Comparison

PV Master vs SolarDashboard

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

PV Master

This app helps you harness solar energy by providing accurate solar data, weather integration, and tools to optimize your solar panel setup. It offers comprehensive calculators for energy needs, panel requirements, and battery storage, along with guides and a glossary for informed decisions.

Highlights
  • Accurate solar data based on location
  • Weather data integration
  • Solar potential insights
  • Panel positioning tool
  • Comprehensive energy calculators
  • Guides, FAQs, and glossary
Features
Read full description

Thinking about going solar, or trying to get more out of the panels you already have? PV Master turns confusing solar numbers into clear decisions, so you spend less on power and waste less of the sun. Using just your location, PV Master shows you what your roof can really do, when to rely on your own panels, and when to lean on the grid. Whether you are planning your first system or fine tuning an existing one, you get answers you can act on. What PV Master helps you do: Plan with real numbers, not guesses. Get accurate, location based solar data plus a live grid forecast, so you know the best times to use your own power and when cheaper grid power makes sense. Position your panels for maximum output. The built in compass and tilt tool helps you find the angle that captures the most sun all year long. Size your system with confidence. Simple calculators work out how much energy you need, how many panels and batteries it takes, and what it will cost, so you can weigh the ROI before you spend a cent. Get more from every sunny day. Local weather is built in, so you can see how conditions affect production and plan around them. Learn as you go. Clear guides, FAQs, and a plain language glossary explain every solar and photovoltaic term, so nothing holds you back. It all lives in one friendly app, from first idea to finished install, with information that is genuinely easy to read. Download PV Master today and start making smarter, greener energy decisions. Privacy Policy: https://BigBalli.com/privacy Terms of Use: http://www.apple.com/legal/itunes/appstore/dev/stdeula Payment will be charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions in your Account Settings on the App Store after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when purchasing a subscription. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://BigBalli.com/privacy

About

SolarDashboard

Monitor your solar system's live performance, forecast future energy production, and optimize energy usage. Automatically charge EVs, heat water, and power smart home devices with your own green energy.

Highlights
  • Live solar production and consumption monitoring
  • Daily and weekly solar production forecasts
  • Automatic EV charging with solar surplus
  • Smart home device control with solar power
  • Hot water heating optimization
  • Detailed energy insights and savings reports
  • Apple Watch complications and widgets
Features
Read full description

