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Energy & Utilities · head to head

Helioscope vs OpenLink Endur

Helioscope logo

Helioscope

Energy & Utilities

Accurate solar design for commercial projects

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
OpenLink Endur logo

OpenLink Endur

Energy & Utilities

Enterprise trading and risk management

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Helioscope has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Helioscope licences are single user, so each designer needs their own; OpenLink Endur openLink Endur (an ETRM/CTRM platform, now part of ION Group's OpenLink brand) is sold only through named enterprise license agreements with individual utilities and trading firms, confirmed by a chain of dated press releases announcing signed licenses (DTE Energy, Barclays Capital, RWE Trading Americas, Petrobras and others), none of which disclose a price; ION's current careers pages still list dedicated Endur and Findur implementation consultant roles, confirming the product line is separate from and sold alongside sibling products IRM, RightAngle and dbcSMARTsoft rather than as one unified suite (archived press release, 16 April 2015)
  • They diverge on capability: Helioscope covers PV system design, OpenLink Endur covers Deal capture.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Helioscope and OpenLink Endur actually diverge.

Attributes where Helioscope and OpenLink Endur differ
AttributeHelioscopeOpenLink Endur
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, ApiDesktop, Web, Api
Founded20121999

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Energy & Utilities).

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 Helioscope

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

Only in OpenLink Endur

  • Deal capture
  • Position management
  • Risk analytics
  • Credit management
  • Logistics
  • Settlement
  • Accounting integration
  • Regulatory compliance

Both cover

  • SOC2
  • Cloud deployment

What people use each for

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

Helioscope

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

OpenLink Endur

  • Energy tradingnot Helioscope
  • Risk managementnot Helioscope
  • Commodity logisticsnot Helioscope
  • Regulatory compliancenot Helioscope
  • Settlementnot Helioscope

Where each one falls short

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

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

OpenLink Endur

  • OpenLink Endur (an ETRM/CTRM platform, now part of ION Group's OpenLink brand) is sold only through named enterprise license agreements with individual utilities and trading firms, confirmed by a chain of dated press releases announcing signed licenses (DTE Energy, Barclays Capital, RWE Trading Americas, Petrobras and others), none of which disclose a price; ION's current careers pages still list dedicated Endur and Findur implementation consultant roles, confirming the product line is separate from and sold alongside sibling products IRM, RightAngle and dbcSMARTsoft rather than as one unified suite (archived press release, 16 April 2015)

Pricing, plan by plan

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

OpenLink Endur

On request
  • Trading$undefined/custom
    • Deal capture
    • Position management
    • P&L analytics
  • Risk$undefined/custom
    • VaR and PaR
    • Credit risk
    • Limit monitoring
  • Enterprise$undefined/custom
    • Full ETRM suite
    • Multi-commodity
    • Global support

Which should you pick?

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.
Helioscope review

Choose OpenLink Endur if

  • You need deal capture.
  • You work on Desktop, Web, Api.
  • You also want position management.
OpenLink Endur review

Questions people ask

Is Helioscope or OpenLink Endur better?
Neither clearly leads. Helioscope starts at Free and OpenLink Endur at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Helioscope or OpenLink Endur?
Helioscope has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Helioscope and On request for OpenLink Endur.
Does Helioscope or OpenLink Endur run on more platforms?
Helioscope runs on Web, Api. OpenLink Endur runs on Desktop, Web, Api.
Can I use Helioscope for free?
Yes. Helioscope has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. OpenLink Endur starts at On request.
What is Helioscope best used for?
Helioscope is most often used for simulating photovoltaic system performance and energy yield, laying out commercial solar arrays and producing design reports. Of those, simulating photovoltaic system performance and energy yield and laying out commercial solar arrays and producing design reports are not what OpenLink Endur is typically brought in for.
What can Helioscope do that OpenLink Endur cannot?
Helioscope covers PV system design, 3D shade modeling, Performance simulation, Single-line diagrams. OpenLink Endur covers Deal capture, Position management, Risk analytics, Credit management. Both handle SOC2, Cloud deployment.
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