Solar · AI tools guide · 2026

10 AI tools for solar businesses — what each one does, how you'd use it, and what it costs

No hype, no jargon. Ten real AI (artificial intelligence) tools solar installers are using right now, grouped by the problem they fix: designing the roof and building the proposal, getting an accurate model before install day, catching website and phone leads, running the whole job from lead to turn-on, and keeping homeowners happy after the sale. For each one: what it does, how you'd use it in a normal week, the real price where the vendor publishes it, and who it's actually for.

Compare all 10 → How to choose

The short version

  • For most solar shops, the biggest win is faster design-and-proposal turnaround. Tools that build a roof model from satellite imagery and auto-place panels get a quote out the same day. OpenSolar does it for free; Aurora (from $135/user a month, billed annually) and Enact (from $279/month) are the paid heavyweights; Solargraf is priced by project volume.
  • If change orders keep eating your margin, get the design right before install. Scanifly flies a drone to capture an accurate 3D model that trues up the layout, so what you sold is what fits on the roof.
  • To catch leads you're losing, work the front door. Demand IQ puts an instant solar-quote widget on your website (from $410/month). An AI phone like Quo (from $15/user a month) or Podium answers the calls you can't.
  • To run the whole job in one place, look at a platform. Enerflo ties your design tool, lenders, contracts, and install tracking into one workflow from lead to turn-on. Bodhi keeps homeowners updated automatically and asks happy ones for reviews (free for up to 5 projects a month).
  • Pick one tool, run it 30 days, then add the next. If one extra closed install covers the cost, it's worth a trial. Don't buy five tools at once.
Don't want to set it up yourself? The Agentic AI Index lists local AI consultants who'll pick the right tools and get them running for you. It's free to use, and we take no cut from the consultants we list.
Find a local AI consultant →
At a glance

All 10 tools side by side

Starting prices are the vendor's published entry tier where they publish one. Several sales-led and enterprise tools quote by phone — those say "by quote."

A few of the tools below are affiliate links, so if you sign up through one we may earn a small commission. It costs you nothing extra and never changes your price, and we only list tools we'd recommend either way. Full disclosure.

ToolCategoryBest forStarting priceSetup time
Aurora Solar Solar design + sales platform Established installers + sales teams $135/user/mo (annual) A few days (onboarding)
OpenSolar Free solar design + CRM Cost-conscious + newer shops Free (core) Same day
Solargraf Solar design + proposals Residential sales teams $2,799/yr (Starter) A day or two
Scanifly Drone survey + 3D design Accuracy-focused installers By quote Onboarding + drone setup
Enact Systems Design + proposals + monitoring Design-to-monitoring in one tool $279/mo (annual) A day or two
Demand IQ Instant quotes + AI marketing Website + ad lead capture From $410/mo ~1 week (vendor-stated)
Enerflo Sales-to-install platform Sales orgs juggling many tools By quote Implementation (weeks)
Bodhi Homeowner experience + reviews Cutting status calls + cancellations Free tier; paid by quote A few days (sits on your CRM)
Quo (formerly OpenPhone) AI business phone Anyone missing calls $15/user/mo (annual) Minutes to an hour
Podium AI lead conversion + reviews Lead capture + reputation By quote (per seat) A few days

Pricing and setup times as of 2026-06-23. Always confirm current pricing with the vendor — plans and promos change.

The deep dives

The 10 tools, one at a time

Grouped roughly by what they fix. What it does, the standout features, how you'd use it in a real week, the price, who it's for, and one honest caveat each.

01

Aurora Solar

Solar design + sales platform

What it is. Aurora is a cloud solar design and sales platform. You build a 3D model of a customer's roof from imagery, drop in panels, run shade and production analysis, and turn out a sales proposal — all without climbing on the roof. It's the engineering-grade option a lot of bigger installers and sales teams standardize on.

