Short answer: Anywhere between $150-$1,200+. Motorized blinds cost depend on 4 major factors:

• Fabrics
• Technology
• Customization
• Services

Here we’ll explain how each of these adds cost to the equation.

Fabrics

Low end fabrics use PVC vinyl. This is a fancy way of saying plastic. It can block the sun, is cheap and easily manufactured. The downside is that it is the least attractive material and is harmful to the environment before, after and during it’s time on your window. PVC is known to be the most harmful material on the planet since it is widely used and cannot be recycled.

High end roller shades and blinds in style use polyester fabrics. This adds texture to match back to furniture. Polyester fabrics are normally woven in factories that produce rugs, curtains, and couches. The highest end come with certifications such as Greengard Gold or OTEK that distinguish their environmental responsibility status.

Technology – This one is the most intricate, we’ll dive into the top 3 factors.

• Control: A lot of motorized blinds only come with a single remote set to one channel via Bluetooth or pre-connection. Watch out for these shades since they often break within the year and are not scalable for your house. The higher end come with 15 shades and are networked throughout your home through wifi.
• Battery: Many shades also require wires. The best shades come with a battery that can be charged by micro-usb or solar panels and last 2+ years on a single charge.
• Smart Home: In order to say “Alexa open my shades” you’ll need a roller shade similar to Rolli that requires a wifi hub. These hubs are expensive because they are able to connect to 30+ shades throughout your home and set timers, scenes or control any amount at once. Most motorized blinds will not have this option for under $250.

Customization

No window is the same. It’s annoying, but it’s the truth. So often you’ll need custom motorized blinds and cannot go the preset IKEA route. And customization is exactly how it sounds. Are your motorized blinds being made custom for your home? You will know if you entered in your windows measurements and picked your fabric. Some sites require you to name your window, dictate what side the motor goes on, choose hem bar or not. All of these are custom options that add cost to the supply chain of motorized blinds. Rolli shades are able to be priced below market because they are still custom, but have stripped some of these options out of the equation.

Services

A lot of companies charge more because they come to your house, they measure, they come back, they install and then the bill shows up for more than you expected. But, they were polite and handed it all soup to nuts. You can save yourself a lot of money by measuring and installing yourself, or hiring a TaskRabbit or handyman that knows how to mount a TV and skipping this option. Some people prefer white-glove and some DIY.

Overall: The motorized blind costs $150 because they are PVC fabric, single remote with no smart home capabilities, a preset width and length, and would have no services available.

The motorized blind costs $1,200+ because they are polyester certified fabrics, can connect an entire home’s shades with a single system, are customized, and layer on measurement and installation services.

You can pick and choose, but you’ll always have to give somewhere. Rolli has the best fabrics, technology, customization (with less options, though the best selling options in the industry) and strips out the services (because we think humans are more than capable of measuring or hiring someone if needed :).