For US residential sales and design, Aurora Solar documents an AHJ database of more than 25,000 US jurisdictions. An AHJ (authority having jurisdiction) is your local permitting authority. Aurora also documents NEC validation reports. The NEC is the National Electrical Code. For commercial rooftop, carport and ground-mount designs, HelioScope lists single-line diagrams and CAD export on all plans. A single-line diagram (SLD) is a simple drawing of how the system is wired. HelioScope also lists a utility rate editor on Pro and Enterprise. OpenSolar has a core app the vendor describes as free. API Access and connectors are charged from 16 April 2026. It documents SLD templates for the US and US permitting partners. Arka360 sells design software plus a separate permit plan set and PE stamp (a licensed engineer’s review) service. SurgePV is priced per user in USD for design, shading analysis, financial modeling and proposals. Check the NEC edition and the utility rules for your state before you choose.
This is a desk comparison of what each vendor publishes, checked October 2026. We have not run side-by-side tests.
Criteria used: NEC and electrical documents, permit and AHJ support, utility rates and financing, published price in USD, and who each tool is not for.
This page compares five tools. Solargraf is not compared on this page (solargraf.com returned HTTP 403 to automated reads, including a headless browser, read October 2026). For lender-grade yield reports, see the bankable simulation list.
Disclosure and methodology: SurgePV publishes this page and is one of the tools on it, so it is a vendor with an interest in the result. Methodology: this is a desk comparison of what each vendor publishes on its own public pages, checked October 2026. See How We Ordered These Tools and Sources and Dates below.
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Best-For Picks for US Projects
- Residential sales and design with US jurisdiction data: Aurora Solar. Its pricing page lists an AHJ database with details from more than 25,000 US jurisdictions. Its design page documents NEC validation reports.
- Commercial rooftop, carport and ground-mount design with a utility rate editor: HelioScope. Its pricing page lists rooftop, carport and ground mount on all projects. It lists single-line diagrams and CAD export on all plans. It lists a Utility Rate Editor on Pro and Enterprise.
- Free core app, with US single-line diagram templates and US permitting partners: OpenSolar. It says its core app is free for solar professionals (API Access and connectors are charged from 16 April 2026).
- Design software plus outsourced US permit plan sets and PE stamps from one vendor: Arka360. Its permit page lists NEC-compliant plan sets and electrical and structural PE stamps.
- Published per-user USD prices for design, shading, financial modeling and proposals: SurgePV. Its pricing page lists unlimited projects, shadow analysis, generation and financial analysis, and proposal generation under “Everything included”.
Comparison Table
Listed alphabetically. This is not a ranking; pick by the situation above.
| Tool | Best for | Price (checked October 2026) | Free or paid | US scope fact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arka360 | Design software plus outsourced permit plan sets | Basic $199 per month (1 user); Premium $358 per month (2 users), US plan list (arka360.com). Permit service prices not stated on its permit page | Paid; trial not stated on the pricing page | NEC-compliant plan sets and electrical and structural PE stamps sold as a service |
| Aurora Solar | Residential design and sales | Basic $135 per user per month billed annually ($1,620 per year), $159 billed monthly; Premium $220 per user per month billed annually ($2,640 per year), $259 billed monthly (aurorasolar.com) | Paid; trial not stated on the pricing page | AHJ database (25,000+ US jurisdictions); NEC validation reports |
| HelioScope | Commercial rooftop, carport and ground mount | Basic $1,620 per license per year ($159 per month); Pro $2,640 per license per year ($259 per month) (helioscope.aurorasolar.com) | Paid; free trial offered (14 days per help center) | Single-line diagrams and CAD export listed; Utility Rate Editor on Pro and Enterprise |
| OpenSolar | Teams that want a free core app | Core app free (opensolar.com); API Access and connectors charged from 16 April 2026 (vendor post); optional Enterprise Services plans from US$500 per month | Free core app, paid API and connectors; paid Enterprise Services optional | Single-line diagram templates for the US; permitting integrations for US projects |
| SurgePV | Per-user USD prices for design, shading, financial modeling and proposals | $1,899 per user per year (1 user); see /pricing | Paid; guided demo, no self-serve trial | Electrical workflow support in the published scope; no US code or utility database named |
Every price above was read on the vendor’s own page in October 2026. Taxes, discounts and plan limits change, so confirm them with the vendor before you buy.
