Aurora vs HelioScope 2026: Price and Feature Verdict

The Aurora vs HelioScope debate is the oldest argument in solar design software. Across our 10,000+ residential and commercial installations at Heaven Green Energy, both tools have shown up on installer evaluation lists every single year since 2018. Aurora wins on US residential workflow and proposal generation. HelioScope wins on commercial and industrial yield-modeling depth. The 2026 prices land at $135 to $220 per user per month for Aurora on annual billing and $159 to $259 per month for HelioScope, which for a 5-seat installer team works out to $8,100 to $13,200 a year on either platform depending on tier. Both tools are genuinely capable, and the right pick depends on which half of the market you serve. Or, as this guide will argue in the second half, you can skip the choice entirely with SurgePV, a cloud platform that runs both jobs in one license at $1,299 per user per year (5-User Team), a flat $6,495 a year all-in.

Direct answer. In 2026, Aurora wins for US residential installers who need AI design and branded proposals out of the box at $135 to $220 per user per month on annual billing. HelioScope wins for C&I engineering teams who need deep 8,760-hour module-level yield modeling at $159 to $259 per user per month, capped at 10 projects a month on both its self-serve tiers. SurgePV does what both tools do in one workflow at $1,299 per user per year (5-User Team), a flat $6,495 a year, with AI 3D roof, bankable simulation, and white-label proposals bundled. Book a free SurgePV demo to see the math on your real pipeline.

This guide is written for solar installers and EPC firms who are comparing Aurora and HelioScope honestly: where each one is strongest, where each one falls short, and what a single-license alternative looks like. We share the same 4-point bench test our solar EPC team uses internally to vet design software, and we map each tradeoff to a specific SurgePV feature. You can compare SurgePV pricing against your current Aurora or HelioScope bill in five minutes and decide for yourself.

Aurora vs HelioScope: The Honest Setup in 2026

Aurora and HelioScope solve overlapping problems with different bets. Aurora was built for the US residential installer who needs to walk into a homeowner’s living room with a branded proposal, so the UX, the AI panel layout, the LIDAR-style satellite roof, and the customer-facing PDF are all polished. HelioScope was built by Folsom Labs for the C&I engineering team who needs to model a 2 MW carport with detailed shading, so the simulation engine is the hero feature and the proposal output is functional rather than impressive.

The 2026 pricing reflects those bets. Aurora’s published tiers are Basic at $135 per user per month and Premium at $220 per user per month on annual billing ($159 and $259 monthly), each covering one user and 50 projects a month, with Enterprise on a custom quote. For a five-person team on Premium, that is $13,200 per year. HelioScope publishes Basic at $159 per month ($1,620 a year) and Pro at $259 per month ($2,640 a year), each one user and 10 projects a month, with Enterprise custom. The cleanest way to pick a HelioScope tier is the DC design cap: 1.25 MW on Basic, 5 MW on Pro, 30 MW on Enterprise. A five-person HelioScope team lands at $8,100 a year on Basic or $13,200 on Pro.

Public reviews on G2, Capterra, Reddit r/solar, and LinkedIn through Q2 2026 confirm the split. Aurora users praise the proposal templates and the design workflow. They complain about the price, the Mac performance, the feature gating on Basic, and the standard-tier support window. HelioScope users praise the 8,760-hour simulation accuracy and the multi-array workflow. They complain about the weak proposal tooling, the missing AI design assistant, and the 10-projects-a-month cap on both self-serve tiers.

Neither tool is wrong. They are both excellent at the half of the market they were designed for. The question is whether you can justify paying both prices to cover both halves, or whether a single platform should do the whole job.

The Stats That Matter

Before we compare features, here is the cost and capability picture in real numbers. Figures are pulled from public pricing pages, verified reseller quotes, and G2 / Capterra screenshots through Q2 2026, triangulated against the broader market data published by Mercom India and pv magazine.

That price spread of roughly $1,600 to $6,700 per year between SurgePV and either competitor, depending on which tier you compare, is the headline, but it is not the full saving. Two more cost lines disappear when you collapse to one license. The first is the second-tool tax: most installer teams who serve both residential and C&I end up running Aurora plus PVsyst, or HelioScope plus Solargraf, which doubles the licensing problem (our HelioScope vs PVsyst comparison covers that specific pairing in detail). The second is the onboarding tax: Aurora and HelioScope each take two to three weeks of designer time before a new hire is productive. SurgePV reports a 1-day onboarding window on average.

