OpenSolar does what Aurora does — auto 3D design, shade, proposals with e-signature and integrated finance, hardware BOM, CRM, permitting, open API — and charges installers nothing for it. For a small or newly-launched solar company that alone can decide the evaluation. The obvious question is how a free platform is funded; the vendor links a 'Why Free?' explainer but doesn't state the mechanism on its main pages, so buyers should ask before committing their pipeline to it.
TradeAtlas Editorial (AI draft) · Reviewed 2026-07-29
About
OpenSolar was founded in 2017 by Adam Pryor and Andrew Birch on the bet that design software shouldn't be the thing standing between an installer and a sale — so it is free for solar professionals, end to end. That covers Auto Design and mounting design, single line diagrams, shade analysis, the Sales Machine proposal with e-signature and integrated finance, a hardware Shop with bill of materials and trade pricing, on-demand permitting, a built-in project management CRM with roles and permissions, and an open API. The vendor reports 28,000+ active solar professionals across 185+ countries. The site links a "Why Free?" explainer but does not state the revenue mechanism on the pages checked, so this record does not assert one.
Use Cases
- Auto-designing a residential PV system and mounting layout
- Producing a proposal with integrated finance and e-signature
- Ordering hardware against the design's bill of materials
- Running the project pipeline in the built-in CRM
Pricing
Free end-to-end design, sales and project management for solar professionals.
Hardware ordering with bill of materials and trade/bulk pricing.
Open API into CRM, accounting, ops and incentive tools.
Capability Matrix
| Feature | Status | Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Solar Design | Yes | Advanced |
| 3D Modeling | Yes | Advanced |
| AI Features | Yes | Standard |
| Proposals & Quotes | Yes | Advanced |
| Digital Proposals | Yes | Advanced |
| E-Signature | Yes | Standard |
| CRM / Customer Management | Yes | Standard |
| Financing Options | Yes | Standard |
| Customer Financing | Yes | Standard |
| Material Ordering | Yes | Advanced |
| Project Management | Yes | Standard |
| Permit Tracking | Yes | Standard |
| API Access | Yes | Standard |
| Estimating | Yes | Standard |
| Mobile App | Partial | Standard |
| Invoicing | — | — |
| Job Costing | — | — |
Strengths
- Free end-to-end, not a limited tier
- Design through hardware ordering in one system
- Open API
- Works in 185+ countries
Limitations
- The revenue model isn't disclosed on the product pages — worth asking about directly
- Shade and design accuracy are not independently benchmarked against Aurora's LIDAR workflow
- Support expectations differ from a paid product
- Headquarters and ownership aren't published
Best Fit
Solar installers who want full design-to-proposal capability without a per-seat bill
Sized and priced for small operations — large shops may outgrow it.
Alternatives to Consider
Aurora Solar
Solar design and sales platform — remote 3D roof modeling with LIDAR shade analysis, NEC-validated layouts, permit-ready plan sets and customer proposals, all without a site visit.
Solargraf
Solar design, proposal and permitting platform from Enphase — LIDAR 3D modeling, NREL/NYSERDA/CEC-verified shade analysis, and automated permit packages.