Simpro is field service software for multi-trade contractors: electrical, plumbing, HVAC and security. It's built for commercial contracting: job costing, progress billing, inventory with stock levels and purchasing, and asset maintenance, with many capabilities sold as add-ons. Its website also lists a solar and renewables offering, but it has no design tool of its own, and permits are handled with general project stages, tasks and forms.
Payaca is built for solar, battery storage, heat pump and EV charger install businesses: permits, inspections, PTO and interconnection tracked on the project, solar design with Glow (limited release) or OpenSolar imports, and multi-option proposals with e-signatures, with far less to configure. Here's how they compare for a clean energy install business.
The short answer
Simpro suits commercial contracting at depth. For residential and light commercial clean energy, Payaca covers the job with far less to configure.
- Payaca is best for renewables businesses that want the job and the customer experience handled without the weight of a full contracting suite.
- Simpro is best for commercial contractors running complex multi-stage projects with heavy asset maintenance, stock control and subcontractor management.
- Payaca publishes its pricing: Growth, the standard plan for established install businesses, is $1,724/month. Current plans and eligibility are on the pricing page. Simpro prices on request: a base plan plus paid add-ons.
Looking at this yourself?
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Feature comparison
| Feature | Payaca | Simpro |
|---|---|---|
| Industry focus | Built for solar, battery storage, heat pump and EV charger install businesses | Multi-trade: electrical, plumbing, HVAC, security, with a solar and renewables offering |
| Permit tracking | Permits, inspections, PTO and interconnection tracked on the project | Not a named feature on its solar page; handled with general project stages, tasks and forms |
| Solar design | Glow solar design in Payaca (limited release), or import designs from OpenSolar | No design tool of its own; a partner-built OpenSolar connection creates Simpro quotes from OpenSolar proposals |
| Setup | Focused on install workflows, with less to configure | Broad platform with many add-ons, so more to configure |
| Quoting | Multi-option proposals priced from Glow or OpenSolar designs, with e-signatures and online payment | Quoting with cost tracking and markup, plus a Takeoffs add-on |
| Job management | Multi-stage install projects with project costing, profitability and automatic timesheets | Job costing, progress billing and timesheets |
| Inventory | Catalog with supplier pricing, materials lists and purchase orders | Inventory with stock levels, vendor price comparison and purchasing |
| Customer portal & payments | Portal on your own sub-domain with project tracking and online payments | Online payment page and customer portal, with Stripe and Square |
| AI | Agent Dave answers questions from your account data, builds automations and drafts documents | Simpro Lightning: JustAsk answers business questions, plus AI agents for job prep, documentation and customer summaries |
| Accounting integration | Two-way sync with QuickBooks and Xero | QuickBooks, Xero, Sage and MYOB integrations |
| API & extensibility | Open API, Zapier, and an MCP server for Claude and Cursor | Open API, Zapier and a marketplace of partner apps |
Industry focus
Built for solar, battery storage, heat pump and EV charger install businesses
Multi-trade: electrical, plumbing, HVAC, security, with a solar and renewables offering
Permit tracking
Permits, inspections, PTO and interconnection tracked on the project
Not a named feature on its solar page; handled with general project stages, tasks and forms
Solar design
Glow solar design in Payaca (limited release), or import designs from OpenSolar
No design tool of its own; a partner-built OpenSolar connection creates Simpro quotes from OpenSolar proposals
Setup
Focused on install workflows, with less to configure
Broad platform with many add-ons, so more to configure
Quoting
Multi-option proposals priced from Glow or OpenSolar designs, with e-signatures and online payment
Quoting with cost tracking and markup, plus a Takeoffs add-on
Job management
Multi-stage install projects with project costing, profitability and automatic timesheets
Job costing, progress billing and timesheets
Inventory
Catalog with supplier pricing, materials lists and purchase orders
Inventory with stock levels, vendor price comparison and purchasing
Customer portal & payments
Portal on your own sub-domain with project tracking and online payments
Online payment page and customer portal, with Stripe and Square
AI
Agent Dave answers questions from your account data, builds automations and drafts documents
Simpro Lightning: JustAsk answers business questions, plus AI agents for job prep, documentation and customer summaries
Accounting integration
Two-way sync with QuickBooks and Xero
QuickBooks, Xero, Sage and MYOB integrations
API & extensibility
Open API, Zapier, and an MCP server for Claude and Cursor
Open API, Zapier and a marketplace of partner apps
See it in Payaca
The real product, on our demo accounts.
Operations & scheduling
Schedule your field team on a map and track every job. More on Operations & scheduling
Compliance & documentation
Track permits, PTO and incentive records on every job. More on Compliance & documentation
The whole job in 100 seconds
Switching from Simpro
Simpro exports customers, sites and jobs as CSV files, and your catalog can come across too. Customers come into Payaca with their contacts and addresses, open jobs as projects at the right pipeline stage, and catalog items as line items and materials, with the custom fields and notes that go with them.
Past invoices and payments usually stay in QuickBooks or Xero, where they already live, and Payaca's two-way sync takes over from the day you switch.
Guided onboarding is available on Growth and above: we map your workflows, migrate your data and train your team, for a one-off $2,000. The pricing page has the details.
Which is right for you?
Choose Payaca if
- You primarily install solar or clean energy systems
- You need permits, inspections and interconnection tracked on every job
- You want a platform your team can learn quickly
- You want design and the job in one system, or you import from OpenSolar
Consider Simpro if
- You're a multi-trade electrical, plumbing or HVAC contractor
- You need warehouse-level inventory or asset maintenance
- You do large commercial projects with progress billing
Questions
What's the main difference between Payaca and Simpro?
Payaca is built for clean energy install businesses, with permit and interconnection tracking, solar design with Glow (limited release) plus OpenSolar imports, and multi-option proposals. Simpro is field service software for multi-trade contractors, built around job costing, inventory and asset maintenance. Its website also lists a solar and renewables offering.
Is Simpro overkill for a solar installation business?
For most residential install businesses, yes. Simpro is built for commercial contracting, asset maintenance and stock control, and it sells many of those capabilities as add-ons. If your business is mainly residential or light commercial solar and storage, you may set up and pay for more than you use, and still need to shape it around permits and interconnection.
Does Simpro handle solar permit tracking?
Permit tracking isn't listed as a feature on Simpro's solar page; teams usually track it with general project stages, tasks and forms. Payaca tracks permits, inspections, PTO and interconnection on the project, using pipeline stages, custom fields and documents.
Which has better inventory management?
Simpro has more inventory features, including stock levels, vendor price comparison and purchasing. Payaca has a catalog with supplier pricing, materials lists and purchase orders, which covers most solar install businesses. Consider whether you need warehouse-level stock control.
Can I migrate from Simpro to Payaca?
Yes. Customers, jobs and your catalog export from Simpro and import into Payaca, and guided onboarding on Growth and above includes the migration. Request a demo to talk through what moves across for your business.
Competitor details are based on their public information as of October 29, 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.