The best solar software for Indian EPCs.
A plain, honest guide by category — design, CRM, accounting, ERP and all-in-one platforms. What each is for, who it fits, and where it falls short.
By the SuryaHub team · Updated 18 June 2026
There is no single best tool.
The best solar software depends on what you need. For drawing arrays, use a design tool. For books and GST, use Tally. For leads and sales, a CRM. To run the whole business on one record, use an all-in-one solar EPC platform. Most EPCs combine two or three.
Six things to check before you buy.
Tools look similar on a feature list. These six points separate the right fit from a costly mismatch for an Indian solar EPC.
Does it understand kW pricing, BOM/BOS, DCR and net-metering — or do you build that yourself?
PM Surya Ghar, DISCOM net-metering, ALMM and GST should be built in, not bolted on.
A design tool, a CRM and accounting each do one job. One platform connects them.
25-year service is your best margin. Check for scheduled visits and renewal reminders.
Survey and install teams need a phone app with photos, GPS and offline support.
Per-user SaaS, one-time licence or free — match the cash flow to your size.
Solar software by category.
Six categories Indian EPCs actually use, with honest example tools. We name them fairly — this is a guide, not an ad.
All-in-one solar EPC platform
Runs the whole solar business on one record — lead, survey, quote, install, payment and 25-year AMC.
- Example tools
- SuryaHub, Solar Ladder
- Best for
- EPCs who want one connected system instead of stitching five tools together.
- One honest limit
- These platforms do not draw the PV array. They capture a technical survey and integrate a design tool for the 3D work.
About SuryaHub: it is solar-native and India-built, connecting lead → survey → quote → install → payment → 25-year AMC on one record, with PM Surya Ghar, DISCOM, net-metering and GST built in. AMC renewal reminders protect your highest-margin revenue. It is pre-revenue, with live pilots at Suryantra Energy and RGESPL. It is not a PV design engine — it integrates design tools by API and quotes from rate cards. Pricing is in INR, from ₹4,500/month. See the platform or pricing.
Solar design & proposal software
Draws the panel layout, models shading and energy, and produces a sales-ready design proposal.
- Example tools
- ARKA360, Aurora Solar, OpenSolar
- Best for
- Teams that need accurate 3D layouts and engineering-grade energy estimates before quoting.
- One honest limit
- Design tools stop at the proposal. They do not run procurement, installation milestones, payments or AMC.
General-purpose CRM
Tracks leads, contacts and the sales pipeline across any industry, not just solar.
- Example tools
- Zoho CRM, Salesforce
- Best for
- Sales-led teams that want a flexible pipeline and are willing to configure it.
- One honest limit
- No solar fields out of the box. kW pricing, BOM, DISCOM steps and AMC need custom build or add-ons.
Accounting & GST software
Books purchases and sales, files GST, and keeps the ledgers an auditor needs.
- Example tools
- Tally Prime
- Best for
- Every Indian EPC that must file GST — most use it alongside their operations tool.
- One honest limit
- No CRM, no project tracking, no AMC. It handles the books, not the work that earns them.
Open-source / general ERP
A modular system for inventory, projects, sales and accounting that you shape to fit.
- Example tools
- ERPNext, Odoo
- Best for
- Teams with technical help who want to customise deeply and own the data.
- One honest limit
- Not solar-aware by default. PM Surya Ghar, net-metering and AMC flows take real configuration time.
Spreadsheets & WhatsApp
A blank sheet for tracking and a chat app for sending quotes and updates.
- Example tools
- Excel, Google Sheets, WhatsApp
- Best for
- Founders running their first handful of projects on a near-zero budget.
- One honest limit
- Single-user, error-prone and not solar-aware. Nothing connects, so data is re-typed and AMC renewals slip.
Why SuryaHub for running the whole business.
A design tool draws the array. A CRM tracks leads. Tally keeps the books. SuryaHub connects all of that work into one record built for Indian solar. Here is what that covers.
Capture leads, qualify them and route work to the right person.
Two-quote cycle from rate cards, with GST handled on every quote.
PM Surya Ghar, DISCOM and net-metering steps built into the flow.
Material requests, transfers and real-time batch and serial stock.
Milestone-linked payments and GST-compliant invoices.
Scheduled visits and 90/60/30-day renewal reminders.
