Wood Mackenzie’s latest inverter manufacturer rankings note a firm high up on its leader board that’s a surprise inclusion given the challenges the company faces.
Who Were The Top 10 Inverter Manufacturers In H1 2025?
Wood Mackenzie’s Global Solar Inverter Manufacturer Rankings H1 2025 report evaluated 23 leading manufacturers from seven countries. The top 10 solar inverter producers for the period were:
| Rank | Manufacturer | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huawei (AU: iStore) | China |
| 2 | Sungrow | China |
| 3 | SMA | Germany |
| 4 | Fronius | Austria |
| 5 | Ginlong/Solis | China |
| 6 | GoodWe | China |
| 7 | SolarEdge | Israel |
| 8 | TMEIC | Japan |
| 9 | Aiswei/Solplanet | China |
| 10 | Enphase | USA |
Eight of the ten manufacturers listed above are currently included on the SolarQuotes recommended solar inverter brands chart.
You can follow the links in the table to see reviews and ratings of the brands from Australian customers. As for the opinions of Australian installers, we surveyed our installer network and they voted the best solar inverters in 2025 were from Fronius, followed by Sungrow, and GoodWe.
Just a quick note on Huawei: it was a SolarQuotes approved brand until early 2024, but then their inverters stopped being shipped here. However, Huawei continued producing solar inverters for the Australian market under the iStore brand name; which is a local company selling and supporting the products. iStore is currently on our recommended brand chart.
Rankings Not About Inverter Sales Volume
If Wood Mackenzie’s top 10 list was just based on shipping volumes, it would look quite different.
For example, Germany’s SMA has been struggling for some time in the face of stiff competition from China, and recently SMA signalled more job cuts. In the first nine months of 2025, SMA delivered consolidated sales of €1,134.7 million, an increase on the previous year. But sales in its Home & Business Solutions division continued to be impacted by weak demand and competitive pricing pressure; falling by a whopping 38.7%.
So, why did SMA rank number three? For the purposes of this report, Wood Mackenzie said it assessed vendors across eight weighted criteria; being:
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) (30%),
- After-sales service (15%)
- R&D (15%)
- Supply chain stability (15%)
- Capacity utilization (10%)
- Certifications (5%)
- Financial conditions (5%)
- Manufacturing experience (5%).
Still, the inclusion of SMA, and particularly how highly it ranked, is a bit of a head-scratcher to me. I haven’t read the full report to see all the numbers and reasoning and have no intentions of paying USD $5,990 for access to it, but Wood Mackenzie mentions in the related press release:
“The strongest performers are those leveraging regionalised assembly strategies. This strategic positioning allows manufacturers to comply with local content requirements and navigate import barriers while maintaining their supply reliability.”
Scotland-headquartered Wood Mackenzie has been producing reports on the solar industry for over a decade, primarily as a result of its acquisition of Greentech Media (GTM Research) in 2015. The firm has been tracking the natural resources industry for over 50 years, kicking off with oil market coverage in 1973.
Choosing An Inverter For Your Home
An inverter is the real workhorse of a solar power system and the component most likely to fail first. These devices lead a hard life dealing with all the power generated by the solar panels for use in the home or grid export; and often under harsh environmental conditions.
If you’re considering installing a solar power system on a budget and looking to cut corners to save on outlay, cut the right one.
It’s best to focus on minimizing the cost of the solar panels — currently super-cheap among our recommended budget solar panel brands — and getting the best inverter you can. Any added benefits of pricey premium panels may not be all that great in a standard installation scenario to justify their use.
Top-end solar inverters tend to be substantially more expensive than good budget devices. An Austrian-made Fronius inverter will set you back around $1,000 more than an equivalent capacity China-manufactured Sungrow.
