Quick answer
Should you switch from PVsyst to SurgePV? It depends on your work. PVsyst is a Windows desktop program at CHF 700 per year per licence. SurgePV is a web application at USD 1,899 per user per year for 1 user. SurgePV does not publish which PVsyst files it can read, so ask at a demo. Checked October 2026.
Looking for a PVsyst alternative that runs in the browser?
Book a guided demo and see SurgePV handle design, shading, yield and proposals on a project of your own.
Book a Free DemoChecking cost first? See the SurgePV pricing page.
This page compares PVsyst and SurgePV using what each vendor publishes. PVsyst is desktop software that runs on Windows. SurgePV is a web application. Both cover energy-yield modeling, but their published scope is not the same.
SurgePV publishes this page and is a vendor in this category: it competes with PVsyst, and this page compares the two. The facts here come from the vendors’ public pages, checked October 2026. We have not compared the two products side by side on a live project.
What PVsyst says about itself
PVsyst is a long-standing yield simulation program. Its product page lists these features:
- System design: grid-connected, standalone and pumping systems, with unlimited orientations.
- Shading: near shadings, where you model a 3D scene or import one from another CAD tool, plus horizon and electrical shading (mismatch) losses.
- Simulation: hourly simulation, sub-hourly weather data, bifacial systems, trackers, and storage and self-consumption.
- Economic assessment: costs (CAPEX, OPEX) and results such as NPV, LCOE and ROI.
- Languages: 12 program languages, including English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Polish and Turkish.
PVsyst’s help also documents a single line diagram (SLD, a simple drawing of how the system is wired). The help says the SLD is only for grid-connected systems, does not include storage, and is “still work in progress”.
We did not find a customer proposal or quote feature on the PVsyst product page or in its help search index (read October 2026).
Price, licence and trial
| Item | PVsyst (own site, read October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Price | PVsyst 8 Professional: CHF 700 per year, updates included (shop) |
| Group discount | 5% for 2 to 4 licences, 15% for 5 to 9, 20% for 10 or more |
| Licence | One licence per computer; PVsyst must be installed on the computer where it is used |
| Operating system | Windows only |
| Not supported | Servers, Citrix, Remote Desktop, Azure Virtual Desktop, ARM versions of Windows |
| Trial | “One-month free trial” listed on the product page |
| Add-on | PVsystCLI (command line tool): CHF 3’000 per year |
PVsyst also says its workspace does not support shared or remotely synced folders such as OneDrive, Google Drive or Dropbox. You can sync files as a separate task once PVsyst is closed.
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, shadow analysis, 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. 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.
- 1 user$1,899
- 3 seats, per user$1,499
- 5 seats, per user$1,299
Source: SurgePV pricing page, checked October 2026.
PVsyst and SurgePV side by side
| Topic | PVsyst | SurgePV |
|---|---|---|
| How you run it | Windows desktop program | Web application |
| Price unit | CHF per licence per year | USD per user per year |
| Trial | One-month free trial listed | Guided demo; no self-serve trial advertised |
| Yield modeling | Listed (hourly and sub-hourly) | Energy-yield modeling in published scope |
| Shading | Near shadings, horizon, electrical shading losses | Shading analysis in published scope |
| Financial results | NPV, LCOE, ROI listed | Financial modeling in published scope |
| Customer proposals | Not found in the pages we read | Proposal generation in published scope |
| Electrical drawing | SLD editor, grid-connected only | Electrical workflow support in published scope |
| Pumping and stand-alone systems | Listed | Not in published scope |
The table shows scope only. It does not say which tool gives better results.
Pros and cons of each tool
PVsyst
- Pros: lists sub-hourly weather simulation, bifacial and tracker modeling, pumping and stand-alone systems, and a one-month free trial.
- Cons: Windows only, one licence per computer, and no customer proposal feature found in the pages read.
SurgePV
- Pros: web application, with proposals and financial modeling in the published scope, priced per user.
- Cons: guided demo only, no self-serve trial, no published list of importable file types, and pumping and stand-alone systems are not in the published scope.
What PVsyst documents about exporting your data
PVsyst’s help describes these exports:
- Export projects: saves selected projects to a zip file.
- Export projects and components: copies projects, with their referenced files if you choose, to a folder or zip file.
- Export workspace: the help says this is useful for backing up or sharing your user data.
- Hourly, daily or monthly CSV output: lets you analyse results in Excel.
These pages describe backup, sharing and analysis. We did not find a PVsyst help page about moving a project into another vendor’s software. This page does not say which PVsyst 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.
- List your active projects. Note which ones must stay in PVsyst, for example if a lender or client asked for PVsyst output.
- Back up your PVsyst data. Use the export tools above and keep the zip files.
- Book a demo. Ask what SurgePV can take from your existing files, and get the answer in a written quote.
- Run one live project in both tools. Compare the results and the inputs. Results depend on source data and assumptions, so check the differences.
- Keep PVsyst until your reviewers accept the new output. Your engineer, lender or authority decides, not the software.
Ready to run a live project beside PVsyst?
Bring one real project to a demo and ask what SurgePV can take from your existing files.
Book a Free DemoChecking cost first? See the SurgePV pricing page.
Who should pick PVsyst, and who should pick SurgePV?
Pick SurgePV if you want a browser-based tool where design, shading, yield, financial modeling and proposals sit under one per-user price. Stay with PVsyst if you:
- design pumping or stand-alone off-grid systems, which PVsyst lists and SurgePV’s published scope does not;
- need sub-hourly weather simulation, bifacial or tracker modeling, or the PVsystCLI command line tool, which PVsyst lists;
- must hand a PVsyst report to a client, lender or authority who asked for it by name.
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 Windows-only licences, per-computer installs or the lack of a proposal feature slow your team down. Stay with PVsyst for pumping, stand-alone or sub-hourly work. Either way, test one live project first: book a demo or check the SurgePV pricing before you decide.
Other migration guides
See how the same move looks from HelioScope or Aurora Solar, or browse all migration guides. For the wider field, read the PVsyst review, the PVsyst vs SurgePV comparison and the list of PVsyst alternatives.
Sources
All checked October 2026.
- PVsyst product page: features, languages, one-month free trial.
- PVsyst shop: price, group discounts, licence terms, PVsystCLI.
- PVsyst help, single line diagram: SLD scope.
- PVsyst help, installation: Windows-only installation and Mac guidance.
- PVsyst help, Export projects and Export workspace: backup and sharing exports.
- PVsyst help, CSV output: hourly, daily and monthly results.
- SurgePV pricing page and product scope: price per user per year, scope and stated limits.