Your solar system on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. See what your photovoltaic system is doing right now, get a forecast for the coming days and understand where your kilowatt-hours go. SolarDashboard uses your solar power to charge your electric vehicle, heat hot water with your heat pump or power HomeKit and Matter devices – so you keep more of your own green energy. SOLAR POWER, CONSUMPTION AND BATTERY AT A GLANCE Live rings show how much your system produces, how much your home consumes and how full the home battery is. Below: today, this month, this year and the total, with self-sufficiency and feed-in. Tap any day for its energy flow hour by hour: production, consumption, grid and battery. Widgets keep the most important values in view. ON YOUR APPLE WATCH A glance at your wrist: the rings show the solar power, consumption and battery level of your plant. Complications bring the values to your watch face and the Smart Stack. YOUR SOLAR FORECAST SolarDashboard calculates from the weather forecast how much your system will produce today, tomorrow and over the next seven days – hour by hour and self-calibrating to your plant. Optional notifications tell you in the morning what the day brings and when the sun comes back; the Energy Coach plans the week with you. INSIGHTS: UNDERSTAND YOUR SYSTEM Production and consumption for the week, month, year and all time, compared with the same period in earlier years. Your best and your weakest day, the strongest hour, your self-sufficiency day by day. A heatmap shows when your home uses energy, the base load at night reveals what runs all the time, and the battery analysis shows cycles, grid charging and what a battery would bring you. Savings, payback and CO₂ avoided tell you what your system is worth. Your solar year sums up records and savings – ready to share. CHARGE YOUR EV WITH SOLAR POWER Connect your wallbox and charge your electric vehicle automatically with solar power that would otherwise go to the grid. SolarDashboard adjusts the charging power and, where supported, the number of phases to the surplus. You decide from which solar power charging starts, which charge level to reach and how your surplus is used. Audi, Škoda and SEAT/CUPRA can be started directly – any other EV through a supported wallbox. HOT WATER FROM SOLAR POWER Connect your Viessmann, Vaillant or Stiebel Eltron heat pump and let SolarDashboard heat the hot water tank when there is surplus – or in the sunniest hours of the forecast. The app guards against short cycling. HOMEKIT AND MATTER ON GREEN POWER Run smart plugs, Shelly switches, infrared heaters, air conditioners or pool pumps with energy from your own system – automatically, once there is enough sun. SUPPORTED DEVICES • Inverters, balcony solar & batteries: SolarEdge, SMA, Huawei FusionSolar, Kostal, Growatt, GoodWe, Enphase, Fronius, Tesla Powerwall, Anker Solix, EcoFlow, Hoymiles – several vendors at once (Pro) • Home chargers: Alfen, Easee, Fronius Wattpilot, go-e Charger, NRGkick, SMA EV Charger, Wallbox Pulsar Plus, Zaptec • Electric vehicles: Audi, Škoda, SEAT/CUPRA • Heat pumps: Viessmann, Vaillant, Stiebel Eltron • Smart home: HomeKit, Matter, Shelly Devices in your home network are found automatically. FREE AND PRO Everything that tells you what your plant is doing right now is free: live dashboard, energy flow and battery for today, forecast for today and tomorrow, Insights for the current week, your solar year, the Apple Watch app, widgets and device setup. SolarDashboard Pro adds automation, history and money: charging and heating with solar power, months, years and comparisons, savings and payback, battery analysis, base load in depth, forecast in depth, notifications and the Energy Coach. A monthly subscription through the App Store, cancel anytime. Privacy policy: https://solardashboard.tapwork.de/solardashboard-privacy-policy/ Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

PV Master4 screens
SolarDashboard4 screens

Verdict

The call

PV Master and SolarDashboard both sit at 4.3 stars, but that hides the real split: 61% of SolarDashboard's written reviews are positive against 17% of PV Master's. SolarDashboard also leads on device support (4 vs 2). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PV Master sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and SolarDashboard sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for PV Master against 4.3 for SolarDashboard. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 23 and 32 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 17% of PV Master's written reviews are positive against 61% of SolarDashboard's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
PV Master versus SolarDashboard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPV MasterSolarDashboard
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (23 ratings) — better4.3 (32 ratings)
Positive reviews17.1% of reviews60.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2332 — better
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysEvery 8 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB67 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBigBalli Consulting llcTAPWORK GmbH

Customer experience

PV Master

All ratings23 ratings
Positive87.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative13.0%
Written reviews35 reviews
Positive17.1%
Neutral11.4%
Negative71.4%

SolarDashboard

All ratings32 ratings
Positive84.4%
Neutral3.1%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews33 reviews
Positive60.6%
Neutral9.1%
Negative30.3%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

PV Master

Subscriptions2
  • Full Unlock$4.991 Month
  • Yearly$49.991 Year
One-time2
  • Location Solar Panel Data$0.99
  • Lifetime$59.99
1 purchases

SolarDashboard

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly$1.991 Month

Questions

Is PV Master free?
PV Master is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SolarDashboard free?
SolarDashboard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PV Master or SolarDashboard?
PV Master is rated higher. PV Master averages 4.3 out of 5 from 23 ratings, while SolarDashboard averages 4.3 from 32 ratings.
Do PV Master or SolarDashboard have ads?
Neither PV Master nor SolarDashboard shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PV Master or SolarDashboard?
PV Master ships an update every 8 days, and SolarDashboard every 8 days. Most recently, PV Master was updated on November 1, 2026 and SolarDashboard on November 6, 2026.

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