PVcase vs Virto.CAD (and where Branch fits)
If you're comparing PVcase and Virto.CAD, you're asking the right question — they solve different problems, and one of them may not be yours. Here's the honest split, including the case where neither fits and the case where ours doesn't.
The short answer
Pick by project mix, not by feature count.
Utility-scale ground mount with real terrain work? PVcase is built for exactly that, and its seat price reflects it. A BricsCAD shop, or a firm that wants one broad drafting toolkit? Virto.CAD is one of the few solar options that runs on BricsCAD at all. Commercial and industrial rooftop CD sets in AutoCAD, drafted over and over? That's the gap both leave, and it's the only thing Branch does.
None of the three replaces your yield model or proposal tool — that's a different job, covered in the full landscape comparison.
The honest split
Strengths and limits, all three.
PVcase
Utility-scale ground mount engineering
Strengths
- Terrain-driven layout and civil detail at utility scale
- Mature large-site toolchain used by major developers
- Backed by a $100M raise (July 2023); ~$53.8M 2024 revenue
Limits
- Sales-gated pricing, consistently quoted deep into five figures per seat annually
- Utility capability sits unused on commercial rooftop sets
- AutoCAD only; no SolarEdge Designer PDF import
Virto.CAD
BricsCAD shops and broader multi-discipline drafting
Strengths
- One of the few solar plugins that runs on BricsCAD as well as AutoCAD
- Broader drafting feature set beyond stringing
- Industry-estimated ~$5,100/yr including an AutoCAD license bundle
Limits
- Pricing is sales-gated; the estimate above is not a published price
- Broader set means more onboarding than a focused tool
- No SolarEdge Designer PDF import
Branch
Commercial rooftop and ground mount CD sets in AutoCAD
Strengths
- Stringing, homeruns, tags, schedules with the NEC arithmetic shown
- Only plugin with SolarEdge Designer PDF import
- Published pricing: $299/mo per daily active user, no seat limits, 14-day trial
Limits
- No utility-scale terrain engineering
- AutoCAD 2018-2026 on Windows only; no BricsCAD
- Drafting only, deliberately: the engineering judgment stays with the engineer
Pricing notes: Branch's price is published; PVcase and Virto.CAD figures are buyer-reported or industry estimates because neither vendor publishes pricing — confirm current numbers with the vendors directly.
Straight answers
The questions buyers actually ask.
PVcase or Virto.CAD — which one for a commercial solar firm?
Match the tool to the project mix. PVcase is built for utility-scale ground mount engineering: terrain-driven layouts, large-site civil work, priced accordingly at multiple thousands per seat per year, sales-gated. Virto.CAD covers a broader multi-discipline drafting set for commercial work and is one of the few solar plugins that also runs on BricsCAD, with industry estimates around $5,100/year including an AutoCAD license bundle. A firm doing mostly commercial and industrial rooftop CD sets in AutoCAD is the profile both tools fit least precisely — that gap is what Branch is built for.
Is PVcase overkill for commercial rooftop projects?
Often, yes. PVcase's strength is utility-scale: terrain modeling, pile placement, large ground-mount arrays. For a 200 kW to 5 MW rooftop CD set, most of that capability sits unused while the seat cost stays utility-sized. PVcase does not publish pricing; buyers consistently report quotes well into five figures per seat annually.
What does Virto.CAD do that PVcase and Branch don't?
BricsCAD support is the clearest differentiator — if your firm standardized on BricsCAD instead of AutoCAD, Virto.CAD is one of the few solar drafting options available. It also spans a broader set of drafting disciplines than a stringing-focused tool. Neither PVcase nor Branch runs on BricsCAD.
Where does Branch fit next to these two?
Branch automates the commercial rooftop and ground mount drafting step inside AutoCAD 2018-2026: stringing with NEC voltage-window arithmetic shown, homerun routing, cable schedules, tags, and SolarEdge Designer PDF import, which neither PVcase nor Virto.CAD offers. Pricing is published: $299/mo per daily active user, no seat limits, 14-day trial without a credit card. It does not do utility-scale terrain engineering and does not run on BricsCAD.
Can I trial each of them before choosing?
Branch offers a public 14-day trial with no credit card. PVcase and Virto.CAD are demo-by-sales-call. Whatever you evaluate, run it on one of your own recent projects and time the full drafting pass — vendor demos are drawn on drawings chosen by the vendor.