Comparison

AUTOMATE SHADES vs MCCTV Security

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

MCCTV Security

Read full description

MCCTV Security provides real time visibility and control to your Mobile CCTV Solutions technology. KEY FEATURES - View live feed and recorded video directly from your device from anywhere in the world at any time. - Save all recorded video to secure offsite MCCTV cloud, for easy download. - Remotely control cameras and set up detection zones. - Receive instant alerts when motion is detected so you can respond to security events in real time. - Customise recording schedules to suit your operating hours. - Share video straight from the MCCTV app. - See multiple locations from one account and invite additional users to view your camera feeds. - Use video analytics to set up smart alerts, detect text and hundreds of object types.

Screenshots

AUTOMATE SHADES4 screens
MCCTV Security4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: AUTOMATE SHADES at 15.1 against MCCTV Security's 17.0. 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AUTOMATE SHADES ships an update every 6 weeks, MCCTV Security every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
AUTOMATE SHADES versus MCCTV Security: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAUTOMATE SHADESMCCTV Security
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (93 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews33.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings93 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size151 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperROLLEASE ACMEDAMM & RL Ventures Pty Ltd

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

MCCTV Security

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

AUTOMATE SHADES

No in-app purchases

None

MCCTV Security

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is AUTOMATE SHADES free?
AUTOMATE SHADES is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MCCTV Security free?
MCCTV Security is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do AUTOMATE SHADES or MCCTV Security have ads?
Neither AUTOMATE SHADES nor MCCTV Security shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AUTOMATE SHADES or MCCTV Security?
AUTOMATE SHADES ships an update every 6 weeks, and MCCTV Security every 2 months. Most recently, AUTOMATE SHADES was updated on September 30, 2026 and MCCTV Security on September 20, 2026.

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