Honest comparison. When Aurora wins. When Diaz Editor fits better. No bashing, just facts + use-cases. Bonus: Diaz Editor also handles electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and structural work — Aurora is solar-only.
Aurora Solar is built for enterprise installers and utility-scale work — deep LIDAR shade, FERC compliance, team workflows. Diaz Editor is built for solo and SMB residential installers — fast design, lifetime license, no subscription. Doing 5-30 residential systems per month? Diaz Editor fits better and saves €8,000+ over 5 years.
Aurora Solar is one of the most complete platforms on the market. For the right use-case, it earns every euro. Pick Aurora if:
For those use-cases, Aurora is hard to beat. We actively recommend it.
Most installers aren't in that enterprise segment. For SMB work, Diaz Editor fits better. Pick Diaz Editor if:
| Feature | Diaz Editor | Aurora Solar |
|---|---|---|
| 3D roof design | ✓ | ✓ |
| LIDAR shade analysis | — (manual + horizon) | ✓ |
| 2D battery / wiring schematic | ✓ | — |
| Panel + inverter library | 3,200+ | 28,000+ |
| String sizing calculator | ✓ | ✓ |
| PDF permit pack export | ✓ | ✓ |
| Performance simulation (PVWatts) | ✓ | ✓ + proprietary |
| NEM 3.0 / FERC compliance | — | ✓ |
| Team workflow / project history | 3 seats / Pro | unlimited (paid) |
| Works offline | ✓ (desktop app) | — (cloud) |
| Local language UI (NL/ES) | ✓ | — (EN only) |
| No subscription | ✓ | — |
Source: Aurora Solar public documentation + Diaz Editor v0.3 changelog. Updated May 2026.
Difference over 5 years: ~€8,500 stays in your pocket. Money you can put into materials, marketing, or margin.
After the 100 founding spots, Diaz Editor returns to €1,000 once. Still 88% cheaper than Aurora over 5 years.
Bulk migration tool (import 50+ projects at once) is on the v0.5 roadmap for Q3 2026.
Diaz Editor wins on price and local fit. €99 founding-lifetime versus $9,360 over 5 years isn't a close call. NL/ES UI + EU compliance helps further. Missing LIDAR shade? For 90% of residential projects it has no measurable impact on system design.
Aurora Solar remains the right choice. The LIDAR pipeline, FERC reporting, and team features are unmatched. Diaz Editor doesn't target this segment — and that's a feature, not a bug.
Yes. Aurora Solar at $156/month = $9,360 over 5 years. Diaz Editor founding lifetime is €99 once. Even at the regular €1,000 Pro price, you save roughly €8,000 over 5 years.
Diaz Editor v0.3 supports manual shade objects and basic horizon shading. Aurora's LIDAR-based irradiance modelling is more advanced. For utility-scale or NEM 3.0 compliance work, Aurora is still the right tool. For solo and SMB residential installers, the built-in shade tools cover 90% of use-cases.
There is no direct import yet. You can export panel layouts as DXF/PDF from Aurora and re-create the system in Diaz Editor in 5-15 minutes for a typical residential project. A bulk migration tool is on the v0.5 roadmap.
For a solo installer doing 5-30 residential systems per month, most Aurora features (utility integrations, FERC compliance, performance simulation at scale) go unused. The pricing reflects enterprise needs. If your work is residential 0-30kW, a lighter tool is usually a better fit.
Diaz Editor Pro includes 3 device seats. Team licenses (5/10/25 seats) are available. Aurora Solar pricing scales per user. For a 3-person team: Aurora ~ $5,600/year, Diaz Editor Pro = €1,000 once or €99 founding.
100 founding spots. No subscription. 3 device seats. No credit card needed to view the feature overview.
Claim founding spot — €99One-time. Lifetime. 3 seats. No subscription.
Built for self-employed tradespeople + small teams (1-10 people). Not for architects or utility-scale engineering — AutoCAD and Aurora are better at those.
Regular price (after founding):
€1.000 €99 today
100 spots total. Stripe checkout. Instant download after payment.