Energy · alternatives
Alternatives to SolarWinds
21 energy tools sit alongside SolarWinds in this directory. Below is what separates each from SolarWinds on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 21
- With a free tier
- 2
- Cheaper to start
- 0
- SolarWinds starts at
- $2/kW/month
Why people look past SolarWinds
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the SolarWinds entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
There is no free tier
The record for SolarWinds carries no free tier, so evaluating it means paying first. 2 of the 21 alternatives below can be used without paying.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
Microinverter monitoring and management platform
- Can be used without paying; SolarWinds cannot.
- Starts $7.99 a month dearer, at $9.99/month.
Solar inverter monitoring and analytics platform
- Can be used without paying; SolarWinds cannot.
- 1 tier to SolarWinds's 3.
The leading solar design and sales platform
- Starts $133 a month dearer, at $135/month.
Digital solutions for energy and automation
- Sold on a quote model rather than subscription.
Distributed control system for power generation and water treatment plants
- Sold on a quote model rather than subscription.
- 1 tier to SolarWinds's 3.
Hybrid physics and machine learning prognostics that estimate remaining useful life for process equipment
- Sold on a quote model rather than subscription.
- 1 tier to SolarWinds's 3.
Every SolarWinds alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SolarWinds (this page) | $2/kW/month | Subscription | 3 | |
| Enphase EnlightenMicroinverter monitoring and management platform | Free, then $9.99/month | - | - | vs SolarWinds |
| Fronius SOLARWEBSolar inverter monitoring and analytics platform | Free | - | 1 | vs SolarWinds |
| Aurora SolarThe leading solar design and sales platform | $135/month | Subscription | 3 | vs SolarWinds |
| ABB AbilityDigital solutions for energy and automation | On request | Quote | - | vs SolarWinds |
| Emerson Ovation | On request | Quote | 1 | vs SolarWinds |
| Novity | On request | Quote | 1 | vs SolarWinds |
| Bently Nevada System 1 | On request | Quote | 1 | vs SolarWinds |
| Cutsforth InsightCM | On request | Quote | 1 | vs SolarWinds |
| Cognite Data Fusion | On request | Quote | 1 | vs SolarWinds |
| iHawk by Cyberhawk | On request | Quote | 1 | vs SolarWinds |
| Wood Mackenzie Lens | On request | Quote | 1 | vs SolarWinds |
| Uplight | On request | Quote | 1 | vs SolarWinds |
| GE Digital Grid Software | On request | Quote | - | vs SolarWinds |
| Enel X DER Optimization | On request | Quote | - | vs SolarWinds |
| Generac Grid Services | On request | Quote | - | vs SolarWinds |
| PowerFactory DIgSILENT | On request | Quote | - | vs SolarWinds |
| AVEVA PI System | On request | One-time | 3 | vs SolarWinds |
| Helioscope | $159/month | Subscription | 3 | vs SolarWinds |
| Azelio Energy Storage | On request | Quote | - | vs SolarWinds |
| EnergyCAP | $1000/month | Subscription | 3 | vs SolarWinds |
| GE Digital GridOS | On request | Quote | 3 | vs SolarWinds |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the SolarWinds badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (2)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
- Enphase Enlighten , Free, then $9.99/month
- Fronius SOLARWEB , Free
What you would be giving up
SolarWinds is most often brought in for solar monitoring, performance optimization, o&m management, portfolio reporting, investor reporting. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If SolarWinds is broadly right and the question is cost, the SolarWinds pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the Energy category lists everything the directory holds, and best energy tools ranks them.
SolarWinds runs on web, mobile, api. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about SolarWinds alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to SolarWinds?
- 21 other energy tools are listed in this directory, led by Enphase Enlighten, Fronius SOLARWEB, Aurora Solar, ABB Ability. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to SolarWinds?
- 2 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: Enphase Enlighten, Fronius SOLARWEB.
- Why do people look for an alternative to SolarWinds?
- On the figures on record, one thing stands out: there is no free tier. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from SolarWinds?
- SolarWinds is most often brought in for solar monitoring, performance optimization, o&m management, portfolio reporting, investor reporting. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to SolarWinds?
- None of the energy tools listed here are recorded as open source. That is what the licence field on each entry says, and the field is not always filled in, so it is worth checking directly for any tool you are serious about.
- How were these SolarWinds alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Energy, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored placement runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare SolarWinds against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against SolarWinds covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every energy tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Energy category, 21 tools beside SolarWinds. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.