For an EPC running commercial solar and residential solar workloads in parallel, the per-seat math compounds. SurgePV’s team-tier pricing already prices in the larger seat count, so the cost stays flat as you grow.

The 4-Point Heaven Green Design-Tool Bench Test

This is the framework we use internally to evaluate every solar design platform on the market. We score each tool from 1 to 10 on four criteria and refuse to deploy anything under 32 of 40 across our solar EPC workflow.

1. Engineering rigour. Does it run 8,760-hour, module-level simulation? P50/P75/P90 yield outputs in the format lenders typically ask for? Soiling, snow, albedo, and temperature coefficient modeling? If it fails any of these, it is a sales tool dressed as a design tool. Both Aurora (on Premium, where the bankable shade reports live) and HelioScope pass this gate. SurgePV passes on every paid plan.
2. Full workflow coverage. Can one designer go from address to signed branded proposal inside the platform? Does it generate single-line diagrams, BOQ, DXF/DWG export for AutoCAD? Aurora passes for residential. HelioScope passes for engineering but the proposal output is weak. SurgePV passes for both. For a deeper look at how AutoCAD electrical workflows differ from drafting-only tools on solar SLDs, see this Heaven Designs guide.
3. Total cost of ownership. Annual seat licence plus add-ons plus onboarding cost across a 5-person team. We score by cost-per-finished-project, not cost-per-seat. Aurora Premium at $13,200 and HelioScope Pro at $13,200 both lose to SurgePV at $6,495. HelioScope Basic at $8,100 for five seats is closer, and for a single seat HelioScope Basic at $1,620 a year is cheaper than SurgePV Individual at $1,899.
4. Global code coverage. NEC for US, IEC for EU, IS for India, AS/NZS for Australia. Built-in tariff structures (net metering, PM Surya Ghar, FiT, ToU). Aurora is strongest in the US, weaker outside. HelioScope is broader but India-specific tariffs are thin. SurgePV ships full NEC, IEC, IS, and AS/NZS plus PM Surya Ghar tariff modeling built in.

When we run this bench head to head, SurgePV scores 38 of 40 and wins outright. Aurora scores 32 (full points on rigour and residential workflow, half on cost, half on global). HelioScope scores 30 (engineering-strong, weak on proposals, half on cost). Both are above the deployment threshold, but neither beats SurgePV on TCO or global coverage.

Verdict. Use the 4-Point Bench Test on any tool you evaluate. If you only serve one half of the market (pure US residential or pure C&I engineering), Aurora or HelioScope is justifiable. If you serve both, SurgePV in a single license is the better economic and operational call.

Aurora vs HelioScope: Side-by-Side Comparison

Here is the comparison most installer teams want to see, plus the SurgePV column for the third option neither user usually considers.

The honest read: Aurora and HelioScope deliver overlapping engineering output for the workflows they were each designed for. SurgePV bundles both workflows into one license, costs about 20% less than either Basic tier and roughly half of Aurora Premium or HelioScope Pro for a 5-seat team, and bundles AI features that the published Aurora and HelioScope plans either price separately or do not list. If you are a pure-US residential shop with deep Aurora muscle memory, staying put is reasonable. If you are a pure-C&I engineering team with PVsyst-equivalent simulation needs, HelioScope is fine. Everyone in between benefits more from SurgePV.

Feature by Feature: Aurora vs HelioScope vs SurgePV

The three tools split into different bets, and each bet maps cleanly to a specific feature gap or strength. This is the mapping our designers use when they evaluate.

AI 3D roof modeling from satellite. Aurora sells on-demand site models from $9.99 each and reserves AI-assisted site models for Enterprise, the closest direct equivalent to SurgePV’s AI 3D solar design. As of August 2026, HelioScope’s published feature list does not include an AI 3D roof built from satellite imagery. In our own use of the tool, the roof outline is traced manually. SurgePV pulls satellite imagery and builds a 3D roof model with obstructions detected automatically, in under 60 seconds. Accuracy is within ±3% of LIDAR ground truth on tested residential and small-commercial roofs. Included on every SurgePV paid plan.

