ARKA Energy Review: Overview, Features, Pricing & Alternatives in 2025

Solar project headaches never really stop, do they?

If you’re trying to run your solar business using disconnected tools, you’re constantly juggling designs, proposals, and endless compliance work just to stay on top.

And in reality, it’s messy project delays and lost deals that hit hardest, because the gaps and errors cost your team both money and momentum every single day.

ARKA Energy flips the script here with its ARKA 360 platform—bundling AI-powered solar design, real financial analysis, customizable proposals, and hands-off compliance tools into one precise workflow. The result is fewer errors, faster project cycles, and a much smoother experience for your installers, sales consultants, and engineers.

In this review, I’ll dig into how ARKA 360 stitches these critical steps together to make your solar operation less stressful and a lot more predictable.

Here’s what you’ll find in this ARKA Energy review: my hands-on experience with its main features, a no-fluff pricing discussion, some real-world pros and cons, and how it stacks up to alternatives—all aiming to help you make the right call.

You’ll walk away knowing the features you need to move your projects forward without the usual busywork and surprises.

Let’s get started.

ARKA Energy Overview

Based out of Union City, California, ARKA Energy officially launched in 2021. From what I’ve seen, their mission is to design and build innovative clean energy solutions for a sustainable future.

They primarily serve solar installers, contractors, and EPC firms across residential and commercial projects. What really sets them apart is their focus on an all-in-one business OS, rather than just one piece of the puzzle.

Their recent recognition as the #1 solar design software by Solar Power World shows they’re gaining serious traction. Through this ARKA Energy review, you’ll see how this innovation helps you.

Unlike competitors that excel in just one area like design or CRM, ARKA 360 aims to be a single platform from lead to PTO. This focus on an end-to-end workflow is a big differentiator.

You’ll find them working with solar businesses of all sizes, especially those across North America looking to move beyond disjointed tools and manage their entire process in one place.

I see their strategy centering on deep operational integration and data security, evidenced by their SOC 2 compliance. This directly addresses the industry’s need for greater efficiency and trust in their software stack.

Now let’s examine their core capabilities.

ARKA Energy Features

Is managing solar projects a nightmare?

ARKA Energy features offer an all-in-one solar business operating system designed to streamline every step, from design to compliance. Here are the five main ARKA Energy features that solve common solar business problems.

1. AI-Assisted Solar Design Studio

Struggling with accurate solar system designs?

Complex designs can lead to errors and inefficient energy production, wasting valuable time and resources. This often causes headaches for your engineers.

ARKA 360’s design studio lets you create precise 3D models with AI-assisted panel optimization for maximum output. From my testing, the advanced 3D LiDAR and shading analysis are truly game-changers for predicting performance. This feature even generates electrical single-line diagrams and CAD exports.

This means you can ensure peak efficiency and accuracy for every project, speeding up your design process dramatically.

2. Energy and Storage Simulations

Need to prove ROI for your clients?

Without clear financial projections, it’s tough to convince clients of solar’s long-term value. This can make closing deals incredibly difficult.

ARKA 360 offers detailed energy yield predictions, including 8760 production reports and financial ROI analyses. What I found impressive is its support for battery storage sizing and Time-of-Use analysis, importing consumption data easily. This helps optimize energy consumption.

This means you can provide compelling, data-driven financial reports that help clients visualize their savings and justify the investment.

3. Proposal Generator

Are your solar proposals slow and inconsistent?

Manually creating proposals is time-consuming and can lack the professional polish needed to impress clients. This slows down your sales cycle.

This feature pulls design and financial data into polished, customizable proposals. What I love about this is how it supports various financing options like PPA and loan structures, letting you add custom incentives. It streamlines the sales process.

This means your sales team can quickly generate visually appealing, comprehensive proposals that close deals faster and more effectively.

4. Lead and Project Management (CRM)

Losing track of leads and project progress?

Disorganized lead pipelines and scattered project information can lead to missed opportunities and frustrated clients. This slows down your business growth.

ARKA 360 includes robust CRM functions with customizable lead pipelines and task management. From my evaluation, the enhanced site survey tool, allowing customer photo/video uploads, truly shines. This helps you effortlessly track leads from contact to conversion.

This means you get clear visibility into your sales efforts and project status, improving customer engagement and operational efficiency.

5. Compliance & Permitting Tools

Dreading the solar permitting process?

Navigating complex local regulations and evolving policies like NEM 3.0 can lead to high rejection rates and project delays. This is a common pain point for installers.

ARKA 360 provides ready-made permit packages, PE stamp support, and AI-powered design validation against local codes. Here’s the thing – it significantly reduces rejection rates and accelerates approval times. This feature helps ensure NEM 3.0 compliance.

