Software · head to head
ABB Ability vs Helioscope
ABB Ability
Software
Digital solutions for energy and automation
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Helioscope has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: ABB Ability the Internet Archive's capture of ABB Ability's page on 19 December 2021 showed it is sold only through a 'Find Your Sales Partner' channel across industry verticals (Automotive, Buildings, Data Centers, EV Charging, Manufacturing, Mining, Oil & Gas, Power, and others), with no price list published.; Helioscope licences are single user, so each designer needs their own
- They diverge on capability: ABB Ability covers Asset health monitoring, Helioscope covers PV system design.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which ABB Ability and Helioscope actually diverge.
| Attribute | ABB Ability | Helioscope |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | quote | subscription |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, Mobile, Api | Web, Api |
| Founded | 1988 | 2012 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in ABB Ability
- Asset health monitoring
- Predictive maintenance
- Performance optimization
- Energy management
- Grid automation
- Remote diagnostics
- Advanced analytics
- Digital twin technology
Only in Helioscope
- PV system design
- 3D shade modeling
- Performance simulation
- Single-line diagrams
- BOM generation
- Proposal templates
- Component database
- Financial modeling
Both cover
- Cloud deployment
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
ABB Ability
- Asset performance managementnot Helioscope
- Predictive maintenancenot Helioscope
- Grid optimizationnot Helioscope
- Energy efficiencynot Helioscope
Helioscope
- Simulating photovoltaic system performance and energy yieldnot ABB Ability
- Laying out commercial solar arrays and producing design reportsnot ABB Ability
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
ABB Ability
- The Internet Archive's capture of ABB Ability's page on 19 December 2021 showed it is sold only through a 'Find Your Sales Partner' channel across industry verticals (Automotive, Buildings, Data Centers, EV Charging, Manufacturing, Mining, Oil & Gas, Power, and others), with no price list published.
Helioscope
- Licences are single user, so each designer needs their own
- Projects are capped at 10 a month on both Basic and Pro
- System size is capped by plan, at 1.25 MW DC on Basic and 5 MW on Pro, so a larger array forces an upgrade regardless of project count
- Trackers, LIDAR modelling and API access sit on the higher tiers
- Enterprise is priced per project with no published figure
Pricing, plan by plan
ABB Ability
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the ABB Ability review.
Helioscope
Free- FreeFree
- 3 projects
- Basic design tools
- Shade analysis
- Professional$95/month
- Unlimited projects
- Advanced shading
- Custom reports
- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Everything in Pro
- API access
- Custom integrations
Which should you pick?
Choose ABB Ability if
- You need asset health monitoring.
- You work on Web, Mobile, Api.
- You also want predictive maintenance.
Choose Helioscope if
- You need pv system design.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want 3d shade modeling.
Questions people ask
- Is ABB Ability or Helioscope better?
- Neither clearly leads. ABB Ability starts at On request and Helioscope at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, ABB Ability or Helioscope?
- Helioscope has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for ABB Ability and Free for Helioscope.
- Does ABB Ability or Helioscope run on more platforms?
- ABB Ability runs on Web, Mobile, Api. Helioscope runs on Web, Api.
- Can I use Helioscope for free?
- Yes. Helioscope has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. ABB Ability starts at On request.
- What is ABB Ability best used for?
- ABB Ability is most often used for asset performance management, predictive maintenance, grid optimization, energy efficiency. Of those, asset performance management and predictive maintenance are not what Helioscope is typically brought in for.
- What can ABB Ability do that Helioscope cannot?
- ABB Ability covers Asset health monitoring, Predictive maintenance, Performance optimization, Energy management. Helioscope covers PV system design, 3D shade modeling, Performance simulation, Single-line diagrams. Both handle Cloud deployment.