Aurora Solar Review
Solar design, proposal and permit plan set software with published per-user plans
Fit Score
Fit Score
▸ How we scored Aurora Solar: 10.0/10
| Factor | Weight | Sub-score |
|---|---|---|
| Vertical fit (best trade) | 60% | 10.0/10 |
| Pricing transparency | 20% | 10.0/10 |
| Integration coverage | 20% | 10.0/10 |
Weighted composite, applied identically to every vendor; no vendor pays to change it. Full Fit Score methodology →
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Quick verdict
Aurora Solar is best for Residential and commercial solar installers and sales teams that want 3D design, proposals, financing and permit plan sets in one platform and are fine paying per user. Pricing starts at $135/user/mo. Trade fit of 8/10 or higher: Solar.
Reviews on review sites
We do not copy third-party review scores onto this page: they change often and we could not verify them. Read Aurora Solar's current reviews at the source.
About Aurora Solar
Aurora Solar is solar design and sales software for residential and commercial solar installers. It was founded in 2013 by Christopher Hopper and Samuel Adeyemo and is based in San Francisco. Aurora says its platform has been used to design more than 20 million solar projects and that more than 7,000 organizations use it. It has bought two other solar software companies: Folsom Labs, maker of the HelioScope commercial design tool, and Lyra, a plan set company, in 2024.
The core workflow runs from a roof model to a proposal. Design Mode builds a 3D model of the site from satellite imagery and LIDAR data, and Aurora says its AI can produce a 3D roof model in under 15 seconds. The software then estimates production and shading, sizes batteries, and feeds Sales Mode, where reps present a tablet-friendly proposal with savings and financing options. Aurora has built-in financing links to GoodLeap, Mosaic, Dividend, Sungage Financial, EnFin and LightReach, and lets you add other lenders as custom financiers. In September 2026 it added quoting for HVAC, EV chargers and batteries for US installers and launched the full platform in the UK.
Aurora also covers the step after the sale. Its Plan Sets Service delivers permit-ready plan sets, including single-line or three-line diagrams with conductor sizes, and engineering stamps can be added. Aurora says Plan Sets Service has a 95% first-time approval rate with permitting offices. Expert Design Services, Contract Manager and drone mapping are sold alongside the software.
Pricing is published and per user. Basic is $135 per user per month billed annually ($159 month to month) and Premium is $220 ($259 month to month); each license covers 1 user and 50 projects a month. Premium adds LIDAR-assisted modeling, bankable shade reports and more battery modeling. Enterprise is custom-priced per project, with unlimited users, AI-assisted site models, APIs and dealer configurations.
The trade-off: Aurora is priced per seat with a project cap on each license, and several useful pieces (on-demand site models, plan sets, engineering stamps, premium support) cost extra. A small team can get started on Basic, but model the add-ons you expect to use before comparing it with free tools such as OpenSolar.
Pricing
| Tier | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $135/user/mo | Lowest price in this table |
| Premium | $220/user/mo | Highest price in this table |
| Enterprise | See pricing note |
Per-user plans. Basic is $135 per user per month billed annually ($1,620 a year) or $159 month to month; Premium is $220 per user per month billed annually ($2,640 a year) or $259 month to month. Each Basic or Premium license covers 1 user and 50 projects a month. Annual plans carry a one-year commitment; monthly plans have no minimum and cancellations take effect at the end of the billing period. Enterprise is custom-priced per project with unlimited users and adds AI-assisted site models, APIs, advanced permissions and dealer configurations. Paid add-ons include on-demand site models (from $9.99), expedited site models, plan sets, engineering stamps, premium support, training, technical consultation and a design API. No free trial is listed. Verified against aurorasolar.com/pricing 2026-09-29.
Aurora Solar starts at $135/user/mo (Basic tier). That is a per-seat price, so the bill grows as you add seats; check the pricing note for what counts as a seat, seat minimums and plan limits. Its starting price places it in our mid price band ($100-$249 per user per month). The tier prices in the table above run from $135 to $220/user/mo; the pricing note gives the billing terms and any other published prices. 1 of its 3 tiers has no price in our table; see the pricing note.
Pricing verified 2026-09-29. Prices can change, so confirm them with Aurora Solar before purchasing.
Cost by crew size
Monthly cost of the cheapest Aurora Solar plan that allows each number of users, worked out from the plan prices and user rules on its pricing page, counting every tech as a full user. Plan prices and extra-user fees only: job, appointment and other usage limits, add-ons, setup fees and payment processing are not included; where a plan's usage limit is recorded, it is named under the figure.
| Users | Billed annually where offered | Billed monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $135/mo Basic, 50 projects a month per user | $159/mo Basic, 50 projects a month per user |
| 3 | $405/mo Basic, 50 projects a month per user | $477/mo Basic, 50 projects a month per user |
| 5 | $675/mo Basic, 50 projects a month per user | $795/mo Basic, 50 projects a month per user |
| 10 | $1,350/mo Basic, 50 projects a month per user | $1,590/mo Basic, 50 projects a month per user |
Source: aurorasolar.com/pricing, read 2026-10-08.
