OpenSolar is one of the best solar design and proposal tools available - 3D roof modelling, shade analysis, automatic panel layout. SolarCrm is a complete solar operations platform - project management, field crew, inventory, vendor procurement and milestone billing. They solve fundamentally different problems. Here is the honest comparison.
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If solar system design and 3D modelling is your core challenge - OpenSolar wins. If project execution, crew management, inventory, vendor procurement and milestone billing are your gaps - SolarCrm wins. Many solar companies use OpenSolar for design and SolarCrm for operations, connecting them via data handoff.
OpenSolar is strong where SolarCrm is not (3D design). SolarCrm is strong where OpenSolar is not (operations). Here is every category.
| Feature | SolarCrm Operations-first | OpenSolar Design-first |
|---|---|---|
| CRM & Sales Pipeline | ||
Lead pipeline Stages, assignment, tasks | Solar-specific stages, agent assignment, follow-up tasks, watcher, source attribution - ready out of the box | Basic deal tracking - OpenSolar is design-first, not CRM-first. Pipeline management is limited |
Site survey Structured digital assessment | Structured digital survey form on mobile - feeds BOQ generation directly, no re-entry | Site visit notes and basic info capture, but primarily focused on design inputs rather than operational survey data |
BOQ / Proposal Quote generation | Auto-generate BOQ from system size using your product catalogue. Internal approval workflow. Branded proposal with e-signature | Strong solar proposal and design tool - shade analysis, system design, 3D modelling and proposal generation. This is the OpenSolar core strength |
3D solar design Shade analysis & layout | Not a primary feature - SolarCrm integrates with design tools via data handoff | The OpenSolar standout feature - shade analysis, 3D roof modelling, automatic panel layout. Best in class for residential design |
| Project & Operations | ||
Project milestones Phase tracking | Full milestone management - tasks, dependencies, crew assignment, billing triggers, live dashboard and mobile updates | Basic project status tracking - OpenSolar tracks proposal to installation but lacks structured milestone management for EPC execution |
Field crew management Mobile app, geo attendance | Purpose-built field crew app - geo check-in, task updates, site photos, offline mode, expense logging | Mobile app for basic status updates - not designed for field crew task management and geo-verified attendance |
Inventory management Multi-warehouse stock | Full multi-warehouse inventory, BOQ-linked stock reservations, consumption tracking, low-stock alerts | No inventory management module - OpenSolar is a design and proposal platform, not an operations platform |
Vendor & procurement PO cycle | Vendor database, RFQ, PO, delivery tracking, vendor payment and credit management | No procurement module - vendor and materials management fully external |
| Finance & Billing | ||
Milestone invoicing Auto billing | Invoice auto-created on milestone completion - zero manual triggers, never miss a billing event | Invoice generation available but not automatically triggered by milestone completion |
Inventory / cost tracking Project margin | Actual material consumption tracked per project against BOQ - live margin visibility | Financial tracking focuses on proposal-level pricing - not project-level cost tracking through execution |
Multi-currency Global billing | Full multi-currency invoicing - USD, AED, AUD, EUR, GBP and more | Multi-currency available |
| After-Sales & Service | ||
Service tickets AMC, O&M | Full service ticket module - multi-channel intake, technician dispatch, AMC contracts, preventive maintenance | No service ticket or O&M module - post-installation support fully external |
HRMS & attendance Workforce management | Geo-verified attendance for field crews and technicians. Leave management | No HRMS module |
| Platform & Positioning | ||
Primary strength Core use case | Full solar business operations platform - from lead to commissioning to O&M. Best for EPCs, dealers and installers needing end-to-end workflow | Solar design and proposal platform - best for companies where accurate 3D system design and professional proposals are the primary need |
Pricing model Cost | $39–$89/user/month - all operational modules included. No design module, but integrates with design tools | Free plan available for basic use. Paid plans from $59/user/month. Design features are the core value driver |
Free migration Switching support | Free data migration from OpenSolar or any tool. Free onboarding session | No migration assistance to competing platforms |
OpenSolar excels at 3D roof modelling, shade analysis, automatic panel layout and generating visually compelling client proposals with production estimates. For companies where the quality of the design tool is the primary competitive differentiator, OpenSolar is hard to beat.
SolarCrm excels at everything after the proposal is accepted - project milestones, field crew management, inventory control, vendor procurement, milestone-triggered invoicing and O&M ticketing. For companies where operational efficiency and margin protection are the primary concern, SolarCrm wins.
Many solar companies use OpenSolar for design and proposal generation, then hand off the approved project data to SolarCrm for execution management. This gives them best-in-class design tools and best-in-class operations tools without compromise in either area.
OpenSolar has no inventory management, no vendor procurement module, no geo-verified field crew attendance, no milestone billing automation and no O&M/service ticket module. Solar EPC companies managing physical materials, field crews and multi-phase projects consistently find OpenSolar insufficient as their sole operations platform.
OpenSolar offers a free plan for basic design and proposal use - which is genuinely valuable for small installers. Paid plans start at around $59/user/month. SolarCrm starts at $39/user/month with all operational modules included. The right comparison depends on which features you are actually using from each platform.
Both platforms support global operations. OpenSolar has strong coverage of irradiance data and utility rate databases for solar design. SolarCrm has deep local market support for India (DISCOM, GST), UAE (DEWA, VAT), Australia (DNSP, STCs), UK (DNO G98/G99, MCS) and USA (AHJ, ITC, interconnection).
OpenSolar is great for the proposal but we have nothing for managing the actual project execution - milestones, crew, materials
SolarCrm handles everything after the proposal is signed - milestones, tasks, crew scheduling, inventory and billing - while OpenSolar continues to own the design and proposal phase.
We have no inventory control - we know what we quoted but have no idea what is in stock at each warehouse
The SolarCrm inventory module provides real-time stock across all warehouses, BOQ-linked stock reservations and automatic procurement alerts for shortfalls - none of which OpenSolar provides.
Our field crew have no mobile tool - they update WhatsApp groups and we never know actual site progress
The SolarCrm mobile app gives field crews task lists with geo check-in, milestone completion updates and photo uploads - live on the project dashboard the moment they submit.
Milestone billing is manual - someone has to remember to raise an invoice when a phase is done. We miss invoices regularly
SolarCrm auto-creates the client invoice when a milestone is marked complete. Zero manual triggers. Zero missed billing. Finance is notified instantly for review and send.
We kept OpenSolar for the design and proposal phase - the 3D modelling and shade analysis is genuinely impressive and our clients love the proposal format. But for everything after the client signs - project milestones, crew scheduling, inventory, vendor POs and milestone billing - we moved to SolarCrm. The two platforms complement each other perfectly. Our design team uses OpenSolar, our operations team uses SolarCrm.
Most companies run both platforms in parallel - OpenSolar for design and proposal, SolarCrm for execution. The handoff takes minutes.
Start a free trial and run SolarCrm for operations while keeping OpenSolar for design. See the difference in your first project.
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Solar-specific EPC software vs a general contractor tool.
Purpose-built solar platform vs a generic enterprise CRM.
Solar workflow management vs a marketing-first CRM.
Structured solar operations vs manual spreadsheet management.
Project milestones, field crew, inventory, vendor procurement and milestone billing - all in SolarCrm.
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