logitech harmony elite vs neeo

Logitech Harmony Elite vs Neeo: Battle of the Smart Remotes

In Comparisons by Tim Brennan

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.

With Control4’s recent acquisition of Neeo, the company has decided to discontinue direct-to-consumer sales. You can now purchase the remote through an authorized Control 4 dealer as part of the company’s smart home ecosystem.  For more information visit the company’s website.

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.

📚 Related9 Best Logitech Harmony Alternatives Right Now


Logitech Harmony Elite vs Neeo: 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?

Top Pick
Logitech Harmony Elite Remote Control, Hub and App - Discontinued by Manufacturer
NEEO - Smart Home Remote & Hub | The Universal Home Automation System which Controls Your TV, Music, Philips Hue, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and 60'000 Other Devices!
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
Controls TV, cable boxes, Direct TV, sound bars, and music systems
Controls smart lights [Phillips Hue, Lifx, Zigbee, etc.]
Controls smart thermostats
All Major Brands
Limited Support
Controls entertainment products like Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast, Sony
Controls newer video game consoles [Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Xbox One]
No of devices supported
275,000 and growing
60,000 and growing
Includes Hub
Full color touch screen
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
Top Pick
Logitech Harmony Elite Remote Control, Hub and App - Discontinued by Manufacturer
Harmony Elite
Dimensions
6 x 2 x 0.6 inches
Weight
12 oz
Design
Glossy black plastic
# of Devices
15
Supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 (BLE) and Z-Wave, and includes IR blaster
Controls TV, cable boxes, Direct TV, sound bars, and music systems
Controls smart lights [Phillips Hue, Lifx, Zigbee, etc.]
Controls smart thermostats
All Major Brands
Controls entertainment products like Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast, Sony
Controls newer video game consoles [Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Xbox One]
No of devices supported
275,000 and growing
Includes Hub
Full color touch screen
Touch screen size
1.5 inch (diagonal)
Touch screen
TBP
Touch screen resolution
128 x128
Touch screen # of colors
65000
One-touch activities (Watch Movie, Play Game, Listen to Music) to switch all devices to right settings
NEEO - Smart Home Remote & Hub | The Universal Home Automation System which Controls Your TV, Music, Philips Hue, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and 60'000 Other Devices!
Neeo
Dimensions
7.1 x 1.9 inches
Weight
.17 pound
Design
Metal and plastic
# of Devices
Unlimited
Supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 (BLE) and Z-Wave, and includes IR blaster
Controls TV, cable boxes, Direct TV, sound bars, and music systems
Controls smart lights [Phillips Hue, Lifx, Zigbee, etc.]
Controls smart thermostats
Limited Support
Controls entertainment products like Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast, Sony
Controls newer video game consoles [Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Xbox One]
No of devices supported
60,000 and growing
Includes Hub
Full color touch screen
Touch screen size
Ultra thin bezel 3" touchscreen display at very high density of i
Touch screen
291 pp color
Touch screen resolution
480x800
Touch screen # of colors
Unknown
One-touch activities (Watch Movie, Play Game, Listen to Music) to switch all devices to right settings

Last update on 06/02/2023 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Compatible with Amazon Alexa
Yes, Basic Commands
Yes, Basic Commands
Compatible with Google Home
Limited
Limited
Backlit physical buttons
Companion Smartphone App
Charging Station
Battery Life (Before needing a charge)
1-2 weeks
2-4 weeks or longer
Guided setup using USB and computer
Compatible with Amazon Alexa
Yes, Basic Commands
Compatible with Google Home
Limited
Backlit physical buttons
Companion Smartphone App
Charging Station
Battery Life (Before needing a charge)
1-2 weeks
Guided setup using USB and computer
Compatible with Amazon Alexa
Yes, Basic Commands
Compatible with Google Home
Limited
Backlit physical buttons
Companion Smartphone App
Charging Station
Battery Life (Before needing a charge)
2-4 weeks or longer
Guided setup using USB and computer

Last update on 06/02/2023 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API


Logitech Harmony Elite

logitech harmony elite vs neeo

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

logitech harmony elite vs neeoBefore Control 4 acquired them, Neeo’s old home page featured 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!”

logitech elite vs neeo

Neeo Home Page Ad

I thought that the tone of that ad said a lot about this at-the-time 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.

📚 RelatedControl 4 Neeo vs SR-260: Which Smart Home Remote Wins?


Where Neeo Shines

  • A different feel – the Neeo Remote feels more like a tall thin smartphone or iPod than a remote
  • Super sharp, touchscreen at 400×800 high-density 291 pixels per inch (PPI)
  • 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 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 requires expert knowledge of Control 4 systems and is best left to an experienced integrator (i.e., it’s expensive)
  • Limited support for some popular smart devices, including Thermostats
  • Multiple customers have complained about bugs with Sonos integration.

Here’s the pitch on the original Neeo remote from the company’s founder. Seems like a cool guy.


The Bottom Line

I 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

See my link above to Control 4’s website for more information about Neeo. Feel out the form and they will put you in touch with an integrator who can get you a quote. You can get Logitech Harmony Elite remote here at Amazon while supplies last.


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.

harmony elite vs neeo

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Related Links

Sevenhugs vs Logitech Harmony: Which ‘Smart Remote’ Is More ‘Elite?’

Neeo Universal Remote Review: A Viable Alternative to Logitech Harmony Elite / Ultimate

Best Smart Home Remote Control: Logitech Harmony Elite Review

Logitech Harmony Elite vs Ultimate Home: A Smart Remote Buyers Guide [& FAQ]