Standout features
  • Aurora AI. Generates a 3D roof model, obstructions and all, in seconds from imagery, with AI obstruction detection. This sits on the Enterprise tier (or as an add-on), not the entry plans.
  • AutoDesigner. Automatic panel placement that builds a layout to hit an energy target, plus automated stringing and fire-pathway placement.
  • LiDAR shade reports. LiDAR (light detection and ranging, a laser-based mapping method) drives shading and irradiance analysis accurate enough for financing. On Premium and up.
  • Sales Mode proposals. Tablet-friendly interactive proposals with live panel placement, sun-path animations, and integrated financing.
  • AHJ database. Built-in details for 25,000+ US Authorities Having Jurisdiction (your local permitting body), plus a Contract Manager with e-signature.
A real week with it. A rep pulls up a homeowner's address, lets Aurora build the roof model, and runs AutoDesigner to drop a layout that hits the customer's energy target. They tweak it, check the shade report, and walk the homeowner through an interactive proposal on a tablet with financing baked in. Your designers handle the tricky roofs with LiDAR shading, and the signed deals route into Contract Manager for e-signature.
Pricing (as of 2026-06-23, confirm with vendor)Basic $159/user/mo ($135 annual), 1 user, 50 projects/mo. Premium $259/user/mo ($220 annual), adds LiDAR and bankable shade reports. Enterprise by quote — this is the tier with the full Aurora AI 3D modeling and APIs. Demo by request.
Best forEstablished residential and commercial installers and dedicated sales teams that want engineering-grade accuracy.
Honest take. It's the priciest design tool here, and the headline "15-second AI model" lives in the Enterprise tier, which is custom-priced. Basic and Premium buyers get strong design tools, just not the full AI modeling. There can also be per-project consumption costs, so get clear on exactly what's included before you sign.
Visit Aurora Solar → from $135/user/mo (annual)
02

OpenSolar

Free solar design + CRM

What it is. OpenSolar is a free, end-to-end solar platform: design, proposal, sell, and project-manage in one place. It makes its money from hardware and finance partners instead of charging you a license, so the core product has no per-seat fee. For a small shop, that's a real design-to-proposal-to-CRM (customer relationship management) system for nothing.

Standout features
  • Ada AI assistant. Added in the OS 3.0 release in early 2026, an in-app AI assistant for the design and sales workflow.
  • Auto Design. Automatic system layout from imagery, so you're not drawing every panel by hand.
  • AI lead gen. AI-powered lead tools for your own website, plus a public "PROfile" listing.
  • Sales Machine proposals. Interactive custom proposals with integrated financing, e-signature, and payments.
  • Project Management CRM + Shop. A full CRM, materials ordering and bill of materials, and on-demand permitting in the same platform.
A real week with it. You design each new lead's system with Auto Design, send an interactive proposal with financing options, and collect an e-signature and deposit — with no software bill. You run the pipeline in the built-in CRM and order materials through Shop. Because everything stays inside OpenSolar, you pay nothing. The only charges show up if you later wire data out to an outside CRM or accounting tool.
Pricing (as of 2026-06-23, confirm with vendor)The core app is free — unlimited users, no contract, for the full design/sell/manage workflow. As of April 2026, OpenSolar charges only for external API access (30-day free trial, billed through an in-app wallet) and accounting connectors. Those dollar amounts aren't published; get a quote for your integrations.
Best forCost-conscious residential installers, especially newer or smaller shops that want a genuinely free all-in-one platform.
Honest take. "Free" is real for work you do inside the platform. But if your shop relies on syncing OpenSolar with an outside CRM or accounting system, you'll pay for that API and connector layer, and the price for it isn't posted, so ask before you count on those integrations.
Visit OpenSolar → free core platform
03

Solargraf

Solar design + proposals

What it is. Solargraf (an Enphase company) is a solar design and proposal tool built for sales teams and installers to scope, sell, and deliver projects from any device, including an iPad in the customer's living room. It rolls design, shading, proposals, financing, permitting, and a CRM into project-based annual plans.

