The complete software stack for a growing solar installation company
Here's the exact, integrated 4-pillar stack we'd architect for an 18-person residential solar installation company — no SaaS sprawl, no overlapping tools, every piece chosen for how well it fits your size and how cleanly it plugs into the rest.
The example below is for an 18-person residential solar installation company. Your blueprint will be tailored to your actual size and spend.
Estimated difference: $40,212/yr
Arithmetic: ($8,600 current input − $5,249 catalog stack) × 12. This is an illustrative catalog scenario, not a quote, observed customer spend, or guaranteed savings.
Your 4-pillar stack blueprint
This technology stack is designed to streamline your 18-person solar installation company's operations from lead generation to final payment. OpenSolar and Google Local Services Ads will efficiently bring in new customers, while CallRail and Mailchimp will ensure you effectively nurture those leads and communicate with existing ones. HubSpot will manage your sales process, and Enerflo and ClickUp will keep your installation projects on track and organized, with Samsara optimizing your vehicle logistics. QuickBooks Online, Gusto, Ramp, and Bill.com will handle your core financial operations, and Google Workspace and DocuSign will empower your team's daily productivity and secure document management. Finally, 1Password and Huntress will provide essential security for your sensitive data and systems.
Sales & Marketing
Solar Design & Proposal Software
Consolidates: manual satellite-imagery design, spreadsheet proposal building
$0/moLocal Pay-Per-Lead Advertising
Consolidates: door-to-door canvassing as sole lead source, generic Google Ads campaigns, print/direct mail advertising
$2,500/moCall Tracking & Marketing Attribution
Consolidates: manual ad ROI guesswork, separate tracking numbers per campaign
$200/moEmail & SMS Marketing Automation
Consolidates: manual email follow-up, spreadsheet-tracked referral program
$65/moCRM & Sales Pipeline Management
Consolidates: spreadsheet lead tracking, generic email inbox as a CRM
$450/mo
Core Operations
Solar Installation Project & Workflow Management
Consolidates: spreadsheet-tracked install pipeline, manual permit-status tracking, disconnected sales-to-install handoff
$500/moSolar Permitting & AHJ Compliance
Consolidates: manual plan-review permit submission, weeks-long jurisdiction permit backlogs
$150/moProject Management
Consolidates: spreadsheet project tracking, whiteboard/paper install schedule
$100/moFleet & GPS Vehicle Tracking
Consolidates: manual mileage logs, phone-based dispatch check-ins
$300/mo
Finance
Core accounting & bookkeeping
Consolidates: manual/spreadsheet bookkeeping, standalone invoicing tools
$90/mo- $280/mo
Corporate cards & expense management
Consolidates: personal reimbursement/manual expense reports, shared company debit cards
$0/moAccounts payable & bill pay automation
Consolidates: manual check writing, paper vendor invoice tracking
$99/mo
Administration & Security
Google Workspace (Business Standard)
Business email hosting & productivity suite
Consolidates: personal Gmail/Yahoo accounts for business use, USB drives / local-only file storage
$220/moPassword manager
Consolidates: passwords in a shared spreadsheet or notebook, browser-saved/reused passwords
$95/moEndpoint detection & response / managed security
Consolidates: free/consumer antivirus, unmanaged, unmonitored endpoints
$120/moE-signature & document workflow
Consolidates: printing and scanning paper contracts, emailing PDFs back and forth for signature
$80/mo
Our picks, and why
OpenSolar
Fits teams of 1-50 employees, consolidates manual satellite-imagery design, spreadsheet proposal building — chosen over 1 other solar design & proposal software option in our catalog.
Runner-up: Aurora Solar
Google Local Services Ads
Fits teams of 3-100 employees, consolidates door-to-door canvassing as sole lead source, generic Google Ads campaigns, print/direct mail advertising.
CallRail
Fits teams of 3-50 employees, consolidates manual ad ROI guesswork, separate tracking numbers per campaign.
Mailchimp
Fits teams of 1-50 employees, consolidates manual email follow-up, spreadsheet-tracked referral program.
HubSpot
Fits teams of 3-100 employees, consolidates spreadsheet lead tracking, generic email inbox as a CRM.
Enerflo
Fits teams of 5-150 employees, consolidates spreadsheet-tracked install pipeline, manual permit-status tracking, disconnected sales-to-install handoff.
SolarAPP+
Fits teams of 3-100 employees, consolidates manual plan-review permit submission, weeks-long jurisdiction permit backlogs.
ClickUp
Fits teams of 3-100 employees, consolidates spreadsheet project tracking, whiteboard/paper install schedule.
Samsara
Fits teams of 5-200 employees, consolidates manual mileage logs, phone-based dispatch check-ins.
QuickBooks Online (Plus)
Fits teams of 1-25 employees, consolidates manual/spreadsheet bookkeeping, standalone invoicing tools.
Gusto (Plus)
Fits teams of 3-100 employees, consolidates manual payroll processing, legacy ADP/Paychex contracts.
