Best Arka360 Alternative for Solar EPCs in 2026

Last updated August 11, 2026 (Originally published May 26, 2026)

Quick Answer

If you are evaluating solar design software and Arka360 is on your list, this blog gives you the direct comparison. Not a balanced "both have merits" summary. A straight answer based on what each platform actually delivers.

What Arka360 Offers

Arka360 is a solar design and proposal tool for the Indian market. It uses satellite imagery as the design base, supports shade analysis, and generates CAPEX proposals with ROI calculations. For teams looking for a basic design-and-proposal tool, it covers those two functions.

That is where Arka360's coverage ends. Everything beyond the proposal stage requires a different tool, a different team, or a manual process.

Where Arka360 Falls Short

1. Desktop-only workflow

Arka360's design workflow is desktop-first. A salesperson cannot complete a design on a phone and deliver a proposal before leaving the customer's site.

In India, most solar deals are discussed and closed face to face. Site visits, rooftop assessments, factory floor meetings. The ability to design on-site and deliver a proposal before the customer has spoken to a competitor is not a convenience. It is the difference between closing and following up.

Reslink works on any device. The full satellite 3D design, shadow simulation, and proposal generation run on a phone, a tablet, or a desktop with identical capability. Mobile-first does not mean desktop-compromised. It means the workflow goes where the salesperson goes.

2. No automated BOE (Bills of Electrical)

After a design is complete in Arka360, the procurement team prepares the Bills of Electrical (BOE) manually in Excel. Cable lengths are estimated, not calculated from the actual panel layout and string configuration.

For a 500 kW installation, a 15% cable length error translates to Rs 3 to 5 lakh in unnecessary procurement or a return-and-reorder delay that pushes commissioning back by days.

Reslink generates the full BOE automatically from the 3D model. Every cable length comes from the actual string run geometry. When the design changes, the BOE regenerates automatically. There is no separate spreadsheet to maintain.

3. No Bills of Structure

Arka360 does not auto-generate structural component quantities. Rafters, purlins, clamps, fasteners, and earthing conductor quantities must be calculated separately after design. Every design revision means another manual update to the procurement sheet.

Reslink generates Bills of Structure from the 3D model alongside the BOE. Both update automatically when the design changes. No separate calculation, no version mismatch between design and procurement.

4. No bank-ready SLD output

Arka360 does not natively produce Single Line Diagrams, layout drawings, or string drawings in a format submittable to banks or DISCOMs. EPCs managing any project with debt financing must engage an external engineering consultant. That step typically adds 2 to 4 weeks and Rs 15,000 to Rs 50,000 per commercial project.

Reslink generates bank-ready SLD, layout drawing, and string drawing from the 3D model natively. No external consultant. No additional timeline. The documents are ready before the salesperson leaves the site.

5. No real-time ALMM compliance check

Arka360 does not flag ALMM non-compliant equipment at the design stage. If a salesperson specifies a panel or inverter not on the current approved list, they will not find out until DISCOM inspection. A failed inspection means reinspection fees, idle crew days, expedited re-procurement, and a delayed commissioning certificate.

Reslink checks every equipment selection against the ALMM list in real time at the design stage. The flag appears before the design is finalised, before procurement happens, and before anyone is on-site.

6. No PM Surya Ghar subsidy calculation

Arka360 requires manual configuration for PM Surya Ghar subsidy. Salespeople must look up the applicable slab for each system size and enter it manually into every residential proposal. A wrong slab or a missed entry gives the customer an inaccurate financial picture.

Reslink calculates PM Surya Ghar subsidy automatically from system size. The correct slab appears in the CAPEX proposal without any manual input.

7. CAPEX proposals only

Arka360 generates CAPEX proposals only. For C&I customers who prefer the OPEX model, where a third party owns the system and the customer pays per unit below the DISCOM rate, Arka360 cannot generate this from the same design. The salesperson either works from a separate Excel model or loses the conversation entirely.

Reslink generates both CAPEX and OPEX proposals from the same 3D design. The salesperson can show a C&I customer both financial models on-site, including the PPA tariff compared against the customer's current DISCOM rate, and let them choose.