This means you can simplify permitting, get projects approved faster, and reduce costly rework, which is a huge win for any solar installer.

You’ll appreciate how these ARKA Energy features work together as an integrated operating system rather than separate tools. This comprehensive approach helps you manage your entire solar business, from lead to completion, efficiently.

ARKA Energy Pricing

Decoding software costs can be tricky.

ARKA Energy pricing features clear tiered plans for their ARKA 360 software, allowing you to easily understand and budget for your solar design and management needs.

Plan	Price & Features
Basic Plan	$199 per month • Unlimited Residential Projects • Shading Report & 3D Visualization • Sales Proposal & Generation Report • Design Using Micro-Inverter • CRM (add-on)
Professional Plan	$358 per month • All Basic features • AI-assisted 3D modeling • Battery storage & backup sizing • Electrical SLDs & Advanced CAD export • Integrated financing & Web proposals
Enterprise Plan	Contact sales for custom pricing • Advanced workflows & permissions • Software customization • Customer-facing lead generation portals • One-time workflow setup

1. Value Assessment

Transparent value, clear options.

What I found regarding pricing is that the Professional Plan offers a substantial upgrade in capabilities for a modest price increase, delivering robust tools for comprehensive solar operations. This tier balances cost with advanced functionality, covering everything from AI modeling to integrated financing, which is crucial for modern solar businesses.

Budget-wise, you gain significant features without a disproportionate jump in monthly expenditure, providing excellent ROI.

2. Trial/Demo Options

Evaluate before you commit.

ARKA Energy offers a free demo of ARKA 360, allowing you to explore the platform’s features and user experience firsthand. This lets you see how their solution fits your workflows and understand its direct impact on your design efficiency and proposal generation before making any financial commitment.

This helps you evaluate the software’s practical benefits and ensures it aligns with your operational needs before investing.

3. Plan Comparison

Choosing your ideal fit.

The Basic Plan is suitable for core solar design, but the Professional Plan truly unlocks comprehensive operational efficiency with advanced features. From my cost analysis, the Professional tier offers the best feature-to-pricing ratio for most growing solar businesses, providing powerful tools that streamline your entire process.

This enables you to select the plan that precisely matches your current operational scale and future growth requirements.

My Take: ARKA Energy’s pricing for ARKA 360 is competitive and transparent, making it an attractive option for solar businesses seeking a scalable solution that aligns with their growth trajectory.

The overall ARKA Energy pricing reflects excellent value for comprehensive solar software.

ARKA Energy Reviews

What do real customers think?

I’ve analyzed numerous ARKA Energy reviews, providing a balanced look at real user feedback and experiences with their software to help you understand what customers truly think.

1. Overall User Satisfaction

Users seem highly satisfied.

From my review analysis, ARKA 360 consistently maintains an impressive 4.7 out of 5 stars on G2 based on 117 reviews. What I found in user feedback is that efficiency and accuracy are frequently highlighted, indicating a highly effective platform for users.

This suggests you can expect a reliable and high-performing tool for your solar design needs.

2. Common Praise Points

The design capabilities are game-changing.

Users frequently commend ARKA 360’s streamlined permit process, simplified proposal creation, and powerful 3D design capabilities. What stands out in customer feedback is how detailed shading analysis helps close more deals by providing clear visualizations, making sales presentations much more effective.

This means you can provide clear, compelling visual proposals to your clients, boosting conversion rates.

3. Frequent Complaints

Learning curve for advanced tools.

While user feedback is overwhelmingly positive, some ARKA Energy reviews indicate that the advanced CAD tools might present a steeper learning curve initially. What stood out in the user reviews is how this is often mitigated by strong customer support and available training resources, smoothing the onboarding process.

These minor issues are generally outweighed by the software’s comprehensive features and support.

Overall, ARKA Energy reviews reveal a highly positive sentiment, with minor learning curve challenges easily overcome by robust support and powerful features.

Best ARKA Energy Alternatives

Considering other solar software options?

The best ARKA Energy alternatives include several strong options, each better suited for different business situations, priorities, and budget constraints within the solar industry.

1. Aurora Solar

Prioritizing rapid, intuitive solar design?

Aurora Solar excels when ease of use and automated design are paramount, especially for sales teams needing quick, visually compelling proposals. From my competitive analysis, Aurora Solar offers superior design automation for speed, though ARKA 360 provides a more integrated lead-to-PTO solution.

Choose Aurora Solar if your primary need is quick, efficient, and user-friendly solar design and sales proposals.

2. HelioScope

Need advanced energy yield simulations?

HelioScope works best for solar professionals prioritizing highly accurate energy modeling and precise technical simulations, often appealing to engineers. What I found comparing options is that HelioScope excels in detailed engineering analysis, while ARKA 360 provides a broader CRM and project management suite.

