Pricing
Pay for permits, not for promises.
Start free. Upgrade when you start closing leads.
Hacker
For weekend builds and prototypes.
- 1,000 API calls / mo
- Phoenix only
- Community support
- No credit card
Starter
For solo devs validating an idea.
Billed monthly
- 10,000 API calls / mo
- All live cities (3 today, 25 by Q4)
- Webhook event subscription
- Email support
Growth
Lead-gen teams and small SaaS.
Billed monthly
- 50,000 API calls / mo
- Real-time webhooks (<5 min lag)
- Contractor license lookup
- Slack support
- 99.9% uptime SLA
Scale
Insurance, PropTech, ops at volume.
Billed monthly
- Unlimited API calls
- Bulk CSV / S3 exports
- Custom city priority
- Private webhooks + replay
- 99.99% SLA
Sign up free. Upgrade when you're ready. Prorated upgrades, end-of-period cancels.
Compare
Every feature, side by side.
| Feature | Hacker | Starter | Growth | Scale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| API calls / mo | 1,000 | 10,000 | 50,000 | Unlimited |
| City coverage | Phoenix only | All live cities | All live + priority | All + custom |
| Webhooks | — | ✓ | Real-time (<5 min) | Private + replay |
| Contractor licenses | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bulk CSV / S3 export | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Support | Community | Slack | Dedicated | |
| Uptime SLA | — | — | 99.9% | 99.99% |
How we compare
Built for devs. Priced like infrastructure.
Most permit data vendors sell leads or six-figure enterprise contracts. We sell a clean API with a free tier — and ship faster.
| Feature | PermitFlow | Shovels | BuildZoom | Legacy (ATTOM, etc.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | 1,000 calls/mo, no card | Limited trial | — | — |
| Self-serve API key | Instant | Instant | Sales call | Sales call + contract |
| Real-time webhooks | <5 min lag — first to the lead | Daily batch (up to 24h late) | — | Nightly CSV drop |
| Starting price | $99/mo | $299/mo | Per-lead pricing | $20k+/yr |
| Developer docs | Full reference + SDKs | Decent | Minimal | PDF spec sheet |
| Built for | Devs & SaaS builders | Devs & contractors | Lead-gen marketplace | Enterprise GCs |
Comparison based on publicly available pricing and product info. Last updated April 2026.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
What counts as an API call?
Every request to a PermitFlow endpoint that returns a 2xx response. Failed requests (4xx/5xx) and webhook deliveries don't count against your quota.
Can I upgrade or downgrade later?
Yes. Upgrades are prorated immediately — you only pay for the difference for the rest of the billing period. Downgrades take effect at the next renewal.
What happens if I exceed my plan limit?
We'll send you a notification at 80% and 100% of your quota. You can either upgrade instantly or pay $0.005 per extra call. We never silently cut off your access mid-month.
How does annual billing work?
Pay for 10 months upfront, get 12 months of access. Switch anytime — if you're already on monthly, the upgrade prorates your unused balance toward the annual plan.
Do you offer a free trial on paid plans?
The Hacker plan is permanently free — no card, no trial expiry. Use it as long as you need to validate before upgrading.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel from your dashboard in one click. You keep access until the end of your current billing period — no refunds for partial months, but no surprise charges either.