HelioScope designs and simulates commercial solar-plus-storage projects in a browser. Its pricing page gives each license 10 projects a month and sets a design size limit for each plan. If those limits fit your work, stay with HelioScope. If they do not, the right tool depends on the limit you hit.
RatedPower is built for utility-scale PV and storage. OpenSolar’s core app is free for design and proposals. SAM is a free analysis program, and PVsyst is a Windows program for yield simulation. SurgePV fits teams that want yield, financial models and proposals in one web application, and access starts with a guided demo.
SurgePV competes with HelioScope. What we say about HelioScope comes from its own website and help center, checked October 2026. When the pages we read do not say something, we say so.
This is a desk comparison of what each vendor publishes, checked October 2026. We have not run side-by-side tests. SurgePV publishes this page and is one of the 7 tools on it.
Criteria used: project and size limits, what the vendor documents, published price, free access, and whether design and proposals sit in the same product.
Outgrowing HelioScope? See SurgePV on your project mix
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Stay With HelioScope or Switch?
Stay with HelioScope if:
- Your designs fit the plan size: up to 1.25 MW (DC) on Basic, 5 MW (DC) on Pro, or 30 MW (DC) on Enterprise.
- You run about 10 projects a month per license, or 120 a year on an annual license.
- You want design, simulation and sales proposals in a browser. Proposals are listed on Pro.
- You want published prices and a 14-day free trial.
Look at other tools if:
- You need more projects than your licenses allow. HelioScope’s help center says project balances add up across licenses. For example, 3 monthly Basic licenses give 30 projects a month. At list price that is 3 x $159 = $477 per month.
- Your designs are larger than your plan allows. The help center says a few oversize projects (about one per team per month, or up to 12 per team per year) need no Enterprise upgrade. They still count toward your project limit.
- You need single-axis trackers, export to PVsyst, direct API access or SSO. The pricing page lists them under Enterprise, which has custom pricing.
- You want a free tool.
What HelioScope Documents
HelioScope’s footer reads “an Aurora Inc. Company”.
HelioScope is a browser tool for commercial solar-plus-storage design and sales. Its help center suggests Google Chrome or Firefox. The pricing page lists rooftop, carport and ground-mount layout on all projects, storage design, single-line diagrams, CAD export and a 50,000-component module and inverter library.
On its simulation page, HelioScope says its production estimates are “validated to be within 1% of PVsyst by third parties”. It lists eight weather data sources and an 8760 production report (a result for every hour of the year).
The Bankability Documents article summarizes a DNV GL review, which found agreement to within 1% of other commonly used models. It also lists NREL studies and a California Energy Commission listing. The article was shown as updated three years before we read it. HelioScope’s home page says its estimates are ones “lenders accept”. That is the vendor’s claim, and your lender decides.
| Plan | Price in USD, per license | Projects | Design size | Listed features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $159 per month or $1,620 per year | 10 per month, 120 per year | Up to 1.25 MW (DC) | Rooftop, carport and ground mount; storage design; single-line diagrams; CAD export |
| Pro | $259 per month or $2,640 per year | 10 per month, 120 per year | Up to 5 MW (DC) | Basic features plus LiDAR-assisted modeling, financial modeling, sales proposals, P90, P95 and P99 values |
| Enterprise | Custom per project | Custom | Up to 30 MW (DC) | Basic and Pro features plus unlimited users, single-axis trackers, export to PVsyst, direct API access, SSO |
Source: HelioScope pricing, checked October 2026. Each Basic and Pro license includes 1 user. P90 is a yield you expect to meet or beat in 90% of years.
The help center article on plan changes says HelioScope began enforcing the 10-project monthly balance in October 2023. It says unused projects do not roll over. It also says the Basic design size rose from 500 kW to 1.25 MW and the Pro design size rose to 5 MW.
Best-For Picks by Use Case
- Utility-scale PV and storage design with automated layout, yield and documents: RatedPower. Its site describes utility-scale PV, storage and hybrid projects. Its subscription is per company, with unlimited users and projects.