8. No WhatsApp delivery

Arka360 has no in-app WhatsApp proposal delivery. In India, a proposal sent by email has an open rate around 20 to 25%. The same proposal sent via WhatsApp is opened at a rate consistently measured above 90%, a gap that holds up across current industry data. Reslink delivers proposals directly from the app via WhatsApp before the salesperson leaves the site.

Reslink vs Arka360: Feature Comparison

A useful question to ask: Can your current workflow go from satellite design to WhatsApp proposal delivery, with shadow analysis, ALMM check, automated BOE, Bills of Structure, and bank-ready SLD, in under 10 minutes on a phone? If not, you are losing deals and margin that Reslink users are capturing.

Where Reslink's CRM Extends the Advantage

A faster design and a better proposal only matter if the lead doesn't go cold waiting on a follow-up. Reslink's CRM is built into the same platform as the design and proposal workflow, so a lead's full history, the design shown, the proposal sent, every follow-up, stays attached to that lead automatically. There's no separate export or manual sync step between closing a design and tracking the deal to signature, the same session that produced the proposal is the same place the lead lives afterward.

What the Gap Means in Practice

An EPC running 30 projects per month on Arka360 is also running:

• A separate Excel sheet for every BOE, updated manually after every design change
• A separate structural calculation for every mounting system BOM
• An external engineering consultant engagement for every project that needs bank financing
• An email delivery workflow with a fraction of the open rate of WhatsApp

Each of these is not just a cost. It is a delay. In the Indian solar market, delay between a customer conversation and a proposal in the customer's hands is where deals are lost.

Why EPCs Switch From Arka360 to Reslink

The triggers are consistent:

• Sales team unable to close on-site because the entire workflow requires going back to the office
• BOE errors from manual Excel causing procurement delays and cost overruns on commercial projects
• Losing C&I deals because there is no OPEX proposal capability in the current tool
• Project financing delayed by weeks waiting for an external consultant's SLD

Proof, Not Just Promises

Freyr Energy, backed by Schneider Electric, moved its entire residential sales team onto Reslink specifically for the mobile-first design-to-WhatsApp workflow this piece describes, the same capability Arka360's desktop-first tool doesn't have. CleanMax has also partnered with Reslink as part of its EPC operations.

The same pattern holds at the individual project level. A Rajasthan-based EPC saw a 30% increase in deal closure within its first month of switching to Reslink. A Nagpur-based commercial EPC closed a 500 kW project after presenting a 3D design with shadow analysis on-site, exactly the kind of visual proposal advantage a flat, desktop-built quote can't produce.

Common Mistakes EPCs Make When Evaluating a Switch

• Comparing sticker price without comparing total cost. A cheaper subscription that still requires manual BOE, an external SLD consultant, and a manual ALMM check isn't actually cheaper once the labour and delay costs are counted.
• Judging mobile capability from a demo video instead of testing it in the field. A tool that looks mobile-friendly in a controlled demo and one that actually completes a full design-to-proposal cycle on a phone at a real site are not always the same thing.
• Assuming a CAPEX-only tool is fine because most current deals are CAPEX. The gap only shows up the first time a C&I customer asks about a PPA option and the answer has to be a separate spreadsheet instead of an on-the-spot comparison.

What EPCs Should Do Now

• Time the last five Arka360 proposals from site visit to customer-in-hand, and identify exactly where the delay sits, design, BOE, SLD, or subsidy lookup.
• Check whether the current workflow has ever lost a C&I conversation for lack of an OPEX option.
• Book a demo and run a real project through Reslink side by side with the current Arka360 workflow.

The Bottom Line

Arka360 covers design and a CAPEX proposal. Reslink covers design, proposal, BOE, Bills of Structure, bank-ready documents, ALMM compliance, CAPEX and OPEX, CRM, and WhatsApp delivery, from one mobile-first platform. For an EPC weighing time, procurement accuracy, and financing speed, this isn't a close comparison.

How This Fits Into a Reslink Workflow

Every gap above traces back to the same root cause: Arka360 stops at the proposal, and everything after that point, procurement, compliance, financing documents, becomes someone else's manual work. Reslink doesn't stop at the proposal, the same 3D design that generates it also generates everything downstream, automatically, from the same session.