Standout features
  • Smart Designer with auto roofline detection. It detects the roof outline for you to speed up the layout; the vendor markets a roughly 3-minute design-to-proposal turnaround.
  • NREL-verified shading. Shading and production analysis checked against NREL (the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory) standards.
  • Battery and electrical design. Battery sizing, electrical design tools, and Power Control Systems support.
  • Permit-ready plan sets. Grid-tied and off-grid residential plan sets with engineering stamps through a network of 200+ experts.
  • Proposals, financing, e-signature. Custom-branded proposals with financing and e-signature, plus HD aerial imagery from Nearmap and EagleView.
A real week with it. Your sales team scopes new leads with auto roofline detection and a quick shading pass, then turns out branded proposals fast enough to present same-day on an iPad in the customer's living room. Financing and e-signature live inside the proposal, so deals close on the spot. Back-office staff order permit-ready plan sets with engineering stamps for the signed jobs, all tracked in the CRM.
Pricing (as of 2026-06-23, confirm with vendor)Billed annually: Starter $2,799/yr (240 projects, 2 users), Small Business $4,799/yr (480 projects, 4 users), Teams $6,399/yr (720 projects, 6 users), Enterprise $12,999/yr (1,500 projects, unlimited users, API included). Public API on lower tiers is a $4,000/yr add-on. Demo by request.
Best forResidential solar sales teams and small-to-midsize installers who want fast, mobile, in-home proposals with permitting and financing built in.
Honest take. Pricing is metered by both projects and users, so a busy team can blow past the plan limits fast. Overage runs $9 to $11 per extra project and up to $1,440 per extra user. Map your real annual project count and headcount before you pick a tier, and note that API access is $4,000/yr unless you're on Enterprise.
Visit Solargraf → from $2,799/yr
04

Scanifly

Drone survey + 3D design

What it is. Scanifly is a solar design platform built around drone photogrammetry — building a measurable 3D model from a bunch of overlapping drone photos. You design remotely with AI for the sale, then fly a drone to capture an accurate on-site model that trues up the design, so the system actually fits on install day. That cuts change orders, revisions, and extra trips back out.

Standout features
  • DroneDesign. Photorealistic 3D models from a roughly 5-minute drone flight, accurate to within 1 to 3 inches of hand measurements. Works with any GPS drone with a good camera; Scanifly doesn't sell the drone.
  • PrelimDesign. Front-end remote design from satellite imagery and LiDAR shading for fast sales estimates, with a simple sales-design mode.
  • AI design + obstruction detection. AI builds the model and layout and flags roof obstructions.
  • Viewshed shading. On-site shading reports comparable to a handheld sun-path tool, accepted by major regulators and lenders.
  • Field Ops app + plan sets. iOS and Android checklists for structural, electrical, and property capture, CAD export, and stamped permit-ready plan sets via its design services.
A real week with it. Early in the week a rep runs quick remote estimates from imagery to size systems and talk numbers with homeowners. After a sale, a surveyor flies a 5-minute drone capture instead of climbing the roof; Scanifly builds an exact 3D model, and a designer trues up the layout with real shading so it'll fit on install day. The finished design exports to CAD or becomes a stamped plan set, and field data is logged in the app for a clean handoff to the install crew.
Pricing (as of 2026-06-23, confirm with vendor)By quote. Scanifly publishes no prices; access is "Book a Demo." Budget beyond software too: the drone workflow needs a commercial-grade drone, a trained operator, and an FAA Part 107 remote-pilot license for paid flights. If you don't have a drone, Scanifly can outsource the survey for a fee.
Best forQuality-focused residential and commercial installers who'll add a drone-survey step to cut change orders and revisions.
Honest take. The accuracy edge depends on actually flying drones — that means buying and maintaining one, training operators, getting an FAA Part 107 license, and likely drone insurance, which is real time and money on top of the unpublished software cost. If you're not ready to run drones, you get less of the point and lean on the pricier outsourced-survey option.
Visit Scanifly → pricing by quote
05

Enact Systems

Design + proposals + monitoring

What it is. Enact is an all-in-one solar and storage platform that takes a job from sales design through proposal, installation, and long-term system monitoring. You model a roof from a satellite image, run shading and production, build a financed proposal, then keep watching the installed system's performance after it's on. It works for installers, sales teams, and project managers.

