Best Solar Software in Australia: 5 Tools Compared for STCs and Export Limits

If you quote Australian rooftop and small commercial jobs, OpenSolar documents several local items. These are handling of small-scale technology certificates (STCs) and the Cheaper Home Batteries incentive. They also include a voltage rise calculator and an Australian template for a single line diagram (SLD, a simple drawing of how the system is wired). The Clean Energy Regulator (CER) says STCs give an upfront financial benefit. The vendor describes its core app as free, but charges for API Access and connectors from 16 April 2026. Pylon is run by an Australian company, charges per project and documents STC modelling up to 1 MW. PVsyst is the pick when a lender wants a yield simulation rather than a quote.

This is a desk comparison of what each vendor publishes, checked October 2026. We have not run side-by-side tests. Tool facts come from each vendor’s own site. Local rules come from the CER, DCCEEW, Solar Accreditation Australia, the Clean Energy Council and two network operators. For the wider rules, see our Australia solar compliance guide. This list covers design and quoting tools. It does not compare inverter-maker design tools such as SolarEdge Designer, SMA Sunny Design and Fronius.

Criteria used: STC modelling, battery incentive modelling, single line diagram for network applications, voltage rise report, local currency price, large-project yield evidence.

Best-For Picks for Australia

• STCs, battery incentive and voltage rise in a free core app: OpenSolar. Its help centre documents STC settings for systems up to 1 MW. It also documents the Cheaper Home Batteries Program incentive and a voltage rise calculator for Australian projects. The vendor charges for API Access and connectors from 16 April 2026.
• Pay per project with network-ready diagrams: Pylon. Its pricing page lists $4.00 per Standard project and $10.00 per Pro project. Its site says its SLDs meet the requirements of major DNSPs (distribution network service providers, the network operators).
• Lender-facing yield on larger sites: PVsyst. Its documentation describes P50 to P90 evaluations, which cover weather variability and simulation uncertainties. The pages we read describe no quoting or STC output.
• Roof model to bill of materials and proposal in one product, priced per user: SurgePV. It documents roof modeling, shading, yield, financial modeling, bill of materials and proposals, priced per user in US dollars. Ask for the Australian outputs in a demo. Its pricing page and published scope do not state an STC calculation or a DNSP drawing format.

Comparison Table

Listed alphabetically. This is not a ranking; pick by the situation above. Prices checked October 2026 on each vendor’s own page.

Tool	Best for	Price	Free or paid	Decisive scope fact
Aurora Solar	Residential sales teams wanting LiDAR-assisted modelling (Premium)	Basic $135 / Premium $220 per user per month, billed annually; currency not named	Paid	Regional menu lists North America, Europe and the United Kingdom
OpenSolar	STCs, battery incentive and voltage rise in a free core app	Core app free; API Access and connectors charged from 16 April 2026	Core app free	Voltage rise calculator is for projects in Australia and New Zealand only
PVsyst	Lender-facing yield	CHF 700 per year (Professional)	Paid	Documents P50 to P90 evaluations; Windows only
Pylon	Per-project quoting, Australian company	$4.00 Standard / $10.00 Pro per project; currency not named	Paid, per project (free credits for five Standard projects)	Models STCs up to 1 MW for installs from 1 October 2026
SurgePV	Roof model to BOM and proposal, per seat	$1,899 per user per year (1 user), US dollars	Paid, guided demo	BOM and proposal generation in scope; no STC or DNSP output stated

Australia Criteria Matrix

Each cell says Documented, Partial or Not stated. It is based on the vendor pages listed under Sources and Dates, read in October 2026. Documented means the vendor’s page says it. Partial means the page says part of it, explained in the cell. Not stated means we did not find it on those pages. That is not proof the feature is absent. There are no scores or weights.

