The Best Smart Blinds of 2023

Aug 10, 2023

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Don’t let the summer sun ruin your indoor fun.

Integrating smart technology in your home has become commonplace for everything from your thermostats to your doorbells. Smart home devices can pair directly to your phone or digital assistants for easy access wherever you are. Now, smart shades and blinds can help you let as much light into your home as possible, or keep out the hot midday rays.

Smart blinds come with internal motors and wireless connectivity, so you can raise or lower them simply by pressing a button on your phone or speaking out loud to your smart home hub. Many of these smart blinds also come with several features like automatic timers and even intuitive adjustments based on the brightness outside.

These features can reduce the temperature of your home by reactively unfurling during peak sunny hours even when you aren’t home. This of course can also positively impact your energy bill with your air conditioning going on less and for a shorter duration of time if the smart blinds are used properly.

The only part of smart blinds that might make you feel dumb is actually choosing a set that suits your needs. We found the best, most reliable options so you don’t have to spend another day reaching for those ever-tangled pull cords.

Smart blinds and shades come in just as many varieties as traditional, non-motorized options. This includes the classic roller design, where the material simply rolls up at the top, as well as the cellular style, where the material folds into itself and forms a compact stack when fully lifted up.

You can also buy purchase wooden, slatted smart blinds, which you can angle to provide more or less shade even when they’re all the way down. Some smart devices also work with curtains and vertical blinds, which open and close from the sides instead of the top of your window.

Roller and cellular shades are likely to be the most versatile and affordable of the bunch, since you can easily swap the blinds for different colors or transparency levels. Wooden blinds offer a higher quality look and more shade adjustability, but they’re tougher to service and adjust.

Most smart blinds are compatible with the main virtual assistant smart devices such as Alexa or Echo from Amazon as well as the Google Home and Nest speakers. Many smart blinds also connect directly to your smartphone through an app or Bluetooth connection.

Before buying any set of shades, make sure that they are compatible with your smart devices and home systems to ensure you get the most use out of them as you can.

It’s vital to purchase smart blinds that fit your window exactly considering you cannot as easily cut or alter them without potentially damaging the motor or wireless connectivity. As a result, you need to be able to order smart blinds from a company that either offers several standard sizes and dimensions, or one that allows for size customization down to the inch.

You may also want to customize the material your shades are made of so you can swap out different colors and even opacities. This allows for every configuration possible, from a light solar reduction to a complete blackout shade, without needing to shop around for hours.

Alongside easy controls from your phone or smart home assistant, many smart blinds and shades come with unique features including set timers so you can rely on them to open and close every day at the same time. Some even adjust to open and close based on the sunrise and sunset time so you can keep the light in your home more consistent even as the seasons change. Pair that with some smart lights and you’re golden.

Other smart blinds come with solar panels that face the outside, so you don’t need to power the motor with batteries or chargers. Instead, it continuously powers and charges itself each day.

We made our final decisions for this list based on significant research across multiple trust publications, company websites, and hundreds of verified customer reviews. We based our main criteria on compatibility, ease of use, smart features, and customization options. We also made a point of featuring items with different material types, unique designs, and, of course, price variation.

With tons of color options and a customizable size, these smart shades from Lutron are everything you might want or need. Each motorized roller is compatible with nearly every smart home device you may own, so once installed, they are easily operated from your phone, tablet, or smart assistant.

Alongside a host of colors, you can choose shade material with either a three percent or five percent openness factor. The openness factor refers to the space between the fabric weave. So, the higher the percentage, the more light that gets let in.

The shades also block out harmful UV rays, protecting your skin during the sunniest days.

With a two-year warranty on the motor and an affordable price tag, these smart blinds from Yoolax are a high-value choice. Alongside color and fabric customization, you can even choose between two different types of motors.

These smart blinds also come with an optional connected solar panel that would charge the battery continuously, so you won’t need to plug in or recharge the blinds.

Through the connected app, you can also set timers, so the blinds raise or close automatically throughout the day. You can even set your blinds to open or close based on the sunrise or sunset.

A combination of value and technology, these smart shades from Graywind easily integrate with nearly all major voice assistants and smart home devices.

More than many other smart blind options, the shades at Graywind are designed for use in tandem with technology. Alongside general timers or even sunrise and sunset sensors, these solar shades have 20 different time groups and programmable options.

Graywind also designed their smart blinds to work in tandem with one another. You can control up to 15 different sets of smart blinds on one remote. This includes group control, meaning you can adjust all your smart blinds simultaneously.

For individual windows at an affordable price, consider outfitting your bedroom with these cellular smart shades from Allen + Roth. The cellular style gives you two layers of fabric coverage which improves the blackout design.

While simpler than some other smart blind models, these shades do come with an easy to use motor with an LED light at the top which alerts you when the battery is running low.

While you cannot customize your size directly, there are 15 different size options available. These shades are also designed for inside and outside mounts, so you will be able to find an approximate fit for your window easily.

With customization on everything from the fabric type to the bottom railing design, SmarterHome has created smart blinds that work for any home.

Pick between the 20 different colors, multiple roll types, and of course the dimensions to create a set of smart blinds that fit your window and your interior design perfectly.

Outside of the customized options, these smart blinds come with several smart features from set timers to sunrise and sunset programs. All the blinds are also powered by solar panels throughout the day, so you will not need to replace the batteries.

With a removable, rechargeable battery and easy to use remote control, this Fytur smart blind from Ikea shines for its convenience and ease of use. Without the remote, you can easily connect your phone or smart home device through the Ikea Home app.

The removable battery stands out, with a micro-USB port directly on the side so you can charge it easily. It fits back in on the top railing easily once fully charged.

These smart blinds lacks as much variety as many other options with just one color option and only eight different sizes.

If you have a curtain set you don’t want to say goodbye to but want to upgrade your windows with smart technology, check out this smart electric motor from SwitchBot.

Unlike other smart devices for your windows, this small motor is designed to open and close curtains. More specifically, it is designed to turn regular curtains into smart curtains.

Compatible with all major smart home devices, this curtain motor also comes with a light sensing feature that opens or closes your curtains based on how sunny it is outside.

Tom Price is an Associate Editor of Commerce for Popular Mechanics, and also contributes to Runner's World, and Bicycling. He has previously covered product reviews, startup news, and even professional wrestling. In his free time, he enjoys watching pretentious TV, low-brow movies, and exercising for beauty, not health. If you are interested in exploring more of his work, check out his website.

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