Is your project a standard residential rooftop system? If your jurisdiction has adopted SolarAPP+, that platform replaces plan review with an automated check. It issues the permit instantly. For anything else, you have two choices. One is design software that draws your diagrams (OpenSolar, Aurora Solar). The other is a vendor that sells plan sets and engineering stamps (Aurora Solar, Arka360, Scanifly). A plan set is a collection of scaled drawings of the installation, submitted for permit approval. A PE (Professional Engineer) stamp is a Professional Engineer’s seal on the drawings. SurgePV is a design and proposal product and does not list a permit output, so it is not compared as a permitting tool.
This is a desk comparison of what each vendor publishes, checked October 2026. We have not run side-by-side tests.
Criteria used: permit output, how the output reaches the AHJ, eligibility limits, published price and vendor-stated turnaround. An AHJ (authority having jurisdiction) is the office responsible for permit requirements and acceptance.
Solargraf is not compared on this page (www.solargraf.com returned HTTP 403 to automated reads, including a headless browser, read October 2026). GreenLancer is not compared either. It describes itself as a plan-set and engineering service rather than software. For plan-set contents and PE stamp pricing across more vendors, see the permit design software list.
Best Picks by Use Case
- Instant permit for an eligible residential rooftop system: SolarAPP+. It lists 350+ jurisdictions served on its home page and a $35 fee per solar permit.
- Plan sets ordered from inside the design tool: Aurora Solar. Its pricing page states solar-only plan sets in under 24 hours and solar-plus-storage in under 48 hours.
- Plan sets and PE stamps ordered from a vendor that also sells design software: Arka360. It lists residential and commercial plan sets plus structural and electrical PE stamps.
- Plan sets built from a drone-based 3D model: Scanifly. Its design services page states plan sets and stamps in under 48 hours for residential projects.
- A free core app with a built-in single line diagram and US permit partners: OpenSolar. It states that its core app is free of charge (API Access and connectors are charged from 16 April 2026). Its marketing page lists region templates for six countries. Its help article lists ten. A single line diagram is a simple drawing of how the system is wired.
Comparison Table
Listed alphabetically. This is not a ranking; pick by the situation above. “Not stated” means the pages we read did not say.
| Tool | Best for | Permit output | Price (checked October 2026) | Route to the AHJ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arka360 | Ordering plan sets and PE stamps | Residential and commercial plan sets; structural and electrical PE stamps on request | Plan-set price not stated on the permit services page (arka360.com) | Not stated |
| Aurora Solar | Plan sets inside the design tool | Plan sets, engineering stamps, NEC validation reports in Design Mode | Basic $135 per user per month billed annually; Premium $220 per user per month billed annually; plan sets and stamps listed as “Add-on” with no price (aurorasolar.com) | Not stated; AHJ database of 25,000+ US jurisdictions listed |
| OpenSolar | Free core app plus partner permitting | Single line diagram generator; permit requests sent to partners (US) | Core app free; API Access and connectors charged from 16 April 2026 (opensolar.com); partner prices vary | Through a partner, or SolarAPP+ and GreenLancer connections |
| Scanifly | Plan sets from drone models | Plan sets and engineering stamps | Not stated on the pages read (scanifly.com) | Not stated |
| SolarAPP+ | Instant residential permits | Permit and inspection checklist for compliant, eligible systems | $35 per solar permit; $30 storage add-on; $30 storage only (help.gosolarapp.org) | Installer submits in SolarAPP+; jurisdictions use it standalone or inside their own portal |
Every price above was read on the vendor’s own page in October 2026. Taxes, jurisdiction permit fees and plan limits change, so confirm them with the vendor before you buy.
Tool-by-Tool Comparison
Listed alphabetically. This is not a ranking; pick by the situation above.
Arka360
Arka360 sells solar design software and a separate permit and PE stamp service.
Best for: installers who want to order a residential or commercial plan set from the same vendor as their design software. They can add a PE stamp if needed.
Not the right choice if: you need a published plan-set price before you order, or you need to know how the vendor submits to your AHJ. Neither is stated on the permit services page.
What the vendor documents: a residential plan set described as “NEC-compliant drawings for rooftop solar permitting” with layout, stringing, labels and wire sizing. It also lists a commercial plan set for rooftop and ground-mount systems that includes single line diagrams, conduit layout and load calculations. Structural and electrical PE stamps are listed as available on request. The page headlines “Get Solar Permits in 24–48 Hours” and “Get 95% First-Time AHJ Approval for Permit Drawings”. We have not verified either.
Price (checked October 2026): plan-set and stamp prices are not stated on the permit services page. The pricing page covers software plans. Its visible US-dollar cards show Basic at $199 per month (1 user). Premium costs $358 per month (2 users) and is called Professional in the feature comparison. Enterprise is Talk to Sales. The page also holds rupee tables and hidden dollar tables. The /pricing-in page shows a second rupee set. Ask Arka360 which table applies to you.
