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Energy · head to head

ETAP vs Uplight

ETAP logo

ETAP

Energy

Electrical power system design and analysis software

From
$5000/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Uplight logo

Uplight

Energy

Customer engagement, rebate marketplaces and demand flexibility software sold to regulated utilities

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: ETAP no pricing is published, and reaching a figure requires completing a multi step quote form; Uplight the product assumes a regulated utility with commission-approved programmes, so competitive retailers and aggregators find much of the reporting and measurement machinery irrelevant while still paying for it.
  • They diverge on capability: ETAP covers Load flow analysis, Uplight covers Energy marketplace.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ETAP and Uplight actually diverge.

Attributes where ETAP and Uplight differ
AttributeETAPUplight
Starting price$5000/yearOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsWindows, ApiWeb, iOS, Android, API
Founded1986Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Energy).

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 ETAP

  • Load flow analysis
  • Short circuit analysis
  • Arc flash analysis
  • Protective device coordination
  • Harmonics analysis
  • Transient stability
  • Cable sizing
  • Panel schedule design

Only in Uplight

  • Energy marketplace
  • Personalised recommendations
  • Rates engagement
  • Demand response
  • Distributed energy resource management
  • Programme reporting
  • Home energy reports
  • OEM and device partnerships

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

ETAP

  • Electrical power system modelling, simulation and analysisnot Uplight
  • Arc flash, load flow and protection coordination studiesnot Uplight

Uplight

  • A regulated utility that must deliver an approved energy efficiency programme and evidence the savings to its commissionnot ETAP
  • A utility launching a residential demand response programme built on customer-owned thermostats and batteriesnot ETAP
  • A utility moving customers onto time-of-use tariffs that needs enrolment journeys rather than a billing change alonenot ETAP
  • A utility that wants rebates applied at the point of purchase instead of processing claim forms after the factnot ETAP

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ETAP

  • No pricing is published, and reaching a figure requires completing a multi step quote form
  • Subscription durations offered are 3 years and 5 years, so there is no short commitment option
  • Licences are banded by user count rather than sold individually, in brackets of 1, 5 to 15, 15 to 25, 25 to 50 and over 50
  • National and international network licences are priced separately

Uplight

  • The product assumes a regulated utility with commission-approved programmes, so competitive retailers and aggregators find much of the reporting and measurement machinery irrelevant while still paying for it.
  • Procurement runs through long RFPs tied to rate cases and programme approvals, so implementation dates are set by a regulator rather than by the utility or the vendor and slip when filings slip.
  • The investor group of Schneider Electric, AES and Octopus Energy Group is made up of active energy market participants, which is a governance question a utility should raise in diligence rather than discover later.
  • The platform spans engagement, marketplace and demand management, and those capabilities were built or acquired separately, so a buyer taking one module gets less of the integration benefit than the platform story implies.
  • The reference base and product depth are strongest in North America, so a European or Asia-Pacific utility gets fewer comparable deployments and less functionality built around local market rules.

Pricing, plan by plan

ETAP

$5000/year
  • Standard$5000/year
    • Load flow analysis
    • Short circuit analysis
    • Arc flash analysis
  • Professional$15000/year
    • Advanced analysis
    • Protective device coordination
    • Harmonics analysis
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Real-time monitoring
    • SCADA integration
    • Custom modules

Uplight

On request
  • Uplight platform$undefined/year
    • Quoted per utility programme by customer count and modules
    • Frequently structured around approved programme budgets and performance targets
    • Marketplace economics include product fulfilment and rebate handling

Which should you pick?

Choose ETAP if

  • You need load flow analysis.
  • You work on Windows, Api.
  • You also want short circuit analysis.
ETAP review

Choose Uplight if

  • You need energy marketplace.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
  • You also want personalised recommendations.
Uplight review

Questions people ask

Is ETAP or Uplight better?
Neither clearly leads. ETAP starts at $5000/year and Uplight at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ETAP or Uplight?
ETAP starts at $5000/year and Uplight at On request.
Does ETAP or Uplight run on more platforms?
ETAP runs on Windows, Api. Uplight runs on Web, iOS, Android, API.
What is ETAP best used for?
ETAP is most often used for electrical power system modelling, simulation and analysis, arc flash, load flow and protection coordination studies. Of those, electrical power system modelling, simulation and analysis and arc flash, load flow and protection coordination studies are not what Uplight is typically brought in for.
What can ETAP do that Uplight cannot?
ETAP covers Load flow analysis, Short circuit analysis, Arc flash analysis, Protective device coordination. Uplight covers Energy marketplace, Personalised recommendations, Rates engagement, Demand response.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ETAP: How is ETAP priced?

ETAP uses subscription-based pricing with tiered bundles (Launch, Grow, Scale) and optional add-ons. Specific prices are not published and require completing a quote request form.

Source
Uplight: Who owns Uplight?

It is privately held and backed by Schneider Electric, AES Corporation and Octopus Energy Group.

ETAP: What products does ETAP offer pricing for?

ETAP offers three main product lines with tiered bundles: CANECO (Electrical Design), ETAP (Power Systems Analysis), and SEE Electrical (Electrical Engineering). Each supports 1-50+ users with 3-5 year term options.

Source
Uplight: Can a competitive energy retailer use it?

It can, but the product is designed around regulated programme delivery and measurement, so a retailer pays for machinery it does not need.

Uplight: Does Uplight do demand response as well as efficiency?

Yes. It acquired the AutoGrid distributed energy resource platform from Schneider Electric in 2024, which added device control and dispatch to the engagement business.

Uplight: Is pricing published?

No. Deals are quoted per programme and usually sized against an approved programme budget.

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