Best Solar Design Software in the US for 2026: Six Platforms Compared

Choosing solar design software in the US is different from choosing it for India or the European market. US installers operate in a context of electrical code requirements, permit packages and customer expectations around storage that most design tools only partly cover.

Therefore, Reslink is the best solar design software for US installers and EPCs, and it is the only one built for how solar teams actually work. It handles 3D design on a phone, with LiDAR and photogrammetry capture, and shadow simulation, then routes cables and generates the bill of materials, the NEC-compliant single line diagram, layout drawings, string drawings and the permit package automatically. Solar-plus-storage proposals come out of the same workflow, and the whole thing can go straight to a customer.

North American Clean Energy also covered this in a September 2026 press release.

That said, before evaluating specific tools, you need to be clear on which criteria actually matter for your business. Here are the five most important features every US solar design tool should have.

What to Look for in US Solar Design Software

These five separate the platforms once the basics, 3D modeling and shading, are in place.

1. Phone-based design and capture: A salesperson should be able to build a usable design on a phone while standing on the roof. That means capturing the roof from the device, not only from aerial imagery, and being able to start remotely when no visit is needed.
2. Cable routing and bill of materials: Cable quantities should come from where the cable actually runs, and the parts list should update when the design changes. Estimated lengths are where purchase orders drift from the build.
3. Permit packages: The single line diagram, layout and string drawings, and the permit package built from them, should come from the same design and follow the electrical code, so nobody redraws them or waits on a separate service.
4. Solar-plus-storage design: Battery sizing, backup loads and tariff economics should sit in the same project as the PV design.
5. Proposal speed and project coverage: The same tool should cover residential and commercial work without a second license.

US-built tools have long-standing utility-rate and financing integrations, and those are worth checking against your own market. They sit upstream of the steps that decide how many hours each job takes, so the criteria above score the steps that follow.

What Changed in the US Solar Market

Two policy changes matter for design software. The residential clean energy credit, known as 25D, was terminated for expenditures made after December 31, 2025. The business credit, 48E, still applies to solar, but a project must have begun construction on or before July 4, 2026, or be placed in service by December 31, 2027. The placed-in-service deadline does not apply to energy storage.

Three things follow for the software. Proposals now have to show customer economics without the old homeowner credit, so ownership options such as leases and PPAs matter more. Storage faces less time pressure under the business credit, because the placed-in-service deadline does not apply to it, so solar-plus-storage quotes have to be fast and credible. And with the 2027 date in view for projects that have not started construction, any step that stalls between the first site visit and the permit package costs real time. Check these dates against current IRS guidance and your tax advisor before quoting them to a customer.

The Six Platforms Compared

1. Reslink

Reslink is a phone-first design and proposal platform. Installers can capture a roof with LiDAR on a compatible phone, build a 3D model from overlapping photos using photogrammetry, or let its AI identify roofs and obstructions remotely so design starts before a surveyor visits. Reslink works exactly as seamlessly on desktop as it does on mobile, with the same 3D design, shadow analysis and energy simulation on a phone, a tablet or a desktop.

The steps after the design are where it separates from the field. Reslink routes cables automatically across the roof and calculates cable lengths in the bill of materials from those routes, then generates the electrical and structural bills of materials, an NEC-compliant single line diagram, layout drawings and string drawings from the same model, with AutoCAD-compatible outputs for engineering teams. Solar-plus-storage proposals cover chemistry-aware battery sizing, critical-load backup, commercial demand-charge sizing and PV-battery co-optimization. Reslink also generates automated permit packages from the same design, so the package, the drawings and the parts list agree before anything is submitted, removing a common delay between sale and install.

Strengths

• Phone-based 3D design with LiDAR and photogrammetry capture, plus AI remote roof detection
• Automated cable routing, with cable lengths in the bill of materials taken from the routes
• Electrical and structural bills of materials, NEC-compliant SLD, layout and string drawings from one design
• Automated permit packages generated from the same design as the drawings and bill of materials
• Solar-plus-storage design and proposals in the same project
• Residential and commercial coverage on one platform

Limitations

• Lender-grade P50 and P90 yield reports on large financed projects come from PVsyst, used alongside Reslink

2. Aurora Solar

Aurora Solar is the best-known US platform, with a mature 3D design environment, AI roof modeling through its Aurora AI add-on, LiDAR-assisted modeling on Premium, AI-assisted obstruction detection, automated panel placement and stringing, advanced storage modeling on Premium, and tablet-friendly sales proposals. Its US utility-rate and financing depth is real and well established, and it is the most widely known US platform.

