongside permits, owner data on the record, and flat pricing that doesn't tax your volume.
Code violations
Shovels: Permit-centric; violations are not the core dataset.
Sunwrit: Violations are a first-class record type — the 'forced work' and distress signal both audiences pay for.
Owner data
Shovels: Contractor- and permit-focused enrichment.
Sunwrit: Assessor-joined owner names, mailing addresses and out-of-state flags on the record.
Pricing model
Shovels: API/enterprise oriented.
Sunwrit: Self-serve from $99/mo, with a free browsable tier.
Lead workflow
Shovels: Data platform; you build the workflow.
Sunwrit: Alerts, scored records, and mail-merge exports out of the box.