Free worldwide tools
Viewers like SunTrace3D, ShadeMap and Shadowmap show shadow anywhere on Earth, often focused on solar panels. Handy for exploring — but on global map data, without a TNO check and without a Dutch report.
Comparison
Sunlight study: do it yourself, a standalone tool, or an agency?
There are three kinds of options — free worldwide tools, standalone Dutch tools and traditional consultancies. Below is the honest comparison on price, TNO check and delivery time, so you pick the right one for your situation.
Rather see it yourself right away? Enter your address — exploring is free.
The three categories
Not everything that shows shadow is usable as evidence.
The differences come down to three things: do they use Dutch source data, do they check against the TNO standard, and do they deliver a report a municipality or court accepts?
Standalone Dutch tools
Self-service tools like zonsimulatie.nl produce a PDF instantly on Dutch height data. Faster and cheaper than an agency, but usually without an explicit check against both the light and strict TNO norm.
Traditional consultancies
Agencies deliver bespoke work by an engineer, TNO-checked and court-ready — but by quote, for €330 to €535, with a delivery time of 5 to 10 working days.
Fact by fact
The comparison in one table.
Compared on the points that decide whether your result is usable with a municipality or court.
Schaduwplan
- Automatic 3D model per Dutch address
- On 3DBAG LoD2 building models
- Checked against the TNO standard (light + strict)
- Municipal norms (The Hague, Rotterdam, Eindhoven)
- Downloadable PDF report
- Usable as evidence with municipality and court
- Free preview of your own address first
- Delivery time±5 min
- Price per report€49
Standalone NL tool
- Automatic 3D model per Dutch address
- On 3DBAG LoD2 building models
- Checked against the TNO standard (light + strict)
- Municipal norms (The Hague, Rotterdam, Eindhoven)
- Downloadable PDF report
- Usable as evidence with municipality and court
- Free preview of your own address first
- Delivery timeinstant
- Price per report€39
Free 3D tool
- Automatic 3D model per Dutch address
- On 3DBAG LoD2 building models
- Checked against the TNO standard (light + strict)
- Municipal norms (The Hague, Rotterdam, Eindhoven)
- Downloadable PDF report
- Usable as evidence with municipality and court
- Free preview of your own address first
- Delivery timeinstant
- Price per report€0
Traditional agency
- Automatic 3D model per Dutch address
- On 3DBAG LoD2 building models
- Checked against the TNO standard (light + strict)
- Municipal norms (The Hague, Rotterdam, Eindhoven)
- Downloadable PDF report
- Usable as evidence with municipality and court
- Free preview of your own address first
- Delivery time5-10 days
- Price per report€330-535
Prices and features of other providers according to their own websites, checked per provider on 20 September 2026 — they can change, so check the source for the current position. Verified at source: hoeveelzon.nl “Vanaf 295 Euro incl. 21% Btw”, iTX BouwConsult “vanaf € 395,- exclusief btw”; schaduwsimulator.nl and the other consultancies publish no price and work on quotation. The €330–€535 band comes from our own enquiry with three Dutch consultancies (15 April 2026). 'Free 3D tool' = worldwide shadow viewers such as SunTrace3D, ShadeMap and Shadowmap; 'Dutch self-service tool' = self-service report tools such as zonsimulatie.nl and hoeveelzon.nl; 'consultancy' = traditional firms such as zonnestudie.nl, Handelbouwadvies and iTX BouwConsult.
By provider
When another option is the better call.
We are not the answer for everyone. Here is what each alternative does well — and when you should pick it instead.
zonsimulatie.nl (ZonScenario)
Standalone NL tool · €39
A self-service tool that produces a PDF sun report instantly on AHN4 and Kadaster data, with a free demo. It calls itself suitable for objections, but does not explicitly check against the TNO standard and advises consulting an expert for legal procedures.
Pick this if you want a quick visual check and don't need a formal TNO assessment.
hoeveelzon.nl
Dutch self-service tool · from €295 incl. VAT
Produces a sunlight study to order, or a sun-duration calculation on a grid across your garden, delivered within a few days. The price is per situation: if you want existing and planned compared, the site itself refers you to its sister consultancy bezonningsingenieur.nl, on quotation.
Choose this if you want one situation mapped out and would rather somebody else did the work.
iTX BouwConsult
Consultancy · from €395 excl. VAT
A consultancy delivering a bespoke sunlight study or shadow calculation, with a starting price published on its own website. That entry rate is roughly €478 including VAT; bespoke work costs more.
Choose this if you want a consultancy with a fixed entry price rather than a quotation only.
Agencies: zonnestudie.nl, Handelbouwadvies, bezonningsingenieur.nl
Traditional agency · €330–€535
Bespoke work by an engineer, checked against both the light and strict TNO norm, with a report that courts have accepted for years. An engineer can act as an expert witness. Delivery time usually 5 to 10 working days, price by quote.
Pick this if you need an expert witness, an appeal, or a complex bespoke situation.
SunTrace3D, ShadeMap & Shadowmap
Free worldwide tool · free / subscription
Worldwide 3D shadow viewers, mostly aimed at solar panels and exploration. They run on global map data (no 3DBAG), don't know the Dutch TNO standard and deliver no sunlight report.
Pick this if you only want to explore or estimate solar-panel yield.
zonpotentie.nl
Free experiment · free
An experimental tool that estimates solar-panel yield on BAG and AHN data. Explicitly indicative, without legal value, and it points users to specialised companies for a real report.
Pick this if you want a rough idea of whether solar panels on your roof make sense.
Honest about fit
When Schaduwplan does and doesn't fit.
Schaduwplan fits if:
- You want a TNO-checked report today, not in a week.
- You're substantiating a formal response, objection or a conversation with the neighbours.
- You want to see for free whether it's right before you pay.
- You're renovating and want to compare scenarios without paying per iteration.
Pick an agency instead if:
- You need an expert witness who appears at a hearing.
- Someone has to interpret the planning rules legally, or weigh in permit-free building and in-plan deviations. You can model and compare the situation the zoning plan permits in Schaduwplan, but you confirm the values yourself and we do not provide that interpretation.
- Your address is outside the Netherlands — our source data is Dutch (3DBAG, BAG, AHN).
Report
€49 one-time
The only self-service report that checks against the TNO standard and is usable as evidence.
- TNO Light + Strict norm
- Municipal norms where applicable
- 3DBAG + BAG + Kadaster + AHN source data
- PDF with north arrow, scale and source references
- Ready in about 5 minutes
See a free 4-page preview of your own report — only pay once it's right.
Frequently asked