Standout features
  • 3D roof modeling with auto shading. Enter an address, generate a roof model from satellite imagery, and it calculates shading and production estimates for you.
  • Financed proposals. Set up Loan, Lease, and PPA (power purchase agreement) options and compare the cash-flows side by side, in branded templates.
  • PVCAD engineering add-on. Produces permit-ready engineering drawings as an AutoCAD plug-in; the vendor claims it cuts design time about in half.
  • AI-enabled asset management. Monitors inverters and batteries across brands with AI performance reports, issue tracking, and alerts — a recurring-revenue service for installers.
  • Enact Home app. A consumer app that shows the homeowner real-time savings and ROI (return on investment) after install, with a referral path back to you.
A real week with it. Monday you pull up a new lead's address, generate the roof model, clear panels out of the low-sun spots, and send a financing-comparison proposal that afternoon. Midweek a designer uses the PVCAD add-on to turn an approved design into permit drawings. Friday you check the asset-management dashboard, spot an underperforming inverter the system flagged, and book a service call before the customer even notices.
Pricing (as of 2026-06-23, confirm with vendor)Design & Proposals $279/mo billed annually ($299 monthly), 2 users, unlimited residential projects, 10 new commercial/mo. Engineering (PVCAD) from $325/mo annual, 1 user (or $400/mo with an AutoCAD license bundled). Asset Management by quote. Free trial available.
Best forResidential and small-commercial installers who want design, proposals, and long-term monitoring in one tool instead of stitching point tools together.
Honest take. The advertised $279 Design tier caps at 2 users and 10 new commercial projects a month, so a growing team or a commercial-heavy shop bumps into the quote-only tiers fast, which makes your real all-in cost hard to know from the public page. Engineering (PVCAD) is a separate per-user line item on top.
Visit Enact Systems → from $279/mo (annual)
06

Demand IQ

Instant quotes + AI marketing

What it is. Demand IQ is a lead-generation and AI-marketing platform for home-services contractors, solar included. Its core for solar is an instant online estimate widget homeowners use on your website to get a ballpark price without a sales call. As of 2026 it's repackaged around two named AI agents: "Mia," a marketing agent, and "Ace," an AI customer-service rep.

Standout features
  • Online instant estimates. An embeddable widget that gives homeowners an instant ballpark solar price from satellite imagery and utility data, capturing the lead before they call around. This is Demand IQ's original product.
  • Mia, the AI marketing agent. Generates short video ads from your reviews and photos and writes ad copy for Facebook and Instagram — no filming or editing.
  • Ace, the AI CSR. An AI customer-service rep that texts leads back in seconds, follows up on estimates, recovers no-shows, and books appointments 24/7.
  • No-code estimate funnels. Build qualification flows (intent, budget, feasibility) with no developer, as a chatbot or a click-through, deployed by website plugin, QR code, or link.
  • Online scheduling + CRM hand-off. Prospects self-book time slots, and qualified lead data passes straight into your CRM.
A real week with it. You embed the estimate widget on your site, so weekend visitors get an instant price and land in your CRM as qualified leads. Mia spins up a few new video ads from recent 5-star reviews and runs them on Facebook. As leads come in, Ace texts each one within seconds, answers basic questions, and books site visits onto the calendar, so by Friday your week is mostly pre-booked appointments instead of phone tag.
Pricing (as of 2026-06-23, confirm with vendor)AI Marketing (Mia) from $410/mo, scaling with lead volume and number of sites. Tiers are Starter, Pro, and Enterprise; the Pro and Enterprise dollar figures aren't published. A Mia + Ace bundle saves 15%. Free demo; most contractors are live in about a week.
Best forResidential solar contractors who want to capture and convert website and ad leads automatically without hiring a marketing person or a CSR.
Honest take. The product has shifted hard toward a broad, multi-trade "AI marketing agent" model rather than a solar-specific quoting tool. The video-ad and booked-appointment claims are the vendor's own marketing numbers, not independently checked, and any price above the $410 starting point needs a quote.
Visit Demand IQ → from $410/mo
07

