This paper performs, describes, and evaluates a comparison of seven software tools (ArcGIS Pro, GRASS GIS, SAGA GIS, CitySim, Ladybug, SimStadt and UMEP) to calculate solar irradiation. The analysis focuses on data requirements, software usability, and accuracy simulation output. The use case for the comparison is solar irradiation on building surfaces, in particular on roofs. The research involves collecting and preparing spatial and weather data. Two test areas - the Santana district in S ̃ao Paulo, Brazil, and the Heino rural area in Raalte, the Netherlands - were selected. In both cases, the study area encompasses the vicinity of a weather station. Therefore, the meteorological data from these stations serve as ground truth for the validation of the simulation results. We create several models (raster and vector) to meet the diverse input requirements. We present our findings and discuss the output from the software tools from both quantitative and qualitative