Comparison · Solar EPC Software
For solar EPCs, installers and dealers
We are biased - read both sides
Our verdict: OneSolar CRM for solar operations, Salesforce for large enterprise CRM
Salesforce is the right choice for enterprise companies that need a single CRM across multiple business units. For solar companies that need BOQ, project milestones, inventory, vendor procurement and field crew management - OneSolar CRM is operational on day one at a fraction of the cost.
Side-by-side - every capability that matters for solar
An honest breakdown of what each platform does and does not do for solar companies.
Lead & deal management: Pipeline, stages, tasks
- OneSolar CRM: Solar-specific stages, watcher, tasks, source attribution - ready out of the box
Solar site survey: Structured field assessment
- OneSolar CRM: Digital site survey form linked to deal record - feeds BOQ generation
- Salesforce: No native site survey module. Requires custom objects or third-party app
BOQ generation: Auto from system size
- OneSolar CRM: Auto-generate BOQ from system size using your product catalogue. Internal approval workflow
- Salesforce: No BOQ module. Would require custom development or AppExchange apps ($$$)
Proposal creation: Branded solar proposal
- OneSolar CRM: Auto-generate branded proposal from approved BOQ. E-signature included at no extra cost
Project milestones: Solar phase tracking
- OneSolar CRM: Auto-create project on deal won. Milestones with tasks, dependencies, billing triggers, crew assignment
- Salesforce: No native project management. Requires Salesforce Industries (Energy & Utilities) - enterprise pricing only
Inventory management: Multi-warehouse control
- OneSolar CRM: Multi-warehouse inventory, BOQ-linked reservations, consumption tracking
- Salesforce: No inventory module. Requires third-party integration
Vendor & procurement: Full PO cycle
- OneSolar CRM: Vendor database, RFQ, PO, delivery, payment and credit management in one module
- Salesforce: No procurement module. Requires custom development or third-party app
Mobile field app: Geo attendance + tasks
- OneSolar CRM: Purpose-built field app with geo check-in, task updates, photos, expense logging
- Salesforce: Salesforce mobile for CRM updates only - not built for field installation crews
Milestone billing: Auto-triggered invoicing
- OneSolar CRM: Invoice auto-created on milestone completion - zero manual triggers
- Salesforce: No native invoicing. Requires Salesforce Billing ($$$) or integration with QuickBooks/Xero
Multi-currency: Global billing
- OneSolar CRM: Full multi-currency invoicing included on all plans
- Salesforce: Multi-currency available but requires additional configuration and Enterprise edition
Solar specificity: Industry fit
- OneSolar CRM: Built exclusively for solar. No configuration required for solar workflows
- Salesforce: Built for all industries. Solar companies must configure and customise everything from scratch
Support: Onboarding & migration
- OneSolar CRM: Solar-first
- Salesforce: Enterprise CRM
Solar-specific stages, watcher, tasks, source attribution - ready out of the box
Structured field assessment
Digital site survey form linked to deal record - feeds BOQ generation
No native site survey module. Requires custom objects or third-party app
Auto-generate BOQ from system size using your product catalogue. Internal approval workflow
No BOQ module. Would require custom development or AppExchange apps ($$$)
Auto-generate branded proposal from approved BOQ. E-signature included at no extra cost
Auto-create project on deal won. Milestones with tasks, dependencies, billing triggers, crew assignment
No native project management. Requires Salesforce Industries (Energy & Utilities) - enterprise pricing only
Multi-warehouse inventory, BOQ-linked reservations, consumption tracking
No inventory module. Requires third-party integration
Vendor database, RFQ, PO, delivery, payment and credit management in one module
No procurement module. Requires custom development or third-party app
Purpose-built field app with geo check-in, task updates, photos, expense logging
Salesforce mobile for CRM updates only - not built for field installation crews
Auto-triggered invoicing
Invoice auto-created on milestone completion - zero manual triggers
No native invoicing. Requires Salesforce Billing ($$$) or integration with QuickBooks/Xero
Full multi-currency invoicing included on all plans
Multi-currency available but requires additional configuration and Enterprise edition
Built exclusively for solar. No configuration required for solar workflows
Built for all industries. Solar companies must configure and customise everything from scratch
The fundamental difference
No project management for solar EPC
Salesforce has no native project milestone management. Solar EPCs need milestone tracking with task assignments, crew scheduling, dependency rules and milestone-triggered invoicing - none of which Salesforce provides natively.
No inventory or vendor management
Solar companies managing panels, inverters and cables across warehouses cannot do this in Salesforce without significant custom development. OneSolar CRM includes multi-warehouse inventory and full vendor procurement natively.
Mobile app not built for field crews
Salesforce mobile is designed for CRM updates by sales staff. It is not designed for field technicians who need geo check-in, task completion, site photos, expense logging and service ticket management from a job site.
Reasons solar companies switch
What Salesforce users tell us before switching
OneSolar CRM includes BOQ auto-generation, internal approval and branded proposal generation on day one - zero configuration, zero implementation cost.
Our Salesforce admin costs more than our OneSolar CRM subscription would
OneSolar CRM is designed to be self-managed by a non-technical team. No Salesforce admin required. Your operations manager can configure the product catalogue and pipeline stages in one afternoon.
We had to buy CPQ, Service Cloud and Billing add-ons and it still does not do what we need for solar
OneSolar CRM is a single flat subscription. Every solar module - leads, BOQ, projects, inventory, vendors, invoicing, tickets, HRMS - is included. No add-ons. No surprises.
Salesforce is great for our corporate CRM but useless for our solar field crews
The OneSolar CRM mobile app is purpose-built for installation crews. Geo check-in, task completion, site photos, expense logging - all from a smartphone on-site.
Lower implementation cost
OneSolar CRM vs typical Salesforce solar setup
vs 3–6 months for Salesforce
OneSolar CRM vs Salesforce + add-ons
From someone who switched
Switch without disruption
Our migration team handles the data move. You focus on running your business.
- 1Export your data from SalesforceDownload leads, contacts, deals and notes from Salesforce as CSV exports - standard export functionality in all Salesforce editions.
- 2Share with our migration teamSend the files to your OneSolar CRM onboarding specialist. We handle field mapping and data import.
- 3We run the migrationYour Salesforce data is live in OneSolar CRM within 1–2 business days.
- 4Onboarding session - go live60-minute setup session for product catalogue, pipeline stages and milestone templates.
- Run parallel during transition if needed
OneSolar CRM vs JobNimbus
Solar-specific EPC software vs a general contractor tool.
OneSolar CRM vs HubSpot
Solar workflow management vs a marketing-first CRM.
OneSolar CRM vs Spreadsheets
Structured solar operations vs manual spreadsheet management.
OneSolar CRM vs OpenSolar
Solar operations platform vs a solar design tool.