A Planning Signal alternative for contractors
Planning Signal is a UK planning search and alert service built first for homeowners and residents, with paid plans for researchers, trades and consultants. PlanFalcon is built only for construction sales. It ranks planning applications and public tenders for civils, groundworks, drainage and highways businesses and the suppliers who sell to them.
Free plan, plus a 14-day trial of the paid features. No card required.
Planning Signal
Free planning search and alerts for residents, with keyword-matched lead alerts and contacts on its paid Leads plan.
PlanFalcon
Planning applications and tenders scored against your trade, with the reasons, site constraints, a pipeline and outreach drafts.
Planning Signal vs PlanFalcon, side by side
| Planning Signal | PlanFalcon | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free; Research £29/month + VAT; Leads £49/month + VAT; Conditions £99/month + VAT | Free; Pro £29/month; Max £59/month |
| Free plan | Search, watch and alerts | One area, ranked leads and the weekly digest |
| Built for | Homeowners and residents first; also architects, trades and consultants | Civils, groundworks, drainage and highways firms, and their suppliers |
| Coverage | 400+ UK councils, strongest in England | UK planning authorities, checked daily |
| How leads are found | Keywords, project types and service area you set | Each application scored against your services and scheme sizes, with the reasons shown |
| Public tenders and contract awards | Not listed on their site | Find a Tender and Contracts Finder, in the same feed |
| Contacts | Applicant, agent firm and business contact on the Leads plan | Agent and applicant firms where public, with Companies House details and parent companies |
| Site constraints | Not listed on the pages we read | Flood zone, conservation area, listed building and more (England) |
| AI outreach drafts | Not listed on the pages we read | 40 a month on Pro, 200 on Max |
| Delivery | Daily email alerts, CSV export, lead pipeline, paid API | Web app with a pipeline, email alerts and CSV export |
Planning Signal details are from their public website, checked 3 November 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.
Choose Planning Signal if…
- Your customers are homeowners, so extensions and alterations are the work you want.
- You are a planning consultant tracking conditions, or you need planning data through an API.
- You only need free search and alerts on a few sites or streets.
Choose PlanFalcon if…
- You are a civils, groundworks, drainage or highways contractor, or supply them, and want larger schemes ranked first.
- You want public tenders and contract awards next to planning applications.
- You want site constraints and the reasons a lead matched before you pick up the phone.
- You want the first outreach email drafted for you.
Keyword alerts, or a ranked shortlist
Keyword alerts work when the right words appear in the description. Planning descriptions are short and inconsistent. A 60-home scheme might never mention drainage, even though it will need a full drainage strategy.
PlanFalcon reads each application for the signals behind civils work, such as plot numbers, site area, new access and roads, and earthworks. It ranks the applications against the services you offer and the scheme sizes you want, then shows why each one ranked where it did.
Where Planning Signal is the better fit
If your work comes from homeowners, Planning Signal is built around exactly those applications, and PlanFalcon deliberately scores them down. Planning Signal also serves consultants tracking conditions and offers a planning data API, neither of which PlanFalcon does. Both have a free plan, so you can try each on your own area.
Questions
- Is there an alternative to Planning Signal for construction leads?
- Yes. PlanFalcon is built for civils, groundworks, drainage and highways businesses and their suppliers. SiteLens, Strukta and Planning Pipe are other self-serve options.
- How much does Planning Signal cost?
- When we checked their pricing page on 3 November 2026: a free plan, Research at £29 a month, Leads at £49 a month and Conditions at £99 a month, all plus VAT. Check planningsignal.co.uk for current prices.
- Does PlanFalcon cover householder applications?
- It collects them but scores them down, because its users are contractors and suppliers working on larger schemes. If domestic work is your market, a householder-focused service is likely the better fit.
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.