Enerflo

Sales-to-install platform

What it is. Enerflo is an all-in-one "lead-to-PTO" operating platform for US residential solar — PTO meaning Permission to Operate, the utility's final OK to switch the system on. It pulls sales, financing, contracts, install tracking, and homeowner communication into one system of record. It's built to be CRM-agnostic, so instead of replacing your tools it connects them: Aurora, OpenSolar, lenders, and more.

Standout features
  • Sales Core. One unified sales workflow: pipeline, scheduling, AI-powered design, battery sizing, savings forecaster, proposal builder, financing, real-time pricing, and e-signature in a single login.
  • Optimus proposals + design integrations. A built-in proposal tool with a savings calculator, plus deep integration with design tools accepted by most solar lenders.
  • Docflo document engine. Assembles signing packets (interconnection agreements, rebate forms, HOA docs) in seconds.
  • Smart Pulls + title checks. Soft credit checks that suggest the lender most likely to approve, plus property-title verification to catch errors before install.
  • Install Tracker + customer portal. Milestone-based project management and a white-labeled homeowner portal for status, documents, and referrals.
A real week with it. A sales dealer runs the whole week inside Enerflo: reps build AI designs and proposals in Sales Core, run a soft credit pull to pick the right lender, and close with e-signature, no jumping between tools. Docflo generates the signing packet in seconds. Operations watches permits and inspections move through Install Tracker, while homeowners track progress and upload documents in the branded portal. Dashboards show pull-through and cycle time by rep on Friday.
Pricing (as of 2026-06-23, confirm with vendor)By quote. Enerflo charges a flat monthly rate based on your average monthly volume — not per seat, design, or contract. Expect a one-time implementation fee and a 12-month minimum. Core integrations are included; custom API work costs extra. US residential only.
Best forUS residential solar sales orgs and installers that want one hub to run lead-to-PTO without ripping out their existing CRM or design tool.
Honest take. No published pricing, plus a one-time implementation fee and a 12-month minimum, means a real budget number takes a sales call and a year-long commitment — heavier than a self-serve tool for a small shop. It's also residential-solar and US-only, so it won't fit commercial-heavy or international contractors.
Visit Enerflo → pricing by quote
08

Bodhi

Homeowner experience + reviews

What it is. Bodhi is a solar customer-experience platform that automates homeowner communication, project tracking, and review and referral generation. It sits on top of your existing CRM (it's not a CRM itself) and keeps customers updated automatically from the sale through install and beyond. You use it to cut down "where's my project?" calls, catch unhappy customers early, and turn happy ones into reviews and referrals.

Standout features
  • Automated project updates. Messages triggered by CRM fields, calendar dates, or time elapsed keep homeowners in the loop without anyone typing them.
  • White-labeled homeowner app. A branded customer web app with a live project tracker and a document and photo repository.
  • Team inbox. Text, email, and in-app messages in one inbox with templates and internal notes; texts go from a local area-code number on paid tiers.
  • AI sentiment analysis. Real-time scoring on customer messages, plus AI-suggested responses to head off an escalation before it blows up.
  • AI support agent + automated reviews. An AI assistant that answers customer questions for you (Pro tier), plus automatic review and referral requests after the job.
A real week with it. Instead of project managers fielding "what's the status?" calls all week, Bodhi auto-texts each homeowner as the job hits milestones, and customers self-serve answers in the branded app. The sentiment tool flags a frustrated customer Wednesday so a manager calls before it becomes a cancellation. After install, Bodhi automatically asks happy customers for a Google review and a referral, turning finished jobs into next week's leads.
Pricing (as of 2026-06-23, confirm with vendor)Free tier ($0, up to 5 new projects/mo, 60 total) with the inbox, branded app, and tracker. Starter and Pro add automation, surveys, reviews, CRM sync, and the AI features — both sold in quote-based project packages, so the public "$0" on those is a placeholder. Bodhi was acquired by OneEthos in March 2026.
Best forInstallers, especially those already running a CRM, who want to automate homeowner communication, cut status calls and cancellations, and drive reviews and referrals.
Honest take. Bodhi only handles the after-sale customer-experience layer — it's not a design, proposal, or CRM tool, and the Pro tier needs you to already run a supported CRM. The Starter and Pro prices read "$0," but that's a placeholder for quote-based project packages, so don't expect the paid tiers to actually be free.
Visit Bodhi → free tier; paid by quote
09

