PlanIndex and SiteLens

What SiteLens is

SiteLens is a UK planning data product aimed at trades and developers. Its published features include daily scanning of council registers, classification of applications by trade and project type with estimated values, an interactive map with filters, site constraint layers such as flood zones and conservation areas, tracking of developers and agents across councils, and morning email alerts including status changes. Its published pricing starts at £29 a month billed annually. It is the closest product to PlanIndex on this page, and a capable one.

What PlanIndex is

PlanIndex starts from the public record rather than a subscription wall. Every application we index has a permanent, free page showing exactly what the council published, linked to the source register; council hubs carry approval rates and decision times with the date they were computed from stated plainly. Alerts sit on top: one area free indefinitely, paid tiers from £29 a month billed monthly, cancel any time. We show the register verbatim and say where every fact came from; we do not estimate project values or classify beyond the application types councils themselves use.

Which fits when

If maps, value estimates and constraint overlays are central to how you prospect, SiteLens offers tools PlanIndex deliberately does not build; our pages are text and data by design, built to load fast and read clearly. If you want the register itself, free to read and cite, with a free alert to start and monthly billing when you upgrade, that is this site. Coverage differs between the two services and both are growing; our council list shows live counts for every authority we hold, so you can check your area before paying anyone anything.