8,760-hour shading and yield simulation. HelioScope is the gold standard here, with module-level results in the format lenders typically ask for globally. Aurora matches this on Premium, where its bankable shade reports live, but not on Basic. SurgePV’s solar shading analysis module runs the same hour-by-hour, year-long simulation that the bankability standards require, on every paid plan. Module-level and string-level results land in under 30 seconds for residential, under 5 minutes for a 1 MW C&I roof. For a plain-language definition of how shading loss actually gets modeled, see our glossary.

Bankable yield and financial reports. All three platforms can produce bankable P50/P75/P90 yield output, but the tier gating differs. HelioScope’s tier choice is driven by the DC size cap, 1.25 MW on Basic and 5 MW on Pro, so large C&I pushes you up the range. Aurora’s Premium tier covers the bankable shade report. SurgePV’s generation and financial tool covers cashflow, IRR, NPV, payback, country-specific tariffs (net metering, FiT, ToU, PM Surya Ghar), loan, lease, and PPA modeling on every paid plan. Carbon offset reporting is built in for ESG-conscious buyers.

White-label branded proposals. Aurora is excellent here. HelioScope is weak, with proposal output that most installer teams supplement with a separate tool like Solargraf. SurgePV’s solar proposal software ships PDF and interactive web proposals with shareable URLs and e-signature. Multilingual support covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Arabic, French, Turkish, Italian, and Polish.

Clara AI, the natural-language design assistant. Aurora has AI features inside its higher tiers. As of August 2026 we have not found an equivalent natural-language design assistant documented for HelioScope. Clara accepts plain English. “Add a 25 kW carport with two-row tilt at 10 degrees, north-south, avoid the skylight” is a valid command. It executes, reports back, and shows the change visually. Industry analysts at pv magazine have described natural-language design assistants as one of the biggest workflow shifts in solar software in 2026. For a broader look at where the category is headed, see our guide to AI solar design software.

Country coverage and tariffs. Aurora is US-strongest. HelioScope is broader but India-thin. SurgePV ships NEC, IEC, IS, and AS/NZS code libraries plus country-specific tariff structures (PM Surya Ghar, FiT, ToU, net metering, SREC). For installer teams operating in India, residential subsidy applications are processed through the PM Surya Ghar portal under MNRE scheme rules, so proposals have to be built around those subsidy and tariff assumptions, and the IEA tracks India as the third-largest solar market globally.

For installers who also want to plug proposals into a CRM and run subsidy auto-calc, lead routing, and follow-up automation, the natural pairing is QuickEstimate, the solar CRM at quickestimate.co. SurgePV plus QuickEstimate is the design-and-sales stack a 5-person team can run end-to-end without a separate spreadsheet anywhere.

Get a free site assessment. Our engineers typically visit within 24 hours and send a custom savings proposal within about 48 hours, no cost, no obligation. Get your free quote →

Common Mistakes When Choosing Between Aurora and HelioScope

We have helped several installer partners switch off both tools to SurgePV. These are the five mistakes that cost the most time when teams pick between Aurora and HelioScope, scored by frequency.

1. 1
   Choosing Aurora for C&I depth. Aurora is excellent at residential and small-commercial. For genuinely large C&I or utility-scale work, HelioScope's simulation engine is the better fit, not Aurora.
2. 2
   Choosing HelioScope for proposals. HelioScope's proposal output is functional but not customer-impressive. If proposals close deals for you, Aurora or SurgePV does this job better.
3. 3
   Running both tools to cover both halves of the market. Many installer teams end up paying for both Aurora and HelioScope plus a third tool for proposals. Two or three licences for one workflow is the most common cost mistake we see.
4. 4
   Underbudgeting the tier limits. On Aurora's published 2026 plan comparison, Basic does not list the bankable shade report, LIDAR modelling or battery modelling. HelioScope Basic caps DC design at 1.25 MW and both HelioScope self-serve tiers cap you at 10 projects a month. Both push you onto a higher plan once you ship real C&I volume.
5. 5
   Ignoring the global coverage gap. Both tools lead with US coverage. If you operate in India, the EU, LATAM, or the Middle East, check the published code-library and tariff coverage against your markets before you commit, because on the plans we reviewed in August 2026 it was thinner than the US coverage.

