Alt text: Solar site survey
Solar site surveys can delay the whole project when the obtained field data is incomplete or scattered. One missing photo can impact design, and a wrong panel detail can stop permitting. For solar businesses, these small survey gaps can quickly transform into poor handoffs between teams and lead to many problems.
This is why solar teams utilize survey apps. These tools allow businesses to collect precise site data, document details, and keep project information clear enough to share across teams, without communication issues arising in between.
This guide compares five solay survey and workflow tools and key features of each one.
Key Takeaways
- Solar survey apps help field teams collect accurate site information, capture roof and property photos, organize info, and share the insights forward
- Manual solar surveys often create gaps between the field and office teams. Photos can get lost in text messages, measurements may not be clear, and electrical notes can be incomplete
- The best tool depends on where your biggest workflow gap is. Aurora Solar, OpenSolar, and Solargraf are sold options if design and proposals are the main challenge
- With the right survey functionality, solar teams can move from site visit to proposal, installation, and final customer completion quickly and without interruptions or delays
Solar site surveys play a huge role in how smoothly a solar project proceeds from the first stage to final installation. When the information collected on-site is incomplete, the entire process is affected.
A missing roof photo can delay the design team. An incorrect electrical panel detail can hold up permitting. A vague field note can create confusion for installers and lead to rework later.
This is why many solar businesses now rely on solar survey apps. These tools help field teams collect accurate site information, capture roof and property photos, organize info and share the insights forward.
Instead of managing survey details through paper forms, scattered photos, spreadsheets, or long message threads, solar companies can use these apps to keep project information clear and accessible.
Manual solar surveys often create gaps between the field and office teams. Photos can get lost in text messages, measurements may not be clear, and electrical notes can be incomplete. When this happens, designers may need to call the surveyor again, and installers may arrive on-site without the full context they need. A good solar survey app helps avoid these problems by keeping site data, photos, measurements, notes, and project details in one place. It keeps the field team, design team, sales team, and operations team working from the same information.
Here’s a comparison table displaying all the above options, their best features, strongest areas, and gaps present in them:
| Company | Best For | Strongest Area | Main Gap |
| Arrivy | Solar teams that need survey-to-install execution | Scheduling, dispatch, forms, photos, routes, customer updates | Not a pure solar design engine |
| Scoop Solar | Renewable teams that need structured operations | Workflows, field data capture, tasks, integrations, analytics | May need setup for custom workflows |
| Aurora Solar | Teams that need strong solar design and proposals | Remote design, 3D estimates, proposals, and accuracy | Not mainly built for crew dispatch |
| OpenSolar | Teams that want a free solar design and sales tool | Design, proposals, CRM-style project management, e-signatures | May need a separate tool for field execution |
| Solargraf | Teams that want design, proposals, and permitting support | AI design, proposal tools, automated permitting, role control | Not mainly positioned as a field service platform |
Arrivy is the best field service management software for solar teams that need to manage work after the survey. It connects surveys, scheduling, job details, crews, routes, customer updates, and installation progress in one workflow.
Arrivy offers a 14-day free trial. It lists a Standard plan starting at $25 per user per month.
Best for solar businesses that need better scheduling, dispatch, site documentation, installation tracking, and customer communication.
Scoop Solar is built for renewable installation and service teams. It works like a central operations hub. It helps teams standardize workflows, capture field data, manage tasks, and connect tools.
Pricing should be checked directly with Scoop Solar.
Best for renewable businesses that need a central system for projects, field work, checklists, and reporting.
Aurora Solar is best known for solar design and proposal workflows. It helps teams create accurate designs, estimates, and proposals with less manual work.
Pricing should be checked directly with Aurora Solar.
Best for solar companies that want stronger design, modeling, proposals, and sales presentations.
| Fun Fact |
| Instead of blindly guessing how nearby trees or chimneys will cast shadows, technicians use these apps that project a sun-path onto the real-world using the phone’s camera. |
OpenSolar is a solar software platform for design, sales, and project management. It is also known for being free to use for solar professionals.
OpenSolar says its platform is free of charge.
Best for solar teams that want a free tool for solar design, proposals, and basic project management.
Alt text: Solar site planning
Solargraf supports solar design, financing, integrations, and role control. It’s most useful for teams that require a complete design-to-permit workflow.
Pricing should be checked directly with Solargraf.
Best for solar companies that need design, proposal, financing, and permitting support in one place.
Many solar apps help with design, proposals, or permitting.
But solar teams also need strong execution after the survey.
This is where Arrivy fits.
Arrivy helps teams schedule surveys, dispatch crews, collect field data, organize photos, send customer updates, and track work from survey to install.
For teams that already use a design tool, Arrivy can support the operational side of the workflow.
Recommended anchor text: solar field service software.
This table displays a comparison between different platforms and how each feature works in them:
| Feature | Arrivy | Scoop Solar | Aurora Solar | OpenSolar | Solargraf |
| Site survey forms | Strong | Strong | Limited / design-focused | Moderate | Moderate |
| Photo documentation | Strong | Strong | Design-focused | Moderate | Moderate |
| Solar design | Limited | Limited / workflow-focused | Strong | Strong | Strong |
| Proposal tools | Estimate workflow | Proposal handoff | Strong | Strong | Strong |
| Scheduling and dispatch | Strong | Strong | Limited | Limited | Limited |
| Project tracking | Strong | Strong | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| Customer updates | Strong | Stakeholder communication | Sales-focused | Sales-focused | Sales-focused |
| Best workflow stage | Survey to install | Operations hub | Design and proposal | Design and sales | Design to permit |
Solar survey apps help solar teams accumulate better field data and reduce the small mistakes that slow down a project, making it quite easy to capture photos, record measurements, and document electrical details.
The best tool depends on where your biggest workflow gap is. Aurora Solar, OpenSolar, and Solargraf are sold options if design and proposals are the main challenge. Scoop Solar is a stronger fit for teams that require a broader operations hub for renewable energy work. Arrivy serves as a strong selection for solar businesses that need better dispatch, scheduling, digital forms, and customer updates after every survey.
With the right survey functionality, solar teams can move from site visit to proposal, installation, and final customer completion quickly and without interruptions or delays.
A solar survey application helps teams collect roof specifications, site pictures, electrical information, measurements, and field notes during a site visit.
The best app depends on the workflow. Arrivy is strong for field operations. Scoop Solar is strong for workflow control. Aurora Solar is strong for design. OpenSolar is strong for free design and sales tools. Solargraf is strong for design, proposals, and permitting.
Yes. Better survey data can reduce design revisions, missing information, poor handoffs, and installation planning issues.
Arrivy is a strong fit for solar field operations because it supports scheduling, dispatch, forms, photo documentation, customer updates, and installation tracking.