- Yield simulation where you set the uncertainty values yourself: PVsyst. It has a published P50-P90 tool. It runs on Windows only.
- Free design and proposals for solar companies: OpenSolar. The core app is free. API Access and connectors are charged from 16 April 2026.
- Free energy and finance analysis: SAM. It is a free desktop application for Windows, Mac and Linux.
- Yield and financial modeling inside one web design-to-proposal workflow: SurgePV. The pricing page lists unlimited projects and asks you to confirm fair-use limits.
Comparison Table
Listed alphabetically. This is not a ranking; pick by the situation above.
| Tool | Best for | Price (checked October 2026) | Free or paid | Limits and platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora Solar | Residential design and tablet-friendly proposals | Basic $159 per user per month billed monthly; Premium $259 per user per month billed monthly (aurorasolar.com) | Paid | 1 user and 50 projects per month on Basic and Premium |
| OpenSolar | Free design and proposals | Core app free; API Access and connectors charged from 16 April 2026 (opensolar.com) | Free core app | Help center: keep 3D designs under 500 kW |
| PVcase | Utility-scale ground-mount layout | Not published; contact sales (pvcase.com) | Paid | AutoCAD-driven |
| PVsyst | Yield simulation with set uncertainty values | CHF 700 per year, PVsyst 8 Professional (pvsyst.com) | Paid, one-month free trial | Windows only; one license per computer |
| RatedPower | Utility-scale PV and storage design | Not published; contact sales (ratedpower.com) | Paid | Per-company subscription; unlimited users, projects and designs |
| SAM | Free energy and finance analysis | Free (sam.nlr.gov) | Free | Windows, Mac and Linux |
| SurgePV | Yield, financial modeling and proposals in one web application | $1,899 per user per year (1 user); see pricing | Paid, guided demo | Pricing page lists unlimited projects; confirm fair-use limits |
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.
The 7 Alternatives, Listed Alphabetically
Listed alphabetically. This is not a ranking; pick by the situation above.
Aurora Solar
Aurora Solar sells a design and sales platform for solar. HelioScope is also an Aurora company and is the subject of this page.
Best for: residential design and sales teams that want tablet-friendly proposals from one vendor. Aurora describes its Basic plan as having the “essential tools for residential design and sales”.
Not the right choice if: you want commercial design in the same product. Aurora’s site menu lists HelioScope under Commercial. You may also need P90 values. Aurora’s help center says its estimates are P50 and that it does not natively output P90 for solar energy production.
What the vendor documents: the pricing page lists tablet-friendly sales proposals, HD imagery and on-demand site models on Basic. Premium adds LiDAR-assisted modeling, bankable shade reports and battery modeling. Enterprise adds AI-assisted site models, drone mapping, unlimited users, and APIs and integrations.
Price (checked October 2026): Basic is $159 per user per month billed monthly, or $135 per user per month billed annually ($1,620 billed annually). Premium is $259 per user per month billed monthly, or $220 per user per month billed annually ($2,640 billed annually). Enterprise is custom, per project. Source: Aurora pricing, North America page.
Limitations: Basic and Premium list 1 user and 50 projects per month. Plan sets, engineering stamps and professional services are listed under Enterprise.
Vendor link: aurorasolar.com. See also Aurora Solar alternatives.
OpenSolar
OpenSolar says it funds its free core app through partners such as product manufacturers, finance companies and distributors. Read its “Why free” page for its own explanation.
Best for: solar companies that want design, proposals, e-signature and project tracking in one platform, with no license fee for the core app.
Not the right choice if: you design large arrays in 3D or you use API Access or connectors. OpenSolar’s help center recommends keeping 3D designs under 500 kW for speed and stability. API Access and connectors are charged from 16 April 2026.