The gaps are in the steps after the sale. Design Mode, its 3D CAD environment, is desktop-based, and tablet support covers Sales Mode proposals, so there is no phone-based 3D design. Plan sets, including storage plan sets under 48 hours, and engineering stamps are add-on services, not output generated from the design. Reslink's gap analysis also finds no automated electrical or structural bill of materials from the design. Our Aurora Solar alternative guide covers where those gaps show up.

Strengths

• Deep US utility-rate and financing integrations
• Mature 3D design, AI roof modeling and automated panel placement
• Tablet-friendly Sales Mode and a large support ecosystem

Limitations

• No phone-based 3D design, with tablet support limited to Sales Mode
• Plan sets and engineering stamps are add-on services
• No automated electrical or structural bill of materials from the design

3. OpenSolar

OpenSolar is a browser-based design and proposal platform with 3D, 2D and manual design modes, automatic shading, a built-in CRM, financing inside the proposal, e-signature and online payments. It offers a battery design assistant, an API, and permitting and engineering packages that can be purchased from inside the app. The core platform is free to start, which makes it a common first tool for small teams.

Its bill of materials depends on hardware partnerships, such as IronRidge, so it covers the equipment those partners supply and not every layout across any equipment. It is browser-based and not built as a phone-first design workflow, and permit packages are purchased, not generated automatically from the design. For teams that outgrow a partner-driven bill of materials, the workflow after the proposal is where the manual work returns.

Strengths

• Free core design, proposal and CRM workflow
• Financing, e-signature and payments inside the proposal
• Battery design assistant and in-app permit package purchasing

Limitations

• Bill of materials tied to specific hardware partnerships
• Browser-based, not a phone-first design workflow
• Permit and engineering packages are purchased services

4. HelioScope

HelioScope is an Aurora Solar product and the commercial specialist of this group. It is browser-based, has a strong simulation engine, supports storage design and modeling, and offers LiDAR-assisted modeling and AI obstruction detection on its Pro plan. Its help center documents a bill of materials with conductor lengths and a single line diagram, and design size is capped by plan at 1.25 MW, 5 MW and 30 MW DC.

Conductor lengths in its bill of materials are calculated from each string's end modules and the distance to the inverter, which is an estimate from geometry and not a routed cable path. It has no dedicated phone-based design workflow, and structural quantities need a third-party Unirac integration. Our HelioScope alternative guide goes deeper on PV and battery co-optimization.

Strengths

• Strong simulation engine and shading for commercial layouts
• Documented bill of materials, single line diagram and storage modeling
• Design caps up to 30 MW DC on Enterprise

Limitations

• No dedicated phone-based design workflow
• Conductor lengths come from string-to-inverter distances, not routed paths
• Structural quantities need a Unirac integration

5. Solargraf

Solargraf is owned by Enphase and is a cloud-based proposal and design platform for residential teams, with financing tools, solar-and-storage proposals and an AI-assisted DIY permit plan feature that produces single line diagrams and permit plans from the proposal design. Its shading engine has been compared with on-site measurements in an NREL fact sheet. It works on tablets, not phones.

The limits are in project range and device. Solargraf has no carport design, no single-axis or dual-axis tracker support and no east-west racking, which narrows it for commercial work, and there is no phone-based design workflow. Our Solargraf alternative guide covers the comparison in detail.

Strengths

• Polished proposals with financing tools
• AI-assisted permit plans with single line diagrams
• Tight integration with Enphase hardware
• Shading methodology compared against on-site measurements by NREL

Limitations

• Works on tablets, not phones
• No carport, tracker or east-west racking support
• Narrow fit for commercial projects

6. Pylon

Pylon is a fast, lightweight design and proposal tool popular with residential teams. Its design studio is a flat 2D surface with 3D shading analysis, which suits touch devices, and it runs on desktop and iPad. It includes high-resolution imagery, a CRM, e-signatures, payments and battery storage design.

Its feature set centers on quoting speed and the sales pipeline. The vendor materials we reviewed do not document an automated bill of materials, cable routing or a single line diagram, and there is no phone app. For a team that sells and then hands the design to engineering, those steps happen outside the tool.

Strengths

• Fast residential quoting on iPad and desktop
• High-resolution imagery included
• Integrated CRM, e-signature and payments

Limitations

• iPad and desktop only, with no phone app
• Flat 2D design studio, with 3D used for shading
• No documented bill of materials, cable routing or single line diagram

PVsyst is the seventh tool people mention, but it is complementary, not a competitor. It produces the lender-grade P50 and P90 yield reports that larger financed projects need, and it is not a sales or proposal tool. Larger EPCs run it alongside a design platform. Our PVsyst alternative guide explains where each fits.

