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Here are my top picks for the best remotes for Roku you can get right now.
Roku: It’s Fun To Say
Roku. Roku. Roku. It’s fun to say. Do you know what’s not so fun? The cheap plastic remote that ships in the box.
Nothing is automated, it just feels cheap, and worst of all, it only controls the Roku itself—one more clicker in the pile on your coffee table.
I know this makes you as sad as it makes me. But turn that frown upside down. I’m here with my updated list of great Roku remote replacement ideas, drawn from years of testing remote controls on this site.
According to Fortune Business Insights, buyers are trading single-purpose clickers for smart-home hubs.
Let’s start with the comparison table.
Best Remotes for Roku Comparison Table
The table below compares the top five best remotes for Roku at a glance, side by side.
| Editor’s Choice | Battle Tested | Best OEM | Value Universal | Legacy Premium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| SofaBaton X2 | SofaBaton X1S | Roku Voice Remote Pro | SofaBaton U3 | Logitech Harmony Elite | |
| Type | Hub remote with touchscreen | Hub remote with OLED | OEM Roku replacement | IR / Bluetooth / RF remote | Hub remote with touchscreen (legacy) |
| Compatibility | Wide AV plus smart home | Wide AV plus smart home | Roku ecosystem only | Model-dependent; no Roku Wi-Fi control | Wide AV plus smart home |
| Voice / Smart Home | Alexa, Google, Home Assistant | Alexa and Google Assistant | Roku voice only | No Roku voice; Google on compatible BT | Alexa |
| Backlit Buttons | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Power | Rechargeable with dock | Rechargeable, ~60-hour life | Rechargeable via USB | 1200mAh rechargeable; USB-C | Rechargeable with dock |
| Screen | Color touchscreen | Small OLED | None | 2.4-inch LCD | Color touchscreen |
| Lost Remote Finder | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Best For | Full living-room consolidation | Premium without touchscreen | Like-for-like Roku swap | Compatible Roku-room device consolidation | Legacy premium pickup |
| Shop | Check Price | Check Price | Check Price | Check Price | Check Price |
SofaBaton X2
SofaBaton X1S
Roku Voice Remote Pro
SofaBaton U3
Logitech Harmony Elite
#1 – SofaBaton X2: Editor’s Choice
At a Glance
- Compatibility: Roku, TVs, soundbars, smart home (IR, Bluetooth, RF, Wi-Fi).
- Power: Rechargeable with dock.
- Voice Control: Alexa, Google, Home Assistant.
- Display: Color touchscreen.
I’m a SofaBaton partner, and they sent me the new X2 to test. After a couple of evenings of pairing, my TV and soundbar remotes are already in the drawer. Activities like Watch Roku fire the TV, soundbar, and streaming box from a single tap on the touchscreen.
The touchscreen plus one-tap Activities make it the most ambitious of the best remotes for Roku, especially if you care more about full-room control than a like-for-like replacement.
Pros
- Touchscreen makes activities and favorites faster to reach
- Hub-based control covers IR, Bluetooth, RF, and Wi-Fi devices
- Works with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Home Assistant
- Charging dock keeps the remote ready between sessions
Cons
- Premium hardware comes with a premium build
- Initial setup takes more time than a basic Roku replacement
- Still in my active long-term testing rotation
SofaBaton X2 lets you command your entire home entertainment system with an intuitive touchscreen remote.
Video Review
I opened up the SofaBaton X2 over on @TecTimmy.
#2 – SofaBaton X1S: Battle Tested
At a Glance
- Compatibility: Roku sticks, players, TVs, mixed AV stacks.
- Power: Rechargeable, ~60-hour life.
- Voice Control: Alexa, Google Assistant.
- Display: Small OLED with scroll wheel.
I’ve been using the X1S for over a year. Setup can be finicky and mine has occasionally needed re-pairing, but when it works it really works.
My Watch Roku activity flips the TV input, powers up the soundbar, and lands on the Roku home screen in one tap. Battery life lands around 60 hours per charge in real-world use. One of the best remotes for Roku if you want consolidation without a touchscreen, with support for 500,000 devices from 6,000 brands.
