Free solar monitoring apps compared
Every grid-tied inverter with a WiFi or 4G datalogger sends its readings to a cloud, and that cloud decides which app can show them. So the first question isn't which app is best. It's which cloud your datalogger reports to.
The options
| Inverter brand's app | Home Assistant | Helio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Works with | Your brand only | Many brands, with add-ons | Eybond / ShineMonitor |
| Setup | Install and log in | Home server and integrations | Deploy to Vercel, about 5 minutes |
| First screen | Varies, often a plant list | Whatever you build | Units made today |
| Daily units | Yes | Yes | Yes, from the inverter's counter |
| Savings in your currency | Sometimes | With configuration | Yes, editable |
| Cost | Free | Free, plus hardware | Free, open source |
Your inverter brand's app
The safe default. Common ones are SmartClient and ShineMonitor for Eybond sticks, Solarman for many hybrid and string inverters, ShinePhone for Growatt, SolisCloud, iSolarCloud for Sungrow and FusionSolar for Huawei. They read your system without any extra setup. The trade-off is design: many open on menus rather than the number you came for.
Home Assistant
A self-hosted home automation platform with community integrations for many inverter clouds and local protocols. It's the most flexible choice, and the most work: you need a device running it and time to set up dashboards.
Helio
Helio is built for one job: showing what your roof made today, fast, on a phone. It reads ShineMonitor with your own login, opens on today's units and adds live power, a five-minute curve for any day, history and savings. You host your own copy, so nobody else sees your data. It supports Eybond / ShineMonitor systems today; other clouds aren't supported yet.
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Questions
What is the best free solar monitoring app?
Usually the app from your inverter's own cloud, because it's the only one guaranteed to read your system. If yours is an Eybond WiFi stick on ShineMonitor, Helio gives you the same data on a cleaner screen, also free.
Can one app monitor any inverter brand?
Not reliably. Each brand's datalogger reports to its own cloud. Tools like Home Assistant bridge many of them, but need a home server and setup time.
Do solar monitoring apps cost money?
The inverter makers' apps are free. Paid services exist for installers and fleets. Helio is free and open source.
Free and open source. Deploy your own copy in about five minutes.