Best Solar Design Software in 2026

1. Photonik Pro

Best for DIY and small to medium solar companies

Photonik Pro is a free design and proposal tool built by a small team of solar professionals. It was designed from the start to be quick to learn: you can place panels on satellite imagery, size a battery, model EV charging and electrification, and send a branded proposal without weeks of training. That makes it a good fit for DIYers and for small to medium solar companies that want professional proposals without a full CRM suite or a per-user subscription.

What sets Photonik apart is that it also teaches you. The free Design Guide walks through every step of designing a system, with quizzes to test yourself, and a set of free calculators — string voltage, off-grid load table, battery designer and more — covers the questions that come up along the way.

Highlights

• Completely free — no per-user or per-project fees
• Simple, fast panel layout on satellite imagery, with multiple roof areas
• Battery sizing, EV charging and electrification modelling in one place, plus virtual power plant (VPP) and vehicle-to-grid modelling in beta
• Off-grid design with a detailed load table
• Branded online and PDF proposals in 15 languages, with online customer acceptance
• Site plans, plus string voltage checks and material lists in beta
• Wiring (single-line) diagram editor, currently in beta
• AI datasheet upload to add your own panels, inverters and batteries
• Free Design Guide, quizzes and calculators for learning solar design
• Homeowner marketplace for finding customers, currently live in the Philippines

Limitations

• No 3D modelling or automated shading — shade is applied as a manual derating
• No permit plan sets or legally binding e-signatures
• No smart-meter or interval data upload yet
• Light project tracking rather than a full CRM

Price: Free

2. Photonik Lite

Best for homeowners and energy planning

Most solar design software is built for installers. Photonik Lite is built for homeowners who want to understand their options before they talk to anyone. Enter your address and a few details about your energy use, and Lite shows you a suggested system, the expected savings and payback, and how a battery, an EV or a heat pump would change the picture. It is the quickest way to plan your home's energy future and go into installer quotes knowing what a sensible system looks like.

Highlights

• Free, with results in minutes — no solar knowledge needed
• Savings, payback and bill comparison for your home
• Battery, EV charging and electrification planning, with vehicle-to-grid in beta
• Free homeowner buying guide to help you choose a system and installer

Limitations

• Designed for planning, not for producing installer paperwork
• Grid-connected homes only — off-grid design is in Photonik Pro

Price: Free

3. OpenSolar

Best free solar design and CRM for installers

OpenSolar is a free design, sales and project management platform funded by industry partners rather than subscriptions. It is used in more than 185 countries and covers 3D design, automated shading, proposals, CRM, financing and e-signatures. Its new AI "Auto Design" feature (in beta) can lay out a system automatically. The trade-off for all that power is a steeper learning curve, so it suits companies with a dedicated design or sales team. Paid "Enterprise Services" add premium support and customisation.

Highlights

• Free core platform with CRM, finance and e-signatures built in
• 3D modelling and automated shading analysis
• AI Auto Design (beta)

Limitations

• Takes time to learn; training recommended
• Advanced support and customisation cost extra

Price: Free (paid enterprise services on request) · opensolar.com

4. Aurora Solar

Best all-in-one platform for US residential installers

Aurora Solar is one of the most complete residential platforms available, especially in North America. It combines 3D site modelling, LIDAR-assisted shading, AI-generated roof models, battery modelling, sales proposals, financing integrations and a plan-set service for permits. It is priced per user, which adds up for larger teams, and LIDAR shading and battery modelling are only included in the Premium plan.

Highlights

• Accurate LIDAR-assisted shade analysis and 3D modelling
• Permit plan sets and engineering services
• Financing integrations and polished sales proposals

Limitations

• Per-user pricing gets expensive for bigger teams
• Best features require the Premium plan; no free plan

Price: Basic from $135/user/month (annual) or $159 monthly; Premium from $220/user/month (annual) · aurorasolar.com

5. SolarPlus

Best for advanced battery and off-grid design

Founded by Australian solar industry veteran Glen Morris, SolarPlus is a powerful design, quoting, CRM and compliance platform with some of the most detailed battery and off-grid modelling available — grid-connect, hybrid, backup and off-grid systems, peak shaving and arbitrage. It now offers 3D design, ray-traced 3D shading and automatic single-line diagrams, and is increasingly used for commercial work. Plans are priced by the total kilowatts you quote each month rather than per project, and setup and training packages are available. It is best suited to experienced teams who want deep technical control and full compliance documentation.

