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Juggling 10 different remotes while simply trying to watch a movie only causes you more frustration than anything else. If you’re experiencing this, it might be time for a universal remote. With a myriad of options on the market, though, it can be hard to find the right remote for your setup. So we went out and bought the top 20 universal remotes to test them on our home theater setup so you don’t have to.
As we tested the remotes, we looked for key features and tried them out. Things like touch screens, Wi-Fi connectivity and ease of use were the most important, but we also tested features like mobile app functionality and IR vs RF.
After all of our testing, we narrowed the list down to the top 10 universal remotes and crowned one as king of all remotes: the Logitech Harmony Ultimate One. This universal remote can connect via RF and IR, features a super intuitive touch screen and works with just about any device you can think of, making it the easy choice for the #1 spot. Keep reading to learn more about the Logitech Ultimate One, as well as the other 9 universal remotes that performed better than anything else on the market.
Award: Top Pick/Best Rated Universal Remote
Length: 7.3 inches | Touch Screen Control: Yes
WHY WE LIKE IT: The Logitech Harmony Ultimate universal remote offers a lot of flexibility, but you’ll need to be able to take full advantage of its features to justify its high price tag. The actual remote has a limited number of buttons, but the 2.4-inch touch screen takes the place of a large number of buttons.
Read Full Review: Logitech Harmony Ultimate One Remote
The remote has a rechargeable battery, charging as it rests inside the accompanying cradle. Justifying the price of the Harmony Ultimate is certainly easier if you have a complex home AV system, as well as some smart home devices. If you want even more smart remote products, then visit our best smart remotes guide.
Update: While Amazon notes that this product has been discontinued it’s still in stock. In fact, it’s the best deal you can now get from Logitech, as it includes both the remote and the Hub and costs just $189. Conversely, Logitech’s website offers its higher end remote and hub for $298, which is likely over kill for most people.
The remote itself has a touch screen, which greatly simplifies controlling your devices and its settings. You can touch a command on the screen, such as “watch TV,” and the Harmony Ultimate will automatically find the devices that operate your television and turn them on. Customization is also easy with this component, allowing you to reorganize buttons, and program up to 23 of your favorite channels, and guide icons the way you like.
The remote itself has a touch screen, which greatly simplifies controlling your devices. You can touch a command on the screen, such as “watch TV,” and the Harmony Ultimate will automatically find the devices that operate your television and turn them on.
The Harmony Hub (right side of the above picture and included with this remote kit), provides an infrared repeater, as well as Bluetooth capabilities. You’ll be able to control smart home devices with the Wi-Fi connected Harmony Hub through your mobile device after you download the Harmony app. You won’t be able to fully use the Hub’s feature unless you download the app.
While it’s nice to be able to use a smartphone app for your remote control, you won’t have tactile feedback, as you would with a traditional remote. And running the remote through a smartphone app and Wi-Fi will cause slower responses than using a traditional remote with IR. This component is compatible with the best streaming device as well, and this universal remote control is also available on Amazon.
Award: Honorable Mention/Best Universal Remote App for iPhone
WHY WE LIKE IT: We live in a smartphone centric world. So what better way to always have control of your home and your home theater’s controls. And there is no remote to fight over or lose, or charge.
Read Full Review: Logitech Harmony Hub Remote Review
While techinically this isn’t a remote control per se, the Harmony HUB with smartphone app can most certainly fill the void. The Harmony app can be downloaded from Google Store or the Apple Store, although the app will never be as fast as a physical remote, so keep that in mind. Advantages here are that the hub component is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Home, so you can have voice control for your home entertainment if you combine it with an Alexa device. Also, since this hub can send commands to devices using WiFi, IR, or Bluetooth signals, you can control your devices even behind closed doors or cabinets and access home entertainment services like Netflix and Hulu. It connects with streaming devices such as Apple TV, Roku, cable box and popular game consoles like Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PS3.
Also, a small drawback, compared to the above #1 pick, is that this option is virtually limited to just 8 devices. Which is to say, it could be 15, but Logitech chose 8 such that you opt for the above device. Still, it is handy when watching the best streaming movies.
Award: Best Universal Remote for Xbox One
WHY WE LIKE IT: The Logitech Harmony Companion All in One Remote blends both the tech versed and averse by including both the HUB for smartphone use and a physical remote for those that want a simple channel changer.
