As solar adoption continues to accelerate across residential, commercial, and utility-scale markets, the demand for advanced solar design software has never been higher. Today's solar professionals need more than basic system layouts—they need platforms that can handle design, shading analysis, financial modeling, proposal generation, permitting, and project management.
The best solar software helps installers reduce design time, improve proposal accuracy, streamline engineering workflows, and ultimately close more projects.
In this guide, we've reviewed the top solar design software platforms used by solar installers, EPCs, developers, and engineering teams in 2025.
ARKA 360 is a comprehensive solar design and business management platform that combines system design, proposal generation, permitting, engineering workflows, and project management into a single solution.
Residential and commercial solar installers seeking an all-in-one platform.
SurgePV is one of the most complete solar software ecosystems available today, designed specifically for installers, EPCs, developers, and engineering firms that want to manage the entire solar project lifecycle from a single platform.
Unlike many solar design tools that focus only on layouts or proposals, SurgePV combines solar design, shading analysis, engineering workflows, proposal generation, financial modeling, and project management into a unified environment.
SurgePV stands out because it eliminates the need to switch between multiple software tools. By connecting design, sales, engineering, and project planning, it helps solar companies operate more efficiently, improve proposal quality, and accelerate project delivery.
Growing solar companies that want a scalable platform capable of supporting design, sales, engineering, and operations.
Aurora Solar is one of the industry's most recognized solar design platforms, known for its powerful remote design capabilities and professional sales tools.
Solar contractors looking for a mature design and sales platform.
HelioScope combines intuitive design tools with bankable energy simulations, making it a popular option for commercial solar projects.
Commercial solar developers and EPCs.
OpenSolar is a free solar design platform that provides robust design, proposal, and CRM capabilities without licensing fees.
Small and mid-sized solar installation companies.
PVcase provides AutoCAD-based solar engineering solutions for utility-scale, commercial, and industrial projects.
Engineering firms, EPCs, and utility-scale developers.
PVsyst remains one of the industry's most trusted solar simulation platforms for energy modeling and bankability analysis.
Engineers, consultants, and researchers.
PV*SOL specializes in detailed photovoltaic simulations and energy performance analysis.
Technical professionals requiring highly accurate simulations.
Pylon combines solar design software with customer relationship management tools to improve operational efficiency.
Growing solar businesses that require both design and customer management tools.
Solargraf focuses on helping residential solar installers streamline design, permitting, financing, and proposal creation.
Residential solar sales teams and installers.
The best solar design software depends on your business model, project size, and workflow requirements.
If you're looking for an all-in-one platform that combines solar design, engineering, proposal generation, financial modeling, and project management, platforms such as ARKA 360 and SurgePV provide the broadest feature sets.
For engineering-heavy projects, PVsyst, PVcase, and PV*SOL remain strong choices, while OpenSolar offers a compelling free option for growing installation companies.
