Payaca vs SolarNexus
Sales-side solar tooling vs the whole job on one record
SolarNexus is a capable solar sales and workflow platform. Payaca covers the sale and everything after it, from permit to PTO, for installers who run their own crews.
Payaca
CRM, operations, permits and finance for solar, battery, EV and heat pump install businesses.
- Permit tracking and AHJ compliance
- Quoting, invoicing and payment collection
- Branded customer portal for signing and paying
- Offline field app for install crews
SolarNexus
Sales and operations tools for solar contractors, with professional services to build your process flow.
- Automatic array design from aerial imagery
- Hourly energy and economic modeling
- Custom workflows and automated task assignment
- Payments and customer self-service are not the focus
Payaca vs SolarNexus: the short answer
Last reviewed
SolarNexus is strong up to the signature. Payaca keeps the whole install on one record, from permit to PTO, including invoicing, payments and a homeowner portal.
Payaca is best for
Solar install businesses whose bottleneck is delivery: crews, permits, payments and the customer experience after a customer says yes.
SolarNexus is best for
Solar contractors who win deals on detailed sales-side energy and financing modeling, and want professional services to build their process flow.
Pricing
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. SolarNexus lists licence-based pricing with a minimum licence count, published on its own pricing page (checked 2026-10-17).
Feature comparison
| Feature | Payaca | SolarNexus |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Complete platform for solar installation businesses | Sales and operations tools for solar contractors, backed by professional services |
| Industry focus | Built for solar, batteries, EV chargers and heat pumps | Built for solar contractors |
| Project tracking | Multi-stage installation pipelines with configurable stages | Custom workflows with automated task assignment and work groups |
| Permit tracking | Built-in permit tracking and AHJ compliance | Workflow-based: permits sit inside the custom workflow |
| Quoting & proposals | Multi-option solar proposals with e-signatures | Proposal and contract document templates generated from design and economic modeling |
| Invoicing & payments | Full invoicing with payment collection | Not a core focus: financial tools centre on project economics |
| Customer portal | Branded portal where homeowners sign and pay | Automated customer emails keep homeowners informed |
| Sales-side modeling | Glow (limited release), or import from OpenSolar | Hourly whole-year energy modeling with battery charge/discharge and financing cash flows |
| Field team mobile app | Offline-capable app for installation teams | Mobile app for leads, projects and job-site capture |
Primary purpose
Complete platform for solar installation businesses
Sales and operations tools for solar contractors, backed by professional services
Industry focus
Built for solar, batteries, EV chargers and heat pumps
Built for solar contractors
Project tracking
Multi-stage installation pipelines with configurable stages
Custom workflows with automated task assignment and work groups
Permit tracking
Built-in permit tracking and AHJ compliance
Workflow-based: permits sit inside the custom workflow
Quoting & proposals
Multi-option solar proposals with e-signatures
Proposal and contract document templates generated from design and economic modeling
Invoicing & payments
Full invoicing with payment collection
Not a core focus: financial tools centre on project economics
Customer portal
Branded portal where homeowners sign and pay
Automated customer emails keep homeowners informed
Sales-side modeling
Glow (limited release), or import from OpenSolar
Hourly whole-year energy modeling with battery charge/discharge and financing cash flows
Field team mobile app
Offline-capable app for installation teams
Mobile app for leads, projects and job-site capture
Which is right for you?
Choose Payaca if:
- Your bottleneck is delivery, not selling
- You want quoting, payments and the customer portal in the same system
- You install batteries, EV chargers or heat pumps alongside solar
- You run service and O&M work next to installs
Stay with SolarNexus if:
- Detailed sales-side energy and financing modeling drives your close rate
- You value their professional-services-led setup
- You already have payments and customer comms handled elsewhere
Frequently asked questions
- What does SolarNexus do well?
- SolarNexus comes from direct solar contracting and enterprise software experience, and it shows on the sales side: automatic array design from aerial imagery, hourly energy modeling that includes battery charge and discharge cycles, and economic estimates covering project costs, financing, utility bills and tax effects. Their professional services team also helps build your process flow with you.
- Why might a solar installer switch to Payaca?
- SolarNexus's strength tapers after the contract is signed. Payaca keeps the whole job on one record: proposals with e-signatures, deposit invoices and payment collection, permit and PTO tracking, an offline field app for crews, and a branded portal where homeowners check dates, sign change proposals and pay. If your bottleneck is running installs rather than selling them, that is the difference that matters.
- How does pricing compare?
- SolarNexus lists pricing on its solutions page starting at $90 per license with a three-license minimum (checked 17 October 2026). Payaca publishes all plans and prices on its pricing page, including what onboarding includes, so you can compare total cost before talking to anyone.
- Can I run service and maintenance work as well as installs?
- Yes. Payaca handles servicing and O&M alongside installation pipelines, which matters if you maintain the systems you install. SolarNexus is centred on the sales-to-fulfillment workflow.
- Can I migrate from SolarNexus to Payaca?
- Yes. Customer and project data migrates as part of guided onboarding. Request a demo and we will walk through what moves across and how long it takes for your business.
Permit to PTO on one record
See how Payaca runs your solar installs end to end, for installers who run their own crews.