Answer
PVsyst is not permanently free for full professional use. Its 30-day evaluation limits project components to generic ones and watermarks reports; restricted demo mode follows. Full licensed operation requires a subscription. The public shop lists PVsyst 8 Professional at CHF 700 per year and conditional student/classroom licences at CHF 25 per year, as checked September 30, 2026.
The free trial is not a permanent professional licence
PVsyst’s licensing documentation distinguishes evaluation, demo and licensed modes. The initial evaluation lasts 30 days; components are limited to generic ones and reports have a watermark. After evaluation expires, demo mode removes most capabilities. Full licensed operation requires an active subscription.
This answers the purchase question without implying that a downloaded installer is a permanently free professional product. Check the mode displayed in the application before treating a report as equivalent to a licensed project deliverable.
What the current terms say about evaluation
The vendor’s conditions dated June 1, 2026, section 2.4, specify 30-day evaluation for unlicensed PVsyst 8 and PVsystBasic installations, with generic project components and an EVALUATION report label. They specify a different PVsystCLI evaluation: 250 runs within 60 days, followed by inactivity after that period.
These are product-specific limits. Do not assume that a PVsyst 8 trial and a command-line evaluation provide identical access. Obtain current terms from the vendor before installation or procurement.
The same conditions require supported Microsoft Windows systems and distinguish workstation products from CLI server operation. They state that PVsyst 8 and PVsystBasic cannot be operated through a Windows Remote Desktop client. If a help page or older discussion describes a different network arrangement, ask the vendor to reconcile it with the current contractual conditions rather than promising support.
Published licence prices
The official PVsyst shop lists these annual prices, checked September 30, 2026:
| Listed option | Public annual price | Important distinction |
|---|---|---|
| PVsyst 8 Professional | CHF 700 | Professional licence |
| Student | CHF 25 | Student-card qualification; labelled reports and generic manufacturer names |
| Classroom | CHF 25 | Educational-program qualification; labelled reports and generic manufacturer names |
| Education | CHF 420 | Teacher devices and educational-program qualification |
| Training / Research | CHF 560 | Programme qualification and labelled reports |
| PVsystCLI | CHF 3,000 | Separate command-line category |
| PVsystBasic 1.0 | CHF 25 | Direct solar-pumping product |
The shop lists grouped-order discounts for Professional licences: 5% for 2–4, 15% for 5–9 and 20% for 10 or more. Confirm taxes, licence allocation and the current offer before ordering. Prices remain in the vendor’s quoted currency; this is not a currency-converted procurement quote.
A discounted academic licence is paid access under its own conditions. Do not purchase it for unrestricted commercial use solely because it costs less.
A trial checklist that answers the purchase decision
Define the task before installing the software. For a modelling evaluation, retain:
- The relevant system type, weather basis and intended energy boundary.
- The geometry and loss assumptions the team needs to investigate.
- Which equipment-specific questions the generic-component trial cannot resolve.
- Required report contents and any customer or reviewer acceptance conditions.
- Supported workstation arrangements and the number of licences needed.
- Questions for the vendor that remain unresolved at the end of evaluation.
A trial can help assess the interface and workflow. It does not prove a universal modelling accuracy, lender acceptance or a production guarantee. Request a licensed demonstration if equipment-specific analysis or a particular report is necessary to the decision.
For the broader modelling workflow and output review, use our PVsyst explainer. This page focuses on access and licensing rather than duplicating that general introduction.
How to assess a no-cost alternative
Start with the required deliverable rather than a ranked list of products. A quick production estimate, a detailed loss model, a permit drawing set and a sales proposal are different tasks. For each candidate, check its official access terms, inputs, outputs, export conditions and supported project types.
Compare the same documented project assumptions. Record missing inputs and differences in reported energy boundaries before interpreting output differences. This article has not retained a controlled comparison and does not rank tools by an invented accuracy percentage.
If evaluating SurgePV’s simulation workflow, ask the team to demonstrate the specific project inputs, outputs and current access terms. Do not infer a free permanent tier, a verified integration or a lower total cost from this article.
When paying may be appropriate
A licence may be necessary when the required work exceeds trial restrictions or the project requires full licensed capabilities. Verify the actual customer or reviewer specification before purchasing. A requirement for a named software report is different from proof that every report produced in that software will be accepted.
Account for licences, training, data preparation, review and any separate required deliverables using your team’s evidence. The subscription price alone does not establish total project cost or demonstrate that replacing another tool will save a particular amount.
Reviewed September 30, 2026 from current vendor documentation and public pricing. Published by SurgePV; this is a documentation-based licensing explanation, not an independent hands-on benchmark. No fabricated user cases or professional credentials are claimed.
Where this fits
This article is part of SurgePV's Solar Design hub, which works through the topic from first principles to the decisions a project team actually has to make.
