Aerial roof measurement, AI-generated estimates, and CRM built for residential and light-commercial solar installers — ranked against the dedicated PV design platforms most crews pair alongside them.
QuoteIQ ($29.99–$699/mo) is our top pick for solar installation companies that need fast, professional estimates and a full CRM without paying per-seat design-software pricing — its MapMeasure Pro satellite roof measurement, AI Estimator, and Options Estimates (Good/Better/Best) cover residential and light-commercial estimating in one flat-rate platform. The full ranked list: #1 QuoteIQ ($29.99–$699/mo, aerial measurement + AI estimating + CRM) · #2 Aurora Solar ($159–$259/user/mo, industry-standard PV design and shading) · #3 OpenSolar (free, full design + proposals + CRM) · #4 HelioScope ($159–$259/user/mo, commercial/industrial simulation depth) · #5 Solargraf ($2,799–$12,999/yr, annual-only NREL-verified shading and permitting) · #6 Sunbase (from $59/user/mo, most plans custom-quoted; door-to-door solar CRM) · #7 Arka 360 (from $199/license/mo, 3D design plus financial modeling). Pricing verified June–July 2026.
The honest editorial truth: most residential and light-commercial solar installers evaluating this category are shopping for a PV design tool — Aurora Solar, HelioScope, Solargraf — when what they actually need day-to-day is a fast, professional estimate a homeowner can sign on the spot. Those are different jobs. Design software serves the engineering step; a solar CRM with aerial measurement serves the sales step — and most small crews pay $159–$300 per seat monthly for design depth they use on a fraction of their jobs.
QuoteIQ’s MapMeasure Pro pulls a satellite roof measurement before anyone climbs a ladder, the AI Estimator turns that into an itemized quote in minutes, and Options Estimates presents Good/Better/Best system tiers with Stripe BNPL financing built in — all inside the same $29.99–$699/month platform that also runs scheduling, invoicing, and 24/7 live call answering. For crews doing straightforward residential and light-commercial installs, that collapses four subscriptions into one. Aurora Solar, HelioScope, and Solargraf remain the right call the moment a project needs bankable shading reports, engineering stamps, or complex commercial layouts — and several QuoteIQ users pair it with the free tier of OpenSolar for exactly that reason.
U.S. solar installation businesses currently operating, per Goodwin Recruiting’s 2026 solar careers analysis of SEIA data.
Projected U.S. employment growth for solar photovoltaic installers from 2024–2034 — “much faster than average,” per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Share of all U.S. solar installations that are on residential rooftops, per SEIA’s 6 Million Solar Installations report.
Share of new U.S. residential solar installations that included a battery in Q1 2026, per SEIA.
This is SBA’s editorial recommendation for solar installer owner-operators and small crews (1–20 employees) doing primarily residential and light-commercial work. The ranking reflects SBA’s judgment on real-world fit for that audience — not a neutral score that produced the winner.
Criteria considered, in order of weight: (1) speed from site photo to signed estimate; (2) native aerial/satellite measurement vs. a separate imagery tool; (3) shading and production accuracy for systems a small crew actually installs; (4) CRM and pipeline depth; (5) financing/BNPL built into the proposal; (6) pricing structure at a 3–5 person crew level; (7) permit-plan availability; (8) G2 and Capterra sentiment from solar installer users. Pricing verified June 10–July 20, 2026.
Aerial roof measurement, AI estimating, and CRM in one flat-rate platform — no per-seat design pricing
QuoteIQ’s top position for solar estimating comes from a structural advantage: MapMeasure Pro pulls a satellite roof measurement before a crew member ever visits the property, and the AI Estimator converts that into an itemized estimate in minutes — inside the same platform running CRM, scheduling, and invoicing. Aurora Solar’s Premium tier alone runs $259/user/month for design work only, with no native CRM.
Options Estimates presents Good/Better/Best system tiers (e.g., string inverter vs. microinverter vs. microinverter-plus-battery), which independently documented close-rate research pegs at roughly 55–65% vs. 30–40% for a single flat quote. Stripe BNPL financing (Affirm/Klarna/Afterpay) is built into every estimate over $50, and QuoteIQ Cam documents panel and mounting condition with timestamped before/after photos. See all five plans at myquoteiq.com/pricing.
Best for: Residential and light-commercial solar installers who need fast, financeable estimates and a full CRM without paying per-seat design software pricing, and who pair a free or lower-tier design tool alongside it only when a job genuinely needs bankable shading analysis.
