OpenSolar's price is simple, the core platform is free, but the model behind it, and the things that sit outside the free core, are what actually matter when you're deciding whether to build your business on it. Here's how OpenSolar pricing works for Australian installers in 2026, and where "free" has edges.
How much does OpenSolar cost?
OpenSolar's core design, CRM and proposal tools are free, with no per-seat fees, no design caps and no contracts, for unlimited users and projects. That's genuinely unusual in solar software and it's the main reason the platform has spread to over 25,000 businesses worldwide. For the core day-to-day workflow, there's no software cost at all.
How does OpenSolar make money if it's free?
OpenSolar is funded by hardware manufacturers and finance providers, not by installers. Those partners integrate with the platform and effectively pay for it, so the software is funded by the products and finance options that appear inside it. It's a legitimate, widely-used model, but it has an implication worth knowing: project data flows to those partners by design, and the roadmap is shaped partly by partner priorities rather than purely by installer needs.
What is not free in OpenSolar?
A few things sit outside the free core, and they're the ones to budget for. API access became a paid feature from April 2026, so integration-heavy businesses now pay for external connections. Premium high-resolution imagery bundles can carry extra cost depending on region and usage. And because OpenSolar doesn't generate compliant single-line diagrams natively, many installers pay for separate CAD software to produce them, an indirect cost in both licence fees and time.
Is OpenSolar's free plan enough for Australian installers?
For straightforward residential work, yes, the free core can genuinely run your whole sales process. The free plan stops being "free enough" when you need the things it doesn't focus on: AS/NZS 5033 single-line diagrams, precise STC and Federal Battery Rebate handling, and paid API integrations. At that point the real cost isn't a subscription, it's the separate tools and time you spend filling the gaps.
How does OpenSolar pricing compare to Solar Proof?
They sit at opposite ends of the model. OpenSolar is free and partner-funded; Solar Proof is funded by subscriptions, pay-as-you-go from around four dollars per project (first projects free), with Pro plans from about ninety-nine dollars per month, and includes STCs, the Federal Battery Rebate and AS/NZS 5033 SLDs built in. You pay a little, but the compliance work is done for you rather than handed to separate tools. See the full Solar Proof vs OpenSolar comparison.
The bottom line
OpenSolar's core is free and likely to stay that way, funded by hardware and finance partners. The real cost questions are around the paid API, premium imagery, and the separate tooling some installers need for compliant SLDs. Understand the partner-funded model and budget for what sits outside the free core, and you'll know whether free is genuinely free for your business.
