Clearion vs Scanifly (2026): Pricing, Features & Verdict
Clearion is our pick, scoring 6.3/10 against 5.7/10 for Scanifly on our Industrial & Infrastructure Software criteria. Its biggest advantage: higher Customization score (8/10 vs 5/10). Neither Clearion nor Scanifly lists a free plan.
Last updated: November 2026
Clearion
6.3/10
GIS-native vegetation management and asset inspection software built on Esri ArcGIS for electric utilities to plan, dispatch, and document line-clearance and inspection work.
Scanifly
5.7/10
Solar PV design and field operations software that turns drone imagery and remote imagery into 3D models, shading analysis and permit-ready designs for solar installers.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.3/10 | 5.7/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Security | 5/10 | 4/10 |
| Support | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Cost | 4/10 | 4/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Ease of Use | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Customization | 8/10 | 5/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Features | ||
| Inspection Checklists | ||
| Drone Inspection | Not listed | |
| Engineering Design | Not listed | |
| Engineering Simulation | Not listed | |
| GIS and Mapping | Not listed | |
| Offline Field App | Not listed | |
| Preventive Maintenance | Not listed | |
| Safety and Compliance | Not listed | |
| Work Orders | Not listed | |
Who Clearion and Scanifly suit
| Audience | Clearion | Scanifly |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Companies | 8/10Used by large energy companies for grid reliability and wildfire mitigation work. | 9/10It is built specifically for solar PV installers and designers, covering sales, survey, design and install. |
| Field Teams | 8/10The offline mobile app gives crews and contractors digital work packets, photo capture, and e-signatures. | 7/10The free mobile app gives surveyors checklists and photo annotation, and drone flights replace manual roof measurement. |
| Construction | Not rated | 7/10Solar contractors use it to cut roof climbs, measure sites and produce plan sets and racking layouts. |
| Drone Service Providers | Not rated | 5/10Any geo-tagged drone imagery works, but the product is tied to solar design rather than general drone services. |
| Enterprise | 8/10Deployed at Fortune 150 energy companies and in use with hundreds of field users at We Energies and WPS. | Not rated |
| Maintenance Teams | 6/10Supports asset inspection and maintenance workflows, but its main strength is vegetation programs rather than general maintenance management. | Not rated |
| Small Business | Not rated | 6/10Its few G2 reviews come from small installers, but quote-only pricing and the cost of a drone program add overhead. |
| Utilities | 10/10Built specifically for electric utility vegetation management and asset inspection, with named customers such as AEP, Exelon, and Southern Company. | Not rated |
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Clearion
- Higher Customization score (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Integration score (7/10 vs 6/10)
Why choose Scanifly
- Higher Support score (7/10 vs 6/10)
Pros & Cons
Clearion
Pros
- Runs natively on Esri ArcGIS, so utilities can work from their existing GIS asset data instead of maintaining a separate map.
- Field workflows keep working offline and sync later, with photos, GPS, and e-signatures attached to the original work order.
- Clearion Studio lets utilities set their own forms, terminology, and approval steps without custom code.
- Internal crews and contractors work in one system, which large utilities such as We Energies credit with better contractor accountability.
- Has a track record at large utilities: AEP calls it its system of record, and Duquesne Light's deployment was named Best in Class at a Pennsylvania PUC safety conference.
Cons
- No public pricing, and every deal goes through Arcos sales.
- Almost no independent user reviews on G2, SourceForge, or Slashdot, so evidence comes mostly from vendor and Esri case studies.
- Depends on an Esri ArcGIS environment, which may not suit utilities on other GIS platforms.
- No dedicated public security or compliance certification page was found for the product.
- Narrowly focused on utility vegetation and inspection work, not general CMMS or EAM needs.
Scanifly
Pros
- DroneDesign builds a measured 3D model from any GPS-equipped drone, which suits installers who want as-built accuracy over satellite estimates.
- Shading reports are accepted by several state programs and lenders, including NYSERDA, MassCEC, CEC and Austin Energy.
- A direct API integration with IronRidge Design Assistant (January 2026) sends panel layouts into racking design without redrawing.
- Remote prelim designs and drone-based final designs live in one tool, along with a free mobile survey app.
- Product updates ship regularly, such as web-editable checklists and photo albums inside the 3D scene in 2026.
Cons
- No public subscription pricing, so buyers must book a demo to get a quote.
- DroneDesign needs your own drone and a certified pilot, or an outsourced survey that costs extra and takes 3 to 5 business days.
- Reviewers report no native 8,760-hour yield simulation, branded proposals, CRM or financing portal.
- There are very few independent user reviews; G2 lists about two, and Capterra appears to have no listing.
Not sold on either?
Air Inspection Automation (AiA)Our product
Plans DJI drone inspection missions for power line towers from LiDAR scans: it finds the towers, places photo stops, checks clearance, and splits the route into battery flights.
Made by the team behind b stack radar. Shown here because it fits this topic. It is not part of our rankings. How we rank tools
Frequently Asked Questions
Clearion scores higher on our Industrial & Infrastructure Software criteria: 6.3/10 against 5.7/10 for Scanifly. The largest gap is in Customization: 8/10 for Clearion and 5/10 for Scanifly.
No, neither Clearion nor Scanifly lists a free plan.
