Key Takeaways
- These tools solve different problems — Energy Toolbase models project economics, Sunbase runs sales operations
- Energy Toolbase publishes 120,000+ verified utility rates; Sunbase does not mention tariffs anywhere on its site
- Sunbase starts at $59/user/month with no fixed tiers; ETB Developer Individual is $3,588/year
- Sunbase claims shading analysis but never claims 3D design — the word does not appear on its site
- Neither tool covers the full design-to-proposal path on its own
- Sunbase publishes no fixed pricing tiers by design, so the entry figure is a floor, not a quote
Every figure below is quoted from each vendor’s own published documentation, checked on 28 September 2026.
Quick Verdict
Our Verdict
This comparison usually means a team has diagnosed the wrong problem. If deals are being lost inside the proforma — wrong tariff, wrong dispatch assumption, savings that do not survive the financier — Energy Toolbase is the purchase. If deals are being lost between the lead and the proposal, no amount of modelling depth helps, and Sunbase is the purchase. Work out which end of the funnel is leaking before you compare prices, because these two do not substitute for each other at any price.
What Each One Actually Is
Energy Toolbase is a financial modelling, storage simulation, and proposal platform. ETB Developer publishes “120k+ Utility Rates Tracked”, Time-of-Use modelling, NEM program support, “Support for VNEM, NEMA, and other billing structures”, and “ESS simulations powered by digital twin of our EMS algorithms”. It also sells ETB Controller for live battery dispatch and ETB Monitor for asset monitoring.
Sunbase Data is an operations suite. Its published modules are “CRM Software”, “Proposal & Estimation Software”, and “Project Management Software”, with feature modules for door-to-door sales, marketing and sales management, financial management, human resource management, asset and inventory management, and dashboard reporting. Industry variants exist for solar, roofing, and construction.
Pricing
| Energy Toolbase | Sunbase Data | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | ETB Developer Individual, $299/user/month billed annually | “Plans start from $59 per user per month” |
| Published annual cost | $3,588/year | Not published — cost is configured |
| Named tiers | Individual and Business | None. The site has a section titled “Why Sunbase Doesn’t Use Fixed Pricing Tiers” |
| Team plan | Business, $333*/user/month billed annually, 5 users, $19,980/year | Scales by user count; no minimum published |
| What changes the price | Customer requirements, classification, promotional offers | “Number of Users, Required Capabilities, Workflow Configuration, Integrations, Implementation” |
| Free trial | None published | None published. CTAs are “Request Pricing Details” and “Request a Demo” |
* Energy Toolbase’s own asterisk: final pricing “is subject to change based on customer requirements, customer classification, promotional offers”.
Neither price is really a price
Both vendors publish a figure and then reserve the right to change it. Energy Toolbase’s $333 carries an explicit disclaimer; Sunbase publishes only a starting point with no per-module costs, setup fees, or training fees. Treat both as the opening of a negotiation, and get the configured number in writing before comparing.
Capability Coverage
| Capability | Energy Toolbase | Sunbase Data |
|---|---|---|
| Utility rate / tariff modelling | ✓ “120,000+ verified rates”, in-house team | — Not mentioned anywhere on the site |
| Storage value stacking | ✓ Six named value streams | — |
| Residential storage modelling | — (marked with a red X on ETB’s own table) | — |
| Panel layout / 3D design | — (marked with a red X on ETB’s own table) | Limited — a “Solar Design Software” product exists; 3D is never claimed |
| Shading analysis | — | ✓ Listed within “system design and shading analysis” |
| Proposals | ✓ Interactive, with open and click tracking | ✓ “Proposal & Estimation Software” |
| CRM | Limited — “Lead management built for solar and energy storage” | ✓ Full CRM, the core product |
| Project management | — | ✓ |
| Inventory / asset tracking | — | ✓ “Asset & Inventory Management” |
| Financing structures | ✓ “Real-time indicative pricing quotes from lenders” | ✓ Financial Management module |
| Live battery dispatch | ✓ ETB Controller, from $34,000 | — |
| Other trades | — | ✓ Roofing and construction variants |
Two rows deserve a note.
Sunbase’s integration language is unusually hedged for a platform pitch. Connections may use “native integrations, APIs, webhooks, automation or custom integration work”, and the site advises that availability “should be confirmed for the systems your company uses”. It also declines to claim full replacement, answering “Not necessarily” when asked whether it replaces all contractor software. That is honest, and it is worth reading before assuming a clean consolidation.
And neither tool designs properly. Energy Toolbase marks panel layout with a red X. Sunbase names a design product but never claims 3D modelling.
Fix the design-to-proposal half in one place
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The Stack Question
Most teams weighing these two end up with three tools rather than one, because neither covers design. A realistic stack looks like this:
| Role | Energy Toolbase route | Sunbase route |
|---|---|---|
| Sales operations | A separate CRM | Sunbase, from $59/user/month |
| Design and shading | A separate design platform | Sunbase, limited — no 3D claimed |
| Tariff and storage economics | Energy Toolbase, $3,588/year | Not covered |
| Proposals | Energy Toolbase | Sunbase |
SurgePV collapses the design, shading, yield, financial modelling, and proposal rows into one subscription at $1,899 per user per year with unlimited projects, per the SurgePV pricing page (list price, GST additional). It covers array design, shading and irradiance analysis, yield and financial modelling, and branded proposals.
It does not replace a CRM, and it does not match Energy Toolbase’s rate database. A team that needs all three things will still run SurgePV alongside a CRM — but that is two tools, not three, and the design layer is a real one.
How to Decide
- Deals dying inside the proforma. Energy Toolbase. Tariff depth is not something you work around.
- Deals dying between lead and proposal. Sunbase, or any solar CRM. Modelling depth will not help you here.
- Design turnaround is the constraint. Neither. Both leave the design layer unsolved, and Sunbase’s is undocumented on 3D.
- You run roofing or construction alongside solar. Sunbase is the only tool here with published variants for those trades.
Related Reading
- Energy Toolbase review — full breakdown with current pricing
- Sunbase Data review — the platform in detail
- Energy Toolbase vs SurgePV — modelling specialist against all-in-one
- Solar CRM vs spreadsheets — the prior question most teams skip
- Energy Toolbase alternatives — the full ranked shortlist