Tool	STC modelling	Battery incentive	SLD for network application	Voltage rise report	Local currency price	Large-project yield evidence
Aurora Solar	Not stated	Partial (battery modelling listed, no Australian incentive stated)	Partial (Single-Line Diagram Editor is “only available in Europe”, per help article)	Not stated	Not stated ($ shown, currency not named)	Partial (P50 only, no native P90 per help article; bankable shade reports on Premium)
OpenSolar	Documented (up to 1 MW)	Documented (Cheaper Home Batteries)	Documented (AU template)	Documented (AU and NZ projects)	Documented (core app free; API Access and connectors charged from 16 April 2026)	Partial (PVEL comparison with PVsyst; no P50 to P90 stated)
PVsyst	Not stated	Not stated	Partial (single line diagram viewer: grid-connected systems only, no storage, work in progress; not described as a network-application drawing)	Not stated	Not stated (CHF)	Documented (P50 to P90)
Pylon	Documented (up to 1 MW from 1 October 2026)	Documented (Cheaper Home Batteries; NSW and WA battery incentives)	Documented	Documented	Partial ($ per project, currency not named)	Not stated
SurgePV	Not stated	Not stated	Not stated (electrical workflow support listed)	Not stated	Not stated (USD listed)	Not stated (energy-yield modeling listed)

Three things stand out. First, OpenSolar and Pylon are the only two that state an STC calculation on the pages we read. Both state the 2026 mid-scale change, which covers systems from 100 kW to 1 MW. Second, they are also the two that describe a voltage rise report. Third, no vendor page we read states a library of DNSP export limits. The two network operators below set those limits differently.

Tool Entries

Aurora Solar

Best for: residential sales teams that want LiDAR-assisted modelling, shade reports and battery modelling on the Premium plan.

Not the right choice if: you need Australian outputs. The pricing, design and home pages we read state no STC calculation or voltage rise report. Its help article says the Single-Line Diagram Editor is “only available in Europe”. The region menu on its home page lists North America, Europe and the United Kingdom. That is a site menu, not a statement of product coverage. Basic and Premium also cover 1 user each.

What the vendor documents: Basic lists tablet-friendly sales proposals, design accuracy, HD imagery and on-demand site models. Premium adds LiDAR-assisted modeling, bankable shade reports and battery storage modeling for backup, self-consumption and arbitrage. Enterprise adds AI-assisted site models, drone mapping, unlimited users, APIs (ways to link to other software) and access to premium services. Basic and Premium allow 50 projects per month.

Price (checked October 2026): Basic $159 per user per month, or $135 per user per month billed annually ($1,620 a year); Premium $259 per user per month, or $220 billed annually ($2,640 a year). Enterprise is custom. The page does not name the currency.

Limitations: whether its imagery and site models cover Australian addresses is not stated on the pages we read.

Vendor link: aurorasolar.com.

OpenSolar

Best for: Australian installers who want STC and battery-incentive handling, a diagram template and a voltage rise report. The vendor describes the core app as free.

Not the right choice if: you need P50 to P90 yield levels for a lender. OpenSolar’s accuracy page says its energy modelling is based on the US national laboratory’s System Advisor Model. It also says PVEL found its production figures within 0.1% to 1.9% of PVsyst estimates. The pages we read state no probability levels. The shading test it cites was run on roofs in Denver and Los Angeles.

What the vendor documents: a help article on STCs says the certificate count is calculated from the region and the system size. Systems up to 100 kW use the years-remaining deeming period. Systems above 100 kW and up to 1 MW use a fixed 5-year period. This applies when the installation year is 2026 or later. Systems above 1 MW are not eligible. It also says residential STCs are treated as free of GST (goods and services tax) and commercial STCs attract GST. A second article covers the Cheaper Home Batteries incentive, with auto-apply settings for batteries from 5 kWh to 100 kWh. Its single line diagram article lists availability in Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and India. The marketing page lists a shorter set. A voltage rise article says the calculator is available only for projects in Australia and New Zealand. It also says the calculator does not calculate DC voltage drop.

Price (checked October 2026): the core app is free of charge for solar professionals, per the vendor. From 16 April 2026 the vendor charges for API Access and supported connectors. API Access is a per-project fee, and connectors are a monthly fee per organization. The per-project API fee is on OpenSolar’s API page. Both link OpenSolar to other software, such as a CRM (customer database). The 16 February 2026 post says accounting connectors are billed as a monthly fee per organization. Optional paid Enterprise Services include Support at US$500 per month and Customize at US$1,350 per month. Enterprise is custom priced. Premium imagery is paid per image, and the app shows the price.

