Skyfire vs OpenSolar (2026)
OpenSolar offers a generous free tier and solid sales proposal tools — a great entry point for small installers. Skyfire is a dedicated permitting platform that produces PE-stamped, AHJ-compliant plan sets in minutes. If you need free basic design, OpenSolar works. If permitting speed and accuracy are costing you time and money, Skyfire pays for itself quickly.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Skyfire | OpenSolar |
|---|---|---|
| Site Survey AppSite Survey | Basic | |
| 3D DesignDesign | Basic 3D | |
| Plan Set GenerationPermitting | ||
| PE StampsPermitting | ||
| AHJ DatabasePermitting | ||
| Compliance EnginePermitting | ||
| Storage DesignDesign | Limited | |
| SolarAPP+ IntegrationPermitting | ||
| Multi-State SupportCoverage | ||
| API AccessIntegration | Limited | |
| Pricing ModelPricing | Per-plan | Free tier + paid plans |
Where Skyfire Wins
Purpose-built for permitting
OpenSolar is a proposal-first platform. Skyfire is built from the ground up for permitting — every feature is optimized for generating compliant, submission-ready plan sets, not sales documents.
Compliance engine with AHJ database
Skyfire maintains a database of AHJ-specific requirements and automatically validates designs against local codes, NEC standards, and fire setback rules. OpenSolar has no equivalent compliance automation.
PE stamps included
Skyfire delivers PE-stamped plan sets ready for submission. OpenSolar produces design layouts, but the path from design to approved permit package requires significant additional work.
Dramatically faster permit turnaround
With Skyfire, a permit-ready plan set takes about 5 minutes. With OpenSolar, you get a design file that still needs to be converted into a compliant permit package — a process that can take hours.
Where OpenSolar Might Be Better
Free tier for small installers
OpenSolar offers a genuinely useful free plan. For a one-person shop doing a handful of installs per month and handling permitting manually, the zero-cost entry point is hard to beat.
Sales proposal generation
OpenSolar produces polished, customer-facing proposals with financing options and savings projections. Skyfire is focused on the permitting side and does not generate sales proposals.
Extensive equipment library
OpenSolar maintains a broad inverter and panel database for system design. While Skyfire supports major equipment, OpenSolar's component library is more extensive for design exploration.
Pricing Comparison
OpenSolar's biggest draw is its free tier, which gives small installers access to basic design and proposal tools at no cost. Paid plans unlock additional features but remain relatively affordable. Skyfire charges per plan set generated. For teams where permitting is the bottleneck, the cost of a Skyfire plan set is typically far less than the labor cost of manually assembling a permit package. The real comparison is not subscription vs. free — it is the total cost of getting a permit approved, including labor time, rejection rates, and resubmission cycles.
Choose Skyfire if you...
- Permitting is your bottleneck — you spend hours assembling plan sets manually
- You need PE-stamped, AHJ-compliant plan sets, not just design layouts
- Your permit rejection rate is costing you time and money
- You want automatic compliance checking against local codes
- You process enough volume that per-plan pricing makes sense
Choose OpenSolar if you...
- You are a very small shop and need free basic design tools to get started
- Sales proposals are more important to your business than permitting speed
- You handle permitting manually and your volume is low enough that it works
- You need customer-facing documents with financing options
- You want to explore system designs with a wide equipment library at no cost
Switching Scenario
A growing installer in Florida started with OpenSolar's free tier and it worked well for their first 50 projects. But as they scaled past 20 installs per month, permitting became the constraint. Their office manager was spending full days assembling permit packages from OpenSolar designs, and their rejection rate was over 20% due to missed AHJ-specific requirements. After switching permitting to Skyfire, their rejection rate dropped to under 4%, and the office manager redirected those hours to scheduling and customer coordination. They still use OpenSolar for quick proposals on smaller jobs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is OpenSolar really free?
Yes, OpenSolar offers a genuinely free tier with basic design and proposal capabilities. It is a solid option for very small installers. However, the free tier does not include permitting features like compliance checking, PE stamps, or AHJ-specific plan sets — those are problems Skyfire solves.
Can I use OpenSolar for design and Skyfire for permitting?
Yes. Some teams use OpenSolar for initial design exploration and customer proposals, then use Skyfire to generate the actual permit package. This is a practical workflow if you value both free design tools and fast permitting.
Does OpenSolar generate permit-ready plan sets?
OpenSolar generates design layouts and proposal documents, but not permit-ready plan sets with line diagrams, compliance details, and PE stamps. Turning an OpenSolar design into an approved permit package requires substantial additional work.
Which tool is better for a one-person installation company?
If you do fewer than 5 installs per month and handle permitting yourself, OpenSolar's free tier may be enough. If permitting paperwork is eating into your installation time, Skyfire's per-plan pricing can free up hours every week — even at low volume.
Will I outgrow OpenSolar?
Many installers start with OpenSolar and hit a ceiling when permitting volume increases. The free design tools remain useful, but the lack of automated compliance checking and PE stamps becomes a real bottleneck as you scale past 10–15 installs per month.