Aurora vs OpenSolar 2026: Which Wins (+ SurgePV)

The Aurora vs OpenSolar debate splits the residential solar market in two. Across our 10,000+ residential and commercial installations at Heaven Green Energy, both tools have shown up on installer evaluation lists every year since 2019. Aurora is the paid US premium tool at $159 to $259 per user per month, which for a 5-seat team works out to about $13,140 per year on the Scale tier. OpenSolar leads with a “free” design tier and then charges $80 to $150 per user per month once you stack on the white-label proposals, advanced shading, e-signature, financing integrations, and CRM add-ons that a real installer business actually needs, landing at roughly $24,000 to $30,000 per year for a 5-seat team. Both tools are genuinely capable, and the right pick depends on whether you optimise for polish or for headline price. Or, as this guide will argue, you can skip the choice entirely with SurgePV, a cloud platform that ships both workflows 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 want polished AI design and branded proposals out of the box at $159 to $259 per user per month. OpenSolar wins on headline price for solo installers who do not need add-ons, but a stacked OpenSolar plan lands at $80 to $150 per user per month, similar to Aurora. SurgePV beats both on TCO 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 OpenSolar 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 OpenSolar bill in five minutes and decide for yourself.

Aurora vs OpenSolar: The Honest Setup in 2026

Aurora and OpenSolar solve overlapping problems with very different pricing models. Aurora is a paid premium tool from day one: every plan costs money, every feature is included up to the tier limit, the UX is polished, and the support is responsive. OpenSolar is a freemium tool: the design tier is genuinely free, but white-label proposals, e-signature, advanced shading, financing integrations, and the CRM module are paid add-ons. Switch on the five add-ons a real installer needs and the OpenSolar bill catches up with Aurora’s.

The 2026 pricing reflects those bets. Aurora’s published tiers are Grow at $159 per user per month, Scale at $219 per user per month, and Run starting around $259 per user per month on annual billing. For a five-person team on Scale, that is about $13,140 per year. OpenSolar’s design tier is $0, the paid add-ons land at $80 to $150 per user per month combined, and a five-seat team running a realistic add-on stack lands at $24,000 to $30,000 per year.

Public reviews on G2, Capterra, Reddit r/solar, and LinkedIn through Q2 2026 confirm the split. Aurora users praise the proposal templates, the AutoDesigner AI panel layout, and the polished UX. They complain about the price, the Mac performance, the feature gating on lower tiers, and the 24-hour standard-tier support window. OpenSolar users praise the free design tier as a gateway and the genuinely global tariff coverage on US, UK, and Australia. They complain about the add-on stack pricing surprise, the weak C&I bankability, the limited India tariff support, and the manual roof tracing (no AI 3D roof from satellite).

Neither tool is wrong. Aurora is honest about charging from day one. OpenSolar’s “free” headline overpromises but the paid product is functional. The question is whether either of them is the right pick once you compare them on TCO with all add-ons switched on, against a single-license alternative.

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 between SurgePV at $6,495 and either competitor at $13,140 to $30,000+ 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 OpenSolar plus a separate bankable simulation tool, which doubles the licensing problem. The second is the onboarding tax: Aurora takes two to three weeks before a new hire is productive, and a stacked OpenSolar setup with multiple add-ons takes similar. 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 that lenders accept? Soiling, snow, albedo, and temperature coefficient modeling? If it fails any of these, it is a sales tool dressed as a design tool. Aurora passes on Scale tier and above. OpenSolar passes for residential but C&I bankability is thin. 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. OpenSolar passes once the add-ons are switched on. SurgePV passes natively.
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 at $13,140 and OpenSolar stacked at $24K+ both lose to SurgePV at $6,495.
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 US-strongest. OpenSolar is broader (strong US, UK, Australia) but India-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. OpenSolar scores 24 once you account for stacked add-ons and C&I bankability gaps. Both are above the deployment threshold for the workflows they cover, but neither beats SurgePV on TCO or global coverage.