Limitations: OpenSolar says the voltage rise calculator “does not determine the project’s approved export limit or guarantee network approval”. The pages we read describe no library of DNSP export limits. So check the export limit with your network operator.

Vendor link: opensolar.com.

PVsyst

Best for: yield simulation and P50 to P90 reporting on larger sites. This includes the commercial systems that the 2026 mid-scale STC expansion now covers.

Not the right choice if: you need quotes, proposals or STC figures from the same tool. The pages we read describe none. Also skip it if you need a network-application drawing. Its single line diagram viewer is documented as a circuit view of strings, inverters and transformers that excludes storage. You should also look elsewhere if you work on a Mac or in a browser. The requirements page says it runs under Windows.

What the vendor documents: a P50 to P90 evaluation that covers weather variability and simulation uncertainties. Its product page lists import from Meteonorm 9, NASA-Power, PVGIS-TMY, Solcast TMY, Solargis and other weather databases. It also lists sub-hourly simulation, and grid storage and self-consumption strategies.

Price (checked October 2026): CHF 700 per year for PVsyst 8 Professional. Grouped orders get discounts of 5% for 2 to 4 licences, 15% for 5 to 9 and 20% for 10 or more. No Australian dollar price is published.

Limitations: the vendor pages we read do not say which Australian lenders accept its reports. The company is based in Satigny, Switzerland.

Vendor link: pvsyst.com.

Pylon

Best for: Australian residential installers and electricians who want to pay per project. They get network-ready diagrams and voltage rise reports from the same design.

Not the right choice if: your jobs are above the Standard plan’s 30 kW DC limit (the Pro plan is listed at “99kW+”). It is also not the right choice if you need P50 to P90 yield evidence, which is not stated.

What the vendor documents: solar design on aerial imagery, 3D shading simulation, financial projections and instant web and PDF proposals. The pricing page notes that high resolution imagery is available in select countries. Its single line diagram page says the diagrams “meet the requirements of major Distributed Network Service Providers (DNSPs)” and are exported as PDF. Its home page lists click-and-drag cable paths and voltage rise calculation reports. The September 2026 update says Pylon models STCs for systems above 100 kW and up to 1 MW installed from 1 October 2026. The deeming period is a fixed 5 years. It also adds Jemena supply-run details to its diagrams. Its privacy policy names the operator as Saru Technologies Pty Ltd, with a postal address in North Strathfield, New South Wales.

Price (checked October 2026): $4.00 per Standard project and $10.00 per Pro project, on a pay-as-you-go basis. Add-ons on the same page include eSignature at 80c per project and a CRM from $49.00 per user per month billed monthly. Enterprise is by quote. The page says new users get free credits for five Standard projects. The page does not name the currency.

Limitations: the pricing page does not say whether the dollar figures are Australian or US dollars. Ask before you budget. The pages we read name no export-limit library.

Vendor link: getpylon.com.

SurgePV

SurgePV is our product.

Best for: teams that want roof modeling, shading, yield, financial modeling, bill of materials and proposals in one product priced per user. They should confirm Australian outputs in a demo.

Not the right choice if: you want a self-serve trial. SurgePV offers a guided demo. It is also not the right choice if you need three things in writing before you talk to sales. These are an STC calculation, a DNSP diagram format and a voltage rise report. OpenSolar and Pylon document them on their own sites. You also need another tool if you want a price in Australian dollars, because the pricing page lists US dollars. Outputs support design and documentation. They do not replace approval by the responsible engineer, authority, lender or utility. SurgePV’s published product scope does not list a CRM. It is not a monitoring product or an ERP product (software that runs the business side of a company).

What the vendor documents: 3D roof modeling, array layout, shading analysis, energy-yield modeling, financial modeling, electrical workflow support, bill-of-materials output and proposal generation. See solar design software for the product page.

Price (checked October 2026): $1,899 per user per year for 1 user, $1,499 per user for 3 seats, $1,299 per user for 5 seats. These prices are in US dollars. Confirm the contract price and terms in a written quote.

