Easy PV
Midsummer
Design & simulation · Web
Pricing GBP 0 Per seat Free tier, no time limit
Sept 2026
Comparison
Archelios Pro vs SAM (System Advisor Model)
24 differences · 11 identical
Archelios ProTrace Software International
- Entry price
- Not publicly disclosed
- Charged
- Quote only
- Free tier or trial
- No free tier or trial
- Named integrations
- 2
- Verified data points
- 10
SAM (System Advisor Model)National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) — formerly the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
- Entry price
- Free
- Charged
- Free
- Free tier or trial
- Free tier, no time limit
- Named integrations
- 0
- Verified data points
- 6
The differences that matter most
- Price published Not published Published
- Pricing model quote-only free
- Free tier Not offered free-forever
Archelios Pro or SAM (System Advisor Model)?
They differ most on price published. Archelios Pro publishes Not publicly disclosed; SAM (System Advisor Model) publishes Free. They use different pricing models, so those figures do not compare directly.
We do not name a winner. Below are 24 differences drawn from the same sourced dataset that powers both product pages.
Verified against the vendor’s own pages.
Pricing
These cannot be compared on a single number
Archelios Pro is priced quote-only and SAM (System Advisor Model) is priced free. These are different pricing models, so a single side-by-side figure would be misleading. Each is shown as its vendor states it.
Archelios Pro
Not publicly disclosed
Quote only
SAM (System Advisor Model)
Free
0 USD free desktop application
Free
Prices are shown exactly as each vendor writes them and are never converted between currencies.
Where they differ
24 differences, ordered by how much they are likely to matter — pricing transparency first, then capabilities the vendor explicitly confirms or denies.
Legend Verified Vendor claim Not offered Not found Could not read
| Capability | Archelios Pro | SAM (System Advisor Model) |
|---|---|---|
| Solar design & simulation | ||
| CAD export (DXF/DWG) | Yes Verified | — Not found |
| Ground-mount / tracker layout | Advanced Verified | — Not found |
| Remote site capture from imagery | Basic Verified | — Not found |
| 3D roof and obstruction model | Advanced Verified | — Could not read |
| Automatic module layout | Basic Vendor claim | — Not found |
| Bankable / IE-accepted simulation report | Basic Vendor claim | — Not found |
| Inverter sizing | — Could not read | Basic Vendor claim |
| On-site capture (drone / photogrammetry) | — Not found | — Could not read |
| Shading analysis | — Could not read | — Not found |
| String sizing / stringing | Advanced Verified | — Could not read |
| Proposals & sales | ||
| Proposal document generation | — Not found | — Could not read |
| Estimation & financial modelling | ||
| PPA / lease / TPO modelling | Not offered Verified | — Could not read |
| Reporting, data & BI | ||
| Report / deliverable export | — Could not read | — Not found |
| Integrations & extensibility | ||
| Named, documented integrations | 2 Verified | 0 Verified |
| Platform & deployment | ||
| Delivery model | software Verified | open-source Verified |
| Desktop OS support | — Could not read | not stated beyond 'desktop application' Verified |
| Web application | — Could not read | No Verified |
| Pricing & commercial terms | ||
| Price published | Not published Verified | Published Verified |
| Pricing model | quote-only Verified | free Verified |
| Free tier | Not offered Verified | free-forever Verified |
| Entry price | — Could not read | 0 USD free desktop application Verified |
| Currency | — Could not read | USD Verified |
| Market fit & availability | ||
| Geographic availability | FR; EU; MA; DE; CN; global Verified | US; global Verified |
| Target buyer | — Could not read | engineering-firm; developer Verified |
Scroll the table sideways to see both products. The capability column stays in place.
Where they are the same 11 data points
- Single-line diagram
- Battery sizing and modelling
- Annual energy yield simulation
- Loss and uncertainty modelling (P50/P90)
- Named weather / irradiance data source
- ROI / payback calculation
- Public API
- Product status
- C&I
- Residential
- Utility-scale
Which might suit you
Framed as requirements, not a verdict. Both descriptions come from the same data.
Consider Archelios Pro if…
- you work at utility scale
- your work is mostly residential
European design offices and installers who want a properly priced, properly documented simulation tool with real CAD and BIM interoperability, and whose projects sort cleanly into power bands. It is not for teams that need a CRM, a lead pipeline or a polished sales proposal — the output is a technical PDF and an economic analysis, not a homeowner-facing document — and the tier boundaries are hard: at 101 kWp you are on a €1,490 licence, not a €990 one. [✓ https://www.trace-software.com/en/our-solutions/archelios-pro-free-free-pv-design-software/ · 2026-09-25]
Full Archelios Pro profileConsider SAM (System Advisor Model) if…
- you need a price you can plan against before talking to sales
- you want to start without a budget approval
- you are comfortable with desktop software and its constraints
- you work at utility scale
- your work is mostly residential
For analysts, researchers, policy people and developers who need a transparent, auditable, free model and a real financial structure behind the kWh. Not for installers who need a roof capture, a proposal or a plan set — SAM has no satellite imagery workflow, no proposal output and no CRM, and it registers users with a free software key rather than selling a licence.
Full SAM (System Advisor Model) profileRelated comparisons
Other options in design & simulation
SolarEdge Designer
SolarEdge Technologies
Design & simulation · Web
Pricing Free Free Free tier, no time limit
Sept 2026
SAM (System Advisor Model)
National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) — formerly the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Design & simulation · Desktop
Pricing Free Free Free tier, no time limit
Sept 2026
Frequently asked
What is the main difference between Archelios Pro and SAM (System Advisor Model)?
They differ most on price published. In total we recorded 24 verified differences and 11 points where they are the same.
Which costs more, Archelios Pro or SAM (System Advisor Model)?
Archelios Pro is priced quote-only and SAM (System Advisor Model) is priced free. These are different pricing models, so a single side-by-side figure would be misleading. Each is shown as its vendor states it.
Is Archelios Pro or SAM (System Advisor Model) better?
We do not name a winner. Both are described from the same verified data, and which suits you depends on your requirements — the differences above are the facts; the choice is yours.
Last verified
Vendors change pricing and features without notice. Check the vendor’s own page before deciding.
This comparison is generated from the feature database, not written by hand. A pair is only published when the data holds at least five stateable differences — which is why 281 candidate pairs were refused. How comparisons are built