Quo (formerly OpenPhone)

AI business phone

What it is. Quo is a business phone that runs as an app on your phone and computer, no extra hardware. It gives your solar business a real business number for calling and texting customers, with an AI agent that answers when you can't. (OpenPhone rebranded to Quo in late 2025; same product.)

Standout features
  • Sona AI agent. An AI that answers calls 24/7 so you don't lose a lead when you're on a roof or after hours. Included on all plans.
  • AI call summaries and transcripts. After a call you get a bulleted summary, a "next steps" list, and a time-stamped transcript.
  • Shared business number. The office and any installer can see and answer the same line; your personal cell stays private.
  • Unlimited US/Canada calling and texting. Plus scheduled messages, auto-replies, and saved snippets for "on my way" and quote follow-ups.
  • AI call tags and message responses. On higher tiers, plus a ChatGPT/Claude connection to analyze your calls and texts.
A real week with it. Every customer call and text hits one shared business line, so whoever's free can pick it up. When you're up on a roof or asleep, Sona answers, takes a message, or handles a simple question. After each call, a written summary and action items land in the thread, so the "call them back about the battery add-on" note doesn't get lost. You text confirmations and "on my way" updates from the same number.
Pricing (as of 2026-06-23, confirm with vendor)Per user, per month. Starter $15 annual ($19 monthly), Business $23 annual ($33 monthly), Scale $35 annual ($47 monthly). 7-day free trial. Sona includes a free monthly call allowance, then paid credit packs.
Best forAny solar shop losing leads to missed calls, from a solo operator up to a small team.
Honest take. On the cheapest Starter plan, AI summaries and transcripts only apply to the calls Sona handles. To get them on all your regular calls you need the Business plan ($23/user/mo annual). And Sona's free allowance is small before you buy more credits, so price that in if you expect heavy after-hours volume.
Visit Quo → from $15/user/mo (annual)
10

Podium

AI lead conversion + reviews

What it is. Podium is a lead conversion, messaging, reviews, and payments platform for local businesses. For a solar shop it works the front door: its AI Employee answers every "what would solar cost me?" call and text, books site assessments, asks happy customers for Google reviews after turn-on, and takes deposit and balance payments, all from one inbox. Podium frames it as an "AI Operating System" for the front office.

Standout features
  • AI Employee. Answers calls and texts 24/7, qualifies the homeowner, presents next steps, and books the site assessment onto your calendar. Trained for home-services trades, solar included.
  • AI Salesperson and AI Scheduler. Turn leads from any channel into booked appointments around the clock.
  • AI Reputation specialist. Auto-responds to reviews and helps you show up higher on Google.
  • All-in-one inbox + payments. Webchat, text, email, phone, and payments in one place.
  • Integrations. Connects with common field-service and CRM systems so booked jobs land where you run them.
A real week with it. A homeowner fills out your website chat at 9 PM asking what panels would cost on their roof; the AI Employee answers in seconds, qualifies them, and books a site assessment, so you wake up to a scheduled roof visit instead of a lead that called the next installer. The same inbox handles all your homeowner texts through the long sell-to-install wait. After the system's turned on, Podium asks for a Google review and runs follow-up marketing, and the customer can pay a deposit or balance by text.
Pricing (as of 2026-06-23, confirm with vendor)By quote. Podium no longer publishes plan prices; plans are priced per seat, and the AI Employee is a paid add-on on top of a base plan.
Best forSolar shops that live or die by inbound leads and reputation, with one or more reps.
Honest take. Pricing is fully quote-gated and per-seat, with the AI features sold as add-ons, so the real monthly cost is hard to pin down upfront and climbs with headcount. Historically Podium has been one of the pricier options in this category. Get a written quote before you commit.
Visit Podium → pricing by quote
How to choose

