Smart Shades vs Total Shade Link +
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Smart Shades
Transform your existing window shades into smart devices with this solar-powered, wireless gadget. Control your blinds remotely via a smartphone app, setting custom schedules and automated movements for enhanced convenience.
- Turns regular shades into smart shades
- Solar-powered operation
- Wireless and easy installation
- Smartphone app control
- Automated patterns and schedules
- Bluetooth Low Energy communication
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SOMA Smart Shades is an easy to install, solar-powered device that turns your regular window shades into smart shades. It is extremely simple to operate via your smartphone. It is also easy to install since it is wireless. All the movements of SOMA Smart Shades are controlled by the application which communicates with SOMA Smart Shades via Bluetooth Low Energy. You can move blinds in your rooms up and down whenever you like or create automated patterns and schedules for different rooms to make your life even more convenient.
Total Shade Link +
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'Total Shade Link +' app allows you to control your motorized window coverings more freely on smartphone. Please configure your 'Total Shade Link +' APP account, Bridge and motorized window coverings on 'Total Shade Link +' APP before use. With 'Total Shade Link +' App, you can: - Control up to 30 motorized window coverings - Control up to 20 rooms - Control up to 20 scenes - Control up to 20 timers After linking up your 'Total Shade Link +' APP account with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, you can directly open, close or percentage control by voice commands on all the motorized window coverings such as roller blinds, draperies, venetians, etc. You can activate independent shades or the scenes created in the 'Total Shade Link +' App which has been synchronized with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant flexibly and conveniently to reach sunlight control and room management. 'Connector Bridge' is a WiFi to RF bi-directional controller with integrated RS485 interface. It builds a connection via user's WiFi router at home and enables user to control motorized window coverings and sun shading products with designated smartphone applications and interaction with ecosystem such as Alexa Echo, Google Assistant via cloud API. The RS485 interface offers additional integration option into a third-party home automation systems.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Total Shade Link + at 12.0 against Smart Shades's 15.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Smart Shades ships an update every 2 months, Total Shade Link + every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Smart Shades | Total Shade Link + |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.1 (65 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 25.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 65 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 47 MB | 60 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Wazombi | Total Shade Inc. |
Bugs and requests
Smart Shades
Reported bugs
32 issues- App crashes with Smart Shades 3
- App crashes after update
- App crashes instantly
- App closes itself right away
- App won't open at all
Show 27 moreShow fewer
- App crashes before it even opens
- Sunset function stopped working
- Sunset trigger doesn't work
- Bluetooth stopped working
- Not responding to Alexa
- Soma Connect not working
- Soma Connect shows WiFi numbers, not names
- Soma Connect connection failed
- Shade control only works on Android
- Next button missing during calibration
- Calibration deviation over time
- Blind drifts out of calibrated position
- Cog works its way off spindle
- Battery status inaccurate
- Motor is slow
- Units open at different speeds
- Blinds lose their position
- Hub setup programmed poorly
- Voice commands limited
- App not updated for over a year
- Easy to interrupt movement
- Device forgets min/max heights
- Pairing Soma Connect is almost impossible
- Blinds slip and need reconfiguring
- Motor is slow to respond
- Ripped the gear cog to shreds
- App crashes halfway through firmware update
Requested features
24 requests- Matter support
- Change app language
- Change highest/lowest position
- Recalibrate function
- Simple up and down buttons
Show 19 moreShow fewer
- Dusk to dawn automation
- Sunrise/sunset schedule
- Siri Shortcut integration
- Group triggers
- Confirmation dialog when cancelling setup
- Manual adjustment offset
- Notification for low battery
- Single screen for all battery levels
- Support for iPhone X screen size
- Rename groups/individual units
- Speed control for motors
- Temperature setting (Fahrenheit)
- Dusk/dawn open and close
- Edit shade name
- Continuous open/close feature
- Update for iOS 11 group creation
- iPad version
- Live power meter for solar panel
- Secure version of product
Total Shade Link +
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Smart Shades
No in-app purchases
Total Shade Link +
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Smart Shades free?
Is Total Shade Link + free?
Do Smart Shades or Total Shade Link + have ads?
Which is updated more often, Smart Shades or Total Shade Link +?
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