HomeControl Flex vs AUTOMATE SHADES
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
HomeControl Flex
Monitor and control your home security system remotely from anywhere. Receive real-time notifications about alarm status changes and user access. Stay informed about your property's security, including when family members arrive home or if the system is disarmed.
- Remote system arming
- User access management
- Real-time alarm notifications
- Monitor multiple properties
- Security status updates
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HomeControl Flex delivers total security system awareness, anywhere, anytime. Remotely arm your system, allow specific users to access and receive notifications of any alarm status change, easily and securely. HomeControl Flex lets you know when your kids get home, or if your alarm system was not armed when you left for work, and when an alarm goes off while you’re away. It’s peace of mind in the palm of your hand. Stay connected to up to 5 different monitored properties with a single login, with full access to remote arming and notifications. This app requires a compatible Telguard system and a HomeControl Flex service plan. Telguard devices are professionally installed systems that are compatible with most existing panels to add cellular communications and remote access. Find more information about Telguard communicators at www.telguard.com.
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.
- Room-based organization
- Scene creation and activation
- Automated timers
- Remote control
- Battery and signal monitoring
- Sunrise/sunset automation
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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.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: AUTOMATE SHADES at 3.1 against HomeControl Flex's 2.0. AUTOMATE SHADES also leads on review sentiment (33% vs 16%) and ratings volume (93 vs 6). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
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 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 16% of HomeControl Flex's written reviews are positive against 33% of AUTOMATE SHADES's.
HomeControl Flex ships an update every 3 months, AUTOMATE SHADES every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | HomeControl Flex | AUTOMATE SHADES |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.0 (6 ratings) | 3.1 (93 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 16.4% of reviews | 32.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 6 | 93 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 76 MB | 151 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Telular Corporation | ROLLEASE ACMEDA |
Customer experience
HomeControl Flex
AUTOMATE SHADES
Bugs and requests
HomeControl Flex
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or 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
In-app purchases
HomeControl Flex
No in-app purchases
AUTOMATE SHADES
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is HomeControl Flex free?
Is AUTOMATE SHADES free?
Which has better reviews, HomeControl Flex or AUTOMATE SHADES?
Do HomeControl Flex or AUTOMATE SHADES have ads?
Which is updated more often, HomeControl Flex or AUTOMATE SHADES?
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