Zabalist vs PermitStack
A PermitStack alternative for Texas construction, permit, and contractor data — compared as of August 2026.
150K+ companies · 400K+ projects · 135K+ permits · 335K+ TDLR projects · All 254 Texas counties
TL;DR
PermitStack sells the permit lookup transparently; Zabalist sells the same transparency plus the licensing, entity-graph, and bid joins PermitStack does not offer at any price.
Choose PermitStack if…
you need permit data outside Texas, or you only need raw permit lookups and want the lowest possible self-serve entry price.
Choose Zabalist if…
you need Texas contractor licensing, entity resolution, or government-bid data joined to permits — PermitStack does not sell any of that at any price.
Zabalist vs PermitStack, side by side
| Category | Zabalist | PermitStack |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage | Texas only — statewide (all 254 Texas counties), deepest in Austin/Travis County | National — 8,000+ cities |
| Data joins | TDLR statewide contractor licensing + deduplicated entity work-history graph + ESBD government bids with SBA/HUB certifications + county appraisal/deed history, joined in one schema | Permits + contractor leads; no licensing, appraisal, or entity-graph joins |
| Pricing | Free (500 calls/mo) · Developer $49/mo (10,000 calls) · Growth $149/mo (100,000 calls) · Scale $399/mo (500,000 calls) — published, self-serve, as of August 2026 | Free (100 req/day) → $29 → $39 → $79 → $149 → Enterprise custom — as of August 2026 |
| API access | REST API with self-serve keys, a free tier, and an MCP server for AI agents | REST API, webhooks (~60s), CSV export, self-serve Stripe checkout |
| Self-serve | Yes, from Free | Yes, from Free (100 req/day) |
PermitStack figures compiled independently as of August 2026; see sources below.
Pricing, as of August 2026
Free (100 requests/day) → Indie $29/mo → Hobbyist $39/mo → Developer $79/mo (most popular) → Business $149/mo → Enterprise custom. Contractor Leads run $79–249/mo per ZIP; one-time city data exports run $39–349; roughly a 17% discount on annual billing — as of August 2026.
Free
Free
500 calls/mo
Developer
$49/mo
10,000 calls/mo
Growth
$149/mo
100,000 calls/mo
Scale
$399/mo
500,000 calls/mo
What PermitStack offers
PermitStack is a self-serve, developer-first national permit API that explicitly positions itself against Shovels on transparent pricing. It ships /leads, /search, and /stats-style REST endpoints, webhooks with roughly 60-second real-time updates, CSV export, and a Contractor Leads product sold by ZIP code and trade.
Genuine strengths
- 83M+ permits across 8,000+ cities with daily refresh
- The clearest self-serve, transparent-pricing playbook in the category — Stripe checkout, no sales call required
- Webhooks with near-real-time (~60 second) permit updates
- A packaged Contractor Leads product sold directly by ZIP and trade, proving the self-serve lead-gen segment exists and pays
Where Zabalist wins for Texas
- TDLR statewide contractor licensing is not offered by PermitStack at any tier
- A deduplicated entity graph with 888,179+ work-history links — PermitStack has no equivalent entity-resolution layer
- ESBD government bid data with SBA 8(a)/HUBZone/WOSB certification fields — outside PermitStack's scope entirely
- County appraisal and deed history joined to permits and projects
- Zabalist's Growth plan ($149/mo) matches PermitStack's Business tier price point while including all of the above; PermitStack's Business plan ($149/mo) does not include licensing or entity-graph data at any price
When PermitStack is the better choice
We would rather tell you this up front than have you find out after signing up.
- Broader raw coverage: 8,000+ cities nationally vs. Texas only
- A lower self-serve entry point ($29/mo Indie tier) for buyers who just need basic permit lookups outside Texas
- CSV export available even on lower-priced tiers
- A longer track record specifically as a self-serve developer tool, with an established webhook/real-time delivery model
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a PermitStack alternative for Texas contractor licensing data?
Yes — Zabalist. PermitStack's own published tiers (Free through Business, $149/mo, as of August 2026) cover permit lookups only; it does not offer TDLR contractor licensing, an entity work-history graph, or ESBD government bid data at any price. Zabalist joins all four into one Texas-specific schema.
How much does PermitStack cost?
As of August 2026, PermitStack runs Free (100 requests/day) → Indie $29/mo → Hobbyist $39/mo → Developer $79/mo → Business $149/mo → Enterprise custom, plus Contractor Leads at $79–249/mo per ZIP and one-time city exports at $39–349.
Zabalist vs PermitStack — which should I use?
If you only need permit lookups anywhere in the U.S., PermitStack's national coverage (83M+ permits, 8,000+ cities) and low entry price are hard to beat. If you need Texas contractor licensing, entity resolution, or government bids joined to permit data, Zabalist covers ground PermitStack does not sell at any tier.
Competitor information on this page was independently compiled from public sources (pricing pages, product docs, and press coverage) as of August 2026. Vendors change pricing and features without notice. If something here is out of date or inaccurate, tell us at [email protected] and we will correct it.
Sources
- https://permit-stack.com/blog/building-permit-data-api-pricing-compared.html
- https://permit-stack.com/
- https://permit-stack.com/compare/hbweekly/
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