Pylon vs Solo
Head-to-head comparison of pricing, features, integrations, and use-case fit.
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
Solo
Fast, accurate solar proposals with managed design
- Starting price
- Custom quote
- Aggregate rating
- —
- Best team size
- 5-200
- Free trial
- No
What actually separates them
Only the points where Pylon and Solo genuinely differ, from our verified data. Everything they share is further down.
- → Price transparency: Pylon publishes a starting price (Free tier available). Solo does not, so comparing them costs you a sales call.
- → Integrations: only Pylon connects to quickbooks; only Solo connects to financing, crm.
- → Features the other lacks: Pylon has solar_design, 3d_modeling, proposals; Solo has managed_design, financing_integration, in_app_editing.
Quick verdict
Pylon: Residential solar designers and sales teams who want fast proposals and award-winning 3D shading on a low-commitment pay-per-project model.
Solo: Residential solar sales teams that want fast, highly accurate proposals via managed design without building an in-house design team, and that prefer per-proposal pricing.
Decision matrix — which one is right for you?
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; Solo requires Zapier or manual workarounds
Pick Solo if…
- → Your situation matches Solo's target profile: Residential solar sales teams that want fast, highly accurate proposals via managed design without building an in-house design team, and that prefer per-proposal pricing
Pricing side-by-side
| Tier | Pylon | Solo |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Free (5 projects) — Custom | Per proposal (~$29-$32) — Custom |
| Tier 2 | Standard — Custom | — |
| Tier 3 | Pro — Custom | — |
Solo 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, Solo's custom pricing reflects the deeper feature set.
Pros & cons
Pylon
- + 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
Solo
- − Per-proposal pricing gets expensive at high volume
- − Residential-only
- − No in-house electrical engineering
- − Monthly cost can be unpredictable since it scales with proposal volume
- − No native QuickBooks integration (Pylon has it)
Implementation timeline comparison
Pylon
1-3 weeks self-service onboarding
Solo
Not published; the vendor quotes per account, so ask for the onboarding plan in writing before signing
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 Pylon
- + solar design
- + 3d modeling
- + proposals
- + instant quotes
- + mobile app
Both have
- ✓ solar proposals
Only in Solo
- + managed design
- + financing integration
- + in app editing
- + production estimates
Integrations
Only in Pylon
- + quickbooks
Both integrate with
— No common integrations —
Only in Solo
- + financing
- + crm
Which fits better in each trade
| Trade | Pylon fit | Solo fit | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solar | 8 / 10 | 8 / 10 | Tie |
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, Pylon or Solo?
Neither is universally better — they target different buyers. 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. Solo is best for Residential solar sales teams that want fast, highly accurate proposals via managed design without building an in-house design team, and that prefer per-proposal pricing. 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 Pylon cheaper than Solo?
Both Pylon and Solo use custom pricing or have similar entry costs — request quotes from both to compare apples-to-apples for your specific team size.
Can Pylon and Solo integrate with QuickBooks?
Pylon integrates with QuickBooks natively. Solo does not have a native QuickBooks integration.
Do Pylon or Solo offer a free trial?
Pylon: no free trial advertised; demo on request. Solo: no free trial advertised; demo on request.
How long does Pylon vs Solo take to implement?
Pylon: 1-3 weeks self-service onboarding. Solo: Not published; the vendor quotes per account, so ask for the onboarding plan in writing before signing. 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 Pylon to Solo (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.
Pylon vs Solo: which has better customer support?
Both Pylon and Solo 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.
Should your product be in this comparison?
We review Pylon and Solo against their own published pricing and terms, and we publish the cons next to the pros. If you build a competing product and it is not covered here, send it to us and it gets the same treatment.
Listings are free. No vendor can pay for placement, for a score, or to have a documented con removed. Read this page first and decide whether you want that.