If you’re wondering which solar design tool is best suited for your company and projects, you have plenty of options to choose from. While choice is helpful for getting you the best tool for your needs, it also makes the process more complicated than ever.
Two of the top products, Aurora and Solo, have a lot of advantages and disadvantages. And if you’re in the solar business, you’ve heard the debate: Aurora vs. Solo: Which one is better?
Compare the two to see which is the better choice for your project.
Aurora
Aurora offers the most comprehensive and advanced software platform for creating designs and compelling sales proposals. It’s essentially a tool to streamline your solar sales process and one of the most popular options on the market.
Here are the pros:
- LIDAR Mapping and accurate calculations
- Excellent 3D modeling and sun path diagrams
- Bankable shade reports
- Smart roof and autodetection of obstructions and trees
- Export options for AutoCAD and PDF formats
Here are the cons:
- Requires special equipment configuration
- No real-time proposals
- Difficult to learn and use
- No free trial option
- Expensive
Aurora is a good choice for large enterprises looking for accuracy with production and shading reports.
Pricing: $159 billed monthly, $1,620 billed annually for one user
Solo
Solo is another popular option that boasts features like dynamic proposals, integrated doc management, and next-day turnarounds on CAD and engineering. The cloud-based software allows you to access and customize your proposals from anywhere to optimize deal closure and efficiency.
Here are the pros:
- Documentation, live online, and in-person training options
- Integrations with major platforms like DocuSign and Nearmap
- Interactive features
- Full-service design team for a professional proposal template
- 24/7 live support
- Flexible business model
- Easy to use
- Free trial available
Here are the cons:
- No pricing transparency
- Not specific to the solar industry
Pricing: Contact for quote, free trial available
Which Is the Better Choice?
Aurora is a longstanding web-based sales and design tool for solar professionals with numerous capabilities designed for enterprise-level businesses, such as LIDAR Mapping and multiple design formats.
The downside of that is that Aurora requires sophisticated configurations and no quick turnaround for proposals, which could impede the sales process. There’s no free trial, and it’s expensive, so it may be cost-prohibitive for small or medium-sized solar businesses, but is a good option for large commercial solar companies.
Solo is also a capable proposal management tool for the solar and roofing industry. Accuracy, efficiency, and flexibility are the key advantages of the Solo system, as well as its many integrations, but it lacks a lot of the advanced features that Aurora offers.
It also requires you to call for pricing, rather than providing transparent plans. But you can get a free trial version to see if you like the interface and features. There are plenty of training tools as well to help you maximize the use of the software.
The Verdict
Aurora and Solo are comparable tools, but they may be a better fit for different companies. Aurora is the enterprise-level option – with a price to match – and comes with advanced tools and functionalities. Solo is designed for a wider range of businesses and offers diverse features to suit different needs.
Ultimately, choosing between them comes down to your budget and which features benefit you most.