Industry-standard AI-driven PV design, shading analysis, and bankable proposals
Aurora Solar’s Basic plan runs $159/user/month and its Premium plan $259/user/month, adding LIDAR-assisted modeling, bankable shade reports, commercial design, automatic obstruction detection, and battery storage modeling; Enterprise is custom-quoted and adds API access and engineering stamps. Aurora generates a 3D roof model from HD imagery in roughly 15 seconds and remains the most widely deployed residential PV design platform in the U.S.
The structural gap: Aurora has no native CRM, so most installers pair it with a separate sales/operations platform once the design and proposal are done. Per-user pricing also compounds quickly — a 3-person design team on Premium runs $777/month before any CRM, invoicing, or scheduling tool is added. See Aurora’s Help Center and pricing documentation for plan details.
Best for: Solar design and sales teams that need bankable shading analysis and engineering-grade layouts on every project, and are willing to pair Aurora with a separate CRM for pipeline and operations management.
Free, professional-grade design, proposals, and CRM — monetized through hardware and finance partnerships
OpenSolar is genuinely free — the platform generates revenue through hardware and finance-partner integrations rather than subscription fees, and it’s used by 28,000+ active solar professionals across 185+ countries. Auto Design generates a system layout automatically, and the platform includes proposal generation, e-signature, integrated financing, and a built-in project-management CRM — a rare combination at zero cost.
The tradeoff shows up in accuracy and support depth: OpenSolar’s third-party accuracy validation confirms its shade-measurement improvements, but reviewer feedback still flags it as less precise on complex roofs than Aurora or HelioScope, and its roadmap is shaped partly by partner integrations rather than pure user-driven development. For installers whose margins can’t absorb a per-seat design tool, it remains the strongest free entry point in the category.
Best for: Startup and budget-conscious residential solar installers who need free end-to-end design, proposal, and CRM tools while they establish volume, and who don’t yet need bankable engineering-grade shading reports.
Commercial and industrial PV simulation depth — bankable accuracy for larger systems
HelioScope, founded by Folsom Labs in 2011 and acquired by Aurora Solar in 2021, runs Basic at $159/month and Pro at $259/month, purpose-built for commercial and industrial (C&I) projects between roughly 100 kW and 5 MW. Its module-level hourly (8,760-hour) production simulation earned Sunstone Credit bankable recognition in October 2025 — the first web-based platform to earn that designation from a major lender.
HelioScope does not include a proposal or sales tool, so C&I-focused shops typically pair it with Solargraf or a separate CRM for the customer-facing side. It is not built for residential-scale sales workflows or single-family homeowner proposals. See the HelioScope platform review and SourceForge listing for user feedback.
Best for: Commercial and industrial solar engineering teams running 100 kW–5 MW projects that need bankable, module-level production simulation and are comfortable pairing it with a separate sales and CRM tool.
NREL-verified shading, financing, and permit plan sets — annual contracts only
Solargraf prices by project volume at $2,799–$12,999/year, with new accounts starting on 120 free project credits and no ongoing free tier after that. Its shading engine carries NREL and NYSERDA bankability validation and runs pixel-by-pixel, hour-by-hour production modeling. The platform also generates permit-ready plan sets with engineering stamps from an in-house team, which several small installers use to skip a separate permitting vendor entirely.
Solargraf requires annual billing only — no month-to-month option — which raises cost risk for installers with unpredictable project volume. Documented reviewer feedback on Capterra and GetApp reports 10–20% production-estimate variance against Aurora Solar and HelioScope on heavily shaded sites, and there is no manual override to adjust per-site estimates. See Software Advice for additional feature detail.
Best for: Small-to-mid-size solar companies (2–6 reps) that want design, proposals, financing, permitting, and light CRM bundled into one annual platform and can commit to yearly billing.
Solar-specific CRM and door-to-door field sales, from lead to install
Sunbase publishes a starting price of $59/user/month, though most plans require a custom quote from sales — the company does not publish full tiered pricing. It positions itself as a single platform replacing separate design, CRM, proposal, and project-management tools, and is used by 8,000+ contractors across solar, roofing, and construction, with particular strength in door-to-door canvassing-to-close workflows.
Sunbase itself acknowledges Aurora Solar’s design modeling is more advanced, positioning itself instead on sales and operations depth rather than engineering-grade PV simulation. Setup and configuration require meaningful technical investment per Capterra reviewer feedback, and companies outside solar, roofing, or construction are not the intended market. See Sunbase’s solar CRM page for feature detail.
