CARTO vs Scoop Solar (2026): Pricing, Features & Verdict
CARTO is our pick, scoring 7.7/10 against 6.9/10 for Scoop Solar on our Industrial & Infrastructure Software criteria. Its biggest advantage: higher Analytics score (9/10 vs 6/10). Neither CARTO nor Scoop Solar lists a free plan.
Last updated: November 2026
CARTO
7.7/10
CARTO is a cloud-native location intelligence platform that runs spatial analysis, mapping and geospatial apps directly in cloud data warehouses for enterprise data teams.
Scoop Solar
6.9/10
Configurable project, field service and O&M operations software for solar installers, EPCs, battery storage and EV charging infrastructure teams.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 7.7/10 | 6.9/10 |
| Integration | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Security | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Support | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Cost | 4/10 | 4/10 |
| Analytics | 9/10 | 6/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Customization | 8/10 | 9/10 |
| Scalability | 9/10 | 7/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | $1,158/mo Residential and Service |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | $1,158/mo Residential and Service |
| Features | ||
| GIS and Mapping | Not listed | |
| Inspection Checklists | Not listed | |
| Offline Field App | Not listed | |
| Safety and Compliance | Not listed | |
| Work Orders | Not listed | |
CARTO vs Scoop Solar cost by team size
| Team size | CARTO | Scoop Solar |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | Contact for pricing | $1,158/moResidential and Service |
| 5 users | Contact for pricing | $1,158/moResidential and Service |
| 10 users | Contact for pricing | $1,158/moResidential and Service |
| 25 users | Contact for pricing | $1,158/moResidential and Service |
| 50 users | Contact for pricing | $1,158/moResidential and Service |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Who CARTO and Scoop Solar suit
| Audience | CARTO | Scoop Solar |
|---|---|---|
| Small Business | 3/10There are no published prices, the minimum contract is 12 months, and reviewers say the cost may be high for smaller teams. | 4/10With plans starting above 1,000 USD a month and a long setup, it is heavy for very small installers. |
| Construction | Not rated | 7/10Installers and EPCs use it to track installation projects from start to finish. |
| Developers | 8/10Offers APIs, deck.gl support, coding agents and an MCP server for building geospatial apps. | Not rated |
| Energy Companies | Not rated | 9/10It is built specifically for solar, battery storage and EV charging companies. |
| Enterprise | 9/10Committed tiers, self-hosting, SSO, audit logs and Elite support are aimed at large organizations. | Not rated |
| Field Teams | Not rated | 8/10Its mobile app pushes work orders to technicians and captures checklists and photos offline. |
| Maintenance Teams | Not rated | 7/10It handles O&M service visits and work orders for solar assets. |
| Utilities | 6/10Suited to spatial analysis of network data held in a warehouse, but it has no asset maintenance or field tooling. | Not rated |
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose CARTO
- Higher Analytics score (9/10 vs 6/10)
- Higher Security score (7/10 vs 5/10)
Why choose Scoop Solar
- Higher Support score (8/10 vs 7/10)
- Higher Customization score (9/10 vs 8/10)
Pros & Cons
CARTO
Pros
- Runs analysis directly inside BigQuery, Snowflake, Databricks, Redshift and Oracle without copying data, which reviewers say saves time and storage.
- Builder renders very large datasets, and reviewers rate it highly for mapping and visualization.
- The Data Observatory gives access to more than 12,000 datasets for enrichment.
- Can be bought through the Google Cloud, AWS, Azure and Snowflake marketplaces, and self-hosting is available on committed tiers.
- SoftwareReviews users report strong loyalty, with 98 percent planning to renew.
Cons
- Advanced analysis still requires SQL, so non-technical users face a learning curve.
- No public prices, and even Pay As You Go needs a 12-month contract.
- Warehouse query costs can be hard to predict at high usage.
- Reviewers give lower marks for mobile and web GIS, and there is no field or maintenance tooling.
- The trial lasts 30 days, cannot be extended and cannot be used in production.
Scoop Solar
Pros
- Reviewers on SoftwareFinder rate customer support 9 out of 10 and describe staff as responsive and knowledgeable.
- Admins can build workflows, conditional forms and reports themselves without leaning on the vendor.
- Users are unlimited on every plan, so subcontractors and field crews add no per-seat cost.
- Through GLOO, Scoop builds and maintains integrations with tools such as Salesforce, HubSpot, Aurora Solar and QuickBooks.
- The mobile app collects checklists, photos and data offline at job sites.
Cons
- Entry prices start above 1,000 USD a month, and integrations and analytics cost extra.
- Reviewers say initial configuration can take months and there is no quick out-of-the-box setup.
- Beginners find the rules and conditions engine complex, and reviewers say training videos are limited.
- Users report occasional mobile sync problems, and calendar entries must be linked to a project.
- It is not a CRM, design or accounting tool, so you still need separate software for those.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
CARTO scores higher on our Industrial & Infrastructure Software criteria: 7.7/10 against 6.9/10 for Scoop Solar. The largest gap is in Analytics: 9/10 for CARTO and 6/10 for Scoop Solar.
No, neither CARTO nor Scoop Solar lists a free plan.