See the full workflow run end to end against a real project → Book a demo

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Is Reslink more expensive than Arka360?

Reslink offers competitive pricing and replaces multiple tools in the market. The right comparison is not subscription cost in isolation but total cost including the Excel BOE overhead, external SLD consultant fees, and the revenue cost of losing deals to faster competitors. Most EPCs who switched to Reslink typically see a 30% increase in deal closure within the first month itself, which more than covers the software cost from additional revenue alone.

Q2. Does Reslink work on desktop or only on mobile?

Reslink works on any device, including phones, tablets, and desktops, with identical capability across all three. Mobile-first means the complete design-to-proposal workflow is available in the field without a laptop. Office-based design teams run the full satellite 3D design, BOE generation, and proposal workflow on desktop with no reduction in output quality or capability compared to field teams working on a phone.

Q3. Can Reslink generate OPEX proposals for C&I customers?

Yes. Reslink generates both CAPEX and OPEX proposals from the same 3D design. A salesperson can show a C&I customer both financial models on-site, including the PPA tariff compared against the customer's current DISCOM rate, and let them choose based on preference. Arka360 generates CAPEX proposals only, which limits the conversation with commercial customers who prefer the zero-capex or PPA model.

Q4. How does Reslink handle ALMM compliance?

Reslink checks every panel and inverter selection against the MNRE ALMM approved list in real time at the equipment selection stage. If a product is not on the current list, the platform flags it before the design is finalised. This prevents the cost and delay of a failed DISCOM inspection: reinspection fees, idle crew days, and expedited re-procurement at short notice.

Q5. Does Reslink generate Bills of Material (BOM) automatically?

Yes. Reslink generates the full BOM, which includes Bills of Electrical and Bills of Structure, directly from the 3D model. Cable lengths are calculated from the actual string run geometry, not estimated. Structural quantities for mounting systems generate automatically alongside. Both documents update if the design changes. There is no separate Excel sheet to maintain and no version mismatch between design and procurement.

Q6. Does Reslink work for utility-scale and commercial projects?

Yes. Reslink handles projects from 3 kW residential to 1 GW utility-scale ground-mount within the same platform. BOE, Bills of Structure, bank-ready SLD, and all proposal types scale with the project without tool-switching. The same workflow that closes a rooftop residential deal on a phone handles the complete documentation for a 50 MW open access project in the same platform.

Q7. How long does it take to onboard a team on Reslink?

1 to 2 days to first customer-ready proposal. The interface is built for salespeople, not engineers, so non-technical field teams are productive within 48 hours. Arka360 typically requires 1 to 2 weeks of onboarding. For an EPC expanding its sales team or entering a new geography, the difference in time-to-productivity translates directly into proposals generated and deals closed in the first week.

Q8. Does Reslink work outside India?

Yes. Reslink adapts irradiance data, grid codes, compliance output formats, and financial parameters to the project location automatically. India has the deepest localisation. Active markets include the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Germany, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Botswana, and Australia. An EPC expanding from India into the Middle East or Southeast Asia operates across both markets from the same platform without retraining on a different tool.

Comparing More Than One Platform?

If Arka360 is one of several tools on your shortlist, the full picture is worth seeing. The complete six-tool comparison covers where Reslink, PVsyst, Aurora Solar, and OpenSolar each fit.

For a direct look at Aurora Solar specifically, see that comparison here. And if utility-scale bankability simulation is part of the requirement, note that Arka360 isn't built for that segment at all, PVsyst is, and it's covered here. Reslink, Aurora Solar, and Arka360 are also compared side by side here.

You May Also Like

• Best Aurora Solar Alternative for Solar EPCs in 2026
• Best Solar Design Software in India for 2026
• How Reslink's 3D Solar Design Works: Site to Bankable Output

Sources

• MNRE, Approved Models and Manufacturers List (ALMM), current edition
• PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, subsidy notification and EPC guidelines
• CERC, Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, DISCOM interconnection standards
• Arka360 product documentation, accessed May 2026. Competitor URL, not hyperlinked per content policy
• Cross-industry WhatsApp Business vs. email open rate data, 2026