Easy PV
Midsummer
Design & simulation · Web
Pricing GBP 0 Per seat Free tier, no time limit
Sept 2026
Comparison
PVcase Ground Mount vs SAM (System Advisor Model)
26 differences · 5 identical
PVcase Ground MountPVcase
- Entry price
- Not publicly disclosed
- Charged
- Quote only
- Free tier or trial
- No free tier or trial
- Named integrations
- 0
- Verified data points
- 7
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
PVcase Ground Mount or SAM (System Advisor Model)?
They differ most on price published. PVcase Ground Mount 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 26 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
PVcase Ground Mount 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.
PVcase Ground Mount
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
26 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 | PVcase Ground Mount | SAM (System Advisor Model) |
|---|---|---|
| Solar design & simulation | ||
| Automatic module layout | Advanced Verified | — Not found |
| Battery sizing and modelling | — Not found | Advanced Verified |
| CAD export (DXF/DWG) | Yes Verified | — Not found |
| Ground-mount / tracker layout | Advanced Verified | — Not found |
| Loss and uncertainty modelling (P50/P90) | — Not found | Advanced Verified |
| Named weather / irradiance data source | — Not found | advanced Verified |
| Shading analysis | Advanced Verified | — Not found |
| Bankable / IE-accepted simulation report | Basic Vendor claim | — Not found |
| Inverter sizing | — Could not read | Basic Vendor claim |
| Remote site capture from imagery | — Not applicable | — Not found |
| String sizing / stringing | Advanced Verified | — Could not read |
| Estimation & financial modelling | ||
| ROI / payback calculation | — Not found | Advanced Verified |
| Reporting, data & BI | ||
| Report / deliverable export | Advanced Verified | — Not found |
| Integrations & extensibility | ||
| Public API | Basic Vendor claim | Advanced 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 | ||
| C&I | No Verified | Yes Verified |
| Geographic availability | global Verified | US; global Verified |
| Residential | No Verified | Yes Verified |
| Target buyer | enterprise-epc; developer Verified | engineering-firm; developer Verified |
Scroll the table sideways to see both products. The capability column stays in place.
Where they are the same 5 data points
- Single-line diagram
- Annual energy yield simulation
- Named, documented integrations
- Product status
- Utility-scale
Which might suit you
Framed as requirements, not a verdict. Both descriptions come from the same data.
Consider PVcase Ground Mount if…
- you work at utility scale
For utility-scale EPCs and engineering teams who already live in AutoCAD/Civil 3D and need terrain-following layouts that survive into construction documentation. Not for buyers who need a published price (there is a pricing page with no numbers on it), not for rooftop or residential work (PVcase routes those to Roof Mount), and not for teams without an AutoCAD estate — the product's own structured data lists its operating system as "Windows, AutoCAD".
Full PVcase Ground Mount 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 PVcase Ground Mount and SAM (System Advisor Model)?
They differ most on price published. In total we recorded 26 verified differences and 5 points where they are the same.
Which costs more, PVcase Ground Mount or SAM (System Advisor Model)?
PVcase Ground Mount 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 PVcase Ground Mount 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