People search Aurora vs OpenSolar because the two tools look like the only credible US residential design platforms. Aurora is the paid incumbent. OpenSolar is the free challenger. Both ship a satellite-to-proposal motion that a sales rep can run on a tablet. The line between them is not just sticker price. It is the difference between a flat per-seat subscription and a percentage cut on every financed deal, and that gap changes the math for any installer doing more than ten residential systems per month. This guide is a working comparison from a design bench that has shipped both tools through permit.
Direct answer. Aurora wins for US residential installers above ten systems per month who want a mature AI design engine, a 50-state AHJ library, and a per-seat subscription with no per-deal cut. OpenSolar wins for installers under ten systems per month who want a zero-upfront cost and accept the 0.8 to 1.5 percent transaction fee on financed deals as the payment. The third option neither side usually considers is SurgePV at $1,299 per seat per year flat, with no transaction fees, full 8,760-hour shading, an NEC SLD, and a white-label proposal on the standard tier. The direct breakdown is at the SurgePV Aurora vs OpenSolar page.
Both Tools at a Glance
The fastest read on these two platforms is by total cost per financed deal, not by feature checklist. The table below is what we use internally when an installer asks which to pick.
| Dimension | Aurora Solar | OpenSolar |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | $159 to $259 per user per month | Free seat, 0.8 to 1.5 percent on financed deals |
| Primary market | US residential and small C&I | US, Australia, UK residential |
| AI roof design | Yes, mature engine | Yes, lighter engine |
| AHJ library | 50-state preset | Limited preset, designer supplies |
| Shading model | Hourly on Grow, module-level top tier | Hour-banded, no full module-level |
| NEC single-line diagram | Yes, top tier | No |
| Proposal output | Sales Mode add-on, polished | Built-in residential proposal |
| Customer portal | Yes, branded | Yes, branded |
| Transaction fees | None | 0.8 to 1.5 percent on financed deals |
| Bankability | Residential lender accepted | Residential lender accepted with limits |
| Learning curve | Two weeks for a sales rep | One to two weeks for a sales rep |
The split is real. Aurora is the mature engine with no per-deal cut. OpenSolar is the free engine with a transaction fee that scales with the deal size. Picking between them is a math problem, and the breakeven happens earlier than most installers think.
Where Aurora Wins
Aurora’s defensible advantages over OpenSolar are not about the AI or the proposal polish (both are now close). They are about the simulation honesty, the AHJ depth, and the per-deal cost structure for any installer doing volume.
Mature AI roof recognition
Aurora’s AI roof engine has had five more years of training than OpenSolar’s. On complex roofs (hip-and-valley, dormer, multi-plane), Aurora’s trace is usually closer to the satellite tile and requires fewer manual edits. For a designer doing five projects per day, the time saved per project compounds into meaningful weekly throughput.
Fifty-state AHJ library
Aurora ships preconfigured AHJ rule sets for all fifty US states. OpenSolar has a partial library and relies on the designer to apply local rules. For a residential installer working California, Arizona, Texas, and Florida in the same week, Aurora’s AHJ depth saves real time at the layout-to-permit step. For more on what AHJ requirements actually involve, see our AHJ glossary entry.
No per-deal cut
Aurora’s per-seat subscription is fixed. A three-seat installer paying $9,300 per year for Aurora pays the same whether they close ten deals or one hundred. OpenSolar charges 0.8 to 1.5 percent on every financed deal. At twenty residential deals per month averaging $25,000 each, the OpenSolar fee runs $48,000 to $90,000 per year, which is five to ten times the Aurora subscription.
AURORA PROS
- Mature AI roof recognition
- 50-state AHJ preset library
- NEC 2023 SLD generator on top tier
- No transaction fee on financed deals
- Predictable per-seat budget
AURORA CONS
- $159 to $259 per user per month entry cost
- Module-level shading on top tier only
- Sales Mode is an add-on, not standard
- Higher upfront commitment for low-volume teams
For the broader Aurora replacement landscape, see our review of Aurora Solar alternatives.
Where OpenSolar Wins
OpenSolar built a credible counter-position to Aurora by giving away the seat and monetizing the financed deal. For a low-volume installer, the math works in OpenSolar’s favor. For a sales-led residential team that wants a customer-facing proposal without a per-seat budget conversation, the tool is genuinely competitive.
Zero upfront cost
A two-person installer running three projects per month pays nothing for an OpenSolar seat. The transaction fee on three financed deals per month at $25,000 each runs roughly $7,200 to $13,500 per year. Aurora’s equivalent two-seat subscription runs $3,816 to $6,216 per year, which is lower at this volume but requires the budget upfront.
