Pylon
Pylon is a specialized solar design and CRM software that provides solar installers with high-resolution aerial imagery, 3D shading analysis, and financial modeling tools to create professional quotes.
Smartsheet
Smartsheet is a flexible work management platform that combines the familiar interface of a spreadsheet with powerful project management features to help you automate workflows and track complex projects.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Pylon | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|
| Website | pylon.com.au | smartsheet.com |
| Pricing Model | Subscription | Freemium |
| Starting Price | Free | Free |
| FREE Trial | ✘ No free trial | ✓ 30 days free trial |
| Free Plan | ✘ No free plan | ✓ Has free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2017 | 2005 |
| Headquarters | Sydney, Australia | Bellevue, USA |
Overview
Pylon
Pylon is an all-in-one solar design and management platform built specifically to help you grow your solar installation business. You can design complex solar systems using high-resolution aerial imagery and advanced 3D shading analysis without ever leaving your desk. The platform integrates your entire workflow, from initial lead capture and site design to generating professional, high-converting digital proposals that your customers can sign instantly.
You can manage your entire sales pipeline and project lifecycle through its built-in CRM and project management tools. By centralizing your data, you eliminate the need for multiple disconnected subscriptions. Whether you are a solo installer or managing a large team, you can track every stage of your installations, manage inventory, and process payments through a single, streamlined interface designed for the solar industry.
Smartsheet
Smartsheet gives you a dynamic workspace where you can manage projects, automate workflows, and build new solutions without writing code. You can switch between grid, card, Gantt, and calendar views to visualize your work exactly how you want. It bridges the gap between simple spreadsheets and complex project tools, allowing you to track individual tasks or manage massive enterprise portfolios in one centralized location.
You can eliminate manual data entry by setting up automated alerts, status updates, and approval requests. The platform scales with your needs, whether you are a small team organizing a launch or a large corporation managing global operations. It helps you increase transparency across your organization by sharing real-time dashboards and reports with stakeholders, ensuring everyone stays aligned on key goals and deadlines.
Overview
Pylon Features
- High-Resolution Imagery Access premium aerial maps to design accurate solar layouts with centimeter-level precision for your customer proposals.
- 3D Shading Analysis Calculate solar access and shading losses accurately using 3D modeling to give your clients realistic performance expectations.
- Digital Proposals Create stunning, interactive web-based proposals that allow your customers to accept and sign digitally from any device.
- Solar CRM Track your leads and customers through a dedicated pipeline designed specifically for the solar sales cycle.
- Financial Modeling Generate detailed ROI reports and financial breakdowns including government incentives to prove the value of your systems.
- E-Signatures & Payments Close deals faster by collecting digital signatures and processing initial deposits directly through your proposal links.
- Project Management Move won deals into production and track installation milestones, documents, and photos in one central location.
- Inventory Management Keep track of your stock levels for panels, inverters, and batteries to ensure you always have gear ready.
Smartsheet Features
- Flexible Work Views. Switch instantly between Grid, Gantt, Card, and Calendar views to manage your tasks from any perspective you prefer.
- Automated Workflows. Create visual automated actions to send alerts, request approvals, and update sheet rows without manual intervention.
- Real-time Dashboards. Build custom widgets and charts to give your team and executives a live look at project health and performance.
- Dynamic Reports. Consolidate information from multiple sheets into a single report to identify trends and risks across different departments.
- Proofing and Approvals. Streamline content reviews by uploading files directly to rows and collecting feedback through dedicated proofing workflows.
- Resource Management. Track team availability and allocate hours effectively to ensure your projects stay on schedule and under budget.
Pricing Comparison
Pylon Pricing
- Unlimited users and seats
- Unlimited solar designs
- Built-in Solar CRM
- Project management tools
- Inventory management
- Mobile app access
- Everything in Subscription, plus:
- Pay only when you create a project
- High-resolution imagery access
- Advanced shading analysis
- Digital proposal generation
- E-signature capabilities
Smartsheet Pricing
- 1 user and 2 editors
- Up to 2 sheets
- Gantt, Grid, Card views
- 500MB attachment storage
- 100 automations per month
- Everything in Free, plus:
- Unlimited viewers
- Up to 10 sheets
- Unlimited reports and dashboards
- 20GB attachment storage
- Forms and branding
Pros & Cons
Pylon
Pros
- No monthly per-user fees saves significant overhead
- High-resolution imagery is often clearer than competitors
- Intuitive design interface is very easy to learn
- All-in-one nature eliminates the need for extra CRMs
- Fast proposal generation helps beat competitors to the lead
Cons
- Project-based fees can add up for high-volume teams
- Mobile app features are more limited than desktop
- Limited third-party integrations compared to generic CRMs
Smartsheet
Pros
- Familiar spreadsheet interface reduces the initial learning curve
- Highly customizable views for different project management styles
- Powerful automation engine saves hours of manual work
- Excellent reporting capabilities across multiple different sheets
- Strong mobile app for managing tasks while traveling
Cons
- Advanced features require a significant time investment
- Real-time collaboration lacks the speed of Google Sheets
- Pricing can become expensive as you add more members