Which one should you start with?

You don't need all ten. Pick the one that fixes your biggest, most expensive problem, run it for 30 days, and add the next only if the first one earned its keep.

Proposals are slow

If you're building designs and quotes at the kitchen table after dark, a design tool pays for itself fast. OpenSolar is free and does the whole design-to-proposal flow. Aurora (from $135/user a month) and Enact (from $279/mo) are the paid options with deeper engineering, and Solargraf turns out branded proposals fast, priced by project volume.

Change orders eat your margin

If what you sold keeps not fitting the roof, the fix is an accurate model before install. Scanifly flies a drone to capture a true 3D model down to a few inches, so the design that gets sold is the one that gets built. Just budget for the drone and an FAA Part 107 license.

Leads slip away

If website visitors leave without a quote, or calls go unanswered, work the front door. Demand IQ (from $410/mo) puts an instant-quote widget on your site and texts leads back. An AI phone like Quo (from $15/user a month) or Podium catches the calls you can't pick up.

Your tools and jobs are scattered

If your design tool, lenders, contracts, and install tracking all live in different places, a platform pulls them together. Enerflo runs the whole job from lead to turn-on. Bodhi keeps homeowners updated and asks happy ones for reviews, and its free tier covers up to 5 projects a month.

A simple 30-day plan

  1. Find your biggest bottleneck.

    Pick the one thing that loses you the most money or time: slow proposals, change orders, leads that never get a quote, or cancellations after the sale. Be honest about which one stings most.

  2. Match it to one tool, not five.

    Slow proposals go to a design tool. Install-day accuracy goes to Scanifly. Website leads go to Demand IQ or an AI phone. Scattered tools go to a platform like Enerflo. Status calls go to Bodhi. One tool.

  3. Run a 30-day pilot on real jobs.

    Most of these offer a free trial or a demo. Turn it on for real designs, real leads, or real customer updates, and measure the one thing you wanted to fix.

  4. Train whoever designs and sells.

    The person building proposals and talking to homeowners is the heaviest user. Get them comfortable before anything else changes.

  5. Check the number, then expand or swap.

    Faster proposals? More booked site visits? Fewer cancellations? If it moved, keep it and add the next tool. If it didn't, swap the tool, not the whole plan.

Rough budget to start: a lot of solar shops can get going for free (OpenSolar) or somewhere around $135 to $410 a month on one paid tool, before any setup or implementation fees. The trick isn't spending more, it's picking the right one. If one extra closed install covers the cost, it's worth a trial. And if you'd rather not wire it up yourself, a local AI consultant from our free directory can pick the tools and set them up for you.
Common questions

Solar installers ask us these

What's the best AI tool for designing a solar system without climbing the roof?

Most modern solar design tools build a roof model from satellite or aerial imagery so you can lay out panels from your desk. Aurora Solar and Enact build a 3D model and run shade and production analysis from an address; OpenSolar does the same and is free to use; Solargraf auto-detects the roofline for a fast layout. If you want install-day accuracy, Scanifly adds a quick drone flight to true up the design. Aurora starts at $135 per user a month billed annually, Enact at $279 a month, OpenSolar is free, and Solargraf starts at $2,799 a year. Pricing as of 2026-06-23; confirm with each vendor.

Can AI really design a solar layout from a satellite photo?