Limitations: results depend on source data, assumptions and equipment models. The pricing page and published scope do not state an STC calculation, a battery incentive, a DNSP drawing format or a voltage rise report.

Vendor link: surgepv.com.

Australian Rules That Shape the Choice

STCs and who may claim them. The Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme lets eligible systems claim STCs. The CER says an eligible rooftop system has a capacity below 100 kW. Its annual output is below 250 MWh. Its panels and inverter must be on the Clean Energy Council list of approved products. It must be installed to Australian and New Zealand standards (CER rooftop solar page, updated 18 September 2026). The expansion for mid-scale solar covers systems from 100 kW to 1 MW installed from 1 October 2026. It has a fixed 5-year deeming period. For systems up to 100 kW the CER says the deeming period declines. The CER expects applications to open in mid to late November 2026 (CER mid-scale page, updated 7 October 2026). Our STC scheme guide and Australia compliance guide still describe STCs as applying below 100 kW. Use the CER pages for anything above that size.

Accreditation. Solar Accreditation Australia gives nationally recognised accreditation to solar professionals. Anyone who designs or installs a grid-connected system must be accredited under its scheme for the system to earn STCs. The accreditation types are Design Only, Install Only, or Design and Install (Solar Accreditation Australia). The Clean Energy Council still keeps the list of approved components that the CER points to.

AS/NZS 4777. This is the standard for connecting inverter-based systems to the network. From 23 February 2025 all low-voltage inverters connected to the distribution network must comply with AS/NZS 4777.2:2020. They must also be installed to AS/NZS 4777.1:2024 (Energex FAQ). From 23 August 2025 the Clean Energy Council accepts inverter listings only if they meet Amendment 2:2024 (CEC standards page). Our AS 4777.2 guide covers the 2020 edition only.

Export limits differ by network. An export limit is how much power a system may send to the grid. Ausgrid says it is introducing three options from late 2026. The first is a flexible export connection. It allows up to 10 kW per phase for complying systems up to 30 kW, adjustable down to 1.5 kW. The second is a fixed connection of 3 kW per system. The third is a static 1.5 kW limit where there is no reliable internet (Ausgrid). Energex says new systems up to 30 kVA are currently limited on a basic connection. The limit is 5 kW per phase, or no export in constrained areas. It says a dynamic connection allows up to 10 kW per phase (Energex). The same system can therefore model differently in Sydney and Brisbane. Our export limits guide gives Ausgrid’s limit as 10 kW single-phase. It does not mention the fixed 3 kW and static 1.5 kW options. Check the network’s own page.

Voltage rise. Voltage rise is the increase in voltage at the connection point when a system exports power. Energex’s FAQ says voltage rise calculations must meet clause 3.3.3 of AS/NZS 4777.1:2024. They may use three methods: full inverter nameplate, export limited (only where a static export limit is approved) and generation limited. A tool that reports voltage rise for a nameplate system will not match a static export-limited approval. That is why a demo should include your DNSP.

Batteries. The Cheaper Home Batteries Program gives a discount of around 30% on batteries from 5 kWh to 100 kWh through STCs. Changes to the STC factor took effect on 1 May 2026 (DCCEEW). The discount is set by the STC factor on the installation date, so check the date a quote assumes.

Regulator pointer. The Clean Energy Regulator (cer.gov.au) administers STCs. Electrical safety and connection rules sit with the states and your network operator.

Questions to Put to Each Vendor in a Demo

Ask for one real job in your postcode. Then check four things. The STC count and the deeming period should match the CER for your install date. The diagram should carry what your DNSP asks for. The voltage rise method should match your network’s approval type. A battery quote should show the discount after 1 May 2026. Where a vendor does not publish a feature on the pages we read, the matrix says Not stated. A demo is the place to confirm it.

How We Ordered These Tools

SurgePV publishes this page and is a vendor on this list. Its entry uses the same vendor-page sources and template as every other tool here.

We did not rank these tools. They are listed alphabetically, and the best-for picks come from the matrix above.