What US Projects Need From Design Software
Four US points change which tool fits. The first three come from the code body, regulator or program named, not from a tool vendor on this list.
NEC and the edition your AHJ enforces. NFPA says the National Electrical Code (NFPA 70) is “enforced in all 50 states”. Its NEC page lists the 2020, 2023 and 2026 editions. Which edition binds your project depends on what your state or local authority has adopted. Confirm it with the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) before you design. Our US solar compliance guide covers NEC Article 690 and permits in more depth.
Permits through the local AHJ. SolarAPP+ describes itself as an automation tool for residential solar permitting. It says it serves 350+ jurisdictions and checks designs against the codes each jurisdiction has adopted. The vendor says it is compatible with 2017 NEC and later editions. Its help center limits review to residential systems. These include systems up to 38.4 kW that meet certain installation characteristics. It lists ground-mounted and commercial systems as out of scope. Design tools differ in how much of this they handle. See the solar compliance software list if permits are the bottleneck.
Utility rates and net metering. Rules differ by state and utility. In California, the CPUC says customers applying for interconnection since April 15, 2023 take service on the net billing tariff rather than NEM. CPUC is the California Public Utilities Commission. NEM is net energy metering, where customers are credited for surplus power they send to the grid. A financial result is only as good as the rate and export assumptions behind it. See our California NEM 3.0 guide for the state detail.
USD pricing and the unit. All five tools publish a USD price or say the core app is free. Units differ: per user per month, per license per year, or per month for a small team. Compare on the unit, not the headline number.
Tool-by-Tool Comparison
Listed alphabetically. This is not a ranking; pick by the situation above.
Arka360
Arka360 sells design software and a separate permit plan set service. This entry covers both; check which one you are buying.
Best for: US installers who want design software and an outsourced permit plan set and PE stamp service from the same vendor.
Not the right choice if: you need a published price for plan sets before you order. Its permit page lists none. It is also not right if you want free software.
What the vendor documents: On its US plan list, Basic lists basic design software and an engineering service portal. It also lists lead management, a shade report and a basic proposal. Premium adds AI assisted modeling, battery storage and backup sizing, CAD export and a customized proposal. Its permit and PE stamp page lists residential plan sets with “NEC-compliant drawings”. These include layout, stringing, labels and wire sizing. It also lists commercial plan sets with SLDs, conduit layout and load calculations, and electrical and structural PE stamps. The vendor says the plans are tailored to jurisdictional requirements and delivered in 24 to 48 hours.
Price (checked October 2026): Basic is $199 per month for 1 user. Premium is $358 per month for 2 users. Enterprise is “Talk to Sales”. The same page also holds Indian rupee tables, a second rupee set on its /pricing-in page and hidden dollar tables. These are the visible US-dollar cards. Source: Arka360 pricing. Plan set and PE stamp prices are not stated on the permit page.
Limitations: On the same pricing page, the full feature list checks the electric single line diagram, CAD export, AI assisted 3D model and battery sizing. It checks them for Premium and Enterprise but not for Basic. The permit page lists SLDs in commercial plan sets. A PE stamp is a licensed engineer’s review, so confirm what your AHJ requires.
Vendor link: arka360.com.
Aurora Solar
Aurora Solar sells a solar design and sales platform. HelioScope, listed below, describes itself as an Aurora Inc. company.
Best for: residential installers and sales teams that want US jurisdiction data, NEC validation reports and a plan sets service inside the design tool.
Not the right choice if: you need LiDAR-assisted modeling or bankable shade reports without paying for Premium. It is also not right if you need more than 1 user and 50 projects per month on a self-serve plan. The pricing page lists Basic and Premium at 1 user and 50 projects per month and unlimited users on Enterprise.