What the vendor documents: the site menu lists auto design, a bill of materials (BOM) tool, single line diagrams, proposals, e-signature, integrated finance and a project management CRM. The single line diagram help article lists support in Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and India. OpenSolar’s accuracy page says its energy modeling is based on the System Advisor Model (SAM).
Price (checked October 2026): the core app is free of charge for solar professionals, per the vendor (free page). From 16 April 2026 the vendor charges a per-project fee for API Access and a monthly fee per organization for supported connectors. The per-project API fee is on OpenSolar’s API page. 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 (OpenSolar Enterprise Services).
Limitations: the help center says designs over 500 kW are possible but can bring slow simulation, calculation timeouts or save errors. It says users have modeled systems up to 5 MW by reducing simulation complexity. Source: OpenSolar help center.
Vendor link: opensolar.com
PVcase
PVcase sells separate products for site selection (Prospect), ground-mount design, roof-mount design and yield. This entry covers all but Prospect.
Best for: utility-scale teams that design ground-mount plants in AutoCAD-driven software and want a yield model on the same layout.
Not the right choice if: you want a published price. PVcase’s FAQ says it does not offer a complete price list online. Also check your CAD setup first. PVcase describes its Ground Mount and Roof Mount products as “AutoCAD-driven software”.
What the vendor documents: the Ground Mount plan page lists terrain-aware layouts, slope, collision and piling analysis, stringing, cable sizing, single line diagram export, storage (AC and DC coupled) and bill of materials export. The Roof Mount plan page lists DWG and DXF conversion, drone image conversion, shading analysis and single line diagram export. It also says faster turnaround “from design to proposal”. The Yield plan page lists “built-in probability scenarios (P50, P90)”, bifacial and complex terrain modeling.
Price (checked October 2026): not published. The plan pages list no prices and ask you to talk to sales.
Limitations: Yield imports PVcase Ground Mount layouts. The plan page does not say how it handles layouts from other tools.
Vendor link: pvcase.com. See also PVcase alternatives.
PVsyst
PVsyst is a Windows desktop program from PVsyst SA in Satigny, Switzerland.
Best for: engineers who want to set weather and other uncertainty values themselves and read P50 and P90 from the simulation.
Not the right choice if: you want a browser tool or sales proposals. PVsyst’s product page says it “only runs on Windows”. The product page and help search index we read do not mention a proposal tool.
What the vendor documents: the product page lists system design for grid-connected, standalone and pumping systems, near shadings from a 3D scene, horizon import, and an economic assessment that calculates NPV, LCOE and ROI. The P50-P90 documentation says annual production has a 90% probability of exceeding the P90 value. In plain words, P90 is a yield you expect to meet or beat in 90% of years. The help pages also describe a single line diagram editor for grid-connected systems. It does not include storage and is “still work in progress”.
Price (checked October 2026): CHF 700 per year for PVsyst 8 Professional, with updates included (Swiss francs, no conversion). Group discounts are 5% for 2 to 4 licenses, 15% for 5 to 9 and 20% for 10 or more. Source: PVsyst shop. The product page lists a one-month free trial.
Limitations: it installs on the computer where you use it, with one license per computer. Remote Desktop, servers and Azure Virtual Desktop are listed as unsupported. PVsyst’s validations page says: “We are not aware of any third party validation measurements.”
Vendor link: pvsyst.com. See also PVsyst alternatives.
RatedPower
RatedPower is part of Enverus, and its site calls the product “Enverus RatedPower”.
Best for: developers and EPCs of utility-scale PV, storage and hybrid projects who want layout, yield, electrical design, cost estimates and documents from one tool.
Not the right choice if: you want a published price or per-seat pricing. RatedPower says it does not publish list prices and sells a per-company subscription. Its site also describes utility-scale projects, so check fit before you use it for small rooftop work.