Pros
- Support for 500,000 devices from 6,000 brands
- Controls up to 60 home theater devices
- Backlit buttons and scroll wheel improve night use
- Works with Alexa and Google Assistant
Cons
- OLED display is display-only, not touch-enabled
- App-based setup can feel overwhelming at first
- Device pairing can occasionally need to be rebuilt
SofaBaton X1S offers similar core functionality to the X2, minus the touchscreen, at a lower price.
Video Review
Here is my exact setup order for getting the X1S running cleanly.
Video Credit: TecTimmy#3 – Roku Voice Remote Pro: Best OEM Replacement
At a Glance
- Compatibility: Roku TVs, Express, Ultra, Streambar, current players.
- Power: Rechargeable via USB.
- Voice Control: Hands-free Roku voice.
- Display: None.
If your dog destroyed the original Roku remote, this is the place to start. It keeps the Roku experience simple and adds a rechargeable battery, voice control, lost-remote finder, and private listening. Hands-free voice (“Hey Roku”) skips the press-and-hold step on the standard Voice Remote, which makes searching from across the room actually fast.
I’ve kept one of these on the family Roku TV as the bedrock backup. Among the best remotes for Roku, it’s the cleanest official replacement because it works out of the box with most Roku hardware.
Pros
- OEM remote replaces a lost or broken Roku clicker fast
- Rechargeable battery cuts down on disposable cells
- Lost-remote finder helps when it vanishes into the couch
- Private listening through the headphone jack
Cons
- Voice features stay inside the Roku ecosystem
- Cannot control a full home theater stack
- No smart home device control
Video Review
Here is a closer look at how the official Roku option works in real use.
Video Credit: Todd’s Garage#4 – SofaBaton U3: LCD Universal Upgrade
At a Glance
- Compatibility: Model-dependent Roku control plus compatible IR, Bluetooth, and learnable RF gear.
- Power: 1200mAh rechargeable battery with USB-C charging.
- Voice Control: No Roku voice; Google voice on compatible Bluetooth devices.
- Display: 2.4-inch LCD with wake-on-lift.
SofaBaton U3 is the LCD-equipped upgrade to the older button-only U2. For a compatible Roku room, it can combine supported TV, soundbar, receiver, and streamer commands through IR, Bluetooth, learnable 433/315 MHz RF, and one-touch macros.
Compatibility is the deciding factor. Many Roku Streaming Sticks do not accept ordinary infrared commands, and U3 has no Roku Wi-Fi control, so confirm the exact player profile before buying. Keep a Roku voice remote or the Roku app available for model-specific voice search, private listening, and unsupported commands.
Pros
- Controls compatible IR, Bluetooth, and learnable RF gear.
- Keeps up to three supported BLE devices connected and supports macros.
- Rechargeable USB-C battery and 2.4-inch LCD.
Cons
- No Roku Wi-Fi control; Streaming Stick support is limited.
- No Roku voice search or private listening.
- No Find My Remote feature.
#5 – Logitech Harmony Elite: Legacy Premium
At a Glance
- Compatibility: Roku plus huge AV and smart-home support.
- Power: Rechargeable with dock.
- Voice Control: Alexa.
- Display: Color touchscreen.
If you follow this site, you know I have a soft spot for the Harmony Elite. Logitech packed it with broad support for entertainment gear, smart lights, blinds, thermostats, and activity-based automation that still makes a Roku setup feel polished.
It still belongs in any conversation about the best remotes for Roku because the feature depth is real, but Logitech discontinued the line, so availability is patchy and the platform has no future roadmap. If you can find a working unit on the secondary market, the Harmony hub still talks to most home theater receivers, smart lights, and door locks released in the last decade.
Pros
- Color touchscreen adds fast access to activities
- Controls home theater and smart home devices together
- Backlit buttons help in dark rooms
- Charging dock keeps the remote ready to go
Cons
- Hard to find on the secondary market
- Setup is not friendly for non-technical users
- Discontinued product with limited long-term support
The discontinued Harmony Elite remains a top-tier remote for smart home and theater control — if you can find one.
#6 – IKU 1-clicktech: Best for Roku Express
At a Glance
- Compatibility: Roku Express, Premiere, Ultra, Roku 1–4, many Roku TVs.
- Power: Battery.
- Voice Control: None.
