Comparison

HoriSol vs Solar Setup

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

Head to head
About

HoriSol

Read full description

No hype. Real numbers. HoriSol calculates whether a balcony solar kit actually makes sense at your specific location — using real photo-based shading measurements and conservative assumptions you can actually understand. 6 STEPS TO YOUR YIELD ESTIMATE 1. Location — GPS or address search 2. Panel — power, orientation, tilt, multiple arrays (East/West) 3. Shading — three photos per orientation, real horizon analysis 4. Consumption — household profile with heat pump, EV, hot water 5. Economics — investment cost, electricity price, feed-in tariff 6. Result — annual yield (kWh), payback period, self-consumption rate, CO₂ savings WHY OTHER APPS ARE TOO OPTIMISTIC Vendor calculators use idealized data. HoriSol measures your actual shading from photos, corrects known bias in hourly aggregations, and pulls solar data from the best available source for your location: • PVGIS for Europe and Africa • PVWatts for the USA • NASA POWER as global fallback Results carry a ±10% confidence range — no black box, no magic numbers. NO COMPROMISES • Fully offline — no cloud required, no tracking • No account, no sign-up, no email • All model assumptions openly documented • Country-specific defaults: electricity prices, load profiles, feed-in rates PREMIUM — ONE-TIME, NO SUBSCRIPTION A single purchase unlocks: • 3-page professional PDF report (vs. 1 page free) • Up to 20 saved configurations (vs. 1 free) • Multiple arrays with separate shading analysis • Detailed load profile upload (custom consumption data) WHO IS HORISOL FOR? HoriSol is for renters and homeowners who want an honest answer — not for people already convinced who just want confirmation. If the numbers don't add up, the app will tell you that too.

About

Solar Setup

Features
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Plan your off-grid solar setup in minutes. Solar Setup Calculator turns your appliance list into a complete, sized system — solar panels, battery bank, inverter, and charge controller — with real-world cost estimates and payback time. No spreadsheets. No installer sales calls. Just answer three questions about where you live, how much power you use, and how many days of battery backup you want — and the app does the off-grid solar math using the same formulas professional installers use. WHY IT'S DIFFERENT * Off-grid solar sizing built for everyone, not just installers. Pick appliances from a built-in catalog of 30+ common loads (fridges, lights, laptops, AC units, water pumps) or type in your own watts and hours. * Real sun-hours data, not guesses. The app pulls NASA POWER satellite data for your exact location on demand, so your panel count reflects what your roof actually gets — not a generic regional average. * Real battery science. Lithium and lead-acid have very different depth-of-discharge limits and round-trip efficiency. The calculator handles both correctly so your battery bank is sized for what it can actually deliver, not what's printed on the label. * Inverter sizing that handles surge loads. Air conditioners, fridges, and pumps draw 3 to 5 times their rated wattage during startup. The app accounts for this so your inverter doesn't trip out on day one. * Cost and payback estimates. Add your local kWh price and see how many years until your solar setup pays for itself versus staying on the grid. * Save and compare. Try different configurations side-by-side — 12V vs 24V vs 48V, lithium vs lead-acid, 1 day vs 3 days of backup — and see which one wins on cost and reliability. * Export as PDF. Share your sized system with an installer or supplier as a clean, professional PDF — no spreadsheet attachments. BUILT FOR - RV and van life — calculate solar for your rig with realistic appliance assumptions - Tiny house and cabin — design a system sized for your real consumption - Backyard sheds, workshops, and outbuildings — keep your tools running without trenching mains - Backup power for grid-tied homes — size a battery bank for blackouts - Marine solar setups — the same off-grid math works on a boat FREE FOREVER - Unlimited setups and saved designs - Cloud sync across devices (optional) - Full off-grid sizing wizard - NASA POWER sun-hours refresh - Built-in solar education library PRO — ONE-TIME $6.99, LIFETIME - PDF export of your sized system - Side-by-side comparison of multiple setups No subscriptions. No ads. Pay once, keep forever. THE STORY Solar Setup Calculator was built by an off-grid enthusiast frustrated with calculators that sized panels for daytime use only and left batteries empty by midnight. The app uses the full daily kWh figure for panel sizing, accounts for system losses, and handles depth-of-discharge correctly — the same way a professional designer would. Whether you're planning a weekend cabin, going full-time off-grid, or just curious what it would take to cover your fridge with solar — Solar Setup Calculator gives you a real answer in 5 minutes. Download free, design unlimited setups, and pay once for Pro if you need the comparison view or PDF export.

Screenshots

HoriSol4 screens
Solar Setup4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Solar Setup at 14.0 against HoriSol's 16.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. HoriSol sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Solar Setup sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard1 real difference · 7 level
HoriSol versus Solar Setup: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHoriSolSolar Setup
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequency—Every 2 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB46 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMalte SchlüterAmmar Khatib

In-app purchases

1 purchases

HoriSol

One-time1
  • HoriSol Premium (Lifetime)$5.99
1 purchases

Solar Setup

One-time1
  • Solar Setup Pro$6.99

Questions

Is HoriSol free?
HoriSol is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Solar Setup free?
Solar Setup is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do HoriSol or Solar Setup have ads?
Neither HoriSol nor Solar Setup shows ads.

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