Sourced buying guide
Solar1 vs OpenSolar
OpenSolar markets built-in CRM and project management alongside design, proposals, permitting connections, electronic signature, and payments. Buyers should compare downstream accounting, inventory, workforce, and service requirements without calling OpenSolar a design-only tool.
Category: Solar design, sales, and project CRM platform
Reviewed audience: Solar professionals managing design, proposals, customer records, project workflows, and communications.
Sources reviewed 2026-07-06
Reviewed scope
What the official sources establish.
“Not found” means only that the capability was not established in the sources listed below. It is not a definitive claim that the product lacks it.
| Buying criterion | OpenSolar | Solar1 evidence status |
|---|---|---|
| Solar design and proposals | MarketedSolar design, proposals, financing, and sales workflows are marketed.Official source | Integration required |
| CRM and project management | MarketedLeads, contacts, projects, scheduling, assignments, actions, and permissions are marketed.Official source | Configuration candidate |
| Documents, permitting, signature, and payments | MarketedDocument management, permitting connections, electronic signature, and payments are marketed.Official source | Integration required |
| Project accounting and general ledger | Not found in reviewed sourcesA native accounting ledger was not established in the reviewed project-management source. | Configuration candidate |
| Payroll and workforce administration | Not found in reviewed sourcesPayroll and workforce administration were not established in the reviewed source. | Configuration candidate |
Buying questions
Questions to resolve before choosing a system.
- 01Which OpenSolar records remain authoritative if a separate operations system is introduced?
- 02How are project, document, payment, and permitting events handed off downstream?
- 03Which system owns each customer, project, financial, and field record?
- 04What must be migrated, how will it be validated, and what remains archived?
- 05Which connections are productized, and which require implementation work?
- 06How are training, acceptance, support, renewal, export, and offboarding documented?
Evaluate the workflow, not a feature tally.
Bring the systems and handoffs your team runs today. The demo separates configuration candidates, integration work, and questions that remain open.