Comparison

AUTOMATE SHADES vs SBM Visualizer

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

AUTOMATE SHADES

Effortlessly control and automate motorized window shades. Organize shades by room, group them into scenes, and set timers for daily routines. Monitor battery levels and signal strength for all shades remotely.

Highlights
  • Room-based organization
  • Scene creation and activation
  • Automated timers
  • Remote control
  • Battery and signal monitoring
  • Sunrise/sunset automation
Features
Read full description

The Automate App has been re-designed to embrace the architecture of a home and provide effortless control of Automate motorized shades. Easily operate or Personalize the daily routine of shades; organising them by room, grouping them by scenes and automating them with timers. Unlock the convenience of smart shade operation, with the Automate app. The new Automate app not only allows you to activate, adjust and automatically position your shades but does so through One Tap on the Shade Tiles. One Tap to close, One Tap to open and One Tap to activate and stop scenes. A double tap stops a shade’s operation, and a single long press opens a dedicated shade control screen giving you access to more customized settings. White tiles indicate the shade is open or partially open and a grey tile indicates the shade is closed. A summary screen displays the battery levels of all your shades along with signal strength indicators, prompting necessary action to either charge your motors or troubleshoot connections. The Automate App lets you create an automation routine, and once setup, autonomously raises and lowers your smart shades at the optimal time, so your home’s climate is always at its best. The Automate app has been designed to make controlling your shades easier than ever with a long list of features and control options! MOTOR TYPES The Automate Hub supports a variety of shade types including: Roller Shades, Romans, Awnings, Drapery, Venetians, Cellular, Skylights, Large Outdoor Shades. LIVE FEEDBACK VIA ARC ARC technology enables live communication between your Hub and Automate shades, so you always know what position your shades are in, as well as the battery percentage of your motor. Quickly check shade information within the app or ask Siri to check for you! SUNRISE AND SUNSET DETECTION Utilizing your home’s time zone and location, the Hub can automatically raise or lower your Automate shades according to the position of the sun. Set a ‘Morning’ scene and watch all your shades promptly rise when you start your day, or create an “Evening” scene that will dynamically alter based on the sunset in your location. SCENES Personalize shade control and organise how your shades operate by specific daily events or scenes automatically at the optimal time. Creating a scene for your entire home can be completed effortlessly with a Scene capture button. SHADE HEALTH Check the health of your motorized shades at a glance with Battery level and Signal strength icons on your device tiles. COMPLETE CONTROL HOME AND AWAY If you have multiple locations like a home, office, or vacation home, simply switch between them for independent control. Always be in charge of your privacy and security! Enjoy your time away from home without having to stress about your shades, the Automate app allows you to remotely access your shades, know their position and operate them as you would if you were home. HOMEKIT The hub is HomeKit compatible, shades are automatically added to the Home app and can be controlled with voice commands via Siri compatible devices. SMART INTEGRATIONS We’re all about convenience, so we’ve partnered with all the latest smart home assistants to deliver the most convenient shade control options. Intuitively operate your Automate shades with simple voice commands through Amazon Alexa, IFTTT, SmartThings, and Google Assistant.

About

SBM Visualizer

Visualize window coverings in your home using augmented reality. Explore fabrics, customize shades and curtains, and save your designs. Order samples and get quotes directly through the app.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality window covering visualization
  • Customizable fabric and hardware options
  • Save designs as images and videos
  • Fabric browser for collections
  • Order samples and get quotes
  • Recent selections for quick access
Features
Read full description