Limitations: the page says the work is “Accepted across 50 States”, which is the vendor’s claim. Whether the software itself submits to AHJ portals is not stated on the pages we read.
Vendor link: arka360.com permit services.
Aurora Solar
Aurora Solar sells a solar design and sales platform and, as an add-on, a plan sets service.
Best for: teams already designing in Aurora that want to request a plan set and engineering stamp without leaving the platform.
Not the right choice if: you need the plan-set price on the page. The pricing page lists plan sets and engineering stamps as “Add-on” without an amount.
What the vendor documents: a plan sets service. The pricing page states solar-only plan sets “in under 24 hours, or under 48 hours for solar-plus-storage”. It states engineering stamps “in an additional 24 hours with your plan set”. The plan sets page states “AHJ-ready plan sets in 24-48 hours” and “95% first-time AHJ approval rates”, which we have not verified. Design Mode lists NEC validation reports for checking an electrical configuration. Its Instant Plan Sets help article covers US residential pitched-roof projects. It says the plan set includes a single line diagram. The pricing page lists an AHJ database with “Details and requirements from >25K US jurisdictions”.
Price (checked October 2026): Basic is $159 per user per month billed monthly or $135 per user per month billed annually. Premium is $259 per user per month billed monthly or $220 per user per month billed annually. Enterprise is custom. The Enterprise answer on the pricing page says it includes “access to premium services, like plan sets and engineering stamps”. Source: Aurora pricing.
Limitations: the AHJ database is a US list. Whether Aurora submits the plan set to the AHJ for you is not stated on the pages we read.
Vendor link: aurorasolar.com plan sets.
OpenSolar
OpenSolar’s core app is free for solar professionals. API Access and supported connectors are charged from 16 April 2026.
Best for: installers who want a single line diagram generated from the design and a way to send permit requests to US partners. The core app is free.
Not the right choice if: you expect OpenSolar to do the permitting work. Its permitting page answers “Does OpenSolar complete the permitting work?” with “No”, and says the selected partner owns the work after submission.
What the vendor documents: a single line diagram generator that pulls from the layout and stringing. It has “Region-specific templates for AU, US, UK, DE, IT, ES”. Its help article lists AU, NZ, US, CA, UK, FR, DE, IT, ES and IN. Permitting Integrations is “available for US projects”. It lists Ignergy Engineering Services, Green World Renewable Energy, EnergyScape Renewables and GreenLancer. It also lists SolarAPP+, Skyfire Solar Design, Wattmonk and Ensite Services. Services vary by partner. They include plan sets, engineering reviews, structural and electrical PE stamps, permit applications, interconnection and Permission to Operate support. The system must be marked as sold and the project address must be complete before a request can be sent.
Price (checked October 2026): OpenSolar states “100% Free of charge” for its core app on its Why OpenSolar page. From 16 April 2026 the vendor charges for two things. API Access, which lets other software connect to OpenSolar, costs a per-project fee. The per-project API fee is on OpenSolar’s API page. Supported connectors cost 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 are Support at US$500 per month and Customize at US$1,350 per month. Enterprise is at a custom price (Enterprise Services page). The permitting page says pricing and turnaround for partner services depend on the partner, service and project.
Limitations: partner pricing, project coverage and turnaround are set by each partner. GreenLancer and SolarAPP+ use their own connected workflows.
Vendor link: opensolar.com permitting.
Scanifly
Scanifly sells drone-based and remote solar design software and a design services team.
Best for: teams that already survey with a drone and want plan sets and stamps built from the same 3D model.
Not the right choice if: you do not fly drone surveys. The design services page lists plan sets under its onsite design offering and notes that “Onsite designs require a drone-based 3D model”.
What the vendor documents: “AHJ-approved plan sets and stamps in under 48 hours” from the design services page. The page notes that turnaround times listed are for residential projects only. It also lists engineering stamps beside full plan sets.
Price (checked October 2026): not stated on the pages we read, which show “Book a Demo” and no amount.
Limitations: how plan sets reach the AHJ is not stated on the pages we read. Expedited turnaround is available “for additional fees”.
Vendor link: scanifly.com design services.
SolarAPP+
SolarAPP+ was developed with Department of Energy funding. It was initially managed by the National Laboratory of the Rockies (formerly NREL). It is now managed by the SolarAPP Foundation, a non-profit.
Best for: residential installers on rooftop systems that fit its eligibility limits. Their jurisdiction must have adopted it.
Not the right choice if: your project is outside its scope or your jurisdiction has not adopted it. The help center lists ground-mounted, multi-family, commercial, community, utility-scale and ballasted systems as outside its scope. It lists systems installed by homeowners as outside its scope too. Eligible systems have a service rating of 400 A or less and a size of 38.4 kW or less “provided they meet certain installation characteristics”.