Verdict. Use the 4-Point Bench Test on any tool you evaluate. If you are a US-only residential shop with deep Aurora muscle memory, staying put is reasonable. If you are a solo installer doing 1-2 residential systems a week, OpenSolar’s free tier without add-ons is fine. Everyone else benefits more from SurgePV.

Aurora vs OpenSolar: 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 OpenSolar deliver overlapping residential output once OpenSolar’s add-ons are switched on. SurgePV bundles all of that, plus C&I bankability, plus AI 3D roof, plus 9-language support, into one license at half to a quarter of the cost. If you are a pure-US residential shop, Aurora is justifiable. If you are a solo installer who genuinely uses zero add-ons, OpenSolar’s free tier is fine. Everyone in between benefits more from SurgePV.

Feature by Feature: Aurora vs OpenSolar 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’s AutoDesigner sits behind an add-on cost and is the closest direct equivalent to SurgePV’s AI 3D solar design. OpenSolar does not have a native AI 3D roof from satellite. You manually trace the roof outline and obstructions. 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. Aurora restricts this to Scale tier and above. OpenSolar’s free tier includes basic shading; the bankable 8,760-hour module-level engine is a paid add-on. SurgePV’s solar shading analysis module runs the same hour-by-hour, year-long simulation that 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.

Bankable yield and financial reports. Aurora produces lender-grade output on Scale and above. OpenSolar produces residential financials natively but C&I bankability is thin and lenders often ask for PVsyst-equivalent output. 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.

White-label branded proposals. Aurora is excellent here, with deep template customization on Scale. OpenSolar’s free tier ships with OpenSolar branding visible; white-label requires a paid add-on. SurgePV’s solar proposal software ships PDF and interactive web proposals with shareable URLs and e-signature, fully white-labeled on every paid plan. 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 but no natural-language design canvas. OpenSolar does not have a natural-language design assistant. 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 flagged natural-language design assistants as the single biggest workflow shift in solar software through 2026.

Country coverage and tariffs. Aurora is US-strongest. OpenSolar is broader (US, UK, Australia). Both are India-thin or India-absent. 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, Mercom India reports that PM Surya Ghar subsidy proposals are mandatory for residential under MNRE guidelines, 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.

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Common Mistakes When Choosing Between Aurora and OpenSolar

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 OpenSolar, scored by frequency.

1. 1
   Pricing OpenSolar at its "free" headline. The OpenSolar free tier does not include white-label proposals, e-signature, advanced shading, or financing integrations. Price your stack with every add-on switched on before you compare to Aurora.
2. 2
   Pricing Aurora at its Grow tier. Aurora Grow restricts 8,760-hour shading and AutoDesigner. You will push onto Scale ($219 per user per month) once you ship a real lender-grade project. Budget Scale from day one.
3. 3
   Ignoring the second licence for C&I. Both Aurora and OpenSolar handle C&I up to a point. Above 200 kW with lender review, most teams end up running PVsyst alongside, adding another €500 per user per year.
4. 4
   Missing the India tariff gap. Aurora is US-only on tariffs. OpenSolar is strong on US, UK, Australia but thin on India. PM Surya Ghar subsidy auto-calc and DISCOM-specific net metering rules are not native to either tool.
5. 5
   Underbudgeting the onboarding cost. Aurora needs two to three weeks per new hire. A stacked OpenSolar setup with multiple add-ons takes similar. Both are real payroll lines that SurgePV's 1-day onboarding window cuts by 90%.

These mistakes are the same pattern we see when installers try to pick between two single-purpose pricing models 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 OpenSolar alternative guides.

How the Migration Works (5 Steps)

The full Aurora-or-OpenSolar-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 OpenSolar, export designs as PDF and customer data as CSV. SurgePV’s importer ingests DXF for roof geometry and re-pulls satellite imagery cleanly from address.
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 ship their first finished SurgePV project on the same call.
4. Re-create your proposal template. Re-build the Aurora-equivalent or OpenSolar-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 downgrade OpenSolar add-ons on the next renewal. Most teams capture the cost saving immediately because SurgePV is billed annually and the savings recover within month two.

