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Synopsis: In this post, I explore the nine best Logitech Harmony alternatives that you can get right now.
Since Logitech announced last month that its popular line of Harmony remotes is being discontinued, several of you have reached out asking for recommendations about alternatives.
In this article, I provide a thorough analysis of some competing remotes along with pros and cons. I will also recommend my favorite Harmony alternatives based on ease of use, ease of setup, and functionality.
Without further ado, here are my top nine Logitech Harmony alternatives:
- #1 – Best Luxury Remote: Creston TSR-310
- #2 – High-End Runner Up: Savant Pro Remote X2
- #3 – Another High-End Runner-Up: Neeo
- #4 – Best Voice Control: Fire TV Cube
- #5 – Best DIY Remote: MX-990
- #6 – DIY Budget Option: Sofabaton
- #7 – Best Add-On: Side-Click
- #8 – Best Hub and App: Broadlink RM4
- #9 – Best Sub-$20: GE Universal RC
- Bonus – One to Watch: Yio Remote 2
Harmony Alternates Comparison Table
Here is a comparison table that shows the major features of each of my choices for Harmony alternatives side by side.
Creston TSR-310  | ||||||
Savant Pro Remote X2  | ||||||
Control 4 Neeo  | ||||||
Fire TV Cube   | ||||||
MX-990   | ||||||
Sofabaton   | ||||||
Side-Click   | ||||||
Broadlink   | ||||||
GE Universal   | ||||||
Yio Remote 2  |
#1 – Best Luxury Remote: Creston TSR-310
The TSR-310 Universal Remote Control from Creston is a sleek universal remote for the tech-savvy set looking for whole-home control.
The remote itself features a beautiful color LCD touchscreen, integrated AV control, customizable favorites, and it will even control your smart thermostat, lighting, and shades. So what’s the catch? This is not a DIY solution. The company requires that you subscribe to the Creston smart home ecosystem in order to fully leverage this remote. This includes having to pay a custom installer to set it up. If you’re looking for an advanced but expensive universal remote, the TSR-310 may be worth a look.
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Cons:
#2 – High-End Runner: Savant Pro Remote X2
Next on my list of Harmony alternatives is this gem from Savant. The Savant Pro Remote X2 is the ultimate home automation control. Intelligent and beautiful, this is luxury control at its finest – just make sure you pick your favorite color! The remote is available in Space Gray, Jet Black, and Rose Gold.
I absolutely love the design of this remote. Unfortunately, it also falls into a similar class as Creston requiring you to subscribe to Savant’s smart home system. Like Creston, it also requires a tech to come to your home to install the remote.
Key features include a color Apple Homekit enabled LCD touch screen, voice commands via Siri, and the ability to create personalized remotes for household members. The X2s snazzy full-screen layouts can be customized as needed. And don’t worry about kids getting into mischief because there’s an optional pin protection feature that you use to childproof the remote. This is really the ultimate solution for anyone who subscribes to the Apple smart home.
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TYM Smart Homes & Home Theaters does a nice job with this video review and demo of the Savant Pro X2 in under three minutes:
#3 – Neeo from Control4
I first tested the Neeo DIY remote a couple of years back shortly after it just came out of Kickstarter funding. At the time, the remote really wasn’t ready for prime time. The setup process was overly complex and I don’t think I ever managed to get it working, so I reverted back to my Harmony Elite remote. Fast forward to today and Control 4’s not-to-long ago acquisition of Neeo means that there is no longer a DIY option for this remote.
Like Creston and Savant, Control 4 requires that you subscribe to their smart home ecosystem in order to for the remote to work with your devices. This means that Control 4 handles the setup and configuration of your devices for you. It also means that this is a pricey option as well.
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📚 Related: Control 4 Neeo vs SR-260: Which Remote Wins?
#4 – Fire TV Cube
Very cool.
You can also use many of the smart home features of Alexa using the Cube. For example, you can dim lights and lower blinds, get news and weather updates right on the TV screen, and a whole lot more. It will be interesting to see if devices like this will ultimately replace physical remotes in the long term.
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📚 Related: Alexa Fire TV Cube Commands Cheat Sheet]
#5 – MX-990
The MX-990 also boasts compatibility with over 220,000 devices from 5,000 brands and six unique programmable buttons to make switching between modes easy. The remote feels solid in the hand, and the button layout is probably the best among all of the remotes that I have tested, including Harmony. The only drawback to this remote is that it requires a technical versed in the MX-990’S proprietary software in order to program the remote for your devices. This is not a DIY option and that is not really clear from Amazon’s sales page.
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#6 – Sofabaton
However, you can control both IR and Bluetooth devices with Sofabaton and the device support is quite broad as well. The company claims its remote is compatible with 350,000 devices. I’m not wild about the look of the LCD compared to the others here but it is also less money.
If you are looking for a well-rated functional universal remote and have a limited budget, the Sofabaton may be worth a look.
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📚 Related: Sofabaton vs Harmony: A Solid Logitech Alternative?
#7 – Sideclick
Check Price at Amazon
(Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, Fire TV)
While this is not a direct universal remote, I still wanted it on my list of Logitech Harmony alternatives as you can use it to upgrade your existing streaming remotes.
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#8 – Broadlink RM4 Pro Hub and App
If you don’t mind navigating your home theater and smart home using an app instead of a physical remote, then Broadlink is an inexpensive way to do just that. In effect, it gives you much of the same functionality of the first three big-ticket “systems” remotes on my list at a fraction of the cost. You basically connect everything up to the Hub and then use the app to navigate your devices. Alternatively, you can use your voice with Alexa or Google Home.
📚 Related: 5 Best Universal Remotes for Verizon Fios
Broadlink even provides support for IFTTT (if this then that ) recipes allowing to truly automate certain tasks, like turning on the lights at dusk, arming an alarm when you leave home, turning on an A/C unit when a room reaches a certain temperature or turning on the morning news shortly after you get out of bed. This is a bit tricky to set up for the less technical set but offers a lot of value for very little money.
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Paul Hibbert gives his usual bang-up review of this hub. Ooh, the Zigbee!!
#9 – GE Universal Remote
These include thousands of TV brands, Blu-ray/DVD players, cable/satellite receivers, and streaming players like Roku. It doesn’t integrate with Alexa or your smart home but if you want a ridiculously cheap remote to control just four devices, the price is right!
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#10 – Yio Remote 2: Coming Soon
Rounding out my list of Logitech Harmony alternatives is a remote that is not yet available to the general public. However, the company does claim that it will be available this summer.
Kickstarter upstart Yio has plans to release a remote later this summer that is based on its “build it yourself” kit that it was selling through the Kickstarter website in return for donations. While not yet available, I wanted to include it on my list as this looks like a very promising product. No word yet as to exact availability and pricing but there is a bit more info on the Yio sales page here.
This is a pretty slick-looking remote that seems to have all of the bells and whistles of the larger players. Hopefully, the company will make it available as an affordable DIY option that the market needs so badly right now with the departure of Harmony.
I plan to buy this and do a full review as soon as it is released.
Best Logitech Harmony Alternatives – Over to You
So what do you think about my picks for the best Logitech Harmony alternatives?
Were you as sad as I was when Logitech announced it is going to stop manufacturing Harmony remotes?
While the custom high-end systems listed here are pricey, it is pretty amazing what they can do to control your smart home as well as your entertainment devices.
There are still some neat DIY options too. My favorite new toy right now is the Amazon Fire TV Cube. Please let me a comment below and let me know your thoughts about your favorites or the future of universal remotes. Until next time, live long and prosper.