For a 10 kW solar system based on good budget panels such as Aiko Neostar 2S modules (around $138 RRP each) rather than premium modules (e.g. REC 460 W Alpha Pure-RX panels @ $280 a pop), that translates to an overall system purchase price saving of around $3,000 — not to be sniffed at and a nice chunk of change that could go towards a premium inverter. And don’t forget even the best gear can be impacted by lousy installation, so choosing a good solar installer is critical.
Learn more about choosing the best inverter for your circumstances.
About Michael Bloch
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So what was the 8th criteria, which one assumes is worth 30% of their rating?
Thanks for the pickup Andrew, I missed one. It was Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)
no worries!
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) at 30% seems a relatively high amount compared to some of the others. While important I think many people would note rate it at twice the importance of things like after-sales service (15%), R&D (15%) or supply chain stability (15%) which could each have a significant effect on getting warranty or service work completed.
I have had an SMA for a bit less than 10 years and in my new house a Fronius for around 6 or 7 years and not even a small issue with them. Both were fitted in garages so fairly high thermal stress environments.
I accept the higher cost in view of their high quality reputation. Neither were easily affordable when bought but were worth it I think.
thoughts on this system please
PowerPlus Energy Whispr-7 Single-Phase All-In-One BESS
Hi Ian,
I think they’re a pretty useful device and if you look closely they share some details with another established market leader.
It leads me to believe Renox (the manufacturer) must be quite reasonable quality.
https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/heard-the-whispr/
In the last two Blogs I have read on solar quotes, Aiko brand panels have been used as the example quoted in a positive context.
From what I have read the high rankings on here by installers has been earned with financial encouragement to installers, and their conduct regarding promotion and demonstration of their product has been suspect.
Just seem odd considering all of the reputable companies who’s name could be used in examples.
Matthew, I can assure you there’s nothing “odd” happening. I just happened to use Aiko as an example in both posts and wasn’t even thinking about yesterday’s post when I wrote today’s.
As for other good budget panel brands and pricing; some examples from the comparison table:
Canadian Solar 440W TOPHiKu 6: $130
Trina Solar Vertex S+ 440W: $120
Jinko Solar Tiger Neo 440W: $125
Longi Hi-MO 6 Scientist 440W: $130
There you go.
BTW, I have Trina Vertex S+ panels on our rooftop and a Fronius Primo inverter. Very happy with both.
Hope that puts your mind at rest :).
Absolutely. 🙂
Dear Matthew,
I read your above comment with interest. It might comfort you to know that SolarQuotes doesn’t accept advertisements, and, to my knowledge there is no way to pay for results on this platform. Most of the reviews from customers are for an installer, and then the equipment used is included in that review of the installer. As such, there is no way to pay for a review, and, AikoSolar has never paid for a SolarQuotes review. As a manufacturer with a large Australian staff relative to most panel businesses, we do pride ourselves in aiming to work with the best installers available which on average improves reviews for us. Separately, as the 1st and 2nd ranking in the recent solar car race shows, the tech itself has significant advantages. There is nothing nefarious about Aiko entering the lexicon, it is a result of its practical success. I’d be pleased to address your concerns on a one-to-one basis at a time and place of your choosing via [email protected]
Enphase isn’t headquartered in China.
Ugh. Brainfart on my part. Thanks Chris, corrected.
Hi Ian just a quick question regarding built in inverter in a Tesla 3 powerwall I have a 7.9 kw solar system with 6 kw fronius inverter my Tesla app shows that 6 kw is the maximum power generated were has the 11.5 kw from power wall inverter hiding thanks
Just wondering on the hate for sma? They’re a solid product. Is it because they moved some of their manufacturing to China? Because if thats the case then all of the products you recommend fall into the same boat these days.
Hi Jake, where was the “hate” for SMA in the article?
“… the inclusion of SMA, and particularly how highly it ranked, is a bit of a head-scratcher to me”
Does not sound positive
But it’s hardly “hate” though; right Jake’s Mate?
Sometimes exaggerations in the comments gets a little old.