Solargraf Review for Solar Installers
AI-powered solar design, interactive proposals, and automated permitting across 16,000+ jurisdictions - with published pricing starting at $2,799/year.
AI-powered solar design, interactive proposals, and automated permitting across 16,000+ jurisdictions - with published pricing starting at $2,799/year.
Solargraf is an all-in-one solar design, proposal, and permitting platform built by Enphase for solar installers who want to reduce end-to-end cycle time from design to signed contract.
It does not try to replace your CRM, accounting system, or field service management tool. It focuses on what happens between lead collection and truck roll: AI-powered solar design, interactive proposals, automated permitting across 16,000+ jurisdictions, and the documents that turn a roof model into a bankable proposal and permit-ready package.
The distinguishing capability is automated permitting. Solargraf maintains a database covering 16,000+ jurisdictions in all 50 states and generates DIY single-line diagrams, permit LAN sets, and compliant plan packages in-house. Most competitors require manual plan set creation, external CAD software, or costly third-party permit services.
This review looks at whether Solargraf delivers on that promise, where the costs add up, and who should - and should not - schedule a demo.
Disclosure: Some links on Contractor Software Hub are affiliate links. If you sign up through one, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. My recommendations do not change based on that.
Third-Party Rating: Solargraf serves 1,000+ customers and has generated 3M+ proposals and 1M+ permits. The platform’s review footprint on G2 and Capterra is less established than Aurora Solar or OpenSolar, which reflects its smaller and more recent customer base. Across available review sources, users highlight the permitting automation and ease of design as top strengths. Enphase’s public company status provides stability verification that independent review sites cannot match.
Solargraf uses AI-assisted design to handle complex roof types with a smart and intuitive interface. LIDAR-assisted 3D modeling provides accurate roof geometry without requiring a physical site visit. The platform generates automated, fast, and bankable designs for both residential and commercial systems. Shading analysis covers every pixel of the roof using Solargraf’s shading engine, and production calculations run in real time. For installers operating across multiple regions, this remote design capability eliminates the travel time that would otherwise slow proposal turnaround.
This is Solargraf’s standout feature. The platform maintains an up-to-date permit database covering 16,000+ jurisdictions across all 50 states, with regulations continuously updated as local codes change. It generates DIY single-line diagrams, three-line diagrams, wiring calculations, and permit LAN sets that comply with local requirements. Installers can create accurate and compliant permit packages in-house without an external CAD license or third-party engineering service. This capability significantly reduces soft costs and turnaround times for projects that would otherwise stall waiting for permit documentation.
Solargraf generates customized proposals designed to close deals faster - with the platform’s own claim being proposal generation within approximately 3 minutes. The proposals are branded, visually polished, and include financing options with integrated fintech partners. DocuSign integration handles contract completion, and API connectivity links proposals directly into customer CRMs. For sales teams, this means creating and customizing proposals on the go rather than waiting for a design team to produce a separate document.
Battery modeling is included as part of the design suite, covering residential and commercial storage sizing. Given Solargraf’s Enphase ownership, battery integration with Enphase’s own Encharge and Enlighten ecosystem is a natural advantage for installers who source hardware from Enphase’s product line.
Solargraf connects with fintech, CRM, and productivity tools through its API. Enterprise plans include Public API access at no extra cost; other plans can add it for $4,000/year. Role-based user control lets administrators grant access by role, keeping teams organized and data secure. The platform supports 16 languages and serves customers internationally.
Permitting is consistently one of the most frustrating bottlenecks in solar installation. Solargraf addresses this with a database of 16,000+ jurisdictions and the ability to generate complete, compliant permit packages in-house. Most other solar design tools leave permit plan set creation as a manual step - requiring either an experienced designer who knows local codes or an external engineering service. The DIY permit capability is especially valuable for small to mid-sized installers who previously outsourced permit work. When a plan set can be generated in Solargraf rather than ordered from a third party, the time and cost savings compound quickly across a busy season.
Solargraf publishes clear annual tiers - Starter at $2,799/year, Small Business at $4,799/year, Teams at $6,399/year, and Enterprise at $12,999/year. This is rare in solar software, where many competitors redirect buyers to a demo-and-quote process. Annual billing may not suit every budget model, and the upfront cost is higher than monthly subscriptions. But the transparency alone - installers can calculate total first-year costs before scheduling a demo - is a genuine advantage.
Solargraf is owned by Enphase Energy, a publicly traded company on NASDAQ (ENPH). Solargraf’s support runs through the Enphase support infrastructure, Enphase’s legal terms apply, and Enphase’s financial stability provides a safety net that standalone competitors simply cannot match. For an installer building their primary design and sales workflow around a platform, knowing the company behind it won’t face the funding cliff or acquisition risk that affects many B2B SaaS products is meaningful.
3M+ proposals generated, 1M+ permits processed, 1,000+ customers. These are not vanity numbers - they indicate active, sustained use across a large installer base. When over a thousand solar professionals rely on Solargraf daily, the platform has clearly passed the point where a handful of power users are propping up engagement metrics.
