# dwellingLIVE vs Smart Shades 2.0

The clearest difference is rating: Smart Shades 2.0 at 2.5 against dwellingLIVE's 1.3. Smart Shades 2.0 also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (23% vs 6%). dwellingLIVE's advantage is ratings volume (641 vs 51). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

Smart Shades 2.0 holds the better App Store score, 2.5 against 1.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: dwellingLIVE has 641 ratings behind it against 51, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 6% of dwellingLIVE's written reviews are positive against 23% of Smart Shades 2.0's.

dwellingLIVE ships an update every 3 months, Smart Shades 2.0 weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | dwellingLIVE | Smart Shades 2.0 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [1.3 (641 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dwellinglive/id785340080/reviews) | **[2.5 (51 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-shades-20/id1576510064/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **641** | 51 |
| Positive reviews | 6.0% of reviews | **22.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 22 MB | 44 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Frontsteps](https://appshunter.io/developer/1233417613) | [SMITH & NOBLE, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1576510066) |

## What reviewers say

### dwellingLIVE

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dwellinglive/id785340080)

Manage your community's guest list and personal account information directly from your mobile device. This app allows residents to easily add, edit, and delete guests, view guest history, and update their profile details.

**Highlights:** Manage guest list, Add, edit, and delete guests, View guest history, Edit user profile, Manage notification settings

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 User-friendly app
- 🚀 Quick and efficient

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent bugs and glitches
- 🔍 Inconsistent performance
- 🔍 Unreliable notifications
- 👎 Poor user interface
- 🔍 Lack of innovation

**Reported bugs**

- App not loading or showing blank screens
- Unable to access contacts
- Inability to save guest information
- Inconsistent behavior after updates

**Requested features**

- Siri integration
- Quick add for temporary guests
- Ability to update guest information
- Notification to multiple contacts
- Ability to save contact information


### Smart Shades 2.0

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-shades-20/id1576510064)

Control your window treatments remotely with this app. Automate shade and blind positions with scheduling and manage individual or grouped devices from anywhere. Requires a Smart Hub to operate.

**Highlights:** Remote shade and blind control, Scheduling and automation, Control single or grouped treatments, Room customization with photos, Compatible with Smith & Noble shades

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great fabric options
- 👍 Well-made shades
- 👍 Stylish shades
- 👍 Superior customer service (specific mentions)
- 👍 Major improvement from previous app (2.0)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😞 No customer service
- 😞 App always horrible
- 😞 Needs interface refresh
- 😞 App crashes frequently
- 😞 Shades disconnect from app

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes
- Hub disconnects
- Shades disconnect
- Scenes not working
- Cannot delete scenes/schedules/shades

**Requested features**

- HomeKit support
- Interface refresh
- API for own integrations
- Home Assistant Plugin
- Ability to automate through Apple (Siri Shortcuts)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is dwellingLIVE free?

dwellingLIVE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Smart Shades 2.0 free?

Smart Shades 2.0 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, dwellingLIVE or Smart Shades 2.0?

Smart Shades 2.0 is rated higher. dwellingLIVE averages 1.3 out of 5 from 641 ratings, while Smart Shades 2.0 averages 2.5 from 51 ratings.

### Do dwellingLIVE or Smart Shades 2.0 have ads?

Neither dwellingLIVE nor Smart Shades 2.0 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, dwellingLIVE or Smart Shades 2.0?

dwellingLIVE ships an update every 3 months, and Smart Shades 2.0 weekly. Most recently, dwellingLIVE was updated on November 1, 2026 and Smart Shades 2.0 on November 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*