Smart curtain openers are the heroes we didn’t know we needed—but they’re the ones we deserve. These little battery-powered robots handle the tedious daily ritual of opening and closing curtains, and they retrofit easily to existing rods and tracks.
By tapping an app or talking to a smart speaker, you can open or close your curtains as necessary. Better yet, put them on a schedule, and they’ll automatically cycle at your preferred times.
Though smart curtain openers may seem like a frivolous luxury, like a lot of smart devices they not only make life more convenient but are also especially helpful for anyone who has mobility or accessibility issues.
The SwitchBot Curtain 3 is the best smart curtain opener, as it combines a quiet, powerful motor capable of hoisting even heavy curtains with a low-key, unobtrusive design. It’s compatible with all of the major smart-home platforms, it supports most styles of curtains and curtain rods, and you can tack on a solar-panel accessory for additional convenience.
Our runner-up, the Aqara Curtain Driver E1, has a faster motor and is easier to install, but it works with fewer styles of curtains, has a bulkier design, is louder in operation, and has no solar-charging accessory.
Our pick
This powerful and quiet curtain opener is widely compatible with most curtain styles and supports solar charging.
Compatibility: Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, Matter
The SwitchBot Curtain 3 offers reliable performance, a subtler design, and a quieter motor than the competition. And because this third-generation SwitchBot model works with grommet, ring-top, back-tab, and tab-top curtains, it’s the most flexible model we tested and the overwhelming best option for most people.
We also recommend investing a little extra in the solar-panel accessory, which should save you from having to recharge the battery (though in some setups the add-on may be visible, which could be a dealbreaker for some people). Otherwise, you need to recharge the batteries using a plug. SwitchBot says that the batteries should last about eight months; we’re keeping tabs on how good that estimate is.
The Curtain 3 requires a compatible hub for remote access and voice control—without a hub you’re confined to using it like a basic motorized curtain. SwitchBot sells two hubs, the Matter-compatible SwitchBot Hub 2 and the SwitchBot Hub Mini.
Runner-up
This easy-to-install opener is especially fast and smooth, has a long-lived battery, and offers a heavy-duty design that should last.
Compatibility: Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, Matter
The Aqara Curtain Driver E1 has a powerful motor that can operate even the heaviest curtains. It installs especially easily and has a rechargeable battery that Aqara says should last a year, but unlike SwitchBot, Aqara doesn’t offer the option of a solar charger. The E1 isn’t compatible with as many types of rod-style curtains as the SwitchBot Curtain 3 is, and the included clips and plastic strip you install for grommet-style curtains stand out more than the SwitchBot model’s pieces.
The Aqara Hub M2 is required to enable smart capabilities, including app access and voice control. The Curtain Driver E1 supports Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home and Matter, but we found it especially easy to set up with Apple Home, thanks to Aqara’s Apple Home–enabled hub.