What the vendor documents: a US AHJ database listing “Details and requirements from >25K US jurisdictions”. It lists NEC validation reports on its design page (“check your system for NEC compliance”). It also lists a utility rate database where you configure your own rates or use rates from Genability and Aurora. It lists integrated financing that names GoodLeap, Dividend and Mosaic. Its help center documents DXF export and Instant Plan Sets (US residential pitched roofs) that include a single-line diagram. Its plan sets page describes an add-on Plan Sets Service with “AHJ-ready plan sets in 24-48 hours”. The pricing page lists solar-only plan sets in under 24 hours and under 48 hours for solar-plus-storage. It lists engineering stamps as an add-on.
Price (checked October 2026): Basic is $159 per user per month billed monthly. It is $135 per user per month billed annually ($1,620 per year). Premium is $259 per user per month billed monthly. It is $220 per user per month billed annually ($2,640 per year). Enterprise is custom, per project. Source: Aurora pricing.
Limitations: The plan sets and stamps are add-ons with no price on the pages we read. The pricing page describes Basic as essentials for residential design and sales.
Vendor link: aurorasolar.com.
HelioScope
HelioScope is part of Aurora Inc.; its footer reads “an Aurora Inc. Company”.
Best for: commercial rooftop, carport and ground-mount designers who want single-line diagrams and CAD export in a design tool. Pro adds a utility rate editor.
Not the right choice if: your work is residential sales. HelioScope describes itself as commercial solar-plus-storage software. It is also not right if you design above 5 MW (DC), which needs the Enterprise plan.
What the vendor documents: rooftop, carport and ground mount on all projects, in its plan comparison. It also lists single-line diagrams, CAD export and a 50,000-component module and inverter library. Pro adds a Utility Rate Editor, financial analysis tools, LiDAR-assisted modeling, financial modeling and sales proposals, and P90, P95 and P99 values. The plan comparison does not check the Utility Rate Editor for Basic. The design page describes shading analysis that optimizes layouts by each module’s power potential.
Price (checked October 2026): Basic is $159 per license per month or $1,620 per license per year. It covers 1 user and designs up to 1.25 MW (DC). Pro is $259 per license per month or $2,640 per license per year, with designs up to 5 MW (DC). Enterprise is custom per-project pricing. Source: HelioScope pricing. The help center documents a 14-day free trial, one per customer, with Pro-level features.
Limitations: Basic and Pro include 1 user and 120 projects per year. Single-axis trackers are an Enterprise feature.
Vendor link: helioscope.aurorasolar.com.
OpenSolar
OpenSolar says its partners pay to be on the platform, which is how the core app stays free for solar professionals.
Best for: installers that want design, proposals and single-line diagrams in a core app the vendor describes as free. They also want a way to request US permit work from partners inside the project.
Not the right choice if: you need a support response time in writing. OpenSolar lists a 2-hour SLA response time on its paid Support plan (US$500 per month). SLA means a promised reply time. The pages we read state none for the core app.
What the vendor documents: a built-in single-line diagram generator with “Region-specific templates for AU, US, UK, DE, IT, ES” (OpenSolar SLD page). Its help article lists AU, NZ, US, CA, UK, FR, DE, IT, ES and IN. Its Permitting Integrations page says the feature is available for US projects. It lists partners that offer plan sets, engineering reviews and structural and electrical PE stamps. They also offer permit applications, interconnection and Permission to Operate support. Partners include GreenLancer and SolarAPP+. It says OpenSolar starts the request and the partner owns the work.
Price (checked October 2026): OpenSolar says its core app is free for solar professionals. From 16 April 2026 the vendor charges for API Access, a per-project fee. The per-project API fee is on OpenSolar’s API page. It also charges for supported connectors, a monthly fee per organization. The 16 February 2026 post says accounting connectors are billed as a monthly fee per organization. Optional paid Enterprise Services: Support US$500 per month, Customize US$1,350 per month, Enterprise custom (Enterprise Services). Premium imagery is pay per image (price shown in the app). Permit partner prices and turnaround depend on the partner.