What the vendor documents: the home page describes “AI-powered design and engineering for utility-scale PV, storage and hybrid”. One pass covers layout, yield, electrical design, CAPEX (cost estimates) and more than 400 editable pages of documents. You can export the layout as a .dwg file and import the edited file. The page says the round trip “is not lossless in every case”. The pricing page lists storage and interconnection design on Basic, detailed PV engineering and layout editability on Advanced, and site analysis, team management and SSO on Enterprise.
Price (checked October 2026): not published. The pricing page says “No” to the question “Do you publish list prices?”. It says every plan is a per-company subscription with unlimited users, projects and designs. It lists the AI agent Power Analyst and 3D energy yield packages as add-ons.
Limitations: the pricing page says contracts usually run multi-year, and annual terms are available.
Vendor link: ratedpower.com. See also RatedPower alternatives.
SAM
The System Advisor Model (SAM) is a free desktop application from the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), formerly NREL.
Best for: analysts, researchers and engineers who want a free tool for energy and finance analysis.
Not the right choice if: you want a sales-proposal tool. SAM’s site describes it as a “free desktop application for techno-economic analysis”.
What the vendor documents: the home page lists solar PV from residential rooftop to utility scale, battery storage, and financial models for residential and commercial, power purchase agreement and other projects. The simulation options page lists P50/P90 simulations.
Price (checked October 2026): free. You register for a free software key. Source: SAM download page.
Limitations: the current version at the time of reading was SAM 2026.7.3. On Windows it needs Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit). The page also lists Mac and Linux downloads.
Vendor link: sam.nlr.gov
SurgePV
SurgePV is our product. We publish this list and sell this software.
Best for: solar teams that want 3D roof modeling, layout, shading, yield, financial modeling, bills of materials and proposals in one web application.
Not the right choice if:
- you need a self-serve trial. SurgePV offers a guided demo and does not advertise one. HelioScope offers a 14-day trial, and SAM is free.
- you need a stated system size limit. SurgePV’s pricing page does not give one. Ask sales.
- you need documented P90 values. HelioScope (Pro), PVcase Yield, PVsyst and SAM name probability values on their sites. SurgePV’s published scope lists energy-yield modeling without naming them.
- you need approval from an engineer, authority or lender. SurgePV outputs support design and documentation but do not replace that approval.
- you need a full CRM, monitoring or ERP product. SurgePV’s published product scope does not list a CRM. Its published scope does not list monitoring or ERP.
What the vendor documents: 3D roof modeling, solar array layout, shading analysis, energy-yield modeling, financial modeling, electrical workflow support, bill-of-materials output and proposal generation. See solar designing, solar proposals and the generation and financial tool.
Price (checked October 2026): $1,899 per user per year for one user, $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” and says to confirm fair-use limits and contract terms with sales. Access starts with a guided demo. See pricing.
Limitations: results depend on the source data, assumptions and equipment models you use. The pricing page says to confirm access, limits, taxes and contract terms with sales.
Vendor link: SurgePV pricing. If you use HelioScope today, see the SurgePV page for HelioScope users.
Ask how SurgePV handles your project volume
Book a guided demo and bring your monthly project count, your typical system size and the fair-use questions you want answered.
Book a Free DemoQuestions to Settle Before You Pick
- How many projects do you run each month? Compare that number with the license limit of each tool.
- How large is your biggest design? Check it against the size limit of the plan you would buy.
- Which program does your lender or engineer accept? Ask before you design, because the answer can decide the tool.
- Do you also need single line diagrams and proposals? Simulation-only tools need a design tool beside them. See best bankable solar simulation software and best solar plant design software.
This page compares seven tools. Other tools, such as PV*SOL, are not compared here. For a three-way view, see PVcase vs HelioScope vs PVsyst.