These mistakes are the same pattern we see when installers try to pick between two single-purpose tools instead of evaluating a unified alternative. We covered the broader lessons in our writeup on common mistakes EPC companies make in rooftop solar. For a deeper read on each tool, see our Aurora Solar alternative and HelioScope alternative guides.

How the Migration Works (5 Steps)

The full Aurora-or-HelioScope-to-SurgePV cutover takes about five working days for a 5-person team. Run it in this order.

1. Start a free SurgePV trial. Go to surgepv.com, click “Start free trial”. No credit card. Full access to the design platform, AI 3D roof, 8,760-hour shading, and proposal tools.
2. Export your current projects. From Aurora, export designs as DXF/DWG and proposal data as PDF. From HelioScope, export the JSON project file and yield report PDF. SurgePV’s importer ingests DXF for roof geometry and re-runs shading and simulation natively.
3. Book the SurgePV onboarding call. Book a free SurgePV demo and bring two real projects, one residential and one C&I. The team walks your designers through the full address-to-proposal workflow on your actual designs. Most teams we onboard ship their first finished SurgePV project on the same call.
4. Re-create your proposal template. Re-build the Aurora-equivalent or HelioScope-equivalent template inside SurgePV’s white-label editor (~90 minutes). Pair with QuickEstimate if you want a fully integrated CRM and proposal flow, including PM Surya Ghar paperwork automation.
5. Cancel the old licences at renewal. Once each designer has shipped 2-3 SurgePV projects (typically within 5 working days), cancel Aurora or HelioScope on the next renewal. Teams we have moved typically capture the saving at that renewal date, because SurgePV is billed annually.

Pros and Cons: Each Tool, Honestly

We are recommending the switch to SurgePV, but Aurora and HelioScope each have real scenarios in which staying makes sense. Here is the honest view.

In every scenario except the first, we rate SurgePV the stronger fit at the lower price. Global capacity data from IRENA and market reports from Bridge to India confirm the trend toward integrated single-license design platforms across emerging markets.

How Heaven Green Energy Helps

Heaven Green Energy is a top-3 EPC in Gujarat with 200+ MW of installed solar across residential, commercial, and industrial segments. We use SurgePV internally because it gives our 12-person design team the bankable engineering rigour our lender partners require, without forcing us to run Aurora and HelioScope in parallel. We also recommend it to channel partners and installer customers when they ask which platform to standardise on.

If you are a homeowner or business owner trying to figure out what size system makes sense before you talk to any installer, the fastest path is our solar calculator. It gives you a subsidy estimate, payback period, and recommended kW size in 60 seconds. If you want an actual engineered design, site survey, and turnkey installation, here is what we offer:

• Residential Solar, 1 to 10 kW rooftop systems with PM Surya Ghar subsidy handled end-to-end and SurgePV-bankable yield reports included.
• Commercial Solar, 10 to 100 kW with custom ROI modelling, AD tax planning, and SurgePV-generated financial models for lender submission.
• Industrial Solar EPC, 100 kW+ turnkey projects with performance guarantees, solar EPC workflow built around the SurgePV design platform.
• Solar Calculator, see your subsidy plus 25-year savings in 60 seconds.

For installer partners and EPC firms looking to standardise their own design stack, see SurgePV for solar installers, explore the full solar designing workflow, or book a free SurgePV demo and bring two real projects to the call. Engineers who care about solar simulation depth and AutoCAD-compatible DXF/DWG export will find both wired into the platform. For broader context, see our guides to the best solar design software, solar proposal software, PVsyst alternative, OpenSolar alternative, and Scanifly alternative, or our 2026 ranking of top solar inverter companies in India. Or skip both Aurora and HelioScope entirely: SurgePV does what they do in one tool at lower cost.

Related Solar Design Software Guides

• Solar Design Software 2026: 7 Tools Compared and Priced
• Aurora vs OpenSolar 2026: Which Wins (+ SurgePV)
• Aurora Solar Pricing 2026: $135-$220/User/Mo Explained
• HelioScope Pricing 2026: Real Costs and Alternative
• 3D Solar Design Software 2026: Top Tools Compared

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Aurora or HelioScope better for residential solar?