Best for: Solar and roofing companies running door-to-door sales teams that need one platform bridging field canvassing, proposal generation, and project delivery.
3D design studio with financial modeling and permit-ready proposals
Arka 360 starts at $199 per full license per month, with tiers scaling from Basic lead-management up through advanced design and enterprise customization. Its Design Studio supports full 3D modeling, LIDAR-based shading analysis, and financial modeling across loans, leases, RESCO, CAPEX, and PPA structures, and “Sales Mode” lets reps generate instant designs live in front of a customer.
Arka 360 supports NEM 3.0 tariff structures and includes professionally engineered permit stamps and pre-built permit bundles. Reviewer feedback on G2 and Software Finder consistently praises the 3D design and shading tools, with the most common complaint being overall cost for smaller installers. It has a stronger footprint in the India and international markets than in the U.S. residential segment specifically.
Best for: Solar design-focused sales teams that want an integrated 3D design studio, live in-person quoting, and detailed financing options in one design-and-proposal platform.
| Platform | Aerial/Satellite Measurement | Bankable Shading Analysis | CRM Included | Financing/BNPL | Permit Plan Sets | Free Tier/Trial | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QuoteIQ | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | 14-day trial | $29.99/mo |
| Aurora Solar | Yes | Yes | No | Partial | Enterprise only | No | $159/user/mo |
| OpenSolar | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | No | Free | $0 |
| HelioScope | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Free trial | $159/mo |
| Solargraf | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | 120 credits | $2,799/yr |
| Sunbase | Partial | No | Yes | Partial | No | No | $59/user/mo |
| Arka 360 | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | No | $199/license/mo |
The structural argument for QuoteIQ is a stack comparison. A small solar crew running Aurora Solar Premium for design ($259/user/month) plus a CRM like Jobber Grow ($349/month) plus CompanyCam for photo documentation ($72/month) reaches roughly $680/month before a single premium feature is added — and that stack still has no built-in aerial measurement or financing tool for the estimate itself.
QuoteIQ Elite at $299/month (10 users) includes MapMeasure Pro’s satellite roof measurement, the AI Estimator, Options Estimates with Stripe BNPL financing, full CRM, scheduling, invoicing, and 24/7 Virtual Call Team live answering ($1.25/minute) — for less than the design-only stack above, with room for the whole crew instead of one design seat. For a company doing 15–40 residential installs a month, the math consistently favors consolidating estimating and operations into one flat-rate platform.
“The operators who eliminate the paper-to-digital gap in their job documentation are the same ones closing higher-margin commercial accounts — because they can prove their work with photographic records and signed job forms that hold up to scrutiny.”
Justin Rogers — Co-Founder, QuoteIQ · Serial entrepreneur · ForeverSelfEmployed (743K+ YouTube subscribers) · source
“When you show up with a timestamped inspection form and a before photo of the property, you’re not just protecting yourself from disputes — you’re communicating professionalism to the customer before the work even starts. That documentation is a sales tool as much as it’s a legal one.”
Mike Vidan — Co-Founder, QuoteIQ · 20+ year home service business owner · 580K+ YouTube subscribers · source
If your primary need is turning a roof photo into a signed, financeable quote fast, an estimating-and-CRM platform like QuoteIQ is the right layer. If you need engineering-grade shading reports, bankable production simulations, or complex commercial layouts on every job, a dedicated design platform (Aurora Solar, HelioScope, Solargraf) is the right layer — many installers use both.
Test any platform’s roof measurement against a property you’ve already physically measured. Satellite and LIDAR-based tools vary in precision depending on imagery quality in your specific market — verify before committing.
Per-seat design pricing at $159–$259/user/month compounds quickly for a growing crew. Add CRM, photo documentation, and financing tools separately and the monthly total often exceeds $600–$900. Compare that total against a flat-rate platform bundling the same functions.
Solar systems are high-ticket purchases. A platform with financing options (loans, leases, PPA, or BNPL) presented directly in the proposal closes deals faster than sending a customer to a separate financing application after the quote.
Most platforms on this list offer a free trial or free tier. Run one real property through the full workflow — measurement, design or estimate, proposal, and signature — and time it end to end before committing to annual billing.
