TL;DR
- SurgePV is a cloud platform for solar design, shading analysis, financial simulation, and proposals — nothing else, and it does those things fast.
- OpusFlow is an all-in-one ERP for installation companies: CRM, quoting, PV design, project management, planning, stock, purchasing, and invoicing in 1 system.
- SurgePV publishes transparent per-user pricing with a free trial. OpusFlow pricing is quote-based and reflects its broader ERP scope.
- SurgePV has no CRM, project management, stock control, or invoicing. OpusFlow’s design module is solid but not its core focus.
- Choose SurgePV for best-in-class design and proposal speed. Choose OpusFlow if you want to run your whole installation business in 1 platform.
SurgePV and OpusFlow both serve solar installers, but they solve different problems. SurgePV is a specialist: cloud-based design, shading analysis, financial modeling, and proposal generation. OpusFlow is a generalist: a full ERP covering CRM, quoting, project management, stock, and invoicing for European installation companies. This comparison breaks down features, pricing, and ideal buyers so you can pick the right tool for how your team actually works.
Want to test SurgePV’s design speed yourself? Book a live demo and we will model one of your real projects.
Quick Overview
| SurgePV | OpusFlow | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Dedicated solar design & proposal software | All-in-one installer ERP |
| Core strength | 3D design, shading analysis, financial simulation, proposals | CRM, project management, stock, purchasing, invoicing |
| Deployment | Cloud-only, no install | Cloud-based |
| Target market | Solar installers and EPCs, global | Small-to-mid installers, Europe-focused (NL, DE, BE, FR, ES, UK) |
| Languages | English | EN, NL, FR, DE, ES |
| Pricing model | Transparent per-user, free trial | Quote-based |
| CRM / PM / invoicing | — | ✓ |
What SurgePV Does
SurgePV is cloud software for the technical and commercial front end of a solar sale: design, simulation, and the proposal that closes the deal.
The solar design module builds 3D rooftop models, places module layouts, sizes strings, and generates a bill of materials. Everything runs in the browser — there is no desktop install, no license dongle, and no version conflicts across a team.
Shadow analysis applies physics-based irradiance calculations and obstruction shading to the cloud-rendered 3D model. Production estimates reflect the actual site, not a flat-roof assumption.
The generation and financial tool runs the energy yield simulation and computes payback, IRR, and NPV in the same workspace. You do not export to a spreadsheet to finish the numbers.
Proposals turn the model into a branded PDF with financials and site visuals. Clara AI, the built-in assistant, helps with design decisions and proposal copy.
What SurgePV does not do: CRM, project management, planning, purchasing, stock control, or invoicing. It is a specialist tool, and it pairs with whatever you already use to run the business side.
What OpusFlow Does
OpusFlow is an all-in-one ERP built for installation companies, with particular strength in the European renewable-energy market.
The platform covers the full business workflow. Its CRM tracks leads and customers. Quoting and proposal tools generate offers. A PV design module handles system layout, and calculation modules cover ROI, battery, and heat pump scenarios.
Where OpusFlow goes beyond design tools is operations. It includes project management, team planning, purchasing, stock control, and invoicing. Digital forms, a ticket system, and a customer portal keep clients and field crews connected. Workflow automations reduce manual handoffs between sales and installation. An AI assistant, OpusAI, supports day-to-day tasks.
OpusFlow serves small-to-mid installers across the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Spain, and the UK, with the interface available in 5 languages. The company also invests in customer education: a comparison hub with 30+ versus pages, a blog, case studies, webinars, and whitepapers.
The trade-off is scope. An ERP carries more setup, more cost, and more features than a team that only needs design and proposals will ever use. Its PV design module is competent, but design is 1 module among many rather than the product’s core focus.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | SurgePV | OpusFlow |
|---|---|---|
| 3D rooftop modeling | ✓ | Limited |
| Automated module layout | ✓ | ✓ |
| String sizing & BOM | ✓ | Limited |
| Physics-based shading analysis | ✓ | Limited |
| Energy yield simulation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Financial modeling (payback, IRR, NPV) | ✓ | Limited |
| Branded PDF proposals | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI design & copy assistant | ✓ (Clara AI) | ✓ (OpusAI) |
| CRM | — | ✓ |
| Project management & planning | — | ✓ |
| Stock control & purchasing | — | ✓ |
| Invoicing | — | ✓ |
| Customer portal | — | ✓ |
| Multi-language interface | — | ✓ (5 languages) |
5 Key Differences
1. Specialist design depth vs ERP breadth
SurgePV puts its entire product effort into design, simulation, and proposals. The 3D modeling, string sizing, and shading engine exist to make the technical sale accurate and fast. OpusFlow spreads its effort across CRM, projects, stock, purchasing, and invoicing — design is 1 module in a larger system. If your bottleneck is producing accurate, bankable designs quickly, a specialist tool goes deeper. If your bottleneck is coordinating the whole business, breadth wins.
2. Shading and simulation accuracy
SurgePV’s shadow analysis runs physics-based irradiance calculations on a cloud-rendered 3D model with real obstructions. OpusFlow offers PV design and calculation modules, including battery and heat pump ROI, but detailed obstruction-level shading is not its focus. For sites with trees, chimneys, or complex roof geometry, the difference shows up directly in the production estimate — and in whether the promised yield survives the first utility bill.
