Public Service Solar vs Smart Shade Control
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Public Service Solar
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Track your installation process in real time, monitor your solar energy production and consumption once your system has been installed, earn money by referring your friends and family, open a new support ticket or update your account details with the Public Service Solar app. It's a key piece for any homeowner going solar with Public Service Solar.
Smart Shade Control
Effortlessly manage your smart window shades with direct local control. Automate opening and closing based on schedules, sunrise/sunset, or your location. Integrate with Siri and Shortcuts for hands-free operation and create custom scenes.
- Direct Matter/Thread pairing
- Local cloud-free operation
- Sunrise/sunset automation
- Geofence triggers
- Siri and Shortcuts integration
- Customizable scenes
- Usage analytics
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Take complete control of your window shades. No cloud account, no subscription, no third-party login required. Smart Shade Control pairs directly with your shades over Matter and Thread using Apple's native HomeKit framework, keeping everything private and local on your device. Simple, Secure Pairing: Add your shades in seconds by scanning the QR code on each motor. Smart Shade Control uses Apple's native HomeKit commissioning over your local Thread network. Your shades are never routed through the cloud. Compatible with Canisteo, Eve, Aqara, Zemismart, and other window covering brands that support Matter over Thread. Powerful Automation: Set your shades on a schedule, or let the sun decide. Smart Shade Control calculates local sunrise and sunset times without any internet connection, so your shades can open with the morning light and close at dusk automatically, every day. Fine-tune each event with a custom offset up to two hours before or after sunrise or sunset. Location-Based Triggers: Arriving home? Your shades can be waiting at your preferred position before you walk through the door. Leaving? Close everything automatically. Geofence automations run quietly in the background with no manual interaction required. Siri and Shortcuts: Control your shades hands-free. Say things like "Open all shades in Smart Shade Control" or "Close the Living Room shade" using Siri. Build multi-step automations in the Shortcuts app using any Smart Shade Control action including open, close, set position, and activate a scene. Scenes: Save your favorite shade configurations as named scenes such as Morning, Movie Night, or Working From Home, and activate them with a single tap or a Siri command. Usage Analytics: See exactly how your shades have been used with beautiful charts. Track position history over time, daily activity patterns, and a breakdown of what triggered each operation including manual, schedule, scene, automation, or Siri. Home Screen and Lock Screen Widgets: Glance at your shade positions without opening the app. The home screen widget shows up to three shades at once, while the lock screen widget displays a position gauge right on your Lock Screen. Designed for Privacy: Everything runs on your device and your local home network. No account creation, no data collection, no analytics sent anywhere. Your home stays yours. What You Need: iPhone running iOS 17 or later Window shades with Matter over Thread support, such as Canisteo (Deyi Smart), Eve MotionBlinds, Aqara Roller Shade Driver E1, Zemismart, or ZINGREE A Thread Border Router on your home network such as a HomePod mini, HomePod 2nd gen, or Apple TV 4K 2nd or 3rd gen Apple Home app set up on your iPhone.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Public Service Solar at none against Smart Shade Control's 1. Public Service Solar also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.6). Smart Shade Control's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 9 months). On price, ads and device support 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. Smart Shade Control sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Public Service Solar asks for nothing beyond the download.
Public Service Solar ships an update every 9 months, Smart Shade Control monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Public Service Solar | Smart Shade Control |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 2 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Public Service Solar | Gary Cox |
In-app purchases
Public Service Solar
No in-app purchases
Smart Shade Control
- Lifetime Pro Access$4.99
Questions
Is Public Service Solar free?
Is Smart Shade Control free?
Do Public Service Solar or Smart Shade Control have ads?
Which is updated more often, Public Service Solar or Smart Shade Control?
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