Category
Design & simulation software covers the 25 products in this dataset whose primary job is design & simulation. Of those, 10 publish a price and 12 disclose nothing. 5are free to use. Pricing spans 4 different models, so per-product figures are not directly comparable.
Verified against the vendor’s own pages.
Sorted alphabetically — not ranked
| Product | Price | Model | Free tier | Integrations | Verified data points | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archelios Pro | Not publicly disclosed | Quote only | No | 2 | 10 | 28 September |
| Arka 360 | USD 159 | Per seat | No | 2 | 11 | 28 September |
| Aurora Solar | USD 159 | Per seat | No | 7 | 9 | 28 September |
| DNV SolarFarmer | Not publicly disclosed | Quote only | free trial | 3 | 8 | 28 September |
| Easy PV | GBP 0 | Per seat | Free | 3 | 10 | 28 September |
| Enact | USD 279 | Per seat | No | 1 | 11 | 28 September |
| FIMER PowerPHAST | Not publicly disclosed | — | — | none named | 3 | 28 September |
| HELIOS 3D | Not publicly disclosed | Quote only | No | 1 | 9 | 28 September |
| HelioScope | USD 159 | Capacity tiered | free trial | 1 | 12 | 28 September |
| Huawei SmartDesign 2.0 | Not publicly disclosed | Quote only | — | none named | 3 | 28 September |
| KACO blueplanet PV-designer | Free | Free | Free | 16 | 3 | 28 September |
| PlantPredict | Could not verify | — | — | none named | 12 | 25 September |
| PV*SOL premium | EUR 845 | Per seat | free trial | 20 | 11 | 28 September |
| PVcase Ground Mount | Not publicly disclosed | Quote only | No | none named | 7 | 28 September |
| PVComplete / PVCAD | Could not verify | — | — | none named | 12 | Could not read |
| PVGIS | Could not verify | Free | Free | none named | 9 | Could not read |
| PVsyst | CHF 700 | Per seat | free trial | 15 | 11 | 28 September |
| RatedPower (pvDesign) | Not publicly disclosed | Quote only | demo only | 4 | 9 | 28 September |
| Reslink Energy | USD 2000 | Capacity tiered | demo only | none named | 9 | 28 September |
| SAM (System Advisor Model) | Free | Free | Free | none named | 6 | 28 September |
| Scanifly | Not publicly disclosed | Quote only | No | 2 | 7 | 28 September |
| SMA Sunny Design | Could not verify | — | — | 2 | 11 | Could not read |
| SolarEdge Designer | Free | Free | Free | 2 | 9 | 28 September |
| Solargis Evaluate | EUR 12000 | Per seat | No | none named | 7 | 28 September |
| SurgePV ◆ | USD 1899 | Per seat | demo only | none named | 11 | 28 September |
Scroll the table sideways. The product column stays in place.
Trace Software International
A French PV design and simulation suite sold in four capacity-banded tiers — free up to 9 kWp, then €990 / €1,490 / €1,990 per year excluding tax — with Meteonorm weather data, 3D modelling, SketchUp and Revit plugins, DXF/KML/GeoJSON export and a direct handoff into the vendor's electrical-calculation products.
Arka360
Design & simulation · Web
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.
Aurora Solar Inc.
Design & simulation · Web
Cloud residential solar design-and-sales platform that turns satellite/LIDAR imagery into a 3D roof model, a shaded production estimate and a signable proposal in one session.
DNV
Design & simulation · Desktop
DNV's Windows desktop yield-assessment tool for utility-scale PV — irregular terrain, 3D shade, sub-module electrical mismatch, sub-hourly and multi-year simulation, in-app scripting, and cloud-burst calculation — built on DNV's own continual-validation methodology.
Midsummer
Design & simulation · Web
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.
Enact Systems Inc.
Design & simulation · Web
A design-through-monitoring solar platform that, since acquiring PVComplete in January 2026, sells its own web design and proposal tool alongside PVComplete's AutoCAD-based engineering product and an asset-management/fleet-monitoring layer.
FIMER
An inverter-manufacturer sizing and simulation tool — PHotovoltaic Array Sizing Tool — launched in 2026 and delivered inside FIMER's existing Aurora Vision® account, covering PV array configuration, storage sizing and a downloadable technical report.
Helios 3D (a product of STÖHR+SAUER CAD- und Computersystem GmbH)
German engineering software for utility-scale ground-mount PV that runs inside Autodesk Civil 3D — TIN-terrain-accurate rack and tracker placement, per-rack local grading, full electrical layout with cable and voltage-drop calculation, single-line diagrams, a yield estimate on Meteotest data, and a VR viewer — sold by quote only, with no price published in either English or German.
