OpenSolar is a strong tool. It's free, it handles solar design well, and many installers start their solar software journey there. If you're using OpenSolar for system design and proposals, you're in good company.
But as your solar business grows, you may find yourself hitting the same wall many installers reach: OpenSolar is excellent at designing systems, but it was never built to capture, qualify, and convert website visitors - or to manage a sales pipeline.
This guide is a fair, honest look at where OpenSolar excels, where installers tend to outgrow it, and whether Voltflo - which handles a different part of the solar sales journey - is worth adding alongside it.
What OpenSolar Does Well
OpenSolar earned its reputation for good reasons:
- Free design tools - you can design solar systems at no cost
- Solid proposal generation - produce clean proposals with system details
- Good for technical installers - detailed design capabilities for system sizing and layout
- No upfront cost - the barrier to entry is effectively zero
For an installer who needs to design systems and produce technical proposals, OpenSolar is a legitimate choice. We're not here to tell you otherwise.
Where Installers Tend to Outgrow OpenSolar
The challenge isn't that OpenSolar is bad at what it does. It's that it doesn't do everything a solar installation business needs to grow.
Lead Capture on Your Own Website
OpenSolar doesn't put a self-qualifying enquiry flow on your website. If a visitor lands on your homepage, OpenSolar doesn't capture their details, qualify them, or move them into a pipeline. You're still relying on a basic contact form - and losing most of your visitors before they ever enquire.
Sales-Team Pipeline Management
OpenSolar isn't a CRM. It doesn't track leads through pipeline stages, send automated follow-ups, or give your sales team visibility on what's happening with every enquiry. If you have a sales team, they need a pipeline - and OpenSolar doesn't provide one.
Marketing Source Tracking
OpenSolar doesn't connect enquiries to their marketing source and track them through to signed jobs. If you're spending on Google Ads or Facebook, you can't see which channel is producing real revenue - only which ads generated clicks.
Ireland and UK-Local Support
OpenSolar is a global platform. For Irish and UK installers who want local support that understands SEAI grants, MCS certification, and the local sales journey, a global tool can feel distant.
The Honest Distinction: Design vs Conversion
Here's the clearest way to think about it:
- OpenSolar designs the system - it handles the technical work of sizing and laying out a solar installation
- Voltflo converts the visitor and runs the pipeline - it captures leads, qualifies them, generates proposals, and tracks them through to signed jobs
These are different jobs. Many installers use both - Voltflo handles the sales journey from first click to signed contract, and OpenSolar handles the detailed system design once a customer is ready to proceed.
Side-by-Side Comparison
- Lead capture on your website: OpenSolar - not built in. Voltflo - dynamic solar enquiry flow.
- Lead qualification: OpenSolar - manual. Voltflo - automatic, before a sales call.
- Proposal generation: OpenSolar - design-focused proposals. Voltflo - commercial proposals from your equipment catalogue and pricing.
- CRM / pipeline depth: OpenSolar - not a CRM. Voltflo - full solar-specific pipeline from enquiry to install.
- Marketing source tracking: OpenSolar - not built in. Voltflo - source-to-revenue attribution.
- Pricing model: OpenSolar - free. Voltflo - tailored to your business (see pricing).
- Support: OpenSolar - global. Voltflo - Ireland and UK-local.
- Market focus: OpenSolar - global. Voltflo - built for Ireland and the UK.
See Voltflo on your own numbers
A 20-minute call, mapped to your team. No hard sell - just what it would do for your business.
Who Should Stay on OpenSolar
OpenSolar is the right tool if:
- You're a solo installer who designs every system yourself
- You don't need a CRM or pipeline
- You're not spending on marketing and don't need source tracking
- You're happy with global support rather than local
If that's you, there's no reason to change. OpenSolar does its job well.
Who Should Add Voltflo (or Switch)
Voltflo is the right addition if:
- You have a website and want to convert more visitors into enquiries
- You have a sales team that needs pipeline visibility
- You're spending on marketing and need to know what's working
- You want proposals connected to a CRM, not isolated in a design tool
- You want Ireland or UK-local support
For many installers, the answer isn't "switch" - it's "add." Voltflo captures and qualifies the visitor before a design is ever needed, and runs the pipeline after the proposal is sent. OpenSolar handles the technical design in between. See how Voltflo works on our Features page.
Proof That the Conversion Layer Matters
Renewables Ireland didn't change their design tools. They added Voltflo's capture, qualification, and pipeline layer. The results:
- 3x conversion rate on their existing website traffic
- 12+ hours saved per week on admin
- Every lead responded to automatically
CEO Paul Bradley: "Customers now educate themselves, book themselves, and arrive ready to buy." See the full Renewables Ireland case study.
See How Voltflo Fits Alongside OpenSolar
Book a demo and we'll show you exactly how Voltflo handles the sales journey - from first website visit to signed job - and how it fits alongside your existing design tools.
You might also find these useful: Easy PV vs Voltflo: Design Tool or Sales Engine? and GoHighLevel for Solar Companies.