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Maritime & Shipping · head to head

exactEarth vs Helioscope

exactEarth logo

exactEarth

Maritime & Shipping

Advanced satellite AIS data services

From
$1000/month
Rated
-
Helioscope logo

Helioscope

Energy & Utilities

Accurate solar design for commercial projects

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Helioscope has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: exactEarth exactEarth's own homepage, as captured by the Internet Archive on 28 December 2021, carried a banner stating: 'We are happy to announce that exactEarth is now part of Spire Global,' confirming in the vendor's own words that exactEarth was absorbed into Spire (now sold as Kpler's spireMT product); no independent exactEarth pricing survives; Helioscope licences are single user, so each designer needs their own
  • They diverge on capability: exactEarth covers Satellite AIS data, Helioscope covers PV system design.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which exactEarth and Helioscope actually diverge.

Attributes where exactEarth and Helioscope differ
AttributeexactEarthHelioscope
Starting price$1000/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsApi, WebWeb, Api
CategoryMaritime & ShippingEnergy & Utilities
Founded20092012

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 exactEarth

  • Satellite AIS data
  • Global vessel tracking
  • Historical data archive
  • Anomaly detection
  • API
  • Data feeds
  • GIS platforms

Only in Helioscope

  • PV system design
  • 3D shade modeling
  • Performance simulation
  • Single-line diagrams
  • BOM generation
  • Proposal templates
  • Component database
  • Financial modeling

Both cover

  • Api support
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

exactEarth

No use cases recorded yet. See the exactEarth review.

Helioscope

  • Simulating photovoltaic system performance and energy yieldnot exactEarth
  • Laying out commercial solar arrays and producing design reportsnot exactEarth

Where each one falls short

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

exactEarth

  • exactEarth's own homepage, as captured by the Internet Archive on 28 December 2021, carried a banner stating: 'We are happy to announce that exactEarth is now part of Spire Global,' confirming in the vendor's own words that exactEarth was absorbed into Spire (now sold as Kpler's spireMT product); no independent exactEarth pricing survives

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

exactEarth

$1000/month
  • Enterprise$5000/month
    • Global AIS data
    • Historical archive
    • Custom analytics

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 exactEarth if

  • You need satellite ais data.
  • You work on Api, Web.
  • You also want global vessel tracking.

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 exactEarth or Helioscope better?
Neither clearly leads. exactEarth starts at $1000/month and Helioscope at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, exactEarth or Helioscope?
Helioscope has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $1000/month for exactEarth and Free for Helioscope.
Does exactEarth or Helioscope run on more platforms?
exactEarth runs on Api, Web. Helioscope runs on Web, Api.
Can I use Helioscope for free?
Yes. Helioscope has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. exactEarth starts at $1000/month.
What can exactEarth do that Helioscope cannot?
exactEarth covers Satellite AIS data, Global vessel tracking, Historical data archive, Anomaly detection. Helioscope covers PV system design, 3D shade modeling, Performance simulation, Single-line diagrams. Both handle Api support, Web support.

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