- Display: None.
The layout looks a little funky because it skips a few buttons from the factory remote, but buyers seem to care more about getting their Roku Express back online fast than about design purity. Dedicated buttons for popular streaming services skip a few menu taps if those apps dominate your watch list.
That makes it one of the best remotes for Roku if you are replacing a dead clicker for a secondary TV. Just confirm your hardware falls inside the supported Express, Premiere, Ultra, and Roku TV families.
Pros
- Bare-bones replacement for older Roku setups
- Works out of the box with compatible models
- Includes buttons for popular streaming services
- Helpful support for a budget product
Cons
- Limited to Roku boxes and Roku TVs
- Not compatible with Roku sticks
- No voice or smart home control
#7 – Gvirtue: Cheapest Roku Replacement
At a Glance
- Compatibility: Roku 1–4, Express, Express+, older players.
- Power: Battery.
- Voice Control: None.
- Display: None.
If you are trying to replace an older Roku remote for the lowest possible spend, this is the bargain-bin entry. The product page is messy, but buyers report it works without needing the original remote in hand for setup.
It lands at the bottom of my best remotes for Roku list because the tradeoffs are obvious, but it still fills a real need for older boxes where price beats polish. Compatibility tops out at the older Roku 1, 2, 3, 4, and Express boxes—no Streaming Stick support, no Roku TV, no headphone jack.
Pros
- Simple Roku replacement for older boxes
- Works out of the box with compatible Roku players
- Dedicated buttons for popular streaming services
Cons
- Will not work with Roku Streaming Stick or Roku TVs
- Requires direct line of sight to the player
- No headphone jack or broader device control
FAQs
Here are the most common questions I have heard about the best remotes for Roku, based on extensive testing for this site.
1. Which Roku remote handles a multi-device living room best?
A hub-based universal handles a multi-device living room better than any single-purpose clicker. The SofaBaton X2 and X1S top the list of the best remotes for Roku because they consolidate streamer, TV, and soundbar controls into one device, automate multi-step activities, and respond to voice assistants. Single-purpose Roku replacements control the streamer itself, nothing more.
2. Will the best remotes for Roku work with every Roku model?
Most official replacements pair with current Roku TVs, Express, Ultra, Streambar, and recent streaming sticks, but compatibility with older devices is mixed. The Voice Remote Pro and Voice Remote cover the broadest current lineup, while a basic Simple Remote fits older or budget setups. Universal options reach much wider when paired with the right hub.
3. Do universal remotes also control my TV and soundbar?
The SofaBaton X2 and X1S can run compatible home-theater gear through their hubs, while the U3 directly controls supported IR, Bluetooth, and learnable RF devices. Roku compatibility varies by player; many Streaming Sticks still need a Roku voice remote or app because U3 does not control Roku over Wi-Fi.
4. Which Roku remote keeps the headphone jack?
The Roku Voice Remote Pro keeps a headphone jack for private listening, which makes it the standout among the best remotes for Roku for late-night viewers. The standard Voice Remote routes audio through the Roku mobile app instead of a physical jack. Most third-party budget replacements omit the jack entirely to hit lower retail price.
5. Is there a budget option that still feels like a real upgrade?
The SofaBaton U3 is the LCD-equipped rechargeable upgrade among the best remotes for Roku when the goal is to consolidate compatible TV and audio gear. It is not a universal Roku replacement, so verify the exact player before buying and keep the Roku remote for voice, private listening, and unsupported commands.
Best Remotes for Roku: Verdict
Choosing one of the best remotes for Roku comes down to whether the goal is consolidation or replacement. The choice falls into three clear lanes.
- Choose the SofaBaton X2 if you want one premium remote running a Roku, TV, soundbar, and smart-home gear from a single touchscreen interface.
- Choose the Roku Voice Remote Pro if you just need to replace a lost or broken Roku clicker with the closest official upgrade.
- Choose the SofaBaton U3 if you want an LCD-equipped rechargeable remote for compatible Roku-room gear and have verified the exact player profile.
Whichever direction you go, anchor the decision in how many devices you actually want one remote to handle. For deeper background on hub-based remotes across other platforms, our best universal remotes guide covers the same tradeoffs in a broader frame.
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