Solargraf does not offer a self-serve trial or no-cost tier. Every evaluation starts with a scheduled demo and a sales conversation. For installers comparing multiple platforms, spending demo time with each option is a real time investment. Competitors like OpenSolar let you install and start designing immediately. For teams that want to evaluate on their actual roof types before talking to sales, Solargraf’s friction is the steepest in the category.
The Starter plan at $2,799/year requires a significant upfront commitment. Even broken down to approximately $233/month, it is a larger first investment than the monthly subscription competitors. For startups uncertain about their project volume or still building their installer base, this is a barrier. The annual model works best for established teams with predictable project pipelines.
Enterprise plans include Public API access at no extra cost. For Starter, Small Business, and Teams plans, API access runs $4,000/year on top of the subscription. That is a meaningful add-on cost that buyers should factor into total cost calculations. The API is essential for teams heavily invested in custom CRM workflows or automated design pipelines, but for lighter integration needs, the standard Solargraf-to-CRM connections may suffice.
Solargraf handles design, proposals, and permitting - but not CRM beyond the proposal workflow, accounting, field service dispatch, inventory, or payroll. Contractors running full-service solar operations need additional software for the stages Solargraf doesn’t cover. The platform’s API and CRM integrations help bridge the gap, but consolidation stops at the design-to-permit boundary.
|| Plan | Annual Cost | Projects | Users | Additional Project Cost | Additional User Cost | ||------|-----------|----------|-------|------------------------|---------------------| || Starter | $2,799/year | 240 | 2 | +$11/project | +$1,440/user | || Small Business | $4,799/year | 480 | 4 | +$10/project | +$1,200/user | || Teams | $6,399/year | 720 | 6 | +$9/project | +$960/user | || Enterprise | $12,999/year | 1,500 | Unlimited | +$9/project | N/A (unlimited) |
Enterprise adds: Public API access included at no extra cost (other plans pay $4,000/year for API access). All core features - interactive proposals, shading tools, fast designs, permitting, financing, and CRM - are available on every plan.
What you will actually pay. An installer on the Small Business plan processing 40 projects per month (480/year) stays within their project budget and pays exactly $4,799/year before any add-ons. A team on Teams plan that adds 100 extra projects and 2 extra users pays $6,399 + (100 x $9) + (2 x $960) = $8,499/year. API access on Teams adds $4,000, bringing the total to $12,499/year. Buyers should model their true annual project volume and user growth before selecting a tier.
What to confirm in writing: Project volume limits, user count, additional project/user costs, API access pricing, renewal terms, data export rights. The pricing page is transparent, but always confirm renewal pricing and contract terms with the sales team.
Capterra and G2 aggregate feedback. Solargraf’s review profile is smaller than Aurora Solar or OpenSolar, but the platform has accumulated a solid review base across available platforms. The volume of 3M+ proposals and 1M+ actual permits provides functional verification that goes beyond self-reported ratings.
Positive themes:
Critical themes:
|| Feature | Solargraf | Aurora Solar | OpenSolar | HelioScope | ||---------|-----------|-------------|-----------|------------| || Target customer | Growing residential and commercial installers | Residential and mixed-use installers | Small installers, startups | C&I design teams, EPCs | || Roof modeling | LIDAR-assisted 3D (included) | LIDAR + satellite (Premium only) | Satellite only | Manual drawing | || Permitting | Automated 16,000+ jurisdictions | Manual plan sets + CAD | Manual plan sets | Engineering-focused | || Battery modeling | Yes (included) | Yes (Premium only) | Basic optional | No | || Starting price | $2,799/year | $159/user/mo | No-cost core app | $159/license/mo | || Pricing model | Annual subscription | Per user per month | No-cost core / paid add-ons | Per license per month | || CRM integration | API (Salesforce, HubSpot) | Native (Salesforce, HubSpot) | Built-in lightweight | API only | || Sales proposals | Customizable, ~3 min generation | Interactive 3D with e-signature | Standard PDF proposals | Engineering-focused | || Company backing | Enphase (public, NASDAQ: ENPH) | $520M+ funded, $4B valuation | OpenSolar Inc. | Aurora Solar (same parent) | || Review footprint | Growing (Capterra, G2) | Well established (G2, Capterra) | Well established | Moderate |
Solargraf is the platform to demo for growing solar installers who want design, proposals, and automated permitting in one subscription with published pricing. The automated permitting across 16,000+ jurisdictions is genuinely unique in solar software - no other competitor in this category offers comparable DIY permit package generation. The Enphase backing provides company stability, and the scale of 3M+ proposals and 1M+ permits signals a mature, actively used platform.
The trade-offs are entry friction and annual cost. There is no self-serve trial, no no-cost tier, and the Starter plan at $2,799/year is a meaningful upfront commitment. If you are just starting out in solar or testing whether automated design software fits your workflow, OpenSolar’s no-cost tier is the lower-risk path. And if your primary work is commercial-scale design above 1 MW, HelioScope is purpose-built for that use case.
For established installers facing permitting bottlenecks, Solargraf’s automated plan sets and DIY single-line diagrams can dramatically reduce soft costs and turnaround times. That is the value proposition that makes the annual subscription worthwhile.
Best for: Growing residential and commercial solar installers who want automated permitting across 16,000+ jurisdictions, bankable production estimates, and AI-powered design in one platform.
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