Best Solar Stringing Software for AutoCAD: 2026 Comparison

Last updated: March 2026

The U.S. commercial solar market installed 5.6 GW in 2024, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. Every project requires construction documents with panel stringing, homerun routing, and cable schedules — work that engineers have historically done by hand in AutoCAD.

This post compares the five plugins that automate stringing inside AutoCAD for commercial solar projects. We focus on stringing automation specifically — not proposal tools (Aurora, Helioscope) or energy modeling platforms, which serve a different stage of the project lifecycle.

Disclosure: We built Leaf/Branch, so we're biased. We've tried to be fair and factual. If something here is inaccurate, let us know and we'll correct it.

Quick Comparison

Solar Stringing Software Pricing Comparison (2026)

Competitor pricing is estimated from industry reports and public references. Contact each vendor for current pricing.

Leaf

Drafting automation plugin for AutoCAD — stringing, homerun routing, circuit length export, and tagging across rooftop, ground mount, and SolarEdge workflows. AutoCAD 2018–2026 on Windows. 14-day free trial, no credit card.

• One tool, three workflows — rooftop, ground mount, and SolarEdge stringing all live in the same plugin. No swapping tools when project type changes.
• Works with raw AutoCAD objects — panel groups are native AutoCAD blocks and polylines, not proprietary entities. Drop in layouts you already have from PVcase, Aurora, Helioscope, or hand-drawn DWGs and Branch will string them. No re-drawing required.
• ~3-minute full workflow — panel groups, strings, inverters, homeruns, cable export. Because the workflow is fast, design changes aren't painful — delete everything and rerun.
• K-means homerun routing — optimizes inverter placement relative to string endpoints, routes homeruns with clean 90-degree angles.
• SolarEdge Designer PDF import — unique to Leaf. Import stringing plan PDFs directly instead of copying string assignments from a PDF on your second monitor. (See the full SolarEdge Designer to AutoCAD workflow.)
• Cable length export — CABLEEXPORT measures actual polyline lengths and exports to CSV. No manual DIST measuring.
• ~75% less than PVcase Roof Mount at $3,299/user/year vs. PVcase's $6K–15K+/year range — published, self-serve, no sales conversation required.
• Custom enterprise builds — we ship tailored functionality for high-volume teams (e.g., Sol Systems). If your workflow has constraints the off-the-shelf plugin doesn't cover, we can build into it.

Does not include SLDs, wire sizing, voltage drop, energy modeling, panel layout, or permit packages. Leaf automates drafting — engineering stays with the engineer.

PVComplete / PVCAD / Enact Solar

The original AutoCAD solar plugin. Acquired by Shoals Technologies in 2021, now merged into Enact Solar (an asset management platform). AutoCAD on Windows. Pricing requires a sales conversation. (For a deeper look at the acquisition fallout, see PVComplete alternatives after the Enact acquisition, or our head-to-head Branch vs PVComplete comparison.)

• SLD generation and carport-specific design tools — the broadest feature set among AutoCAD solar plugins.
• Established track record — large engineering firms have used PVCAD for years.
• Roadmap uncertainty — neither Shoals (utility-scale eBOS) nor Enact (asset management) has commercial rooftop drafting as a core business. Two acquisitions with no obvious product alignment.
• Reported steep learning curve — engineers report weeks-to-months of onboarding and output that needs 30–40% manual cleanup.

PV Rocket

AutoCAD and AutoCAD Electrical plugin with stringing, voltage drop calculations, wire sizing, and SLD generation. $100/month or $980/year, published — with a 30-day free trial.

• Transparent self-serve pricing — the only competitor besides Leaf with published pricing and a real free trial.
• Engineering calculations inside AutoCAD — voltage drop and wire sizing integrated into the drafting workflow. If you want calculations and drafting in one tool, this is the differentiator.
• AutoCAD Electrical integration — leverages native circuit and panel schedule capabilities.
• Manual string assignment — strings are drawn interactively rather than solved automatically, so per-project speed is slower than tools with automated solvers.
• Combining engineering calculations with drafting automation means the tool is making engineering decisions — depending on your workflow, that's either a feature or a risk.

Virto.CAD

AutoCAD and BricsCAD plugin for commercial rooftop and ground-mount projects. European in origin, gaining traction internationally. Pricing requires direct contact.

• BricsCAD support — if your firm uses BricsCAD instead of AutoCAD, your options are limited and Virto is one of the few.
• Ground mount + commercial rooftop — covers both project types in one tool.
• Less established in North America with limited public documentation compared to PVCAD or Leaf. (See Branch vs Virto.CAD for a feature-by-feature comparison.)

PVcase Roof Mount

PVcase expanding from utility-scale dominance into the rooftop market. AutoCAD and Revit integration. Enterprise pricing.

• Deep engineering simulation — terrain, pile calculations, bankable energy models. PVcase's DNA is utility-scale, where simulation accuracy improvements mean hundreds of thousands of dollars.
• Overengineered for commercial rooftop — for a 500kW rooftop where you need strings placed and circuit lengths calculated, it's a sledgehammer for a finishing nail. The enterprise pricing and learning curve come along for the ride. (See Branch vs PVcase for the rooftop-specific breakdown.)

Which Tool Fits Your Workflow?

Leaf — You need fast stringing, homeruns, and circuit lengths at volume. You handle SLDs and engineering separately. You want published pricing and a short learning curve. You use SolarEdge and want PDF import.

PVComplete / Enact — You need SLDs integrated with stringing. Your firm already has PVCAD workflows. You need carport tools.

PV Rocket — You want voltage drop and wire sizing inside AutoCAD. You use AutoCAD Electrical.

Virto.CAD — You use BricsCAD. You work across rooftop and ground-mount. European standards matter.

PVcase — You need deep simulation. Your projects justify enterprise pricing and onboarding. You want layout through documentation in one platform.

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Every tool here solves a real problem. If you're drawing strings by hand, any of them will save time. We built Leaf because we wanted something fast, lean, and focused on the drafting grind. If that resonates, try it for 14 days free. If another tool fits better, use that — the goal is to stop doing tedious work by hand.

Start a 14-day free trial — no credit card, no sales call.