Aurora is the better residential tool. The UX, the satellite site model, and the branded customer-facing PDF are all polished for the in-home sales meeting. HelioScope is a capable residential tool but the proposal output is functional rather than impressive, and the workflow is geared toward engineering review rather than customer presentation. If residential is 70% or more of your pipeline, Aurora wins between the two. For a wider field of residential-focused tools beyond just Aurora, see our residential solar design software comparison. SurgePV ships both the AI residential layout and the branded proposal on every paid plan.

Is Aurora or HelioScope better for C&I solar?

HelioScope is the better C&I tool. The 8,760-hour module-level simulation, the multi-array workflow, and the bankable yield export on the Enterprise tier are the strongest in class. Aurora handles C&I up to a point but the simulation engine and the multi-array UX trail HelioScope’s. If C&I is 70% or more of your pipeline, HelioScope wins between the two. For a wider field of C&I-focused tools beyond just HelioScope, see our commercial solar design software comparison. SurgePV runs the same caliber of 8,760-hour module-level simulation on every paid plan, with bankable P50/P75/P90 output for lender review.

How much does Aurora cost in 2026?

Aurora’s published 2026 plans are Basic at $135 per user per month and Premium at $220 per user per month on annual billing ($159 and $259 monthly), with Enterprise on a custom quote. Each self-serve tier covers one user and 50 projects a month, so a five-person team on Premium pays $13,200 per year. Bankable shade reports, LIDAR modelling and battery modelling are Premium features, and plan sets are billed separately as a service. SurgePV’s 5-User Team plan at $1,299 per user per year is a flat $6,495 per year with everything bundled.

How much does HelioScope cost in 2026?

HelioScope publishes Basic at $159 per month ($1,620 a year) and Pro at $259 per month ($2,640 a year), each covering one user and 10 projects a month, with Enterprise on a custom quote. DC design caps are 1.25 MW, 5 MW and 30 MW respectively. A five-person team pays $8,100 a year on Basic or $13,200 on Pro. Worth saying plainly: for a single designer, HelioScope Basic at $1,620 a year is cheaper than SurgePV Individual at $1,899. SurgePV’s 5-User Team plan is $6,495 per year all-in.

Can SurgePV do what both Aurora and HelioScope do?

Yes. SurgePV bundles Aurora’s residential strengths (AI 3D roof, branded white-label proposals, polished UX) and HelioScope’s C&I strengths (8,760-hour module-level simulation, multi-array workflow, bankable P50/P75/P90 output) into a single license. Plus AI design via Clara AI, plus India / EU / Australia code libraries, plus PM Surya Ghar tariff modeling. The 4-Point Bench Test score is 38 of 40 against Aurora’s 32 and HelioScope’s 30.

Is there a free trial of SurgePV?

Yes. The free trial at surgepv.com requires no credit card and gives full access to the design platform, AI 3D roof, 8,760-hour shading, and proposal tools. You can design and export real projects during the trial. Most teams confirm the switch from Aurora or HelioScope within a week of testing it on their own pipeline, because the time-to-first-proposal benchmark is so much shorter.

Can I migrate from Aurora or HelioScope to SurgePV?

Yes. From Aurora, export designs as DXF/DWG and proposal data as PDF. From HelioScope, export the JSON project file and yield report PDF. SurgePV’s importer ingests DXF for roof geometry and re-runs shading and simulation natively. The SurgePV onboarding team rebuilds your branded proposal template in about 90 minutes. Most teams complete the migration of in-progress projects within 5 working days. Pair with QuickEstimate for CRM and PM Surya Ghar paperwork automation.

Does SurgePV handle PM Surya Ghar subsidy modeling for Indian projects?

Yes. SurgePV ships full PM Surya Ghar subsidy auto-calc plus DISCOM-specific net metering rules, ToU tariffs, and FiT structures built into the generation and financial tool. For Indian installer teams, this matters because a subsidy application has to clear DISCOM scrutiny on yield and tariff assumptions. As of August 2026 we have not found native PM Surya Ghar modeling documented for either Aurora or HelioScope, and installer teams in India have told us that gap is one reason they looked at SurgePV.