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best opensolar alternative

Pylon Observer vs OpenSolar

OpenSolar is known as the “free” option for solar design, but many solar professionals say Pylon is more user-friendly and cost-effective. With $0 Monthly Fees and a more robust feature-set, Pylon is the best OpenSolar alternative.

One of the main drawbacks of using OpenSolar is the way imagery options are set up. OpenSolar includes imagery from a range of providers, but to get super high-resolution imagery like what's available in Pylon, you have to integrate with Nearmap which charges a monthly fee and locks you into a contract. Pylon includes super high-resolution aerial imagery in the app with 5-15cm per pixel resolution for $0 Monthly Fees.

OpenSolar has a comprehensive self-serve help centre with articles (as does Pylon), and their team tells us they have recently started offering support globally through tickets. However, if you require premium support, OpenSolar partners with a third-party called Sunwiz who charge $280 per month for 8 support tickets and $35 for each additional support ticket thereafter. To get set up on OpenSolar using Sunwiz, you’ll be paying up to $2,500.

With Pylon, you get world-class support for free, no set-up fees, and only pay a low $4 per-project fee.

Perhaps more importantly, Pylon is far easier to use than OpenSolar. The app is well-designed and intuitive which is important when your team needs to deliver compelling proposals quickly, and with a high level of accuracy. Try it for yourself in seconds.

Start Free Trial No contract - no credit card required

Detailed features:

See how we compare:

opensolar alternative

Cost

Charges
Pylon
OpenSolar FREE**
Billed per
Pylonper project
OpenSolar -
Trial
Pylon
OpenSolar
-

Feature

Pylon
OpenSolar
Pylon
OpenSolar
Pylon
OpenSolar
Pylon
OpenSolar
Pylon
OpenSolar
Pylon
OpenSolar
Pylon
OpenSolar

Support

Support
Pylon Email/Live-chat support
OpenSolar Email/Live-chat support
Training
Pylon
OpenSolar
Integration support
Pylon
OpenSolar

Feature comparisons are accurate at time of publishing, using publicly available information.

*High resolution imagery availability varies with region

**OpenSolar does not charge for its service, but to get super high-resolution imagery, you will need to integrate with and pay a 3rd party provider.

Switching from OpenSolar to Pylon is quick and easy

Let our friendly support team do the heavy lifting for you

Get high-resolution aerial imagery

Pylon Solar Design Software includes high-resolution aerial imagery for photorealistic proposals. Pay $0 Monthly Fees for 5cm per pixel resolution.

Design better solar systems

Pylon Observer is designed to let you design an accurate solar quote in under 2 minutes.

Convert more solar quotes

Pylon includes a CRM with eSignatures and a payment gateway to boost your proposal conversion rates.

“Pylon saves us up to 50% of our design time.”
— CEO OF TOP 10 KIWI SOLAR COMPANY
Paul Thistelton

Grow your solar business with $0 Monthly Fees

Design in 2 minutes

A smart studio with all the tools you need to design better solar proposals in under 2 minutes.

High-res imagery

Unbelievable imagery coverage with 5cm per pixel resolution, included in Pylon.

3D solar shading

Accurately model solar shading for your install site in seconds using Pylon's 3D Shading engine.

Interval data analysis

Import NEM12 grid data to produce seasonal, monthly, weekly and daily interval data analysis.

Load profiles

Model load profiles for your solar system to determine grid reliance and storage needs.

Financial projections

Analyse energy bills, interval data, and load profiles to demonstrate ROI for your customers.

Installer job sheets

One-click installer job sheets keep everyone on the same page, with a QR code for easy sharing.

Web & PDF proposals

Win more business with beautiful animated proposals, esignatures & payment processing.

Try Pylon Solar Design Software today

No monthly fees - no credit card required