Switch from HelioScope to SurgePV: What to Check Before You Move

This page compares HelioScope and SurgePV using what each vendor publishes. HelioScope sells plans with set limits on projects per month and on design size. SurgePV lists a different price unit and a different product scope. Use the tables below to see what fits your work.

SurgePV publishes this page and is a vendor in this category: it competes with HelioScope, and this page compares the two. The facts here come from the vendors’ public pages, checked October 2026. HelioScope describes itself as an Aurora Inc. company. We have not compared the two products side by side on a live project.

HelioScope plans and limits

These figures are from the HelioScope pricing page, read October 2026. Prices are in US dollars, per license.

The page also lists these features. Each plan includes everything in the plan before it.

• Basic: rooftop, carport and ground mount on all projects, storage design, and “accuracy within 1% of PVsyst” (a HelioScope claim).
• Pro: LIDAR-assisted modeling, storage modeling, AI-based obstruction detection, financial modeling and sales proposals, and P90, P95 and P99 values.
• Enterprise: single-axis trackers, export to PVsyst, direct API access and SSO.

Two numbers are often mixed up. The limit of 10 projects per month applies to the Basic and Pro plans. We did not find a 15 MW design limit on the pricing page. Design size is limited to 1.25, 5 or 30 MW (DC) by plan. The only 15 MW figure we found is in a HelioScope help article on exporting a PVsyst shade scene, which is for designs under 15 MW DC.

HelioScope also offers a free trial. Its Free Trial article says trials last 14 days, with one trial per customer and Pro-level features.

What SurgePV publishes

SurgePV’s published product scope is 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, generation and financial modeling and solar proposals.

Price on /pricing: USD per user per year. It is $1,899 for 1 user, $1,499 per user for 3 seats and $1,299 per user for 5 seats. The page lists “Unlimited projects” and says to confirm fair-use limits and contract terms with sales. Access is a guided demo. No self-serve trial is advertised.

SurgePV also states limits. Results depend on source data, assumptions, equipment models, configuration and review. Outputs do not replace approval by the responsible engineer, authority, lender, insurer or utility. Pricing, access, scope and contract terms must be confirmed in a written quote.

The bars use HelioScope’s yearly billing and SurgePV’s 1-user price. The plans differ in limits and scope, so read this as a price unit, not a like-for-like saving.

HelioScope and SurgePV side by side

The table shows scope only. It does not say which tool gives better results.

Pros and cons of each tool

HelioScope

• Pros: published limits by plan, a 14-day free trial, storage design from Basic, and CAD, hourly CSV and bulk exports in its help center.
• Cons: 10 projects per month and 120 per year on Basic and Pro, and PVsyst export and single-axis trackers sit on Enterprise.

SurgePV

• Pros: ‘Unlimited projects’ on its pricing page, and proposals and financial modeling in the published scope.
• Cons: guided demo only, no self-serve trial, storage and trackers not in the published scope, and fair-use limits to confirm with sales.

What HelioScope documents about exporting your data

HelioScope’s help center describes these exports:

• Export CAD files: a .dxf file with a 3D layout, or a single line diagram (SLD, a simple drawing of how the system is wired).
• Hourly Production Report CSV: a file with 8760 rows, one for every hour of the year.
• Export designs and reports: reports can be downloaded, and a Bulk Export tool downloads several files at once, such as the hourly CSV, shade report, production report and DXF.
• Export to PVsyst (.dae): a shade scene for PVsyst. The article says it is for Enterprise plan users.

We did not find a HelioScope help page about moving a whole project into another vendor’s software. This page does not say which HelioScope files SurgePV can read.

How to plan a move

SurgePV does not publish a migration time or a list of files it can import. Plan these steps and ask for details in writing.

1. List your active projects and open proposals. Decide which ones finish in HelioScope.
2. Download your files. Use the exports above for each project you want to keep: DXF, hourly CSV and reports.
3. Book a demo. Ask what SurgePV can take from your existing files, and get the answer in a written quote.
4. Run one live project in both tools. Compare the inputs and results. Results depend on source data and assumptions, so check the differences.
5. Keep HelioScope until your team trusts the new output. Your engineer, client or authority decides what output they accept, not the software.

Who should pick HelioScope, and who should pick SurgePV?

Pick SurgePV if the project limits on HelioScope’s Basic and Pro plans slow you down and you want proposals and financial modeling under one per-user price. Stay with HelioScope if you:

• need single-axis tracker design, which HelioScope lists on Enterprise and SurgePV’s published scope does not list;
• want a self-serve free trial before you talk to anyone;
• need a PVsyst shade scene export, which HelioScope lists on Enterprise.

SurgePV’s published product scope does not list a CRM. If you need customer tracking, plan to keep a separate tool.

Bottom line

Switch to SurgePV if HelioScope’s monthly project count is your bottleneck and you can live without trackers and storage in the published scope. Stay with HelioScope if you need those or want a self-serve trial. Check SurgePV pricing or book a demo with one live project.

Other migration guides

See how the same move looks from PVsyst or Aurora Solar, or browse all migration guides. For the wider field, read the HelioScope review, the HelioScope vs SurgePV comparison and the list of HelioScope alternatives.

Sources

All checked October 2026.

• HelioScope pricing: plans, prices, project and design size limits, features.
• HelioScope Free Trial article: 14-day trial terms.
• Export CAD files and Hourly Production Report CSV: export formats.
• Export designs and reports: Bulk Export.
• Export to PVsyst (.dae): Enterprise export and the 15 MW figure.
• SurgePV pricing page and product scope: price, scope and stated limits.