Step 1 of 5
Search once.
One search hits 40+ retailers — big-box, online, and the supply houses near you.
Try a search
Price comparison for construction materials
Stop overpayingfor materials and tools.
Red Alert compares live prices from 40+ retailers — big-box, online, and the supply houses near you — then routes you straight to the retailer: buy online, call, or drive.
Deal of the Day
The Home Depot
Deal
$199
Walmart
$299
Zoro
$399
Save $100 off list
Example — a sample of today’s rotating deal.
Free account — no card, takes 30 seconds.
Compares prices across
The Home Depot
Lowe's
Amazon
Walmart
Ace Hardware
Grainger
Harbor Freight
Sherwin-Williams
Tractor Supply
True Value
Benjamin Moore
eBay
Zoro
Northern Tool
The Home Depot
Lowe's
Amazon
Walmart
Ace Hardware
Grainger
Harbor Freight
Sherwin-Williams
Tractor Supply
True Value
Benjamin Moore
eBay
Zoro
Northern Tool
How it works
From search to job site.
Step 2 of 5
Compare everything.
Every offer scored Great to Overpriced against the local market median.
Run this comparison
Step 3 of 5
Go get it.
Buy online, call the counter, or drive — your call, our directions.
Find it nearby
Step 5 of 5
Check an invoice.
Upload a supplier quote — see per-line savings.
Check an invoiceIllustrative example — savings vary by job, materials, and supplier.
New · Live price index
The Trades Market.
Every trade’s material basket, priced daily like a stock index — the average listed price per unit across the retailers Red Alert compares. Know what your job costs before you bid it.
- Five trade indices — carpentry, plumbing, electrical, concrete & finishing — plus the Jobsite Composite.
- A new real data point every day, straight from the same price funnel that powers your drop alerts.
- History back to 2015 — spot the run-ups before they hit your margin.
Real coverage, not promises.
Red Alert blends its seeded catalog, live retailer feeds (Google Shopping + dedicated Home Depot / Amazon / Walmart lookups), and a live nearest-store locator. Prices refresh through the day and are labeled when it was last checked — so you know exactly how fresh each figure is. The store locator runs live for any US ZIP.
40
retailers recognized — big-box, trade supply, and online
Example ZIP
19002
example ZIP — nearest stores, phones, and directions looked up live for any US ZIP
12
trades covered — paint, lumber, electrical, HVAC, and more
Straight answers
We sell nothing.
Every link goes straight to the retailer, a phone call, or directions. Red Alert is a comparison tool, not a store.
Honest price labels.
An online price mapped to a nearby branch says so: online price — call to confirm in-store.
Your Pro pricing may win.
We show public retail prices. If your Pro Xtra or Lowe's Pro rate beats them, take it.
Quick answers.
Is Red Alert actually free?
Yes — the core is free. Search, price comparison, the store locator, your watchlist, and price-drop alerts run on a free account. No card, no trial clock. When Pro launches, the AI Take-Off and Savings Check tools become part of Pro. We'll say what's free here before anything changes.
Do I need an account?
Yes — searching needs a free sign-in (it keeps automated scrapers from draining the live price lookups). Takes about 30 seconds with an email address.
What trades does it cover?
Twelve today: paint & coatings, drywall & gypsum, lumber & engineered wood, fasteners, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, flooring & tile, tools & equipment, insulation, roofing, and concrete & masonry.