Softwr

Energy · head to head

SolarWinds vs Uplight

S

SolarWinds

Energy

Solar asset performance monitoring and management

From
$2/kW/month
Rated
-
Full review
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  • Each has a real cost: SolarWinds website uses outdated NetObjects Fusion 2015 tools, suggesting legacy technical infrastructure; Uplight the product assumes a regulated utility with commission-approved programmes,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: SolarWinds covers Real-time monitoring, Uplight covers Energy marketplace.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which SolarWinds and Uplight actually diverge.

Attributes where SolarWinds and Uplight differ
AttributeSolarWindsUplight
Starting price$2/kW/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsWeb, Mobile, ApiWeb, iOS, Android, API
Founded2015Unknown

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 SolarWinds

  • Real-time monitoring
  • Performance analytics
  • Alarm management
  • O&M workflows
  • Reporting
  • Benchmarking
  • Weather integration
  • Financial tracking

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.

SolarWinds

  • Solar monitoringnot Uplight
  • Performance optimizationnot Uplight
  • O&M managementnot Uplight
  • Portfolio reportingnot Uplight
  • Investor reportingnot Uplight

Uplight

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

Where each one falls short

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

SolarWinds

  • Website uses outdated NetObjects Fusion 2015 tools, suggesting legacy technical infrastructure
  • No specific product models, brands, or technical specifications listed for offered solutions
  • Geographic service area boundaries unclear; only mentions San Francisco Bay Area and Central California
  • Minimal customer engagement features; lacks testimonials, project galleries, financing calculators, or online quote forms
  • Email contact discrepancy between display text ([email protected]) and actual mailto link ([email protected])

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

SolarWinds

$2/kW/month
  • Monitor$2/kW/month
    • Real-time monitoring
    • Performance tracking
    • Alerts
  • Optimize$4/kW/month
    • Advanced analytics
    • Degradation analysis
    • Benchmarking
  • Enterprise$undefined/custom
    • Portfolio management
    • Custom integrations
    • Financial modeling

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 SolarWinds if

  • You need real-time monitoring.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, Api.
  • You also want performance analytics.
SolarWinds 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 SolarWinds or Uplight better?
Neither clearly leads. SolarWinds starts at $2/kW/month and Uplight at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, SolarWinds or Uplight?
SolarWinds starts at $2/kW/month and Uplight at On request.
Does SolarWinds or Uplight run on more platforms?
SolarWinds runs on Web, Mobile, Api. Uplight runs on Web, iOS, Android, API.
What is SolarWinds best used for?
SolarWinds is most often used for solar monitoring, performance optimization, o&m management, portfolio reporting. Of those, solar monitoring and performance optimization are not what Uplight is typically brought in for.
What can SolarWinds do that Uplight cannot?
SolarWinds covers Real-time monitoring, Performance analytics, Alarm management, O&M workflows. Uplight covers Energy marketplace, Personalised recommendations, Rates engagement, Demand response.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

SolarWinds: What geographic areas does SolarWinds Energy serve?

SolarWinds Energy serves the San Francisco Bay Area and Central California regions, but the exact service area boundaries are not clearly defined on their website.

Source
Uplight: Who owns Uplight?

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

SolarWinds: What solar and renewable products does SolarWinds Energy offer?

SolarWinds Energy specializes in energy efficiency and renewable technologies including solar energy systems and attic ventilation solutions, but specific product models and technical specifications are not published online.

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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