Limitations: Permitting Integrations is US-only and needs the system marked sold with a complete project address. OpenSolar’s help center documents a utility rate database applied by ZIP code. Its Integrated Finance page describes cash and finance options inside the proposal. The pages we read do not state commercial project limits.
Vendor link: opensolar.com.
SurgePV
SurgePV is our product. We publish this list and sell this software.
Best for: US installers and EPC teams that want design, shading analysis, and energy-yield and financial modeling. They also want electrical workflow support, bill-of-materials output (a parts list) and proposals. They get all of these in one product, priced per user in USD. EPC means engineering, procurement and construction.
Not the right choice if:
- you need a self-serve trial. SurgePV offers a guided demo and does not advertise one.
- you want a free core app. OpenSolar says its core app is free for solar professionals (API Access and connectors are charged from 16 April 2026).
- you want NEC validation reports, an AHJ database or a utility rate database from the vendor’s published scope. SurgePV’s published scope does not name them, while Aurora Solar documents all three.
- you need outsourced permit plan sets or PE stamps. Arka360 and Aurora Solar document those services.
- you need approval from a lender, authority, insurer or engineer. SurgePV outputs support design and documentation but do not replace that approval.
- you need a CRM, monitoring or ERP product. SurgePV’s published product scope does not list a CRM. It is not a monitoring or ERP product.
What the vendor documents: the published scope covers 3D roof modeling, solar array layout, shading analysis and energy-yield modeling. It also covers financial modeling, electrical workflow support, bill-of-materials output and proposal generation. See solar design software and solar proposal software.
Price (checked October 2026): $1,899 per user per year for one user. It is $1,499 per user per year for 3 seats and $1,299 per user per year for 5 seats. The pricing page lists unlimited projects, shadow analysis, generation and financial analysis, proposal generation, 3D embedded designing and DC stringing under “Everything included”. Access starts with a guided demo.
Limitations: results depend on the source data, assumptions and equipment models you use. Pricing, access and contract terms are confirmed in a written quote.
Vendor link: SurgePV solar design software.
How We Ordered These Tools
The tools are listed alphabetically, and the table records what each vendor documents, not what we saw in use. “Not stated” means the pages we read did not say; the feature may still exist.
| Tool | NEC and electrical documents | AHJ and permit help | Utility rates and financing | Price published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arka360 | NEC-compliant plan sets; SLDs in commercial plan sets (service); electric single line diagram (Premium, Enterprise) | Permit plan sets and PE stamps (service) | Utility rate finder; cash, loan, lease and PPA financing (feature list) | Plans yes, services no |
| Aurora Solar | NEC validation reports; DXF export; SLD in Instant Plan Sets | AHJ database (25,000+); Plan Sets Service (add-on) | Utility rate database; integrated financing | Yes, USD per user per month |
| HelioScope | Single-line diagrams; CAD export | Not stated | Utility Rate Editor; financial analysis tools (Pro, Enterprise) | Yes, USD per license |
| OpenSolar | SLD generator with US templates | Permitting Integrations (US projects) | Utility rate database (help center); Integrated Finance in proposals | Core app free; API Access and connectors charged from 16 April 2026 |
| SurgePV | Electrical workflow support (published scope) | Not stated | Financial modeling (published scope) | Yes, USD per user per year |
NEC and electrical documents. It matters because a US permit reviewer checks the drawings against the NEC. We did not open sample drawings or test any NEC report. We did not check which NEC edition each tool uses.
AHJ and permit help. It matters because local AHJs set what a permit needs. We did not check any tool against a specific jurisdiction. We did not check turnaround or approval rates, which are the vendors’ own claims.
Utility rates and financing. It matters because a payback figure depends on the rate and export assumptions. We did not compare rate data tool by tool or check any state tariff inside a tool.
