Logitech Harmony Elite vs Neeo: let the battle begin!
Which is the ultimate smart home remote to control your connected devices?
Like a game of Rock-em Sock-em Robots, the winner isn’t always easily determined up front.
Not a Simple Question
In fact, these high-end home automation remotes are so similar in functionality, you’re going to have a hard time making up your mind. However, there are some differences, especially when it comes to design, performance, software stability—and price.
Don’t worry. We are here to help you break it all down, so you can make a better-informed purchase decision. And we’ll start with a detailed comparison chart so you can see the features and benefits side by side.
Shameless Plug Alert 🔌
If you end up purchasing the Logitech Harmony Elite or the Neeo Smart Home “Thinking” Remote, would you please link over to Amazon from any link in this article? If you do, we’ll earn a small commission as an Amazon affiliate. There is no additional cost to you at all. This way, we can continue to provide you with outstanding reviews like this one. 😉
Logitech Harmony Elite vs Neeo: Interactive Comparison Table
You can use the interactive chart below to quickly see the features that are most important to you. For example, if you put Xbox in the search field, it will filter the table to show only those rows that contain the word Xbox. Pretty neat, eh?
Logitech Harmony Elite vs Neeo - Interactive Comparison Table
| Harmony Elite | Neeo | |
|---|---|---|
  |   |
|
| Dimensions | 6 x 2 x 0.6 inches | 7.1 x 1.9 inches |
| Weight | 12 oz | .17 pound |
| Design | Glossy black plastic | Metal and plastic |
| # of Devices | 15 | Unlimited |
| Supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 (BLE) and Z-Wave, and includes IR blaster | Yes | Yes |
| Controls TV, cable boxes, Direct TV, sound bars, and music systems | Yes | Yes |
| Controls smart lights [Phillips Hue, Lifx, Zigbee, etc.] | Yes | Yes |
| Controls smart thermostats | All Major Brands | Limited Support |
| Controls entertainment products like Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast, Sony | Yes | Yes |
| Controls newer video game consoles [Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Xbox One] | Yes | Yes |
| No of devices supported | 275,000 and growing | 60,000 and growing |
| Includes Hub | Yes | Yes |
| Full color touch screen | Yes | Yes |
| Touch screen size | 1.5 inch (diagonal) | Ultra thin bezel 3" touchscreen display at very high density of i |
| Touch screen | TBP | 291 pp color |
| Touch screen resolution | 128 x128 | 480x800 |
| Touch screen # of colors | 65000 | Unknown |
| One-touch activities (Watch Movie, Play Game, Listen to Music) to switch all devices to right settings | Yes | Yes |
| Compatible with Amazon Alexa | Yes, Basic Commands | Yes, Basic Commands |
| Compatible with Google Home | Limited | Limited |
| Backlit physical buttons | Yes | No |
| Companion Smartphone App | Yes | Yes |
| Charging Station | Yes | Yes |
| Battery Life (Before needing a charge) | 1-2 weeks | 2-4 weeks or longer |
| Guided setup using USB and computer | Yes | Yes |
Logitech Harmony Elite
According to Wikipedia, the first Harmony remote control was created way back in 2001 by Easy Zapper, a Canadian company. Love the name! Logitech acquired Harmony in 2004 and has since been working to perfect the product. The company has also introduced several models of the remote into its product line over the years.
So, the Harmony has been around for 18 years and has reaped the benefits of all of that R&D time.
The Harmony Elite is the Cadillac of the Harmony retail product line.
The Elite is a redesigned version of the Harmony Ultimate One. The main improvement is that they added physical buttons for smart home automation control to complement the touchscreen. They also moved media transport control buttons to a better location and added the ability for the battery to be changed if needed.
The Elite ships with a Harmony Hub that is used to talk to all of the devices in the arsenal.
Where Harmony Elite Shines
- Easy to use and intuitive web interface for setup from your computer
- An all-around more stable platform, with fewer bugs
- Solid design – feels solid in your hand
- Can use and assign icons, create macros for multiple devices using the touchscreen
- Button placement is very well thought out (improved over the Ultimate)
- Logitech’s extensive online forums are great for answers to common problems and troubleshooting issues faced by prior owners
Where Harmony Elite Falls Short
- Despite the high resolution/color count of the touchscreen customers complain that the colors look washed out and the text is pixelated
- User complain the remote feels cluttered – too many buttons (like RGB)
- After a while, the remote can randomly stop responding and requires a hardware upgrade (via USB connection to your computer)
- Battery life, while decent, is not as good as the Neeo
Here’s a solid review of the Harmony Elite from Home Review Central:
Neeo Thinking Remote
Neeo’s home page features a pair of graphics showing how the Neeo remote can help you go from a ton of apps and remote controls to the single Neeo device.
The headlines on the images read “Too many apps and buttons SUCKS!” and “One smart remote with awesome compatibility ROCKS!”
Neeo Home Page Ad
We think the tone of the ad says a lot about this young, progressive company that was founded in 2014 in Switzerland.
Put simply, this is not your daddy’s remote.
This cutting-edge tone carries over to the Neeo product, which features a super high def screen that feels more like a smartphone or giant iPod than a remote control. The touchscreen is sharper than the Elite, which scores major points in our book. Perhaps more importantly, many customers who have tried both remotes say devices respond more readily to the Neeo remote that to the Elite. However, some customers complain about issues and bugs with the Neeo software.
Here’s a summary of the pros and cons.