Decent residential proposal
OpenSolar’s built-in residential proposal is competitive with Aurora’s Sales Mode for a basic close. The customer-facing portal is branded, mobile-friendly, and includes a financing tile. For an installer who does not want a separate proposal tool, OpenSolar removes that line item.
Australian and UK markets
OpenSolar has a stronger international footprint than Aurora, especially in Australia and the UK. For an installer operating in multiple countries, the platform is easier to standardize across markets than Aurora.
OPENSOLAR PROS
- Zero upfront seat cost
- Built-in residential proposal
- One to two week ramp
- Strong international footprint
- Mobile-friendly customer portal
OPENSOLAR CONS
- 0.8 to 1.5 percent transaction fee on financed deals
- Hour-banded shading, no full module-level
- No NEC single-line diagram generator
- Limited AHJ preset library
- Lighter AI engine on complex roofs
For the wider OpenSolar replacement set, see our review of OpenSolar alternatives.
The Hidden Third Option: SurgePV
Most installers running the Aurora vs OpenSolar decision miss a third platform that resolves the trade-off both tools force. SurgePV charges a flat per-seat subscription like Aurora, ships full 8,760-hour shading and an NEC SLD like Aurora’s top tier, and includes the customer proposal in the standard tier like OpenSolar. There is no transaction fee on financed deals.
What SurgePV ships at $1,299 per seat per year
The standard SurgePV plan ships AI 3D roof design, 8,760-hour simulation, NEC 2023 SLD generation, white-label proposals, an AutoCAD DXF export, and Clara AI for design-time assistance. For a residential installer currently paying OpenSolar’s transaction fee, the breakeven is around ten financed deals per month at a $25,000 average ticket.
$1,299
Per seat per year, flat
SurgePV standard, 2026
0%
Transaction fee on deals
vs 0.8 to 1.5 percent on OpenSolar
10
Deals per month breakeven
vs OpenSolar transaction fee
Why most installers miss it
SurgePV is younger than Aurora and OpenSolar, and the marketing spend is smaller. The installers who do find it are typically two years into an OpenSolar workflow, watching the transaction fees climb past their Aurora budget, and asking whether they can keep the proposal motion without the per-deal cut. You can book a SurgePV demo to walk through a residential project end to end.
Pricing Comparison
The three-way pricing picture is where the OpenSolar position breaks at any meaningful volume.
| Cost line | Aurora Solar | OpenSolar | SurgePV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per-seat | $159 to $259 per user per month | Free | $1,299 to $1,899 per seat per year |
| Transaction fee | None | 0.8 to 1.5 percent on financed | None |
| 8,760-hour shading | Top tier only | Hour-banded only | Every tier |
| NEC SLD | Top tier only | Not included | Every tier |
| Customer proposal | Sales Mode add-on | Included | Included |
| AHJ presets | 50-state | Limited | Limited (US-focused) |
| Three-seat annual cost | $5,700 to $9,300 | Variable on deal volume | $3,897 flat |
| Twenty deals per month at $25k | Subscription only | $48,000 to $90,000 | Subscription only |
The bottom row is the line that matters. An installer doing twenty financed deals per month pays nothing per seat on OpenSolar but $48,000 to $90,000 per year in transaction fees. On Aurora, the same installer pays $5,700 to $9,300 per year in seat fees. On SurgePV pricing the same installer pays $3,897 per year flat. The OpenSolar “free” tier is the most expensive of the three at meaningful volume.
The Paid-vs-Free Decision Framework
We tell installers asking us this question to walk through three numbers.
How many financed deals per month?
Under five financed deals per month at a $25,000 average ticket, OpenSolar's transaction fee is roughly $1,200 to $2,250 per year. The Aurora or SurgePV per-seat cost is higher, and OpenSolar wins. Above five financed deals per month, the fee climbs past most paid subscriptions.
How many states is the team selling into?
If the team is selling into more than four states, the 50-state AHJ preset library is a real time saver. Aurora wins on this dimension, and SurgePV is a close second with US-focused presets and faster custom-rule entry. OpenSolar requires the designer to hand-code AHJ rules in more states.
Does the team need an NEC SLD in the package?
If yes, Aurora's top tier or SurgePV's standard tier are the live options. OpenSolar does not generate an NEC SLD, which means a third tool or an external design partner is required for any permit office that asks for one.