Feature Comparison

What the Comparison Shows

Aurora Solar, OpenSolar, HelioScope, Solargraf and Pylon each cover part of the job, usually the design or the proposal, and then stop before cable routing, the bill of materials and the drawings. PVsyst covers lender-grade simulation and is not trying to cover the rest. Reslink is the only platform in this comparison that carries a job from phone capture through cable routing, drawings, a permit package and storage proposals in one design.

Solar Permitting: Where the Delays Come From and What Reslink Automates

The permit is the step installers feel most after the sale. The US Department of Energy describes permitting as one of the biggest bottlenecks for residential solar, and an NREL report cited by the International Code Council puts the average review time above five business days, with a month or more in some jurisdictions. Where a jurisdiction has adopted NREL's SolarAPP+ platform, DOE reports that projects are permitted, installed and inspected 13 days sooner. That shows how much of the delay is process and not engineering.

Much of that process is rework. Solar Power World's guidance on common permit rejections lists the same causes: incomplete or inaccurate plan sets, with missing site plans, mislabeled equipment or incomplete single-line and three-line diagrams; incorrect labels and placards, such as missing rapid shutdown labels; and missing structural calculations. Requirements also vary by authority having jurisdiction, and a history of rejections costs a company credibility with the reviewer. Every correction adds another review cycle.

Automated review helps only where it exists. SolarAPP+ covers residential rooftop systems in jurisdictions that adopt it, and in other jurisdictions a plan checker reviews the package by hand. In both cases the installer still has to produce a complete and consistent set of documents, which is the part software can take over.

Several platforms now generate permit documents in some form, whether as an add-on service, a purchased package or an in-platform plan. The difference that matters is where the documents come from. When a permit package is built from a design with no cable routing or bill of materials behind it, the drawings and the parts list can disagree, and mislabeled equipment is one of the reasons packages come back. Reslink generates the permit package from the same design that already holds the routed cables, the electrical and structural bills of materials, the NEC-compliant single line diagram, and the layout and string drawings. The package, the drawings and the parts list come from one model, so they agree with each other.

Three questions test any permit tool:

• Is the package generated from the design, or is it a separate step or a service you wait for?
• Do the equipment list, the drawings and the parts list come from one model?
• How long does it take to go from a finished design to a package you can submit?

The quickest test is to take one recent project that was rejected or corrected, rebuild it in the tool, and compare the package with what was submitted.

What EPCs Should Do Now

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Do not judge a design tool on how the proposal looks. The proposal is the first hour of the job, and the cable routing, parts list and drawings are the rest. Do not assume "mobile" means the same thing across tools, because a tablet proposal viewer and a phone-based design workflow are different products. Do not treat an add-on plan set service as the same thing as permit package generated from the design, since one adds a turnaround time and the other does not. And do not keep quoting the homeowner credit in proposals for systems bought in 2026.

How This Fits Into a Reslink Workflow

An installer captures the roof on a phone with LiDAR or photos, or starts remotely with AI roof detection, and builds the 3D design on the spot. Reslink then routes the cables, produces the electrical and structural bills of materials and generates the NEC-compliant single line diagram, layout and string drawings, and the permit package, from the same model. A solar-plus-storage proposal is built in the same project.

See the full workflow on a real project: Book a demo.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the best solar design software in the US for 2026?

Reslink is the best choice for installers who want phone-based design, automated cable routing, a bill of materials and a permit package from one design, plus solar-plus-storage proposals. It covers residential and commercial work on one platform, so a team does not switch tools as projects grow. For lender-grade yield reports on large financed projects, PVsyst runs alongside Reslink, not instead of it.

Q2. Can solar design software work from a phone on a roof visit?

Yes, with Reslink. It captures roofs with LiDAR on a compatible phone, builds a 3D model from overlapping photos using photogrammetry, and can start remotely with AI roof and obstruction detection. The design, shadow analysis and energy simulation run with the same capability on a phone, a tablet or a desktop. The other five are tablet or desktop-browser tools, not phone-first design workflows.

Q3. Can software automate the solar permitting process?

Partly, in two ways. Jurisdictions that adopt NREL’s SolarAPP+ review code-compliant residential rooftop systems automatically, and design platforms generate the permit documents themselves, which shrinks the installer’s work to checking the package. Reslink is built for the second route, so the documents are produced as part of the design and not drafted afterwards. Local requirements still vary by jurisdiction, so check what your authority having jurisdiction expects.