Highlights

• Advanced battery storage and off-grid modelling
• Automatic, editable single-line diagrams and cable sizing
• Compliance documents for Australian and New Zealand standards

Limitations

• Expensive for small or part-time installers
• Steep learning curve; training recommended

Price: From $135/month (annual) or $150 monthly, up to $450–$520/month · solarplus.co

6. HelioScope

Best for commercial-scale projects

HelioScope, now part of Aurora Solar, is built for commercial and industrial systems: rooftops, carports and ground mounts up to tens of megawatts. It is fast for large layouts, and every plan includes shade reports, single-line diagrams and battery layout. LIDAR-assisted modelling, storage modelling and sales proposals need the Pro plan. Basic and Pro are capped at ten projects per month per licence, so high-volume teams will need the Enterprise plan.

Highlights

• Fast design of large commercial systems
• Bankable shade reports and automatic single-line diagrams

Limitations

• Not designed for residential or DIY projects
• Project caps on Basic and Pro plans; LIDAR and proposals need Pro

Price: From $135/licence/month (annual) or $159 monthly · helioscope.aurorasolar.com

7. Solargraf (Enphase)

Best for Enphase installers

Owned by Enphase, Solargraf bundles AI-assisted design, interactive proposals, CRM, financing and automated permitting into one annual subscription. Pricing is predictable, with a set number of projects and users per plan, but it is paid up front and naturally leans towards Enphase equipment.

Highlights

• Design, proposals, CRM and permits in one subscription
• Tight integration with Enphase products and monitoring

Limitations

• Annual up-front cost, with fees for extra projects and users
• Best value only if you mainly install Enphase

Price: From $2,799/year (240 projects, 2 users) · solargraf.com

8. SolarEdge Designer

Best free tool for SolarEdge installers

SolarEdge Designer is a free, browser-based tool for designing SolarEdge systems. It includes AI roof detection, 3D site modelling, shading analysis, automatic stringing, battery and backup planning, financial analysis, proposals and a bill-of-materials export. Recent updates added a residential storage comparison tab and editable consumption profiles. The catch is that it only works with SolarEdge equipment, and it does not produce single-line diagrams.

Highlights

• Free, with no licence or subscription fees
• Accurate simulation with automatic stringing to SolarEdge rules

Limitations

• SolarEdge hardware only
• No CRM, single-line diagrams or permit plan sets

Price: Free · solaredge.com

9. Arka 360

Best AI-first option for fast-growing installers

Arka 360 leans heavily on AI to speed up design, with 3D models, shade reports, lead management and optional permit and engineering-stamp services. Battery sizing and single-line diagrams are on the $358/month plan, and a full CRM is an add-on on every plan. It covers both residential and commercial work and has a strong presence in India and the US. Pricing is shown in both USD and Indian rupees, so check the final cost and taxes for your country before signing up.

Highlights

• AI-assisted design for fast proposals
• Residential and commercial in one tool, with lead management

Limitations

• Battery sizing and single-line diagrams need the $358/month plan; CRM is an add-on
• Pricing and taxes vary by region
• Permit and stamp services are extra

Price: From about $199/month · arka360.com

10. Pylon

Best pay-as-you-go option (Australia, New Zealand and UK)

Pylon (formerly Pylon Observer) charges per project instead of a monthly fee, which suits installers with uneven workloads. It offers 3D shading, fast web and PDF proposals and automatic single-line diagrams, with custom load profiles and interval data on Pro projects. Battery design is a Pro feature in Australia and New Zealand, but is included in Standard projects in the UK. A CRM and e-signatures are paid add-ons. It is built around Australian and New Zealand standards, with a UK version priced in pounds.

Highlights

• No monthly fee — pay only for the projects you create
• Fast proposals and unlimited team members

Limitations

• Costs grow with volume; CRM and e-signatures cost extra
• Focused on Australia, New Zealand and the UK

Price: A$4 (~US$2.80) per Standard project, A$10 (~US$7.00) per Pro project; CRM from A$49/user/month; 5 free projects to start · getpylon.com

11. PVcase

Best for utility-scale engineering

PVcase is an AutoCAD-based engineering tool for large ground-mounted and commercial rooftop systems. It handles terrain-aware layouts, cabling, piling and shading across undulating sites, and produces construction-ready drawings. It is aimed at engineering teams rather than sales, and pricing is by quote only.

Highlights

• Terrain-aware 3D layouts for utility-scale sites
• Construction-ready CAD drawings

Limitations

• Requires AutoCAD and engineering skills
• No public pricing; no proposals or CRM

Price: Quote only · pvcase.com