3. Business operations coverage
This is OpusFlow’s clear win. Project management, crew planning, purchasing, stock control, invoicing, digital forms, tickets, and a customer portal are all built in. SurgePV includes none of these — it assumes you already have, or will separately choose, tools to run operations. Teams that want 1 login for everything the business does will find SurgePV’s scope too narrow, and that is an honest limitation.
4. Pricing transparency and total cost
SurgePV publishes per-user pricing and offers a free trial, so you can calculate your cost before talking to anyone. OpusFlow uses quote-based pricing, which is typical for ERPs because the cost depends on the modules and users you need. For a 3-person sales team that only needs design and proposals, SurgePV avoids paying for ERP modules that sit unused. For a 15-person company replacing 4 separate tools, OpusFlow’s bundled cost can be the better deal.
5. Geographic and language focus
OpusFlow is built for European installers, with the interface in English, Dutch, French, German, and Spanish, and workflows tuned to those markets. SurgePV is cloud-only and market-agnostic, used by teams globally. If your crews and back office work in Dutch or German, OpusFlow’s native multi-language support is a real operational advantage. If you sell across regions or outside Europe, SurgePV’s global orientation fits better.
Pricing Comparison
Pricing below is as of July 2026. Confirm current rates with each vendor before deciding.
| SurgePV | OpusFlow | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Transparent per-user | Quote-based |
| Free trial | ✓ | Demo on request |
| What you pay for | Design, simulation, financials, proposals | ERP modules: CRM, quoting, PM, stock, invoicing |
| Entry cost | Lower for design-only needs | Higher, reflecting ERP scope |
| Full details | See SurgePV pricing | Contact OpusFlow sales |
Real-cost analysis: consider a 5-person installer evaluating both. With SurgePV, the team pays for design and proposal seats, then keeps its existing CRM and invoicing tools — or adds affordable ones. With OpusFlow, the same team pays more per month but may retire 3 or 4 other subscriptions. The honest math depends on your stack: if you already pay for a CRM you like, SurgePV adds less overlap. If you are stitching together spreadsheets and disconnected tools, OpusFlow’s bundle consolidates real costs, not just logins.
Tip: price the whole stack, not the sticker
Add up every tool each option replaces — CRM, project management, invoicing, design, and proposal software. The cheaper subscription is not always the cheaper stack.
Who Should Choose SurgePV
Choose SurgePV if design quality and proposal speed are your bottleneck. It fits installers and EPCs who already have a CRM they like and want a specialist tool for the technical sale: 3D modeling, accurate shading analysis, bankable financial simulation, and polished proposals from 1 workspace. It also suits teams that value transparent pricing, a free trial, and zero desktop installs. If you sell outside Europe or across multiple regions, SurgePV’s global, cloud-only model avoids the European-market focus of ERP vendors. See how it stacks up against other design-first tools in our Aurora Solar vs SurgePV and OpenSolar vs SurgePV comparisons.
Who Should Choose OpusFlow
Choose OpusFlow if you want to run the entire installation business in 1 platform. It fits small-to-mid European installers — particularly in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Spain, and the UK — who need CRM, quoting, project management, planning, purchasing, stock control, and invoicing together. Multi-language support in 5 languages matters for mixed-language crews and back offices. Its customer portal, forms, and ticketing help professionalize client communication, and its workflow automations suit companies scaling past spreadsheets. Accept that its PV design module is competent rather than best-in-class, and that ERP pricing and setup come with the territory.
Verdict
These tools overlap less than the “vs” framing suggests. SurgePV is the better choice when the problem is design and proposal performance: faster 3D modeling, more accurate shading analysis, integrated financial simulation, and proposals that close. OpusFlow is the better choice when the problem is business coordination: a European installer that wants CRM, projects, stock, and invoicing unified, with design included as a capable module.
The specific buyer better served by OpusFlow: a 10-to-50-person installation company in the Netherlands, Germany, or Belgium that is currently running sales in 1 tool, planning in spreadsheets, and invoicing in another — and wants 1 system, in its team’s own language. That buyer should choose OpusFlow.
Everyone else — teams whose competitive edge is the quality and speed of the design and proposal itself — should start with SurgePV.
Try SurgePV on a real project
The fastest way to compare is to model an actual site. Book a demo and we will build one of your projects live, or start a free trial from the pricing page.
FAQ
Is SurgePV better than OpusFlow?
SurgePV is better for installers who want dedicated, high-accuracy solar design and proposal tools without the complexity of a full ERP. OpusFlow is better for installers who want 1 platform for CRM, quoting, project management, stock, and invoicing.
What is the main difference between SurgePV and OpusFlow?
SurgePV focuses on solar design, shading analysis, and proposal generation. OpusFlow is an ERP that bundles CRM, quoting, project management, purchasing, stock, invoicing, and forms. SurgePV is a specialist; OpusFlow is a generalist.
Which is cheaper, SurgePV or OpusFlow?
SurgePV offers transparent per-user pricing with a free trial. OpusFlow pricing is quote-based and typically starts higher because it includes ERP modules. For teams that only need design and proposals, SurgePV avoids paying for unused ERP features.
Does OpusFlow have better project management than SurgePV?
Yes. OpusFlow includes project management, planning, purchasing, stock control, and invoicing. SurgePV does not include these; it focuses on design, financial modeling, and proposals.
Can SurgePV replace OpusFlow?
SurgePV can replace OpusFlow’s design and quoting functions but not its CRM, project management, stock, or invoicing. If you need ERP features, you would keep them in a separate tool or choose OpusFlow.
