Excel vs SuryaHub
for solar project management.
An honest look at running your solar EPC on spreadsheets — where Excel is fine, where it breaks, and what it really costs you to stay on it.
By the SuryaHub team · Updated 18 June 2026
The short answer.
Excel is free and flexible, and it’s fine for your first few solar projects. But as you grow, spreadsheets break: versions clash, nothing connects, and money leaks through the gaps.
SuryaHub is purpose-built solar EPC software that runs leads, quotes, sites, payments and 25-year AMC on one record. Pick Excel to start. Pick SuryaHub to scale without the chaos — see the platform or pricing.
- Best for
- Excel: 1–5 projects
SuryaHub: a growing EPC - Solar-native
- Only SuryaHub
- Team of users
- Only SuryaHub
- Starting cost
- Excel: free
SuryaHub: ₹4,500/mo
What does Excel really cost a solar EPC?
Excel looks free. The real cost is hidden in time, errors and lost revenue. Here is a simple month for a small EPC doing 20 installs — the numbers are illustrative, but the leaks are real.
None of this shows up as a bill, so it feels free. Put a number on your own hours and lost jobs, and software usually pays for itself fast. Try the ROI calculator →
Excel vs SuryaHub, line by line.
An honest, detailed comparison for running a solar EPC. "Manual" means you can do it in Excel, but by hand.
- Cost to start Free From ₹4,500/mo
- Time to set up Minutes 2–4 weeks
- Learning curve Everyone knows it Guided onboarding
- Lead capture + follow-up funnel
- Quote from rate cards (two-quote cycle) Manual
- GST on quotes & invoices Manual
- Send quotes on WhatsApp
- Technical survey with photo + GPS
- 5-stage install with photo proof
- Real-time stock (batch / serial) Manual
- Mobile field app (offline)
- PM Surya Ghar / DISCOM / net-metering
- Milestone-linked payments Manual
- AMC scheduling + renewal reminders
- Customer self-service portal Elite+
- Many users at once, no version clashes
- Role-based access + audit trail
- Live dashboards & profit per project Manual
Where Excel still wins
Let’s be fair — spreadsheets earn their place.
- It’s free
You already have it. For your first few projects, that’s hard to beat.
- Total flexibility
A blank sheet does anything you type. No rules, no fixed fields.
- No learning curve
Every team member already knows the basics of a spreadsheet.
- Works offline
A local file opens with no internet and no login.
Where SuryaHub wins
The things a blank sheet can never do for solar.
- Built for solar, not blank cells
kW pricing, BOM, DISCOM, subsidy and AMC are built in — not formulas you maintain.
- One connected record
A quote flows into the BOM, procurement, install and finance. No re-typing, no version fights.
- India compliance built in
PM Surya Ghar, net-metering, DCR and GST are part of the platform.
- The AMC moat
Auto-scheduled visits and 90/60/30-day reminders keep 25-year service revenue from slipping.
- Real visibility
Live dashboards show pipeline, ageing and profit per project — no month-end spreadsheet marathon.
- A real team tool
Many users, role-based access and an audit trail. Excel can’t do this safely.
Can you run a solar EPC business on Excel?
You can run a few projects on Excel, and most EPCs start there. It holds a price list, a project tracker and a payment sheet well enough at low volume. The trouble starts when the work grows. One person edits a sheet while another works from an old copy on WhatsApp. A quote on a laptop never reaches the site team. The same customer detail is typed three times — into a sheet, into Tally, into a chat. Each gap is small, but together they slow every job and leak margin.
Excel also has no idea what a solar job is. It does not know a kW price, a BOM, a DISCOM net-metering step, a PM Surya Ghar subsidy or an AMC renewal. You rebuild all of that by hand, every time, and hope nobody breaks a formula. Quotation, government workflows and AMC are built into SuryaHub instead.
When should you move off Excel?
Move when the spreadsheet starts costing more than it saves. The clear signs:
- More than one person needs the same live data.
- Quotes and GST take too long, so you lose jobs.
- Leads or AMC renewals start slipping through.
- You can’t see real profit per project.
Most EPCs hit this around 10 to 15 installs a month. That’s the point where one connected platform pays for itself in saved time and fewer leaks.
Move your Excel data over in weeks, not months.
SuryaHub imports your existing projects and contacts from Excel during onboarding. You keep your old files — nothing is lost. Most EPCs are live in 2 to 4 weeks.
- Go live2–4 weeks
- Migration (≤150 records)₹25,000
- Migration (>150 records)₹50,000
- Lite plan from₹4,500/mo
So, which should you pick?
Stay on Excel if…
- You do a handful of projects a month
- One person handles everything
- You’re testing the solar business
Move to SuryaHub if…
- ✓A team shares the same projects
- ✓You want quotes, GST and AMC handled
- ✓You’re growing and want to stop the leaks
Excel vs SuryaHub — your questions.
Can you run a solar EPC business on Excel?+
You can run a few solar projects on Excel, and many EPCs start there. But Excel does not connect leads, quotes, sites, payments and AMC, and it has no PM Surya Ghar, DISCOM or GST workflow. As volume grows, version clashes and missed steps cost time and margin. SuryaHub is built for the full solar workflow.
What does Excel really cost a solar EPC?+
Excel looks free, but the real cost is hidden: hours re-keying data, copy-paste errors in quotes and GST, leads that go cold, and AMC renewals that slip. For a growing EPC, that lost time and leaked margin usually costs far more than software. SuryaHub starts at ₹4,500/month.
Is SuryaHub a good Excel alternative for solar project management?+
Yes. SuryaHub is purpose-built solar EPC software that replaces the spreadsheet patchwork with one connected platform — leads, quotation, survey, installation, finance and 25-year AMC on one record. Unlike Excel, it is solar-native, multi-user and India-compliant, with live dashboards and an audit trail.
When should a solar EPC move off Excel?+
Move off Excel when more than one person needs the same data, when quotes and GST take too long, when leads or AMC renewals start slipping, or when you cannot see real profit per project. Most EPCs hit this around 10 to 15 installs a month. SuryaHub goes live in 2 to 4 weeks.
Can I move my Excel data into SuryaHub?+
Yes. SuryaHub imports your existing projects and contacts from Excel during onboarding. Migration is ₹25,000 for up to 150 records or ₹50,000 above that, and you are live in 2 to 4 weeks. You keep your old files; nothing is lost in the move.
Is Excel better than software for a small solar EPC?+
For your very first projects, Excel is fine and free. But it is single-user, error-prone and not solar-aware. A small EPC doing regular installs usually loses more to leaks and re-work than software costs. SuryaHub Lite starts at ₹4,500/month for micro EPCs.