Where Neeo Shines
- A different feel – the Neeo Thinking Remote feels more like a tall thin smartphone or iPod than a remote
- Better super sharp, touchscreen
- Crazy good battery life (the company claims the remote can “go for months” without needing a charge, our conservative estimate is 3-4 weeks with regular use)
- Feels and looks more high-end and elegant
- Devices have a very consistent and snappy response to IR commands
- Brain Hub is super light and also elegant looking
- Outstanding, responsive human customer support
Where Neeo Falls Short
- Not enough physical media buttons
- No backlight on physical buttons (Neeo’s take on this that the user shouldn’t have to look at the remote to operate it. Hmm.)
- Set up, which is automated, is a bit more clunky and less linear than Logitech’s setup
- No channel listings yet, so adding Favorite channels is difficult
- Limited support for some popular smart devices, including Thermostats and Phillips Hue Lighting.
- Multiple customers have complained about bugs with Sonos integration.
Here’s the pitch for Neeo from the company’s founder. Seems like a cool guy.
The Bottom Line
We really like both of these remotes. The Elite is a mature product from a mature company that has benefited from many years of customer feedback and R&D.
On the other hand, the Neeo Thinking Remote, like Neeo the company, is a bit more cutting edge, especially when you consider its smartphone-like design. Moreover, Neeo is a young, hungry company that is eager to win and keep customers and market share. That said, the support experience is just going to be better.
Still, we think the Harmony edges the Neeo ever so slightly (mostly for its dependability and stability, broader device support, fewer bugs, and easier setup). Also, the Neeo costs more. With Logitech’s recent price drop on the Elite, the Logitech Elite is priced significantly lower than the Neeo.
BUT Neeo some compelling reasons why you might choose it over Harmony.
At the end of the day, it comes down to the features and preferences that are important to you.
Where to Buy
You can get the Neeo Thinking Remote here on Amazon and the Logitech Harmony Elite remote here.
Logitech Harmony Elite vs Neeo: What Do You Think?
We hope you found our review helpful.
Do you plan on purchasing one of these smart remotes? If so why?
Or perhaps you already own one of these remotes?
More importantly, if you’re ever in the Boston area and want to play a round of Rockem Sockem Robots, let me know,
Leave us a comment below and let us know what you think. It would be great to hear from you.
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Related Links
Sevenhugs vs Logitech Harmony: Which ‘Smart Remote’ Is More ‘Elite?’
Neeo Universal Remote Review 2018: A Viable Alternative to Logitech Harmony Elite / Ultimate
Best Smart Home Remote Control: Logitech Harmony Elite [2018 Review]
Logitech Harmony Elite vs Ultimate Home: A Smart Remote Buyers Guide [& FAQ]
About the Author
Tim Brennan, Technical Writer & Entrepreneur
Tim Brennan is Founder and CEO of Writeinteractive, Inc., a professional services firm that helps innovative companies solve technical content challenges to address real business goals. He is also an owner of smart home technology site and blog Onesmartcrib.com Tim became obsessed with smart home tech after purchasing Amazon Alexa. When he’s not crushing on Alexa, Brennan is a father to two sons, and he manages the day-to-day operations of Writeinteractive. He is also an active blogger, obsessive Star Wars fan, and an SEO fanatic.
Comments
NEEO als comes woth a companion App, this is wrong in the chart.
ThaMen. Thank you for pointing out the discrepancy. We have updated the table accordingly.
So, do you own the Neeo? How do you like it?
With Logitech just recently (and with no notice) having removed local access to the hub (via automatic firmware update), most home automation systems can no longer interface to the harmony system.
Logitech says that the “undocumented api” was a security risk.
This means that the NEEO is the only high end remote with an actual home automation api.
Perhaps this is the advantage that they need.
If the Alexa interface worked well (and could change tv channels), I would buy one immediately.
Hey Nick, Thanks for writing in.
Have you seen this:
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/12/logitech-firmware-update-breaks-locally-controlled-harmony-hub-systems/
My understanding that this fixes the problems with Harmony home automation. I’m traveling and haven’t been able to test myself yet but we will. Regarding the Alexa interface and changing of TV channels, do you mean that for the Neeo? I have a contact at Neeo and can pass any feedback along. Best, Tim
Here’s another update:
https://www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2018/12/21/18152037/logitech-will-restore-third-party-harmony-home-automation
neeo does not support bluetooth in it’s current firmware. (Or IR learning) The harmony elite does not support Z wave without additional hardware. I own both and the Neeo hardware is pretty. Its software is horrible and and almost makes it unusable.
A quick view of their forum shows almost all complaints. Lack of advertised features, lack of regular updates and a serious lack of communication with its customer base.
Just staying in Adare Manor which was voted top hotel in the world 2018. I loved the slickness of the Neeo remote that they have in their sumptuous bedrooms so ended up here googling the make. If it’s good enough for a 100 million hotel/refurb it’s good enough for me!
Got my self the Neeo.
1) For the design
2) Fewer buttons but just enough (What is really needed for fast interaction)
3) Gorgeous display
4) Battery life
5) Same functionalities as the Harmony
6) Good customer support
7) Encourage new emerging companies which will drive competition = innovation
How does the Neeo compare as far as speed to the Elite? My problem with the Elite is there is a like a 1 second delay between pressing the button and cursor moving on the screen. Such a pain when typing in passwords, doing searches, etc.
Hi Scott,
Have you tried contacting Logitech about the delay? My Elite is pretty much instantaneous in terms of response time. I wonder if there may be something up with your Hub. The Neeo discontinued their remote sadly. They were acquired and the parent company decided to discontinue production of the remote. Truth be told the Elite is an all-around better remote than the Neeo anyhow.
Hope this helps,
Tec Timmy