Pros and Cons: Each Tool, Honestly

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

In every scenario except the first two, SurgePV is the better tool at the better price. The Indian solar market specifically, where Bridge to India tracks 25 GW of new rooftop installations through 2027 and IRENA targets 295 GW of installed solar capacity in India by 2030, rewards installers who can ship designs faster, cheaper, and with bankable simulation built in.

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 choose between Aurora’s polish and OpenSolar’s price. 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, HelioScope alternative, PVsyst alternative, and Scanifly alternative, or our 2026 ranking of top solar inverter companies in India. SurgePV beats both Aurora and OpenSolar on TCO with the full workflow built in.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Aurora or OpenSolar better for residential solar?

Both are capable residential tools. Aurora is the more polished out-of-the-box experience: AutoDesigner AI panel layout, satellite roof model, and branded customer-facing PDF, all included up to the tier limit. OpenSolar’s free tier covers residential design but requires paid add-ons for white-label proposals, e-signature, and advanced shading. For a solo installer doing 1-2 systems a week with zero add-on needs, OpenSolar is fine. For a team that ships polished customer proposals, Aurora wins between the two. SurgePV ships both AI residential layout and branded white-label proposal on every paid plan.

Is Aurora or OpenSolar better for C&I solar?

Aurora is the better C&I tool between the two. The Scale tier includes 8,760-hour shading and AutoDesigner, which handle C&I up to about 1 MW comfortably. OpenSolar’s C&I bankability is thin and lenders often ask for PVsyst-equivalent output, which means a second licence. Neither is the right answer above 1 MW with lender review. SurgePV runs the same caliber of 8,760-hour module-level simulation on every paid plan and produces lender-grade P50/P75/P90 output natively.

How much does Aurora cost in 2026?

Aurora’s published 2026 plans are roughly Grow at $159 per user per month, Scale at $219 per user per month, and Run starting around $259 per user per month on annual billing. For a five-person team on Scale, that is about $13,140 per year. AutoDesigner, advanced shading, and battery storage modeling are add-ons or higher-tier features. SurgePV’s 5-User Team plan at $1,299 per user per year is a flat $6,495 per year with everything bundled, roughly 50% cheaper.

How much does OpenSolar actually cost in 2026?

OpenSolar’s design tier is genuinely free. Realistic installer use requires five paid add-ons: advanced shading ($20-$30 per user per month), white-label proposals ($20-$40), e-signature ($10-$20), financing integrations ($15-$25), CRM ($20-$35). Stacked, that is $80 to $150 per user per month, or $24,000 to $30,000 per year for a 5-seat team. SurgePV’s 5-User Team plan at $6,495 per year flat is 75% to 85% cheaper on the same workflow with everything bundled.

Can SurgePV do what both Aurora and OpenSolar do?

Yes. SurgePV bundles Aurora’s polished AI 3D roof from satellite, branded white-label proposals, and 8,760-hour module-level shading, plus OpenSolar’s broader country coverage and free-trial accessibility, into a single license. Plus Clara AI natural-language design, plus India / EU / Australia / LATAM tariff structures including PM Surya Ghar, plus 9-language support. The 4-Point Bench Test score is 38 of 40 against Aurora’s 32 and OpenSolar’s 24.

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 OpenSolar within a week of testing it on their own pipeline, because the time-to-first-finished-proposal benchmark is so much shorter and the cost saving is immediate.

Can I migrate from Aurora or OpenSolar to SurgePV?

Yes. From Aurora, export designs as DXF/DWG and proposal data as PDF. From OpenSolar, export designs as PDF and customer data as CSV. SurgePV’s importer ingests DXF for roof geometry and re-pulls satellite imagery cleanly from address. 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 the MNRE-approved subsidy proposal has to clear DISCOM scrutiny on yield and tariff assumptions. Neither Aurora nor OpenSolar ships native PM Surya Ghar support, which is one of the main reasons Indian installer teams have moved to SurgePV in 2026.