Aurora Solar vs Pylon
Head-to-head comparison of pricing, features, integrations, and use-case fit.
Aurora Solar
The market-leading AI solar design and sales platform
- Starting price
- Custom quote
- Aggregate rating
- 4.5 / 5
- Best team size
- 5-500
- Free trial
- No
Pylon
Fast pay-per-project solar design and proposal software with 3D shading
- Starting price
- Free tier available
- Aggregate rating
- 4.6 / 5
- Best team size
- 1-100
- Free trial
- No
Quick verdict
Aurora Solar: Residential and light-commercial solar contractors that want the deepest, most accurate AI design and proposal platform and can absorb premium, contact-sales pricing.
Pylon: Residential solar designers and sales teams who want fast proposals and award-winning 3D shading on a low-commitment pay-per-project model.
User ratings favor Pylon (4.6 vs 4.5).
Decision matrix — which one is right for you?
Pick Aurora Solar if…
- → Your situation matches Aurora Solar's target profile: Residential and light-commercial solar contractors that want the deepest, most accurate AI design and proposal platform and can absorb premium, contact-sales pricing
Pick Pylon if…
- → Your situation matches Pylon's target profile: Residential solar designers and sales teams who want fast proposals and award-winning 3D shading on a low-commitment pay-per-project model
- → QuickBooks is critical — Pylon has native integration; Aurora Solar requires Zapier or manual workarounds
Pricing side-by-side
| Tier | Aurora Solar | Pylon |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Contact sales — Custom | Free (5 projects) — Custom |
| Tier 2 | — | Standard — Custom |
| Tier 3 | — | Pro — Custom |
Aurora Solar uses custom-quoted pricing (typically $250-$800/user/mo for enterprise FSM platforms); Pylon has transparent public pricing starting at $0/mo. If budget predictability matters, Pylon wins on transparency alone. If you need enterprise-tier features and don't mind the sales process, Aurora Solar's custom pricing reflects the deeper feature set.
Pros & cons
Aurora Solar
- + 13 years of product maturity (founded 2013)
- − No public pricing (contact-sales only)
- − Can be expensive for small shops
- − Lacks permit-ready electrical output (single-line diagrams, wire sizing) natively — many users add AutoCAD or PVCase
- − No native QuickBooks integration (Pylon has it)
- − No public pricing — sales call required for a quote
Pylon
- + Higher aggregate user rating (4.6 / 5)
- + Native QuickBooks integration (bidirectional sync)
- − Limited proposal customization and no support for commercial structures (residential-focused)
- − The pay-per-project model is cheap to start but can add up at high design volume
Implementation timeline comparison
Aurora Solar
3-6 months for full deployment with dedicated implementation manager
Pylon
1-3 weeks self-service onboarding
Enterprise-tier platforms ($250+/user/mo) typically require 3-6 months with dedicated admin time, custom pricebook setup, and phased rollout to field techs. Mid-tier platforms reach operational status in 4-8 weeks with optional paid onboarding. Entry-tier platforms are designed for self-service onboarding in 1-3 weeks. Always plan for 2-4 weeks of parallel operation with your existing system before cutting over.
Feature comparison
Only in Aurora Solar
- + production estimates
- + sales workflow
Both have
- ✓ solar design
- ✓ 3d modeling
- ✓ proposals
Only in Pylon
- + solar proposals
- + instant quotes
- + mobile app
Integrations
Only in Aurora Solar
- + financing
- + crm
Both integrate with
— No common integrations —
Only in Pylon
- + quickbooks
Which fits better in each trade
| Trade | Aurora Solar fit | Pylon fit | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solar | 10 / 10 | 8 / 10 | Aurora Solar |
Vertical-fit scores combine feature coverage, customer base concentration, and the tool's own positioning for the trade. See methodology.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, Aurora Solar or Pylon?
Neither is universally better — they target different buyers. Aurora Solar is best for Residential and light-commercial solar contractors that want the deepest, most accurate AI design and proposal platform and can absorb premium, contact-sales pricing. Pylon is best for Residential solar designers and sales teams who want fast proposals and award-winning 3D shading on a low-commitment pay-per-project model. See the decision matrix above for situation-specific guidance, or jump to the per-vertical winner table if you're in a specific trade.
Is Aurora Solar cheaper than Pylon?
Both Aurora Solar and Pylon use custom pricing or have similar entry costs — request quotes from both to compare apples-to-apples for your specific team size.
Can Aurora Solar and Pylon integrate with QuickBooks?
Aurora Solar does not have a native QuickBooks integration (Zapier workaround may exist). Pylon integrates with QuickBooks natively.
Do Aurora Solar or Pylon offer a free trial?
Aurora Solar: no free trial advertised; demo on request. Pylon: no free trial advertised; demo on request.
How long does Aurora Solar vs Pylon take to implement?
Aurora Solar: 3-6 months for full deployment with dedicated implementation manager. Pylon: 1-3 weeks self-service onboarding. Implementation length scales with pricing tier — enterprise platforms ($250+/user/mo) require 3-6 months with dedicated admin time; mid-tier platforms typically reach operational status in 4-8 weeks with optional paid onboarding.
Can I migrate from Aurora Solar to Pylon (or vice versa)?
Yes, but expect data normalization work. Customer records and active jobs typically import cleanly via CSV. Historical job data, recurring service agreements, and custom pricebooks rarely transfer perfectly — most shops leave historical data in the source system as archival reference rather than migrating it. Budget 2-4 weeks of parallel operation between the two systems during the cutover.
Aurora Solar vs Pylon: which has better customer support?
Both Aurora Solar and Pylon offer email support across all tiers, with phone and live chat typically reserved for higher tiers. Response time SLAs vary by tier — entry-tier customers usually get 24-48 hour email response; enterprise customers get dedicated account managers with same-day response. Read recent G2 reviews specifically for support-quality signals before committing.
Which is better for solo contractors vs growing teams?
For solo contractors and 2-3 person teams, the lower-priced option (either) typically wins on cost without sacrificing core features. For growing teams (5-15 employees), evaluate based on which platform's upper tiers include the features you'll need at your 12-18 month projected scale rather than buying for today's team size. For established 15+ employee operations, the depth of enterprise features (reporting, multi-location, marketing attribution) matters more than entry-tier price.
Need a deeper look?
See our full reviews with detailed pricing tiers, integration depth, and weaknesses.