What the vendor documents: a guided online application that runs automated code checks. For a compliant application, it issues a permit and an inspection checklist instantly. The product page says the software is compatible with “2017 NEC and later editions, 2018 I-codes and later editions”. The home page lists “350+ Jurisdictions Served”. The inspection checklist has five sections: premises wiring system, point of interconnection, balance of system, roof and fire. Use is voluntary: contractors “can choose to submit the traditional way if they prefer”. Under its terms, “all liability for code compliance remains with the contractor”.
Price (checked October 2026): $35 for a solar permit, $30 for an add-on energy storage permit and $30 for a storage-only permit. The first 3 revisions are free. Installers pay this on top of the jurisdiction’s permit fee, and payment processing fees apply. Source: SolarAPP+ help center.
Limitations: it works only where a jurisdiction has adopted it. The home page describes it as automating residential solar and energy storage permitting. The eligibility article has the full list of limits.
Vendor link: gosolarapp.org.
Planning to design before you permit?
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Where SurgePV Fits
SurgePV is our product. We publish this list and sell this software.
SurgePV’s published scope covers 3D roof modeling, array layout and shading analysis. It also covers energy-yield modeling, financial modeling and electrical workflow support. It adds bill-of-materials output and proposal generation. That scope and the pricing page, read October 2026, do not list a permit plan set, AHJ submission or PE stamp. So SurgePV is not ranked above. It sits before the permit step. SurgePV’s design suite produces the design, and a route like those above takes over from there. Its outputs support design and documentation. They do not replace approval by the responsible engineer or authority. Homeowner apps are out of scope on this page.
How We Ordered These Tools
The tools are listed alphabetically, and the table records what each vendor documents, not what we saw in use.
Permit output. It matters because the AHJ reviews a permit, a plan set or a checklist, and these tools produce different things. We did not open sample outputs or compare their contents.
Route to the AHJ. It matters because a plan set that has to be uploaded by hand costs more time than one the platform sends. Most vendors do not state this, so we did not compare submission time.
Eligibility limits. It matters because an instant-permit platform is only useful if your project fits its size, building and jurisdiction limits. We only read the limits SolarAPP+ publishes, and we did not check any jurisdiction’s own rules.
Published price. It matters because plan sets and stamps are per-project costs. We did not negotiate quotes, and we left out jurisdiction permit fees, payment processing fees and taxes.
Turnaround. It matters because a vendor’s stated hours set your project timeline. These are vendor statements. We did not time any service. We did not check the first-time approval rates that two vendors state.
Your own AHJ sets the documents you must submit. See the glossary entry on the authority having jurisdiction and our guide to the solar permitting workflow.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best solar permitting software?
It depends on the project and the jurisdiction. SolarAPP+ issues an instant permit for eligible residential rooftop projects in jurisdictions that have adopted it. The fee is $35 per solar permit. For other projects, Aurora Solar, Arka360 and Scanifly each sell plan sets and engineering stamps. OpenSolar passes permit requests to partner firms. Use the comparison table to match the tool to your project type.
What is SolarAPP+ and how does it work?
SolarAPP+ is an online permit platform. It was developed with funding from the US Department of Energy. It was initially managed by the National Laboratory of the Rockies (formerly NREL). It is now managed by the SolarAPP Foundation. A licensed installer enters the system design, and the platform runs automated code checks. A compliant application receives a permit and an inspection checklist instantly. It is free for jurisdictions to adopt and only works where the jurisdiction has adopted it.
How much does SolarAPP+ cost an installer?
SolarAPP+ publishes a $35 fee for a solar permit, $30 for an add-on energy storage permit and $30 for a storage-only permit. The first 3 revisions are free. The fee is paid in addition to any permit fee set by the jurisdiction, and payment processing fees apply. Fees were read on the SolarAPP+ help center in October 2026.
How long does it take to get a solar plan set from a vendor?
Each vendor states its own turnaround. Aurora Solar says solar-only plan sets take under 24 hours and solar-plus-storage under 48 hours. Arka360 states 24 to 48 hours, and Scanifly says plan sets and stamps in under 48 hours for residential projects. These are vendor statements, and turnaround depends on the project.
Can OpenSolar handle solar permits?
OpenSolar’s core app is free of charge, but the vendor charges for API Access and supported connectors from 16 April 2026. It has a single line diagram (SLD) generator, a tool that draws how the system is wired. Its permitting integration lets US users send a permit request to a partner firm from the project. OpenSolar states that it does not complete the permitting work itself. The selected partner does the work, and pricing and turnaround depend on the partner.
Which projects cannot use SolarAPP+?
SolarAPP+ lists ground-mounted, multi-family, commercial, community, utility-scale and ballasted systems as outside its scope. It lists systems installed by homeowners as outside its scope too. It covers systems of 38.4 kW or less on detached one- and two-family homes and some townhomes. Projects outside its scope go through the jurisdiction’s traditional permit process.
Related lists
For plan-set contents and PE stamp pricing, see best solar permit design software. For diagram tools, see best SLD software and best electrical design software. For the design step before permitting, see solar design software.