How We Ordered These Tools
The tools are listed alphabetically. The table records what each vendor documents, not what we saw in use. “Not stated” means the pages we read did not say it. The feature may still exist.
| Tool | Project and size limits | Free access | Price published | Design and proposals in one product |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora Solar | 1 user, 50 projects per month (Basic, Premium) | Not stated on the pricing page | Yes, USD per user | Design and tablet-friendly proposals |
| OpenSolar | Keep 3D designs under 500 kW (help center) | Core app free | Core app free | Design, proposals, e-signature, CRM |
| PVcase | Not stated on the plan pages | Not stated on the plan pages | No | Layout, shading analysis, single line diagram export |
| PVsyst | One license per computer | One-month trial | Yes, CHF per year | Simulation and economics; proposals not mentioned on the pages we read |
| RatedPower | Unlimited users, projects and designs per company | Live demo and free product tour | No | Layout, yield, electrical design, cost estimates, documents |
| SAM | Not stated on the pages we read | Free | Free | Analysis tool |
| SurgePV | Pricing page lists unlimited projects; confirm fair-use limits | Guided demo, no self-serve trial | Yes, USD per user | Layout, financial modeling, bill of materials, proposals |
Project and size limits. They matter because HelioScope sets them by plan. We did not test how any tool behaves near its limit.
Free access. It matters because you can test a tool on your own project. We did not test the trials.
Price published. It matters because a published number lets you plan a budget. We did not request quotes, and we left out add-ons, taxes and volume discounts beyond those quoted.
Design and proposals in one product. It matters if you want one product instead of a chain of exports. We did not test file exports or handoffs between tools.
SurgePV sits in the alphabetical list like the other six. It is the best-for pick only for the web-based workflow. A competitor is the stated pick for every other use case.
Sources and Dates
Vendor pages were read in October 2026. Aurora Solar (pricing page, aurorasolar.com). OpenSolar (accuracy page, free page, OpenSolar’s API page, 16 February 2026 post, OpenSolar Enterprise Services, OpenSolar help center, opensolar.com). PVcase (FAQ, Ground Mount, Ground Mount plan page, Roof Mount plan page, Yield plan page). PVsyst (product page, P50-P90 documentation, PVsyst shop, validations page). RatedPower (home page, pricing page). SAM (home page, simulation options page, SAM download page). Other sources: pricing page, simulation page, Bankability Documents article, help center article on plan changes. SurgePV pricing is on the SurgePV pricing page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best alternatives to HelioScope?
It depends on which limit you hit. RatedPower is built for utility-scale PV and storage design. OpenSolar’s core app is free for design and proposals, and SAM is free for analysis. PVsyst is a Windows program for yield simulation, and SurgePV combines yield, financial modeling and proposals in one web application.
What are HelioScope’s project and size limits?
HelioScope’s pricing page lists 10 projects per month per license, or 120 projects a year on an annual license. Basic designs go up to 1.25 MW (DC), Pro up to 5 MW (DC) and Enterprise up to 30 MW (DC). Its help center says project balances add up across licenses, and unused projects do not roll over.
Is there a free alternative to HelioScope?
SAM is free, and OpenSolar says its core app is free. OpenSolar charges for API Access and connectors from 16 April 2026. HelioScope itself offers a 14-day free trial. Its help center also describes free Pro access for nonprofits and for classes.
Does HelioScope have a free trial?
Yes. HelioScope’s help center says standard free trials last 14 days, with Pro-level features. It allows one trial per customer. You can email support to ask for more days.
How much does HelioScope cost?
Basic is $159 USD per license per month, or $1,620 USD per license per year. Pro is $259 USD per license per month, or $2,640 USD per license per year. Enterprise is custom per-project pricing (HelioScope pricing page, checked October 2026).
Can SurgePV replace HelioScope?
It depends on your projects. SurgePV’s published scope covers 3D roof modeling, layout, shading, energy-yield modeling, financial modeling, bills of materials and proposals. Its pricing page lists unlimited projects and asks you to confirm fair-use limits with sales. The page does not state a system size limit, and access starts with a guided demo.
Related lists
For related comparisons, see PVsyst alternatives and Aurora Solar alternatives. For the product behind the SurgePV entry, see solar designing.
