There Can Be Only One: Best Universal Remotes - Gear Hungry (2024)

Jovana Dosenovic

Jovana is a writer and copy editor living with her lazy calico cat and thousands of (mostly unread) books. She has worked as a copywriter, fact-checker, QA analyst, and librarian, but this has been her favorite gig so far. A bit of a bookworm since she was tiny, she loves nothing more than curling up with a giant cup of coffee or tea and a good book. When not hunched over a keyboard or book, Jovana enjoys going on long walks, short hikes, and occasional camping trips. She also has an unfinished novel she’d like to publish one day. No, really.

1

Logitech Harmony Smart Control

The Logitech Harmony Smart Control comes with a receiver called the Harmony Hub which turns RF signals from the remote into IR or Bluetooth commands that your devices can understand. The remote lets you control up to eight devices including your Ps3 and Wii as well as streaming services such as Netflix.

The Harmony Smart Control supports 270,000 devices from over 6,000 brands, so the chances are, whatever devices you have in your house, they will be recognized by this system from the get-go. And the Logitech Harmony device library makes it incredibly easy to update both your smartphone app and universal remote control with brand new devices and commands.

2

Logitech Harmony Elite Universal Remote

The Logitech Harmony Elite is ridiculously powerful, hence the price. It allows you to effortlessly control up to 15 connected devices at once and you can hook it up to pretty much all “internet of things” devices, too, which means you can control the music in the kitchen or the lights in the living room. And yes, it’s fully compatible with Amazon Alexa.

When it comes to controlling things with this remote, you are not constrained to buttons. The remote has a sharp, slick touch screen and also allows voice control. You can also easily group your devices into one-touch activities. For example, once it’s all set up, you should be able to select “Watch a Movie” on the universal remotes touch screen and it will automatically open up your preferred movie viewing app and switch it to the right setting for you. The touch screen also makes for a super intuitive way of fast forwarding, rewinding and adjusting the volume while you’re watching. You can also swipe and tap to control smart home devices like Philips Hue lights.

3

Logitech Harmony 650 Universal Remote

The Logitech Harmony 650 effortlessly combines up to eight remotes into one. One of the biggest stand-out features of this remote is a full-color touchscreen, which Logitech calls the “color command screen”. The screen features programmable “Favorite Channel” icons which let you jump quickly to the channels you love most with one tap. The screen also displays common commands for whichever devices you happen to be using.

The Harmony 650 also has super handy “one-click activity buttons” which you can program with commands such as “Watch DVD” and “Listen to Music”, taking you to your preferred app with preferred settings for each of those actions. It seamlessly works with over 5,000 electronics brands and has an online database of 225,000 devices, with new ones being added daily, so you can be sure that this universal remote will work with whatever you throw its way.

4

Inteset INT-422 Backlit IR Learning Universal Remote

Next up we have the Inteset INT-422 which is billed as the “first universal remote dedicated to streamers”. To support this claim, the top of the remote has four pre-programmed buttons; an “A” button for Apple TV, a “B” button for Xbox One, a “C” button for Media Centre, and finally, a “D” button for Roku. Don’t fret though, the remote also supports 10,000 other devices including Xbox 360, Fire TV and Kodi.

It’s worth noting that unlike the universal remote reviewed above that has a touch screen and buttons, i.e. multiple inputs, this one is heavy on the buttons only. But this might not necessarily be a bad thing as we will explain. This model has an intelligent button matching feature that allows you to replicate the button controls of an original device (e.g. A Roku remote). Further, you can program up to 32 commands into a single button.

5

RCA 3-Device Palm-Sized Universal Remote

For those of you who want an affordable small form factor over lots of features, this is the best universal remote for you. It is an attractive palm-sized remote that is a pleasure to hold. Mind you, there’s no voice control, point-anywhere device-control convenience, or other smart features you’d typically get from a premium remote for that matter – the RCA 3-Device Palm-Sized Universal Remote is as basic as basic gets, but it’s cheap and it definitely does the trick.

