Solo vs Solargraf: Outsourced Fulfillment vs In-House Engine
The Problem: Growing residential sales organizations hit a critical bottleneck: as sales volume increases, the internal design team becomes a choke point. Companies must decide whether to hire more internal designers (increasing overhead) or outsource the entire design and proposal generation process.
For sales-heavy organizations that want zero internal design overhead, Solo is the clear winner. Solo acts as an outsourced design firm integrated into a proposal platform. You request a design, and their team turns it around quickly, allowing your reps to focus entirely on selling rather than drawing roof planes.
Critical Comparison Criteria
| Criteria | Solo | Solargraf |
|---|---|---|
| Design Fulfillment | Outsourced (Done-for-You) ✦ | In-House (Software Engine) |
| Cost Structure | Pay-Per-Proposal + Base | Monthly SaaS License |
| Proposal Aesthetics | Premium High-End PDF ✦ | Standard Web/PDF |
| Design Autonomy | Low (Dependent on SLA) | High (Instant Edits) ✦ |
| Target Organization | Sales Dealers / ISOs | Full-Stack EPCs |
| NEM 3.0 Support | Supported via Service | Native Software Logic ✦ |
Lumen's Take
This is a fundamental choice about business model. Solargraf is a software platform; you buy it so your internal team can design systems quickly. Solo is a service wrapped in software; you pay them per proposal to do the design work for you. If you are a sales org (like a dealer network) with no interest in hiring CAD techs, use Solo. If you are an EPC that wants tight control over design accuracy and shading, use Solargraf.