Easy PV
Midsummer
Design & simulation · Web
Pricing GBP 0 Per seat Free tier, no time limit
Sept 2026
Comparison
SAM (System Advisor Model) vs Scanifly
32 differences · 6 identical
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
ScaniflyScanifly, Inc.
- Entry price
- Not publicly disclosed
- Charged
- Quote only
- Free tier or trial
- No free tier or trial
- Named integrations
- 2
- Verified data points
- 7
The differences that matter most
- Price published Published Not published
- Pricing model free quote-only
- Free tier free-forever Not offered
SAM (System Advisor Model) or Scanifly?
They differ most on price published. SAM (System Advisor Model) publishes Free; Scanifly publishes Not publicly disclosed. They use different pricing models, so those figures do not compare directly.
We do not name a winner. Below are 32 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
SAM (System Advisor Model) is priced free and Scanifly is priced quote-only. These are different pricing models, so a single side-by-side figure would be misleading. Each is shown as its vendor states it.
SAM (System Advisor Model)
Free
0 USD free desktop application
Free
Scanifly
Not publicly disclosed
Quote only
Prices are shown exactly as each vendor writes them and are never converted between currencies.
Where they differ
32 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 | SAM (System Advisor Model) | Scanifly |
|---|---|---|
| Solar design & simulation | ||
| Automatic module layout | — Not found | Advanced Verified |
| Battery sizing and modelling | Advanced Verified | — Not found |
| CAD export (DXF/DWG) | — Not found | Yes Verified |
| Named weather / irradiance data source | advanced Verified | — Not found |
| Remote site capture from imagery | — Not found | Advanced Verified |
| 3D roof and obstruction model | — Could not read | Advanced Verified |
| Annual energy yield simulation | Advanced Verified | Basic Vendor claim |
| Bankable / IE-accepted simulation report | — Not found | Basic Vendor claim |
| Ground-mount / tracker layout | — Not found | Basic Vendor claim |
| Inverter sizing | Basic Vendor claim | — Could not read |
| On-site capture (drone / photogrammetry) | — Could not read | Not offered Verified |
| Shading analysis | — Not found | — Could not read |
| String sizing / stringing | — Could not read | — Not found |
| Proposals & sales | ||
| E-signature | — Could not read | — Verified |
| Proposal document generation | — Could not read | — Not found |
| Estimation & financial modelling | ||
| ROI / payback calculation | Advanced Verified | — Not found |
| Reporting, data & BI | ||
| Report / deliverable export | — Not found | — Could not read |
| AI & automation | ||
| AI design assistance | — Could not read | vendor-claimed Verified |
| Integrations & extensibility | ||
| Named, documented integrations | 0 Verified | 2 Verified |
| Platform & deployment | ||
| Android app | — Could not read | Yes Verified |
| Delivery model | open-source Verified | hybrid Verified |
| Desktop OS support | not stated beyond 'desktop application' Verified | — Could not read |
| iOS app | — Could not read | Yes Verified |
| Web application | No Verified | Yes Verified |
| Pricing & commercial terms | ||
| Price published | Published Verified | Not published Verified |
| Pricing model | free Verified | quote-only Verified |
| Free tier | free-forever Verified | Not offered Verified |
| Entry price | 0 USD free desktop application Verified | — Could not read |
| Currency | USD Verified | — Could not read |
| Market fit & availability | ||
| Geographic availability | US; global Verified | US Verified |
| Target buyer | engineering-firm; developer Verified | — Could not read |
| Utility-scale | Yes Verified | No Verified |
Scroll the table sideways to see both products. The capability column stays in place.
Where they are the same 6 data points
- Single-line diagram
- Loss and uncertainty modelling (P50/P90)
- Public API
- Product status
- C&I
- Residential
Which might suit you
Framed as requirements, not a verdict. Both descriptions come from the same data.
Consider 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) profileConsider Scanifly if…
- your team works from phones in the field
- AI-assisted workflows matter to you
- your work is mostly residential
US residential and small-commercial contractors whose real cost is revisions, change orders and finance rejections, and who are willing to put a drone in every surveyor's van. It is not for utility-scale work, not for anyone who cannot or will not fly drones on site (the drone half is the differentiator; without it this is an ordinary remote design tool), and not for a buyer who needs a price before a sales call — **Scanifly publishes no pricing at all**. [✗ not found · https://scanifly.com/pricing/ returns HTTP 404; no price string appears anywhere on the site 2026-09-25]
Full Scanifly profileRelated comparisons
Other options in design & simulation
SolarEdge Designer
SolarEdge Technologies
Design & simulation · Web
Pricing Free Free Free tier, no time limit
Sept 2026
KACO blueplanet PV-designer
KACO new energy GmbH
Design & simulation · Web
Pricing Free Free Free tier, no time limit
Sept 2026
Frequently asked
What is the main difference between SAM (System Advisor Model) and Scanifly?
They differ most on price published. In total we recorded 32 verified differences and 6 points where they are the same.
Which costs more, SAM (System Advisor Model) or Scanifly?
SAM (System Advisor Model) is priced free and Scanifly is priced quote-only. These are different pricing models, so a single side-by-side figure would be misleading. Each is shown as its vendor states it.
Is SAM (System Advisor Model) or Scanifly 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