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Key features
Integrations
Pros
- + Fast 3D site modeling
Aurora builds 3D roof models from satellite imagery and LIDAR data, and says its AI can produce a roof model in under 15 seconds. That speeds up the step reps find slowest when they model roofs by hand.
- + Design to proposal in one flow
The roof model, production and shade estimates, battery sizing and a tablet-friendly homeowner proposal live in one workflow, so a rep can go from address to priced proposal in one sitting.
- + Permit plan sets from the same app
Aurora's Plan Sets Service delivers permit-ready plan sets with single-line or three-line diagrams and conductor sizes, and engineering stamps can be added. You can order them from the project you already designed.
- + Built-in lender links
GoodLeap, Mosaic, Dividend, Sungage Financial, EnFin and LightReach are integrated, and other lenders can be added as custom financiers, so monthly-payment options show up in the proposal.
- + Published, self-serve pricing
Basic and Premium prices are on the website with a monthly option and no minimum commitment, so a small team can sign up without a sales call.
- + Commercial design too
Aurora owns HelioScope, a commercial and industrial design tool, and added storage modeling to it in 2026, so a company that does both residential and commercial work can stay with one vendor.
Cons
- − Per-seat cost with a project cap
Each Basic or Premium license is $135-$220 per user per month billed annually ($159-$259 monthly) and covers 1 user and 50 projects a month. A multi-rep team pays for every seat.
- − Add-ons raise the real cost
On-demand site models (from $9.99), expedited models, plan sets, engineering stamps, premium support and training are paid add-ons. Price the add-ons you expect to use, not only the license.
- − AI-assisted modeling sits in Enterprise
The pricing page lists AI-assisted site models under the custom-priced Enterprise plan. Basic and Premium users can buy on-demand site models instead, so confirm which modeling option your plan includes.
- − No listed free trial
Aurora does not list a free trial. Monthly billing with no minimum is the lower-risk way to test it.
- − Not an operations platform
Aurora covers design, sales, contracts and plan sets. Install tracking and project operations usually run in a separate tool, such as Enerflo, which integrates with Aurora.
Implementation
Sign up for Basic or Premium on Aurora's website, or talk to sales for Enterprise. Set up your equipment catalog, pricing, adders and proposal templates first, then connect the lenders you sell with (GoodLeap, Mosaic, Dividend, Sungage Financial, EnFin or LightReach) or add others as custom financiers. Train reps on Design Mode and Sales Mode together, since the proposal is only as good as the roof model behind it. Decide early how you will handle permitting: order plan sets and stamps from Aurora, or keep an in-house or outside engineering process. If you run a CRM, use Aurora's API and webhooks (the help center has walkthroughs for HubSpot and Zoho CRM) so projects are created and updated without retyping customer data. Start on monthly billing if you want to test before committing to a year.
Best for / Watch out for
Best for
Residential and commercial solar installers and sales teams that want 3D design, proposals, financing and permit plan sets in one platform and are fine paying per user
Watch out for
Per-user pricing ($135-$220 per user per month billed annually, $159-$259 monthly) with 50 projects a month per Basic or Premium license; AI-assisted site models are listed under Enterprise; plan sets, engineering stamps and on-demand site models cost extra; no free trial is listed
Available for these trades
Alternatives to Aurora Solar
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Starts at $129.99 per user a month.
User reviews
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Aurora Solar cost?
Basic is $135 per user per month billed annually ($1,620 a year) or $159 month to month. Premium is $220 per user per month billed annually ($2,640 a year) or $259 month to month. Each license covers 1 user and 50 projects a month. Enterprise is custom-priced per project with unlimited users. Site models, plan sets, engineering stamps and premium support are paid add-ons. Prices verified on aurorasolar.com/pricing on 2026-09-29.
Does Aurora handle permits and electrical design?
Yes, as a paid service. Aurora's Plan Sets Service delivers permit-ready plan sets with single-line or three-line diagrams and conductor sizes, and engineering stamps can be added. The software also has a single-line diagram editor. Aurora bought Lyra, a plan set company, in 2024 to build out this part of the product.
Is there a free trial?
Aurora does not list a free trial. You can sign up for Basic or Premium on monthly billing with no minimum commitment and cancel at the end of the billing period.
Aurora Solar vs OpenSolar: which should I use?
Aurora charges per user and includes paid services such as plan sets and stamps. OpenSolar is free to use and makes its money from hardware and finance partners. Teams that want Aurora's modeling, plan set service and lender links often pay for it; cost-conscious or newer installers often start with OpenSolar. Trying both on a few real jobs is the fairest test.
Who owns Aurora Solar?
Aurora Solar is a privately held, venture-backed company founded in 2013 by Christopher Hopper and Samuel Adeyemo and based in San Francisco. It has not been acquired; it has bought Folsom Labs (HelioScope) and Lyra.
Ready to try Aurora Solar?
Pricing starts at $135/user/mo.
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