Price published. It matters because a published number lets you plan a budget. Units differ, so we left out add-ons, taxes and volume discounts and did not convert units.
Who it is not for. It matters because most wrong purchases come from scope gaps. Each “not the right choice if” line is built from facts on that vendor’s own pages or from SurgePV’s published limits.
SurgePV is listed alphabetically like the other four. On these US criteria the table shows Aurora Solar, HelioScope, OpenSolar and Arka360 each documenting at least one US-specific item. SurgePV’s published scope does not name those items. That is why SurgePV is the best-for pick only for published per-user USD prices across design, shading, financial modeling and proposals.
Sources and Dates
Vendor pages were read in October 2026. Tool facts come from each vendor’s own public pages, linked here by tool. Arka360 (permit and PE stamp page, Arka360 pricing, arka360.com). Aurora Solar (design page, DXF export, Instant Plan Sets, plan sets page, Aurora pricing). HelioScope (design page, HelioScope pricing, 14-day free trial, helioscope.aurorasolar.com). OpenSolar (OpenSolar SLD page, help article, Permitting Integrations page, free, OpenSolar’s API page, 16 February 2026 post, Enterprise Services, help center, Integrated Finance page, opensolar.com). SurgePV (SurgePV pricing).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best solar design software in the United States?
It depends on the job. Aurora Solar documents an AHJ (authority having jurisdiction, your local permitting authority) database of more than 25,000 US jurisdictions. It also documents NEC validation reports for residential work. HelioScope documents rooftop, carport and ground-mount design with single-line diagrams. It also documents a utility rate editor on Pro and Enterprise. OpenSolar’s core app is free. The vendor charges for API Access and supported connectors from 16 April 2026. Arka360 adds a permit plan set and a PE stamp (a licensed engineer’s review) service. SurgePV is priced per user in USD. Match the tool to your project type and permit route using the comparison table.
Do I need AutoCAD for solar design in the US?
Not always. HelioScope lists single-line diagrams and CAD export in its plan comparison. OpenSolar documents a built-in single-line diagram generator with US templates. Aurora documents NEC validation reports and DXF export, and sells plan sets as an add-on service. What you need depends on the drawings your AHJ (local permitting authority) and utility ask for. Check their requirements before you pick a tool.
What is NEC Article 690 and why does it matter?
NEC Article 690 is the solar PV article of the National Electrical Code, NFPA 70. NFPA says the NEC is enforced in all 50 states. Its NEC page lists the 2020, 2023 and 2026 editions. Which edition applies to your project depends on what your state or local authority has adopted. Confirm it with your AHJ before you design.
How much does solar design software cost in the US?
Published prices checked October 2026 are as follows. Aurora Basic is $135 per user per month billed annually, and Premium is $220 per user per month billed annually. HelioScope Basic is $1,620 and Pro is $2,640 per license per year. Arka360 Basic is $199 and Premium is $358 per month on its US plan list. SurgePV is $1,899 per user per year for one user. OpenSolar says its core app is free for solar professionals. The vendor charges for API Access and supported connectors from 16 April 2026. Taxes, discounts and plan limits change, so confirm with each vendor.
Which of these tools lists carport design?
HelioScope’s pricing page lists rooftop, carport and ground mount on all projects. Aurora’s pricing page lists ground mounts. We did not find carport design stated on the pages we read for the other tools. Ask each vendor if carports are part of your work.
Which tools document US utility rate data?
Aurora’s pricing page lists a utility rate database where you configure your own rates or use rates from Genability and Aurora. HelioScope’s plan comparison lists a Utility Rate Editor on Pro and Enterprise. Arka360’s pricing page lists a utility rate finder. OpenSolar’s help center says it applies a utility rate by ZIP code. It also lets you pick from a database of utility rates. SurgePV lists financial modeling without naming a US utility database.
Related lists
For related comparisons, see best solar software in the United States, best solar proposal software in the US, solar design software in Canada and solar design software in Mexico. For the global list, see best solar design software. For the product behind the SurgePV entry, see solar design software.