This little thing can control up to three devices and effortlessly replaces and consolidates the most popular remote-control brands. And adding new remotes to this thing is easy as pie. You can use either automatic, manual or direct code search methods to find all your pesky remotes and get them into this device.

6

SofaBaton U1 Universal Remote

The SofaBaton U1 Universal Remote offers great features for the price, making it one of the best universal remotes not only in this price range but overall. It’s actually quite similar to Logitech Harmony Elite but it comes in a much more affordable package. Okay, of course it’s not exactly the same as Elite but considering it costs a fraction of Elite’s price, we have to say it is pretty darn similar. Nevertheless, it does come with some drawbacks and quite a bit of a learning curve.

The SofaBaton U1 universal remote controls up to 15 devices at the same time, and this includes Bluetooth devices as well. Over 5,000 devices from more than 6,000 brands are supported and the database updates as the new devices come out. Its button layout is user-friendly and the decently-bright OLED screen makes it easy to switch between the different devices.

7

GE Backlit Universal Remote Control

Sometimes less is more; not everyone wants good-for-everything-under-the-sun, difficult-to-program, pricy universal remotes. If you like the sound of “affordable” and “simple and easy to use”, you’ll love the GE Universal Remote Control. This remote may be basic but it provides a straightforward way to control up to four different devices including your cable box, Roku, TV, sound system, and DVD or Blu-Ray player. It has a limited cable box functionality though, and it doesn’t work with Roku streaming stick, Fire TV stick, or other RF streaming devices.

The GE universal remote’s biggest selling point – aside from its low price – is its ultra-easy set-up and use. It comes with a simple and easy-to-follow manual and code list and the programming takes less than ten minutes. We’re also big fans of the ergonomic design and backlighting on the buttons – it makes setup even easier.

8

Philips Universal Remote Control

If you’re looking for a cheap but reliable universal remote controller, you’ll definitely want to check out this Philips model. Available at a fraction of the cost of many universal remotes (at the time of writing, it’s less than $10), this cheap little guy does just enough, but that may be all you really need.

The Philips Universal Remote Control controls three devices but there are models available for four and six devices, too, for a slightly higher price. Watch TV, control your soundbar, cable or satellite receivers. The setup is incredibly simple, as the remote comes preprogrammed for Roku and Samsung TVs, plus there’s an easy-to-follow online setup video available.

9

OMAIC XRT136 Universal Remote Control

The OMAIC XRT136 is designed specifically for Vizio TVs so it’s incredibly easy to use. This remote is compatible with V-series, M-series, D-series, P-series, PX-series and E-series, and LED, LCD, HD 4K UHD HDR smart TVs – in other words, most Vizio TVs.

Free of setup requirements, this universal remote works right out of the box. Pop two AAA batteries in and it’s ready to get down to business. No programming necessary! Using only Infrared technology, the remote has a strong signal so you’ll be able to control your TV from 40 feet with 0.2 seconds delay, which in practice is no delay at all.

10

Apple TV Siri Remote 2nd Generation

With a sleek silver aluminum design and simple, precise clickpad and slidepad, this Apple TV Siri Remote 2nd Generation is a serious upgrade from its predecessor. It’s compatible with Apple TV 4k 2nd and 1st generation, as well as Apple TV HD, and it’s Bluetooth and Wi-Fi supported. Don’t want to bother with a physical remote? No problem, just use voice commands to find whatever you want to watch.

The Apple TV Siri Remote lets you easily click movie titles you want to watch, swipe through your favorite playlists, and use a circular gesture on the slide pad to find the exact scene you’re looking for. It also comes with a mute button. Ergonomically, it fits right in the palm of your hand – it’s neither big nor small. Compared to the older remote, the changes are subtle but they add up, making the 2nd generation remote much easier and more pleasant to use.