Alternatives
8 products in design & simulation, compared on the same verified data. Free and lower-cost options first.
The closest alternatives to HelioScope are Easy PV, SolarEdge Designer, SAM (System Advisor Model). 3 of them cost nothing to use. Easy PV has a permanent free tier. HelioScope itself publishes USD 159.
Verified against the vendor’s own pages.
These are drawn from HelioScope’s own published limits — not invented objections. Where we have no documented reason, we do not manufacture one.
| Product | Price | Model | Free tier | Integrations | Best suited for | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HelioScope (the original) | USD 159 | Capacity tiered | Free trial | 1 | — | — |
| Easy PV | GBP 0 | Per seat | Free | 3 | residential, C&I | vs HelioScope |
| SolarEdge Designer | Free | Free | Free | 2 | residential, C&I | vs HelioScope |
| SAM (System Advisor Model) | Free | Free | Free | none | residential, C&I, utility | vs HelioScope |
| KACO blueplanet PV-designer | Free | Free | Free | 16 | residential, C&I | — |
| Arka 360 | USD 159 | Per seat | No | 2 | residential, C&I | vs HelioScope |
| PV*SOL premium | EUR 845 | Per seat | free trial | 20 | residential, C&I | vs HelioScope |
| PVsyst | CHF 700 | Per seat | free trial | 15 | residential, C&I, utility, off-grid | vs HelioScope |
| Reslink Energy | USD 2000 | Capacity tiered | demo only | none | residential, C&I, ground-mount | vs HelioScope |
Scroll the table sideways. The product column stays in place.
A UK-only, MCS-oriented solar design and sales tool that is free at the base tier and £35/month for Pro, published by a solar wholesaler — so the kit list it produces drops straight into a trade order with live pricing and next-day delivery.
SolarEdge's free browser-based PV design and proposal tool — HD imagery, AI-assisted 3D roof modelling, automatic panel placement, automatic stringing and DC cabling, and a customer proposal with financial analysis — with no licence or subscription fee.
The US national laboratory's free, open-source desktop techno-economic model — PV, CSP, wind, marine, geothermal, biomass, solar water heating and storage, each wired to a full project-finance model (PPA, partnership flip, leaseback, TPO, community solar, merchant plant).
A free, no-login, browser-based PV sizing and yield tool that KACO new energy (a Siemens company) puts its brand on, and that Valentin Software builds and hosts — the same company behind PV*SOL.
A 3D solar design, proposal and lead-management platform, originally Indian and now selling into the US with an attached permit-plan-set and PE-stamp service arm.
Windows desktop PV design and simulation package built around 3D shading — model the buildings, extrude them from a cadastral map, place up to 7,500 mounted modules, and get a yield forecast, a circuit diagram and a customer-facing report, for a published €845/year named-user licence.
The Windows desktop PV simulation package that most lenders treat as the reference yield model — grid-connected, stand-alone and pumping systems, 3D near-shading, hourly and sub-hourly, sold as a named annual licence in Swiss francs.
A mobile-first 3D solar design and proposal platform for Indian EPCs that claims to take a rooftop from satellite imagery to a bill of materials and a signed-ready proposal without a site visit.
An alternatives page that never says this is an advertisement for the alternatives.
SolarEdge Designer, SAM (System Advisor Model), KACO blueplanet PV-designer cost nothing to use. Easy PV offer a permanent free tier alongside paid plans. We do not rank them, because no product is scored until it carries eight verified reviews.
HelioScope publishes USD 159 and caps system size at 1.25 MW DC (Basic) / 5 MW (Pro) / 30 MW (Enterprise). Budget and those limits are the documented reasons a buyer looks elsewhere — we do not speculate beyond what the data shows.
Last verified
Vendors change pricing and features without notice. Check the vendor’s own page before deciding.