Q4. How is Reslink’s permit package different from an outsourced plan set?

An add-on or outsourced plan set is a separate step with its own turnaround. Reslink generates the permit package from the same design that holds the routed cables, bill of materials and single line diagram, so nothing is re-entered and the documents agree with each other. Local requirements still vary by jurisdiction, so check what your authority having jurisdiction expects.

Q5. What does automated cable routing change for an installer?

It ties the parts list to the real build. Reslink routes cables across the roof and calculates the cable lengths in the bill of materials from those routes, then updates both when the design changes. Lengths estimated from string ends to the inverter are a geometric approximation, while routed lengths follow the path the crew will actually pull, so the purchase order matches the build.

Q6. Does Reslink generate NEC-compliant single line diagrams?

Yes. The single line diagram is generated from the same design as the layout and string drawings, so the three always match, and the outputs are AutoCAD-compatible for engineering teams who want to continue the detailed work. Local requirements still vary by jurisdiction, so check what your authority having jurisdiction expects. The permit package comes out of the same model.

Q7. Can Reslink design solar-plus-storage systems for US projects?

Yes. Reslink sizes batteries with chemistry-aware logic, supports critical-load backup, sizes storage against commercial demand charges and co-optimizes PV and battery together, all in the same project as the solar design. Sales teams can compare configurations and project economics in the proposal. Storage matters more now because the placed-in-service deadline that applies to solar under 48E does not apply to energy storage.

Q8. How does Reslink compare with Aurora Solar for US installers?

Aurora Solar is a mature US platform with established utility-rate and financing integrations. Reslink covers what happens after the sale: phone-based 3D design, cable routing, electrical and structural bills of materials, and drawings from the design. Aurora’s plan sets and engineering stamps are add-on services with a turnaround time, while Reslink generates the drawings and the permit package from the design. For installers whose bottleneck is field speed and documentation, that difference shows up on every job.

Q9. Do I still need PVsyst if I use Reslink?

For small and mid-size projects, not required. For larger financed projects, where lenders commonly expect a P50 and P90 yield report from PVsyst, and Reslink does not replace it. Reslink handles design, proposals, cable routing, the bill of materials and drawings before and after the simulation stage, and larger EPCs run both. Ask the lender early which yield report format they require.

You May Also Like

• Best Aurora Solar Alternative for Solar EPCs in 2026
• Best HelioScope Software Alternative in 2026
• Solargraf Alternative in 2026: Real Shading Accuracy
• Best PVsyst Alternative for Solar EPCs in 2026

Sources

• SEIA, Clean Energy Provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill (seia.org): confirms the 25D termination date, the 48E construction and placed-in-service dates for solar, and that the placed-in-service deadline does not apply to storage.
• pv magazine USA, What the One Big Beautiful Bill Act means for US residential solar (pv-magazine.com): confirms the 25D end and the 48E timelines. Confirm against the statute and current IRS guidance before publishing.
• Aurora Solar plans and features page, accessed October 16, 2026: confirms Sales Mode on tablets, LiDAR-assisted modeling, Aurora AI, automated panel placement and stringing, storage modeling, and plan sets and engineering stamps as add-ons.
• HelioScope help center and pricing page, accessed October 16, 2026: confirm the bill of materials with conductor lengths, the single line diagram, storage features and the plan design caps.
• OpenSolar features page and support documentation, accessed October 16, 2026: confirm the design modes, CRM, partner-based bill of materials, battery design assistant and in-app permit packages.
• Pylon product materials, accessed October 16, 2026: confirm the 2D design studio, iPad and desktop support, imagery, CRM and battery storage design.
• Solargraf and NREL, Comparing Solargraf Shading Predictions to On-Site Shading Measurements: the shading validation referenced in the Solargraf section.
• Enphase press release, November 11, 2024, on the Solargraf DIY permit plan feature: confirms AI-assisted permit plans with single line diagrams.
• US Department of Energy, Streamlining Permitting with SolarAPP+ (energy.gov): confirms permitting as a bottleneck and the 13-day improvement for SolarAPP+ projects.
• International Code Council Building Safety Journal, Solar energy growth drives the modernization of permit processing (iccsafe.org): reports the NREL finding on average review times.
• Solar Power World, How to fast-track solar permitting to avoid costly delays (solarpowerworldonline.com): lists common permit rejection causes.
• Reslink platform documentation: phone capture, cable routing, bill of materials, drawings and storage capabilities.