Photo and GPS-verified survey and install, offline-capable.
Live pipeline, ageing and profit per project.
All eight modules on one connected record.
What is the best software for a small Indian solar EPC?
For a small EPC, the best answer is rarely one tool. A small EPC doing regular installs usually needs three things working together: a design tool for proposals, an operations platform to run leads through to AMC, and Tally for the books and GST. Each does a job the others do not, so the real choice is which combination fits your size and budget.
On the design side, ARKA360 offers INR pricing and was built with Indian sites in mind. Aurora is strong on engineering-grade modelling. OpenSolar is free to use and now bundles basic CRM and proposals. Any of these can draw the array and produce a clean proposal. They do not, however, run procurement, installation milestones, payments or service.
For the operations side, an all-in-one platform earns its place once more than one person shares the same projects. SuryaHub Lite starts at ₹4,500 per month and runs the lead-to-AMC workflow with PM Surya Ghar, DISCOM and GST built in. It integrates a design tool by API rather than drawing arrays itself. Note that SuryaHub is pre-revenue, with live pilots at Suryantra Energy and RGESPL, so judge it on the product and the founding-partner offer, not on a large installed base.
Very early founders running their first few projects can still start on spreadsheets and WhatsApp. That is free and fine at low volume. Most EPCs outgrow it around 10 to 15 installs a month, when re-typing data and slipping AMC renewals start to cost more than software.
Do I need both design software and EPC software?
Usually yes, because they solve different problems. Design software and EPC software are not rivals — they sit at different points in the same job. Treating them as one tool is where most software disappointment starts.
Design tools like Aurora, ARKA360 and OpenSolar are about the array. They place panels, model shading and sun path, estimate energy, and produce a proposal a customer can sign. That work is specialised, and a general platform does it poorly. If accurate layouts and energy numbers matter to your sales, you want a real design tool. Their limit is that they stop at the proposal. Once the deal is won, they do not order material, track the five install stages, raise GST invoices or schedule AMC.
EPC platforms cover that second half. Quotation, procurement, payments and AMC live here. SuryaHub is honest about this split: it captures a structured technical survey, but it does not draw the PV array. It integrates your design tool by API and quotes from rate cards.
So the practical setup for most Indian EPCs is both, connected. Use a design tool for the proposal, an operations platform for everything after, and Tally for the books. When the three pass data cleanly, you stop re-typing and nothing falls between them.
Best solar software — your questions.
What is the best solar software for Indian EPCs?+
There is no single best tool — it depends on the job. For drawing arrays, use design software like ARKA360, Aurora or OpenSolar. For books and GST, use Tally. For running the whole business end-to-end, use an all-in-one solar EPC platform such as SuryaHub. Most EPCs combine a design tool with an operations platform.
What is the best software for a small Indian solar EPC?+
A small EPC doing regular installs usually needs three things: a design tool for proposals, an operations platform for leads-to-AMC, and Tally for GST. SuryaHub Lite starts at ₹4,500/month and runs the operations side, integrating a design tool by API. Very early founders can still start on spreadsheets and WhatsApp.
Do I need both design software and EPC software?+
Usually yes. Design tools like Aurora and ARKA360 draw the array and model energy, but stop at the proposal. EPC platforms like SuryaHub run survey, procurement, installation, payments and AMC, but do not draw arrays. The two solve different problems, so many EPCs use both and connect them by API.
Is Tally enough to run a solar EPC?+
Tally is excellent for accounting and GST, and most Indian EPCs use it. But it has no CRM, no project tracking and no AMC. It records the money, not the work that earns it. EPCs typically pair Tally with an operations platform and feed invoices between them.
Can a generic CRM like Zoho or Salesforce work for solar?+
They can, with work. Zoho CRM and Salesforce are flexible, but neither ships with solar fields, kW pricing, DISCOM steps or AMC. You add those through custom build or add-ons, which takes time and money. A solar-native platform has them on day one.
What does SuryaHub do that design and CRM tools do not?+
SuryaHub connects the full solar lifecycle on one record — lead, survey, quotation, procurement, installation milestones, GST-compliant payments and 25-year AMC. It is solar-native and India-compliant. It is not a PV design engine; it integrates design tools by API and quotes from rate cards.