The framework also tells installers when none of the three is right. For installers doing heavy ground-mount or carport work, the residential design platforms are not the right shelf at all; see our review of commercial solar design software.
Or Skip Both: SurgePV in One Tool
For most US residential installers above five financed deals per month, the cleanest answer is SurgePV at $1,299 per seat per year, no transaction fee, with the proposal and the NEC SLD in the box. For installers under five financed deals per month, OpenSolar’s free seat plus transaction fee is still the cheapest answer. For installers above twenty financed deals per month who want the most mature AI engine specifically, Aurora is still defensible.
See an Aurora-to-SurgePV migration in practice
Download a sample residential design package shipped through SurgePV, including the proposal, NEC SLD, and structural callouts a permit office expects.
Download samplesHow Heaven Designs Helps
We are a working solar design bench. We ship permit-ready residential and C&I packages on behalf of installers who currently run Aurora, OpenSolar, or SurgePV. We do not sell software; we ship the design deliverable. The reason this comparison is granular is that we run all three on live projects.
When an installer asks us which to pick, we usually recommend running the existing license through one quarter and routing the next ten projects through the candidate platform to test the AHJ depth and the proposal workflow on real homeowners. The Heaven Designs rooftop detailed engineering design, permit design, and 3D pre-design services are platform-agnostic. If the team also runs a sales-side CRM like QuickEstimate for the finance step, we coordinate the hand-off so the proposal numbers and the engineering package match.
For installers who want a deeper read on the residential segment, see our reviews of Aurora Solar alternatives, OpenSolar alternatives, USA solar design software, and solar proposal software. For installers looking specifically at California permit rules, our solar design software guide covers the AHJ-side picture.
According to SEIA market data, US residential financing penetration reached 78 percent of new installs in 2025, which means the transaction fee question is no longer hypothetical. According to NREL’s 2024 US PV benchmark, residential installer soft costs run 60 to 65 cents per watt, and the design platform line item is one of the few an installer can directly control. The IEA PVPS research program tracks the same cost trend across major PV markets.
To talk through a specific volume and which of the three platforms fits, contact us with a project sample.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Aurora better than OpenSolar for residential?
Aurora wins for installers above ten financed deals per month, where the OpenSolar transaction fee climbs past the Aurora seat cost, and for installers operating in more than four states where the 50-state AHJ preset library saves real time. OpenSolar wins for installers under five financed deals per month who want zero upfront cost.
How much does OpenSolar cost in 2026?
OpenSolar’s seat is free. The platform charges 0.8 to 1.5 percent on financed deals routed through OpenSolar’s finance partners. At a $25,000 average residential ticket, that is $200 to $375 per financed deal, or $48,000 to $90,000 per year on twenty deals per month.
How much does Aurora cost in 2026?
Aurora’s Grow tier runs around $159 per user per month and Sales Mode pushes the effective cost to roughly $259 per user per month. A three-seat residential team pays between $5,700 and $9,300 per year. There is no transaction fee on financed deals.
Does OpenSolar generate NEC single-line diagrams?
No. OpenSolar does not generate NEC 2023 single-line diagrams. Aurora’s top tier does. SurgePV ships the NEC SLD on the standard tier. For a permit office that requires a stamped SLD, OpenSolar will require a separate tool or an external design partner.
Can SurgePV replace OpenSolar for a low-volume installer?
For an installer under five financed deals per month, OpenSolar’s free seat is still cheaper. For an installer above five financed deals per month, SurgePV at $1,299 per seat per year is usually cheaper net of OpenSolar’s transaction fees, with full 8,760-hour shading and the NEC SLD in the box.
Does Aurora have module-level shading at the entry tier?
No. Aurora reserves module-level shading for the top tier. The Grow tier ships hourly shading without the module-level breakdown. For installers selling in heavy-shading suburban markets (California, Arizona, Texas), the top tier is usually required, which pushes the effective cost higher.
Where does Heaven Designs fit in this comparison?
Heaven Designs is a working solar design bench. We ship residential and C&I design packages on behalf of installers running Aurora, OpenSolar, and SurgePV. We do not sell software. We run all three platforms on live projects every quarter, which is why this comparison is written from a working-bench perspective.
What about HelioScope for a residential installer?
HelioScope is built for C&I and utility-scale work, not residential. There is no customer-facing proposal, no 50-state AHJ library, and no NEC SLD. For a residential installer, HelioScope is the wrong shelf. For the C&I picture, see our HelioScope alternatives review.