• STC modelling: STCs set the upfront price on most Australian jobs, and the rules changed on 1 October 2026. We did not assess whether any tool’s STC count is correct.
• Battery incentive modelling: batteries are now a large share of residential quotes, and the discount changed on 1 May 2026. We did not assess whether any calculation matches the program.
• Single line diagram for network applications: the diagram goes with the connection application. We did not assess whether any DNSP accepts a given tool’s output.
• Voltage rise report: network operators set voltage rise limits for inverter connections. We did not assess calculation accuracy.
• Local currency price: a price in Australian dollars shows what a buyer will pay. We did not assess discounts or negotiated quotes.
• Large-project yield evidence: commercial sites need a yield report a lender will read. We did not assess acceptance by any lender.

Sources and Dates

Vendor pages were read in October 2026. Aurora: pricing, design mode, home page. OpenSolar: the help articles and pages linked above. PVsyst: shop, product page. Pylon: pricing, home page, single line diagram page, September 2026 update. SurgePV: pricing. The OpenSolar help centre returns an HTTP 403 error (access refused) to the curl command-line tool. So we read those articles in a browser. Local rules were read from the CER, Solar Accreditation Australia, the Clean Energy Council, DCCEEW, Ausgrid and Energex pages linked above.

Go Deeper on a Category

• Design software options for Australian installers
• Australian proposal platforms compared
• Solar software for New Zealand, the nearest country list
• Best solar design software, all markets

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best solar software for installers in Australia?

It depends on the job. From what the vendors publish, OpenSolar’s core app is free. The vendor charges for API Access and supported connectors from 16 April 2026. OpenSolar also documents STC handling and the Cheaper Home Batteries incentive. It also documents an Australian single line diagram template and a voltage rise calculator. Pylon is run by an Australian company, charges per project and documents STC modelling up to 1 MW. PVsyst documents P50 to P90 yield evaluations for larger sites. SurgePV documents roof modeling, shading, yield, financial modeling, bill of materials and proposals in one product priced per user.

Does solar software calculate STCs in Australia?

STCs (small-scale technology certificates) give an upfront financial benefit, says the Clean Energy Regulator. Two of the five tools say they handle them on their own pages. OpenSolar’s help centre describes STC handling for systems up to 1 MW. Pylon’s September 2026 update says it models STCs for systems above 100 kW and up to 1 MW. These must be installed from 1 October 2026. We did not find an STC calculation stated on the Aurora, PVsyst or SurgePV pages we read. Check the number against the Clean Energy Regulator before you quote.

Do STCs apply to commercial systems above 100 kW?

From 1 October 2026 they can. The Clean Energy Regulator says solar systems from 100 kW to 1 MW installed from that date can earn STCs. They use a fixed 5-year deeming period. It expects applications to open in mid to late November 2026. Systems above 1 MW are outside the expansion. A mid-scale owner who takes STCs cannot also create REGO certificates for the deeming period. REGO certificates are the alternative to STCs.

How much does solar quoting software cost in Australia?

Prices are published in different currencies and units. OpenSolar’s core app is free of charge. The vendor charges for API Access and supported connectors from 16 April 2026. Pylon lists $4.00 per Standard project and $10.00 per Pro project, without naming the currency. Aurora lists $135 per user per month on its Basic plan billed annually. It also does not name the currency. PVsyst Professional is CHF 700 per year. SurgePV lists $1,899 per user per year for one user, in US dollars. Ask each vendor for an Australian dollar quote.

Is there free solar software for Australian installers?

OpenSolar says its core app is free for solar professionals. The vendor charges for API Access and supported connectors from 16 April 2026. Its help centre documents Australian STC settings and the Cheaper Home Batteries incentive. It also documents a voltage rise calculator for projects in Australia and New Zealand. Optional Enterprise Services cost extra. Support is US$500 per month and Customize is US$1,350 per month.

Which solar software handles export limits and voltage rise for network applications?

Each network operator sets its own export limits. So no tool can know yours without a local rule library. OpenSolar and Pylon both document voltage rise reports. Pylon says its single line diagrams meet the requirements of major DNSPs. OpenSolar says its voltage rise calculator does not determine the approved export limit or guarantee network approval. Check the limit with your DNSP (your network operator).