Yes, for a sales-grade design you review, not a final stamped plan. Tools like Aurora, OpenSolar, Solargraf, and Enact pull aerial imagery, build a roof model, and auto-place panels to hit an energy target in minutes. You still check the shading, the real measurements, and the electrical before it becomes a permit set. For the highest accuracy, Scanifly uses a drone to capture a true 3D model on site, which the vendor says lands within 1 to 3 inches of hand measurements. Confirm current features with each vendor.

Which solar software is cheapest to start with?

OpenSolar is free for the full design-to-proposal-to-CRM workflow; you only pay if you wire data out to an external CRM or accounting tool, and that pricing isn't published. After that, Aurora's Basic plan is $135 per user a month billed annually ($159 monthly), and Enact's Design & Proposals plan is $279 a month billed annually. Bodhi has a genuinely free tier for up to 5 new projects a month. Quo, for the phone side, starts at $15 per user a month. Pricing as of 2026-06-23; confirm with each vendor.

How much do AI tools for solar installers actually cost?

It's a wide range. OpenSolar's core is free. An AI phone like Quo starts at $15 per user a month. Aurora design starts at $135 per user a month billed annually, Enact at $279 a month, and Demand IQ's AI marketing at $410 a month. Solargraf is priced by project volume, from $2,799 a year. The sales-to-install and enterprise tools (Scanifly, Enerflo, Podium, and Bodhi's paid tiers) are quote-based, so you have to ask. A good rule: if one extra closed install covers the cost, it's worth a 30-day trial. Pricing as of 2026-06-23; confirm with each vendor.

Do I need a drone to use Scanifly?

To get Scanifly's main benefit, yes. Its accuracy comes from flying a drone to capture a real 3D model of the roof, which the vendor says cuts change orders and revisions. That means a commercial-grade drone, a trained operator, and an FAA Part 107 remote-pilot license for paid commercial flights, plus likely drone insurance. Scanifly doesn't sell drones. You can still use its remote design tools for sales estimates, or pay Scanifly to outsource the survey, but the drone step is the point. This is general information; confirm FAA requirements for your situation.

What's the difference between a design tool and a sales-to-install platform?

A design tool (Aurora, OpenSolar, Solargraf, Scanifly) focuses on modeling the roof, laying out panels, and producing a proposal. A sales-to-install platform like Enerflo runs the whole job from lead to Permission to Operate: it ties your design tool, your lenders, your contracts, and your install tracking into one workflow. A common setup is one design tool plus one platform on top. Start with whichever fixes your biggest pain, then connect the second. Confirm current integrations with each vendor.

Can these tools handle financing options like loan, lease, and PPA in the proposal?

Many do. Aurora, OpenSolar, Solargraf, Enact, and Enerflo all build financing into the proposal, so a homeowner can compare a cash purchase, a loan, a lease, or a PPA (power purchase agreement) side by side, often with e-signature right there. Enact lets you set up Loan, Lease, and PPA options and compare cash-flows; Enerflo runs soft credit checks to suggest the lender most likely to approve. Confirm which lenders each tool integrates with before you commit.

Can these AI tools work together, or do I have to pick one?

Many of them connect. Platforms like Enerflo are built to plug into design tools (Aurora, OpenSolar) and lenders; Bodhi sits on top of your existing CRM; AI phones and lead tools (Quo, Podium, Demand IQ) feed your pipeline. A common stack is one design tool, one platform or CRM to run the job, and one phone or lead tool to catch the calls and web leads you'd otherwise miss. Start with one, get it working, then add the next. Confirm current integrations with each vendor.
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Sources

Every price and feature on this page was checked against the vendor's own current website on 2026-06-23. Prices and plans change, so confirm with the vendor before you buy. Growth and revenue figures vendors state about themselves are their own claims, not independently verified.

Last reviewed: 2026-06-23. Pricing and features verified against each vendor's site on this date. Confirm current pricing with the vendor before purchasing.
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