Aurora Solar Inc. (acquired Folsom Labs, 2019)
Design & simulation · Web
Cloud commercial-and-industrial PV design and simulation tool — rooftop, carport, ground mount and storage in one project — sold per seat, with a stated accuracy target relative to PVsyst and a PVsyst export on the top tier.
Huawei FusionSolar (Huawei Digital Power)
Design & simulation · Web
An inverter manufacturer's free-to-partners web design tool: pick a site from satellite view, let it auto-arrange modules and auto-generate the electrical design, compare storage options, and export a 3D report — all inside the Huawei FusionSolar ecosystem.
KACO new energy GmbH
Design & simulation · Web
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.
Terabase Energy
Cloud, physics-based energy-yield modelling for utility-scale PV — sub-hourly resolution, full 3D ray-traced shade on cloud GPUs, an open REST API and Python SDK, with a published per-user price and an unusually detailed public record of independent engineering reviews.
Valentin Software GmbH
Design & simulation · Desktop
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.
PVcase
AutoCAD-based design software for utility-scale ground-mount solar — terrain-adapted automated layouts, slope and grading analysis, 3D cabling and stringing, BOM and construction-ready CAD deliverables, sold by quote only.
PVComplete
A four-product solar engineering suite — PVSketch and PVCAD for rooftop/C&I, PVSketch MEGA and PVCAD MEGA for ground mount — whose distinguishing feature is that PVCAD runs *inside* AutoCAD, so the permit drawing and the PV model are the same file.
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC)
Design & simulation · Web
The European Commission's free web tool and API for solar radiation and PV performance anywhere on Earth — grid-connected, tracking and off-grid performance, monthly, daily and hourly radiation, and a downloadable TMY — with no account, no key and no usage restriction.
PVsyst SA
Design & simulation · Desktop
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.
RatedPower (part of Enverus)
Design & simulation · Web
Cloud platform for utility-scale PV, storage and hybrid plants — automated layout and basic engineering all the way to the grid connection point, with substation design, 3D energy yield, CAD deliverables and a PVsyst export, sold on three quote-only tiers.
Reslink Technologies Private Limited
Design & simulation · Web
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.
National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) — formerly the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Design & simulation · Desktop
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).
Scanifly, Inc.
Design & simulation · Web · iOS · Android
A two-phase solar design platform: a satellite/LiDAR remote design tool for sales, plus drone photogrammetry that rebuilds the roof as a to-scale 3D model so the design that was sold is the design that gets installed.
SMA Solar Technology AG
Design & simulation · Web
A German inverter manufacturer's PV planning tool, free in two tiers and €600/year for a third, covering on-grid and off-grid design, 3D visual roof planning with shading analysis, profitability, and quotation output.
SolarEdge Technologies
Design & simulation · Web
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.
Solargis
Design & simulation · Web
Cloud PV design and energy-yield simulation built directly on Solargis's own bankable solar and meteo dataset — 15-minute time series over 30+ years, a 3D energy system designer, and ray-traced simulation with the Perez all-weather sky model — at a published €12,000 subscription.
SurgePV Technologies Ltd
Publisher’s own product — never ranked
Design & simulation · Web
A browser-based solar design, shading, yield, electrical and proposal platform sold per seat on an annual subscription, aimed at installers and EPCs who want one tool instead of a CAD package plus a simulation engine plus a spreadsheet.
These products hold Design & simulation as a secondary category — their primary job is something else, so they are listed separately rather than mixed in.
Aurora Solar, Inc.
EagleView Technologies
Imagery & remote survey · Web · iOS · Android
Google LLC
UL Solutions
Palmetto Solar, LLC
Financing platforms · Web · iOS · Android
Nearmap Ltd
Imagery & remote survey · Web
OpenSolar Inc.
Proposals & sales · Web
PVcase (incl. acquired Anderson Optimization)
Pylon
Proposals & sales · Web
Scanifly
Enphase Energy (acquired Sofdesk, Jan 2021)
Glytrix
CRM & lead management · Web
Unirac, Inc.
Xendee Corporation
Storage & microgrid · Web
Products in this category with at least three comparable siblings.
Not published — and the gate is stated openly
A “best” page requires five scored products, each carrying eight verified reviews.
Blocking gate on record: G-data (no scored products until reviews land)
When the gate clears, the page will publish with its methodology above the list — and the publisher’s own products will still be excluded from it. How ranking works
We research 25 products whose primary category is Design & simulation, plus 14 more that serve it as a secondary category.
10 of 25 publish a price outright and 3 publish some tiers. The rest are quote-only or do not disclose pricing at all.
Not yet. A ranking requires five scored products, and a score requires eight verified reviews per product. No product is scored today, so this page presents evidence rather than an order.
