Aurora Solar Review
The market-leading AI solar design and sales platform
Score
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Quick verdict
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. Pricing is custom-quoted (sales call required). Strongest fit: Solar. 4.5 / 5 aggregate user rating.
About Aurora Solar
Aurora Solar is the dominant design-and-sales platform in residential solar โ the closest thing the category has to a default. Founded in 2013 in San Francisco, it has raised over $537 million (a 2022 Series D valued it at $4 billion), serves 7,000+ solar companies, and has processed more than 20 million project designs. Its core strength is speed and accuracy of design: Aurora's AI builds a usable 3D roof model from satellite or LIDAR imagery in under 15 seconds, cutting 40-55 minutes of manual modeling per design and feeding straight into a production estimate and a homeowner-ready proposal.
For a solar sales org, that design-to-proposal speed is the whole game โ reps can model a roof, estimate production, and present a financed proposal while the homeowner is still at the table. Aurora pairs the design engine with proposal generation, sales-mode editing, and lender integrations, which is why it's the platform most scaling solar companies standardize on.
The trade-offs are real. Aurora has no public pricing โ it's contact-sales only, and multiple reviewers describe it as expensive for small shops or complex non-standard projects. And it's a design-and-sales tool, not an engineering tool: it lacks native permit-ready electrical output (single-line diagrams, wire sizing, conduit, voltage-drop), so many teams bolt on AutoCAD (~$2,000/yr) or PVCase (~$990/yr) plus manual work for stamped permit packages. Its ratings are strong (G2 4.5 across 247 reviews, Capterra 4.4) and reflect a deeply entrenched market leader.
Pricing
| Tier | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Contact sales | Custom quote | Entry tier |
No public pricing โ contact-sales only. Reviewers note it can be expensive for small shops, and permit-ready electrical output (SLD, wire sizing) often requires add-ons like AutoCAD or PVCase ($1,000-$2,000/yr).
Aurora Solar uses custom-quoted pricing โ typical for enterprise field service platforms where deployment includes data migration, training, and pricebook setup. Expect a 30-60 minute discovery call before getting a number, and the spread between quoted figures can be wide depending on your team size, vertical, and feature requirements. Always get quotes in writing and confirm what's included (number of users, integrations, support tier) before signing.
Pricing verified 2026-05-28. Vendors change pricing without notice; verify with Aurora Solar before purchasing.
Estimate uses the published starting tier and detects per-user vs per-company pricing automatically. For an exact quote at your team size and feature requirements, request a quote from Aurora Solar.
Key features
Integrations
Pros
- + Fastest, most accurate AI design
Aurora builds a usable 3D roof model from satellite/LIDAR in under 15 seconds, saving 40-55 minutes per design versus manual modeling. For a high-volume sales org, that throughput is the single biggest reason it leads the category.
- + Market leader with deep resources
$537M raised, a $4B valuation, 7,000+ companies, and 20M+ designs processed mean Aurora isn't going anywhere and keeps investing heavily in the product โ a real consideration when standardizing your whole sales org on one tool.
- + Design-to-proposal in one flow
Roof model, production estimate, savings model, and a homeowner-ready proposal live in one workflow, so reps can go from address to financed proposal in a single sitting.
- + Strong, well-reviewed product
G2 4.5 across 247 reviews (a 'Leader' badge) and Capterra 4.4 reflect broad, durable satisfaction among solar sales teams โ the largest independent review base of any solar design tool.
- + Lender and CRM integrations
Aurora plugs into solar financing and CRM tooling so monthly-payment options and deal data flow into the proposal and your pipeline, which matters because nearly every residential deal is financed.
Cons
- โ No public pricing
Aurora is contact-sales only, so you can't self-serve a price or quickly compare cost โ added friction versus a free tool like OpenSolar or per-proposal pricing like Solo.
- โ Expensive for small shops
Multiple reviewers describe Aurora as prohibitively expensive for small companies or those doing complex non-standard projects. The value is clearest at scale, not for a one or two-rep operation.
- โ Weak permit-ready electrical output
Aurora lacks native single-line diagram generation, wire sizing, conduit, and voltage-drop analysis. Teams needing stamped permit packages commonly add AutoCAD (~$2,000/yr) or PVCase (~$990/yr) plus 2-3 hours of manual work per project.
- โ Design-and-sales, not full ops
Aurora isn't a lead-to-PTO operations platform โ install tracking and interconnection workflow live elsewhere (e.g. Enerflo). It's the design/proposal core, not the whole back office.
- โ Add-on costs stack up
Between contact-sales base pricing and the electrical-design add-ons most teams need, the all-in cost is higher than the headline. Model the full stack, not just Aurora itself.
Implementation timeline
3โ6 months for full deployment
Aurora is built for sales orgs, so onboarding centers on getting reps productive in the design-and-proposal flow rather than heavy data migration. Expect a sales-led purchase (no self-serve signup) followed by configuration of your equipment catalog, pricing, financing partners, and proposal templates, then rep training on the design-to-proposal workflow. Most teams are producing proposals quickly because the AI modeling removes the hardest manual step. The piece to plan for is engineering and permitting: because Aurora doesn't produce stamped electrical packages natively, decide up front how you'll handle permit-ready output โ whether that's AutoCAD/PVCase add-ons, an in-house engineering team, or an outsourced design partner โ and budget the extra software cost and per-project hours. Larger orgs should also plan CRM and lender integration setup so deal and financing data flow cleanly from Aurora into the rest of the pipeline.
Best for / Watch out for
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
Watch out for
No public pricing (contact-sales only); can be expensive for small shops; lacks permit-ready electrical output (single-line diagrams, wire sizing) natively โ many users add AutoCAD or PVCase
Available for these trades
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User reviews
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Aurora Solar cost?
Aurora doesn't publish pricing โ it's contact-sales only, quoted based on your team and usage. Reviewers consistently note it's expensive for small shops, and you should also budget for permit-ready electrical add-ons (AutoCAD ~$2,000/yr or PVCase ~$990/yr) that Aurora doesn't cover natively.
Aurora Solar vs OpenSolar โ which should I use?
Aurora is the deepest, most polished design platform and the market leader, but it's premium contact-sales pricing. OpenSolar offers a genuinely free, full-featured alternative funded by hardware/finance partners. Larger, well-capitalized sales orgs that want the best design engine lean Aurora; cost-conscious shops or those just starting lean OpenSolar. Many evaluate both.
Does Aurora handle permits and electrical design?
Not fully. Aurora is a design-and-sales tool and lacks native single-line diagrams, wire sizing, conduit, and voltage-drop analysis. Teams needing stamped permit packages typically add AutoCAD or PVCase plus manual work, so confirm your permitting workflow before assuming Aurora covers it end to end.
Is Aurora Solar worth it for a small installer?
It can be hard to justify. Aurora's value is clearest for scaling sales orgs that benefit from its design throughput; small one-or-two-rep shops often find it expensive relative to free OpenSolar or per-proposal Solo. Evaluate based on your design volume and whether the speed pays for the premium.
What makes Aurora the market leader?
A combination of the fastest accurate AI roof modeling (usable 3D from satellite in under 15 seconds), the deepest design-to-proposal workflow, heavy funding ($537M raised, $4B valuation), and the largest install base (7,000+ companies, 20M+ designs). That scale and product depth are why most growing solar companies standardize on it.
Ready to try Aurora Solar?
Get a custom quote โ pricing is not public.
Visit Aurora Solar โ