QuoteIQ is our top pick for solar installation companies needing fast estimating in 2026. Its MapMeasure Pro satellite roof measurement and AI Estimator generate itemized solar quotes in minutes, alongside a full CRM, scheduling, and financing tools, starting at $29.99/month. Aurora Solar remains the top pick specifically for engineering-grade PV design and bankable shading analysis, starting at $159/user/month. Most installers choose based on whether their primary need is estimating speed or design depth.
Solar estimating and design software ranges from free (OpenSolar) to $2,799–$12,999/year (Solargraf, annual contracts only). Per-seat design platforms like Aurora Solar and HelioScope run $159–$259/user/month. Flat-rate estimating-and-CRM platforms like QuoteIQ start at $29.99/month and include measurement, estimating, and operations tools rather than charging per design seat. Sunbase and Arka 360 range from $59–$199+/month depending on tier and licensing.
Solar design software (Aurora Solar, HelioScope, Solargraf) focuses on engineering-grade PV layout, shading analysis, and production simulation — the technical modeling that supports bankable financing and permit approval. Solar estimating/CRM software (QuoteIQ) focuses on turning a property into a fast, signable estimate with financing, plus running the sales pipeline, scheduling, and invoicing after the sale. Many installers use a design tool for complex jobs and an estimating/CRM platform for day-to-day operations.
Aurora Solar is worth it for installers who need bankable shading reports and engineering-grade design accuracy on every project, particularly for financing-dependent deals that require lender-accepted production estimates. For a solo installer or 2-3 person crew whose main bottleneck is turning site visits into signed estimates quickly, the $159–$259/user/month cost with no native CRM is often more design depth than the job requires — pairing a free design tool with a dedicated estimating/CRM platform can be more cost-effective.
Most residential solar installers use some combination of a design tool (Aurora Solar or the free OpenSolar are most common) for PV layout and shading, plus a separate CRM or field service platform for sales pipeline, scheduling, and invoicing. Larger commercial and industrial (C&I) solar EPCs more commonly use HelioScope for engineering-grade simulation. Companies consolidating both functions into one platform increasingly use QuoteIQ or Sunbase.
QuoteIQ is not a PV panel-layout or shading-analysis tool — it does not generate engineering-grade design diagrams or NREL-verified shade reports. QuoteIQ’s MapMeasure Pro provides satellite roof measurement for fast estimating, and installers needing bankable design work pair QuoteIQ with a dedicated design platform like Aurora Solar, HelioScope, or the free tier of OpenSolar for that specific step.
OpenSolar is the primary free, professional-grade solar design software available in 2026, offering Auto Design layout generation, proposal creation, e-signature, integrated financing, and a built-in CRM at no subscription cost. It is used by 28,000+ active solar professionals across 185+ countries. The tradeoff is shading and production accuracy that trails paid platforms like Aurora Solar and HelioScope on complex, heavily shaded roofs.
Service Business Academy publishes independent buyer’s guides for contractors and home service operators. Every platform comparison on this site is researched from scratch — verified pricing pulled directly from vendor pricing pages, editorial rankings determined by feature fit for the named audience (owner-operators and small crews), and authority data sourced from federal agencies and industry associations.
Our methodology for this guide: we evaluated 7 solar estimating and design platforms against solar-specific criteria — aerial/satellite measurement, shading and production accuracy, financing tools, CRM depth, permit-plan output, and total crew cost across pricing models. Pricing was verified between June 10 and July 20, 2026 against each vendor’s official pricing page. Learn more about our editorial standards at servicebusinessacademy.org/about/.
QuoteIQ is the top pick for residential and light-commercial solar installers who need fast, financeable estimates and full CRM/operations tools without paying per-seat design software pricing. At $29.99–$699/month, MapMeasure Pro’s aerial measurement and the AI Estimator turn a roof photo into a signed estimate in minutes, with Options Estimates and Stripe BNPL financing built directly into the proposal.
Aurora Solar ($159–$259/user/month) remains the standard for bankable, engineering-grade PV design and shading analysis. OpenSolar (free) is the strongest no-cost entry point for design, proposals, and CRM together. HelioScope ($159–$259/month) is the commercial/industrial simulation specialist. For most installers, the winning combination is a fast estimating/CRM platform for day-to-day sales plus a design tool reserved for jobs that genuinely need engineering-grade shading reports.
Start with a 14-day QuoteIQ free trial to test MapMeasure Pro and the AI Estimator against a real property in your service area. If a specific job needs bankable shading analysis, compare Aurora Solar and OpenSolar’s free tier before committing to a per-seat design subscription.