OpenSolar offers its core design platform 100% free of charge, as advertised on its homepage in October 2026. There are no user seat fees and no monthly subscriptions, making it a powerful entry point for solar installers before they need paid API integrations or premium imagery.
Disclosure: Scout Data is our product; treat that entry as a maker’s pitch and the rest as our honest read.
The free core platform
For a small to mid-sized solar installer, OpenSolar delivers a complete suite at no cost. You get system design, shading analysis, beautiful proposals, and basic CRM functionality. Unlike Aurora Solar pricing, which charges a premium per-user subscription, OpenSolar allows a growing team to add unlimited sales reps without increasing software overhead.
The platform is funded by hardware manufacturers and finance partners who pay to be integrated into the tool. If an installer works entirely within the OpenSolar ecosystem and uses standard satellite imagery, their monthly bill is effectively zero.
Pricing and claims on this page are as publicly advertised at the time of writing — confirm current pricing with each vendor, and with our sales team for Scout Data.
Where the costs appear
The costs of using OpenSolar emerge when a team needs to scale outside of the built-in features. If you require high-resolution aerial imagery for a precise roof measurement, you must purchase it per project through the OpenSolar Wallet. More importantly, if you want to push your proposal data out to a dedicated CRM like Salesforce or HubSpot, OpenSolar charges an API fee per project, and pre-built connectors carry a flat monthly subscription.
Installers who need an integrated field sales application with native property data often weigh these API costs against dedicated canvassing software, leading them to research OpenSolar alternatives for their door-knocking teams.
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenSolar really free?
Yes, OpenSolar offers its core design and proposal platform 100% free of charge, as advertised on its homepage in October 2026. There are no monthly subscription fees, no per-user seat costs, and no limits on the number of projects you can create.
How does OpenSolar make money if it is free?
OpenSolar is funded by a partner ecosystem. Hardware manufacturers, finance companies, and distributors pay to have their products, pricing, and services integrated and featured within the platform for installers to use.
What are the paid add-ons in OpenSolar?
While the software is free, users pay out of pocket for premium high-resolution imagery (like Nearmap), API access to connect external CRMs, and monthly subscriptions for specific software connectors like Xero.