Ramp
Fits teams of 3-200 employees, consolidates personal reimbursement/manual expense reports, shared company debit cards.
Bill.com
Fits teams of 5-150 employees, consolidates manual check writing, paper vendor invoice tracking.
Google Workspace (Business Standard)
Fits teams of 3-100 employees, consolidates personal Gmail/Yahoo accounts for business use, USB drives / local-only file storage.
1Password Business
Fits teams of 3-100 employees, consolidates passwords in a shared spreadsheet or notebook, browser-saved/reused passwords.
Huntress Managed EDR
Fits teams of 5-150 employees, consolidates free/consumer antivirus, unmanaged, unmonitored endpoints.
DocuSign
Fits teams of 3-100 employees, consolidates printing and scanning paper contracts, emailing PDFs back and forth for signature.
Every tool we evaluated for a solar installation company
Our engine picks one winner per category based on your size — here's the full shortlist it chose from, including the runners-up and who they're actually built for.
Sales & Marketing
| Tool | Category | Best fit | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora Solar | Solar Design & Proposal Software | 3-100 employees | $350/mo |
| OpenSolarOur pick for this size | Solar Design & Proposal Software | 1-50 employees | $0/mo |
| Google Local Services AdsOur pick for this size | Local Pay-Per-Lead Advertising | 3-100 employees | $2,500/mo |
| CallRailOur pick for this size | Call Tracking & Marketing Attribution | 3-50 employees | $200/mo |
| MailchimpOur pick for this size | Email & SMS Marketing Automation | 1-50 employees | $65/mo |
| HubSpotOur pick for this size | CRM & Sales Pipeline Management | 3-100 employees | $450/mo |
Core Operations
| Tool | Category | Best fit | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| EnerfloOur pick for this size | Solar Installation Project & Workflow Management | 5-150 employees | $500/mo |
| SolarAPP+Our pick for this size | Solar Permitting & AHJ Compliance | 3-100 employees | $150/mo |
| ClickUpOur pick for this size | Project Management | 3-100 employees | $100/mo |
| SamsaraOur pick for this size | Fleet & GPS Vehicle Tracking | 5-200 employees | $300/mo |
Finance
| Tool | Category | Best fit | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks Online (Plus)Our pick for this size | Core accounting & bookkeeping | 1-25 employees | $90/mo |
| Gusto (Plus)Our pick for this size | Payroll & HR | 3-100 employees | $280/mo |
| RampOur pick for this size | Corporate cards & expense management | 3-200 employees | $0/mo |
| Bill.comOur pick for this size | Accounts payable & bill pay automation | 5-150 employees | $99/mo |
Administration & Security
| Tool | Category | Best fit | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Workspace (Business Standard)Our pick for this size | Business email hosting & productivity suite | 3-100 employees | $220/mo |
| 1Password BusinessOur pick for this size | Password manager | 3-100 employees | $95/mo |
| Huntress Managed EDROur pick for this size | Endpoint detection & response / managed security | 5-150 employees | $120/mo |
| DocuSignOur pick for this size | E-signature & document workflow | 3-100 employees | $80/mo |
- What Should an 18-Person Solar Installation Company Actually Pay for Software?
- Aurora Solar vs. OpenSolar: Which One Actually Fits Your Solar Installation Company?
- Aurora Solar vs. OpenSolar: What the $350/mo Gap Doesn't Tell You About Lead Handling
- Signs Your Solar Installation Company Has SaaS Sprawl (And What It's Costing You)
- Software Integration Guide for Solar Installation Companies
Trades and businesses that share tools with solar installation company.
Frequently asked questions
How much does software cost for a small business in this industry?
It depends on your team size, but a genuinely optimized stack for a 10-15 person business typically runs $2,000-4,000/mo across all four pillars (sales & marketing, operations, finance, admin & security). We regularly see businesses paying 50-100% more than that because of overlapping tools, enterprise-tier subscriptions sized for larger teams, or never renegotiated pricing. Run the free audit to see your exact number.
What's the biggest source of software overspend in this industry?
The most common pattern is paying for two tools that do the same job — a legacy platform and a newer one that was added during a transition but never replaced the old one. The second most common is running an enterprise-tier platform sized for a much larger operation when a lighter alternative covers 95% of the functionality at a third of the cost.
How is BusinessAdvisor.Guide's recommendation different from a 'best software' list?
Most 'best software' lists rank tools by affiliate commission, not fit. Our engine is structurally blind to who pays us — the ranking code and the commission data live in separate, non-importing parts of our codebase. The engine ranks purely on your team-size fit and integration density, not on which vendor pays the biggest bounty.
Do I have to buy through BusinessAdvisor.Guide to use the blueprint?
No. The blueprint tells you exactly which tools to run and why. Adopting through our link just attaches your account so the rebate gets credited to you instead of going unclaimed. The recommendation is the same either way.
Get your own solar installation company blueprint
Three questions, tailored to your actual size and spend — not the example above.