A Barbour ABI alternative for smaller contractors
Barbour ABI is one of the best-known UK construction project databases, with researched contacts and CRM integrations. PlanFalcon is a smaller, self-serve tool tuned for civils, groundworks, drainage and highways businesses. It ranks planning applications and public tenders against your trade, at a published price.
Free plan, plus a 14-day trial of the paid features. No card required.
Barbour ABI
A researched UK construction project database with decision-maker contacts and CRM feeds, priced by quote.
PlanFalcon
A self-serve planning-led sales tool for civils and groundworks, with published prices and a free plan.
Barbour ABI vs PlanFalcon, side by side
| Barbour ABI | PlanFalcon | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Not published: bespoke, by sectors, locations, users and API licences | Free plan; Pro £29/month; Max £59/month |
| How you start | Book a demo, free trial or 10 free leads | Sign up and start; 14-day trial with no card |
| Research | UK research team checks projects and contact details daily | Public registers and notices only, read and scored automatically |
| Contacts | Decision-maker emails, phone and mobile numbers | Agent and applicant firms where public, with Companies House details and parent companies |
| Project stages | Pre-planning through contract awarded and on site | Planning applications, open tenders and contract awards |
| AI | Just Ask AI search and AI Email Writer | Plain-English summaries, relevance reasons and outreach drafts |
| CRM | HubSpot, Salesforce, Dynamics, Pipedrive and more, via API | Built-in pipeline and CSV export |
| Built for | Anyone in construction: contractors, manufacturers, merchants, recruiters, marketers | Civils, groundworks, drainage and highways firms, and their suppliers |
| Site constraints | Not listed on the pages we read | Flood zone, conservation area, listed building and more (England) |
Barbour ABI details are from their public website, checked 3 November 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.
Choose Barbour ABI if…
- You need named decision-maker contacts with direct phone and email, checked by researchers.
- You want project data fed straight into Salesforce, HubSpot or Dynamics.
- You sell across many sectors and need projects tracked from pre-planning to on site.
Choose PlanFalcon if…
- You are a civils, groundworks, drainage or highways firm, or supply them, and want the schemes that carry your scope ranked first.
- You want a published price and to start without a quote or a demo.
- You are a smaller team that needs a shortlist each morning, not a database to manage.
- You want to see why each lead matched, and its site constraints, before you call.
Depth, or focus
Barbour ABI holds researched project data and contact details that PlanFalcon does not try to match. For a business development team with a CRM to fill, that depth is the product.
PlanFalcon takes a different route. It reads every new planning application in your area for the signals of civils work, such as new roads, drainage, earthworks, plot numbers and site area. It ranks each one against your services and shows the reasons. Tenders and contract awards from Find a Tender and Contracts Finder sit in the same list. It is built for the owner or estimator who has twenty minutes in the morning to decide which jobs to chase.
How you buy it
Barbour ABI prices each subscription to your sectors, locations and users, so you get a figure by getting in touch. PlanFalcon publishes its prices: a free plan for one area, Pro at £29 a month and Max at £59. It is monthly, you can cancel any time, and there is a 14-day trial without a card.
Questions
- What is a cheaper alternative to Barbour ABI?
- For civils, groundworks, drainage and highways firms, PlanFalcon starts free, with paid plans from £29 a month. Planning Pipe and Strukta also publish prices. Glenigan, like Barbour ABI, quotes on request.
- How much does Barbour ABI cost?
- Barbour ABI does not publish prices. Its product page says pricing is bespoke, depending on the sectors, locations, users and API licences you need, and asks you to get in touch for a quote.
- Does PlanFalcon have the same contact data as Barbour ABI?
- No. Barbour ABI researches decision-maker contacts with direct phone and email. PlanFalcon names the agent and applicant firms from public planning records, adds Companies House details and parent companies, and shows the firm’s public business details.
- Can I try PlanFalcon without a demo?
- Yes. Sign up, choose your area and services, and see ranked leads straight away. The free plan has no time limit, and the paid features have a 14-day trial with no card needed.
Compare them on your own patch
The fairest test is the same area in both tools for a week. PlanFalcon’s free plan lets you start without a card or a call.