Consider this alternative when in-depth technical simulations and energy yield accuracy are your top requirements.

3. OpenSolar

Operating with a very tight budget?

OpenSolar is ideal for small businesses or individual installers seeking a capable solar design and proposal tool without significant upfront or recurring costs. Alternative-wise, OpenSolar provides core functionality completely free, whereas ARKA Energy’s paid tiers offer more advanced features, support, and deeper integrations for scaling operations.

Choose OpenSolar if you need a cost-free solution for basic solar design and proposal generation.

4. Solargraf

Want a simple, easy-to-learn interface?

Solargraf is a great choice for solar installers dealing with straightforward projects who prioritize a very easy-to-use interface and a quick learning curve. From my analysis, Solargraf offers an accessible, user-friendly experience for beginners, though ARKA 360 provides more comprehensive lead-to-PTO capabilities and complex design support.

Consider this competitor if simplicity and a fast learning curve for basic projects are your main priorities.

The best ARKA Energy alternatives depend on your specific business size and operational focus, rather than generic feature lists.

ARKA Energy Setup

How complex is ARKA Energy implementation?

The ARKA Energy setup involves adopting a cloud-based SaaS platform designed for intuitive use. This section of our ARKA Energy review prepares you for a realistic deployment.

1. Setup Complexity & Timeline

Expect a manageable setup, not instant.

While the core ARKA 360 platform is user-friendly, its advanced CAD tools and comprehensive features can present a steeper learning curve initially. From my implementation analysis, expect a practical onboarding period to fully utilize its solar optimization capabilities.

You’ll need to allocate time for team members to familiarize themselves with the robust design and proposal tools.

2. Technical Requirements & Integration

Your IT needs are straightforward, but integrations matter.

As a cloud-based SaaS solution, ARKA 360 primarily requires reliable internet access and supports mobile use. What I found about deployment is that its APIs allow for significant integration with your existing CRM and financial systems, enhancing workflows.

Plan for potential integration efforts with your current business software to maximize its efficiency within your ecosystem.

3. Training & Change Management

User adoption hinges on embracing new workflows.

ARKA Energy provides excellent customer support and training, which is crucial given the comprehensive nature of the software. From my analysis, effective training ensures users harness its full potential, especially those new to advanced design tools.

Invest in thorough training sessions to smooth the transition for your sales and engineering teams, promoting quicker proficiency.

4. Support & Success Factors

Vendor support is a major asset here.

User feedback consistently praises ARKA Energy’s customer support as exceptional, fast, and incredibly responsive. What I found about deployment is that this strong support network is a significant advantage during both initial implementation and ongoing use.

Factor in proactive engagement with their support team and leverage their resources for a successful, ongoing operational experience.

Overall, the ARKA Energy setup prioritizes user-friendliness supported by excellent assistance, making it a well-backed implementation for your business.

Bottom Line

Does ARKA Energy fit your solar business needs?

This ARKA Energy review synthesizes my comprehensive analysis to guide your decision, focusing on who benefits most and why, alongside key strengths and limitations.

1. Who This Works Best For

Solar businesses needing an all-in-one operating system.

ARKA Energy is ideal for solar installers, contractors, EPC firms, and sales consultants managing residential or commercial projects in North America. What I found about target users is that firms prioritizing centralized operations and sales acceleration thrive with this platform, especially those seeking to streamline design and permitting.

You’ll see significant gains if you’re currently managing disparate tools and want a unified, efficient workflow.

2. Overall Strengths

Unmatched efficiency and design accuracy.

The software succeeds by offering AI-assisted 3D design, rapid proposal generation, and streamlined permitting, significantly boosting sales and operational efficiency. From my comprehensive analysis, its ability to cut permitting time by days directly impacts project timelines and customer satisfaction, proving its value.

These strengths will translate into faster deal closures and increased profitability for your solar installation business.

3. Key Limitations

Advanced features require initial user adaptation.

While powerful, new users might face a steeper learning curve when first exploring ARKA 360’s comprehensive CAD tools and deeper functionalities. Based on this review, some users might need dedicated time for training to unlock the full potential beyond basic operations and reporting.

I’d say these limitations are manageable through their excellent customer support, not deal-breakers for a committed team.

4. Final Recommendation

ARKA Energy earns a strong, confident recommendation.

You should choose ARKA Energy if you’re a solar professional seeking a robust, end-to-end solution to centralize design, sales, and compliance workflows. From my analysis, your success depends on leveraging its integrated capabilities to maximize efficiency and sales conversions within your operations.

My confidence level is high for businesses prioritizing comprehensive features and significant operational streamlining.

This ARKA Energy review demonstrates strong value for solar businesses aiming to centralize operations and significantly boost efficiency and sales.