Read Full Review: Logitech Harmony All in One Remote Control Review
Take note that this remote is limited to just 8 devices. But with it comes the Harmony HUB, which means you can control devices behind a cabinet door or without line of sight. It also works with Alexa and Google Home. It has a full number pad and a streamlined button layout to easily change to your favourite channel, fast-forward, rewind, and adjust volume. You can also control grouped or individual home entertainment devices using dedicated automation buttons.
Included is the rechargeable battery as well as an IR mini blaster. Beyond controlling your home theater, it will also control your smarthome, though we recommend integrating some voice control to use the macros.
Award: Best Cheap Universal Remote
Length: 7 inches | Touch Screen Control: No
WHY WE LIKE IT: Offers easy to use features at a desirable price point.
Read Full Review: GE Universal Remote
If you like the look of a traditional remote control, the GE Universal Remote is a popular model that provides control though numerous buttons, rather than a touch screen. You can fully program this remote through your computer, allowing it to control a variety of devices.
The button layout on the GE Universal Remote makes a lot of sense, and GE makes it really easy to set up the remote with all your devices and program all of the relevant buttons.
The remote’s buttons are back lit, and the lights activate as soon as you pick up the unit, which is a great feature, as it allows you to see the buttons in the dark. The main drawbacks to the GE Universal Remote are its lack of RF capabilities and that it doesn’t use a rechargeable battery, but those are minor problems when you consider the low price of this universal remote.
Even though it has been on the market for a few years, the GE Universal Remote represents a great mix of strong features and value, making it the best universal remote option available.
Length: 7.56 inches | Touch Screen Control: Yes
WHY WE LIKE IT: Remote and hub can authoritatively control a massive number of devices. The Logitech Harmony Elite has a very high price tag versus other universal remote options, but it also a versatile option, allowing for control of up to 15 devices at one time.
Read Full Review: Logitech Harmony Elite Review
Logitech lists 270,000 devices that offer compatibility with the Elite, including smart home devices, set top boxes, gaming consoles, and Blu-ray players.
As with the other Logitech units listed above, the Harmony Elite includes the Harmony Hub, which manages the connection with smart home devices, such as a a smart thermostat or lights. And the Hub allows you to use a smartphone app to control your devices.
Like the Harmony Ultimate discussed earlier, the Harmony Elite remote has a touch screen, which allows you to touch a simple command on the screen such as “watch TV” to activate all associated devices like your smart TV. You can use the touch screen to change channels or adjust volume too, or you can use the traditional remote control buttons on the lower half of the device.
Award: Best Universal Remote for DirecTV
Length: 7.25 inches | Touch Screen Control: No (but you can pair this remote with a smartphone through an app)
WHY WE LIKE IT: As with the Harmony Ultimate above, you’ll receive a physical remote with the Logitech Harmony Home Control, as well as the Harmony Hub. You then can download the Harmony app to your smartphone to provide additional features and the ability to control smart home devices.
The physical universal remote with the Harmony Ultimate is pretty basic, not offering as many buttons as some other units or any display screen option, but it will perform the majority of tasks you need. When you’re ready to gain more control, you’ll download the Harmony app to your smartphone.
It would have been nice if Logitech had given the physical remote’s buttons a back light, so you could easily see the buttons in the dark. But this is still a good value for those who have smart appliances they want to control, as you’ll save some money with this unit, primarily because of the lack of a touch screen on the physical remote.
Universal remote controls are great pieces of hardware — as long as they work correctly, that is. While it’s handy to replace three, four, or more remote controls with a single unit, it needs to be easy to set up and use, while also making a quick connection with the varying devices you have in your home.
Whether you prefer a traditional universal remote with dozens of buttons or a touch screen control option, you have a host of great options for picking universal remotes, none of which will require pressing buttons with an elbow.
Not Preparing for Troubleshooting Most universal remotes will work well with most devices, but you’re probably going to have to do some troubleshooting for a couple of connections. This is normal. Think about how many hundreds of different devices are out there, and it’s tough to connect easily with all of them. So be prepared to do a little troubleshooting.
Assuming You Can Rely on a Smartphone App You may be tempted to use a remote app on your smartphone, rather than purchasing a standalone universal remote. And while this does work well for some, there are some inherent problems with this setup. If the app is only on your phone, it can be frustrating to try to share the smartphone among everyone who wants to watch TV,. And if your smartphone battery is constantly at a low level, using it as a remote while it’s connected to a charging cord is a hassle. Moreover, generally speaking, the delay from smartphone to the remote can be so slow it will be impossible for channel flipping and performing repetitive tasks.
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