Pylon
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersSydney, Australia
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
Pylon firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pylon
- Legal name
- Saru Technologies Pty. Ltd.
- Website
- https://getpylon.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Pylon is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sydney
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Pylon business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription Software License: Monthly or annual subscription for access to the solar design software platform. Users must purchase a subscription to access services. Subscription fees can be varied by Pylon at any time.
- Credit-Based Usage: Some platform features consume credits. Uncommitted projects do not cost credits; committed projects that use imagery and fresh designs spend credits.
- Payment Processing: Pylon facilitates credit card payments through Stripe. Domestic cards charged at 2.5% per transaction; international cards at 3.9% per transaction.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free trial available with no contract or credit card required |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
Pylon product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pylon is a cloud-based solar design and sales platform built for Australian solar installation businesses. It enables installers to design PV and battery systems on high-resolution aerial imagery, run 3D shading simulations, generate compliant single line diagrams, build branded proposals with e-signatures and credit card payments, and manage the entire sales pipeline within an integrated CRM. The platform is delivered as a subscription SaaS product with usage-based credits and transaction fees on payments.
Product overview
Pylon is a comprehensive solar design software platform for fast-growing solar businesses. The core offering is the Solar Design Tool, which enables high-resolution solar proposals in under 2 minutes. The platform comprises integrated feature modules including 3D Shading Simulations, Interval Data Analysis, Blueprint Upload, Single Line Diagrams (SLD), Installer Job Sheets, System Owner's Manual, e-Signatures, Payment Gateway, Solar Sales CRM, and Financial Projections. These modules work together as a unified workflow from site assessment and design through proposal generation, e-signing, and payment collection. The platform also offers a public REST API for developer integrations and automation. The company is operated by Saru Technologies Pty Ltd, based in Sydney, Australia.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Pylon Solar Design Software Cloud-based solar design and sales SaaS platform for Australian solar installation businesses, enabling high-resolution solar proposals in under 2 minutes through panel layout on aerial imagery, 3D shading simulations, financial projections, DNSP-compliant single line diagrams, e-signatures, credit card payments, and an integrated solar sales CRM.
Quantifiable outcome
- Solar proposals generated in under 2 minutes
Companies that use Pylon
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Pylon technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
AI capability5 records
Feature8 records
Pylon partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- XerocoreAccounting software integration allowing solar businesses to sync financial data with Pylon proposals and payments.
- StripecorePayment processing platform for credit card payments. Domestic cards at 2.5%, international at 3.9% per transaction.
- NearmapcoreAerial imagery provider enabling high-resolution site analysis for solar design. Previously the primary tool used before switching to Pylon's native solution.
- Origin EnergycoreMajor Australian energy retailer providing interval data for customer energy usage analysis to calculate accurate solar savings.
- AGLcoreMajor Australian energy retailer providing interval data for customer energy usage analysis.
- EnergyAustraliacoreMajor Australian energy retailer providing interval data for customer energy usage analysis.
- SolarQuotescoreLead generation platform driving qualified solar leads to installation businesses using Pylon.
- SolarChoicecoreLead generation platform connecting homeowners with solar installers using Pylon.
- DNSPs (Distributed Network Service Providers)coreMajor Australian DNSPs including AusNet, AusGrid, Powercor, Energex, Endeavour Energy, Western Power, Essential Energy, SA Power Networks, Tas Networks, United Energy, Jemena, Horizon Power, Powerwater, and Evo Energy. Pylon's SLD generator meets DNSP compliance requirements.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Pylon competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Aurora Solar: Aurora Solar is the leading cloud-based solar design and sales platform in North America, offering aerial imagery, shade analysis, proposal generation, and CRM for solar installers — directly comparable to Pylon's offering, though at much larger scale and with deep VC funding.
- Solargraf: Solargraf is a commercial and residential solar design, sales, and proposal platform with aerial imagery and proposal automation, serving the same installer buyer as Pylon in a similar workflow.
- OpenSolar: OpenSolar is a free, global solar design and sales platform with shade analysis, proposal tools, and CRM. Explicitly mentioned in Pylon customer testimonials as a competitor that users switched away from, confirming direct overlap in SMB solar installer workflows.
- PVsyst: PVsyst is a professional PV system design and performance simulation software used widely across the solar industry for yield and shading analysis — a comparable technical tool for solar designers, though more technical and less proposal-oriented than Pylon.
- HelioScope: HelioScope (by Folsom Labs) is an industry-standard professional PV system design tool with detailed shade and energy simulation. It is named in Pylon's comparison pages as a competitor and serves the same solar designer user persona.
- Energy Toolbase: Energy Toolbase is a solar and storage design and proposal platform for commercial and residential installers, with PV modeling, financial analysis, and proposal generation — overlapping substantially with Pylon's design and proposal workflow.
Broad incumbents
- Nearmap: Nearmap is a large aerial-imagery and location intelligence provider that also offers solar design tools. Pylon customers explicitly cite switching FROM Nearmap TO Pylon, making Nearmap a broad incumbent competitor with overlapping imagery and design capabilities.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Pylon social profiles
Digital presencePylon financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pylon leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Pylon funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pylon M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Pylon
What does Pylon do?
Pylon is a cloud-based solar design and sales platform built for Australian solar installation businesses. It enables installers to design PV and battery systems on high-resolution aerial imagery, run 3D shading simulations, generate compliant single line diagrams, build branded proposals with e-signatures and credit card payments, and manage the entire sales pipeline within an integrated CRM. The platform is delivered as a subscription SaaS product with usage-based credits and transaction fees on payments.
Is Pylon a public or private company?
Pylon is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Pylon founded?
Pylon was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Pylon based?
Pylon is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Pylon make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Subscription Software License is the primary driver. The others are credit-Based Usage and payment Processing.
Who are Pylon's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Aurora Solar, Solargraf, OpenSolar, PVsyst, HelioScope and Energy Toolbase. Nearmap is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Pylon have an API?
Yes. Pylon offers a RESTful JSON:API that allows developers to access and manipulate solar projects, designs, components (modules, inverters, batteries, heat pumps, EV chargers, optimisers, mounting systems), CRM opportunities/contacts/leads/pipelines, users, files, events, and webhooks. The API supports authentication via Bearer tokens with granular permissions (read, write, update, payment). It follows the JSON:API specification with hypermedia, content negotiation, and pagination. API endpoints are available for solar projects, solar designs, component databases, STC calculations, component pricing, user management, file uploads, events/webhooks, CRM (opportunities, contacts, lead statuses, pipelines, pipeline stages, tags), and deep-linking. The API root URL is https://api.getpylon.com. Some methods may incur billing charges when used. Developer documentation is at app.getpylon.com/docs/api.