Shades by Matiss Visualizer is an Augmented Reality (AR) design app that helps you find the right coverings and fabrics for your windows. The app offers customizable product, fabric and hardware options. You can add multiple window coverings to a room - shades and/or curtains and save your designs as images and videos. Key Features: - Visualizer guides you through 5 easy AR calibration steps to adjust your coverings for a perfect fit before customizing them. - Fabric Browser menu offers browsing through all available fabric collections without the AR features. - The Gallery allows you to review and favourite your images and videos. - Fill out the Form to order samples and get a quote. One of our local dealers will contact you shortly. - After Calibration - use the Recent Selections feature to select a previously selected product and fabric. App Promo Video: https://youtu.be/EB6ynVwu4Fo Useful Tips: 1) Close other apps before using Visualizer to improve performance; 2) Calibration works by scanning your floor and other surfaces. Make sure they are clear of any obstacles. You may scan multiple surfaces for better AR calibration. Avoid scanning glass surfaces; 3) Make sure there is a sufficient level of light in the room for AR surface calibration to be successful; 4) The more you use the app, the more familiar you with get with adjusting AR coverings; 5) Please watch the promo video; 6) If a glitch were to occur during use, please press reset and redo the calibration process. 7) Make sure to take photos and record videos during your design process. No AR artefacts are saved after closing the app, except for Recent Selections feature and Images and Videos in the Gallery. This app is compatible with Apple devices that support ARKit https://developers.google.com/ar/discover/supported-devices Shades By Matiss team hopes to make your window treatment design selection process as smooth as possible to help you make the right choice. Our technical team strives to improve the app performance. With any technical inquiries, please email info@shadesbymatiss.com/ Privacy Policy can be found at https://sbm-visualizer.flycricket.io/privacy.html Terms of Service can be found at https://sbm-visualizer.flycricket.io/terms.html Shades By Matiss operates and manufactures all products in the USA. CONNECT WITH US www.shadesbymatiss.com https://www.instagram.com/shadesbymatissusa © 2021 Shades By Matiss. All Rights Reserved

Screenshots

AUTOMATE SHADES4 screens
SBM Visualizer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: AUTOMATE SHADES at 3.1 against SBM Visualizer's 2.0. AUTOMATE SHADES also leads on review sentiment (33% vs 0%) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 19 months). SBM Visualizer's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

AUTOMATE SHADES holds the better App Store score, 3.1 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AUTOMATE SHADES has 93 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of AUTOMATE SHADES's written reviews are positive against 0% of SBM Visualizer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AUTOMATE SHADES ships an update every 6 weeks, SBM Visualizer every 19 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
AUTOMATE SHADES versus SBM Visualizer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAUTOMATE SHADESSBM Visualizer
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (93 ratings) — better2.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews32.6% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings93 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 19 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.111.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size151 MB127 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperROLLEASE ACMEDAMatiss Inc

Customer experience

AUTOMATE SHADES

All ratings93 ratings
Positive50.5%
Neutral4.3%
Negative45.2%
Written reviews230 reviews
Positive32.6%
Neutral7.8%
Negative59.6%

SBM Visualizer

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and requests

AUTOMATE SHADES

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Frequent app crashes
  • Shades disappearing from the app
  • Timers and schedules not working as expected
  • Connectivity issues between hub and shades
  • Inconsistent performance after updates

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved user interface and navigation
  • Better sync and reliability across devices
  • Enhanced smart home integrations
  • Customizable shade positioning and automation
  • Battery level notifications

SBM Visualizer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

AUTOMATE SHADES

No in-app purchases

None

SBM Visualizer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is AUTOMATE SHADES free?
AUTOMATE SHADES is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SBM Visualizer free?
SBM Visualizer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, AUTOMATE SHADES or SBM Visualizer?
AUTOMATE SHADES is rated higher. AUTOMATE SHADES averages 3.1 out of 5 from 93 ratings, while SBM Visualizer averages 2.0 from 1 ratings.
Do AUTOMATE SHADES or SBM Visualizer have ads?
Neither AUTOMATE SHADES nor SBM Visualizer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AUTOMATE SHADES or SBM Visualizer?
AUTOMATE SHADES ships an update every 6 weeks, and SBM Visualizer every 19 months. Most recently, AUTOMATE SHADES was updated on October 20, 2026 and SBM Visualizer on September 24, 2026.

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