5 Best Universal Remotes for 2021

Coffee tables are meant for coffee table books (and maybe a place to kick your feet up after a long day), but in too many homes, the family room furnishing has been overrun by remotes. There’s the big one for the TV, the small one for the sound bar, and the funny-looking that you can’t for the life of you remember what it does... Call it clicker overload. The good news is there’s a cure for this all-too common modern condition: A universal remote.

The concept might sound too good to be true (it controls all my remotes? really?) but after putting dozens of these handheld devices through their paces, the tech experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute confirmed that the best universal remotes really do live up to the promise. In our comprehensive evaluations — which collected more than 100 data points on a dozen models, covering such factors as ease of setup, whether or not full functionality was achieved, operating range, ergonomics, and durability — we found that some universal remotes are better than others, often with attributes that make them particularly well-suited to certain households.

The best of the best extend beyond your home entertainment system, controlling things like lights, window shades, and temperature. As with all our reviews of smart home products and other home electronics — including smart garage door openers, smart locks, and smart watches — results are based on extensive categorical testing, road testing newer models, and reviewing updates to past favorites:

• Best Overall Universal Remote: Logitech Harmony Companion
• Best Value Universal Remote: Logitech Harmony 665
• Best Universal Remote for Alexa: Amazon Fire TV Cube
• Best Universal Remote for Smart Homes: Logitech Harmony Elite
• Best Universal Remote for Many Devices: Sevenhugs Smart Remote U

Logitech

amazon.com

$195.00

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Logitech is the first name in remote controls, and for many household the Harmony Companion will be the best option. The two-piece system consists of a remote and separate hub, enabling control of your home’s entertainment system (up to eight components), plus other smart home devices, from lights to the front lock. The Harmony Companion is also fully compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, so on movie night you can use voice control to switch streaming services, create the perfect lighting, adjust the sound, and even order a pizza, should hunger strike halfway through the film.

Our experts loved the fact that the Harmony apps lets you turn any smartphone or tablet into a universal remote, making it possible to control your entertainment system when you’re away from home (maybe when the in-laws are babysitting and they can’t seem to find their favorite cable news program).

Logitech

amazon.com

$66.00

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You don’t need to live in a mansion to suffer from clicker overload. Kudos to Logitech for developing a streamlined universal remote for budget-minded households. It can control up to 10 electronics — say the TV, game console, surround system, media streamer, and more. Our experts found the bright, backlit display to be highly intuitive, but if you do lose your way with the controls, the on-screen help tool will quickly get you back on track.

Unlike the full-featured Companion, the Harmony 665 doesn’t come with a separate hub, so it can only control IR devices, or those that use infrared light signals; those IR devices must be in line of sight, meaning the 665 is really only designed for use in a single room.

Amazon

amazon.com

$119.99

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Think of the Fire TV Cube as a cross between a universal remote, smart speaker, and media streamer. It’s designed to sit near your home entertainment center, where it provides hand-free voice control via Alexa of all related electronics. The system includes a remote, in case you ever need to control devices silently.

Not surprisingly, the Fire TV Cube’s makes it easiest to stream Amazon Prime content, but it’s compatible with plenty of other binge-friendly apps, including Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, Apple TV+, and HBO Max. And thanks to the 4K Ultra HD compatibility, plus support for Dolby Vision, the picture quality is superb. The big downside with the Fire TV Cube is you’ll still need another remote for certain tasks, like controlling your game console or cable DVR, so it’s not the silver-bullet solution that other truly universal remotes can be.

Logitech

amazon.com

$349.99

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Spending top dollar on the Harmony Elite gets you a fully-enhanced user experience, starting with a customizable color touchscreen. The remote also ties into your smart home ecosystem through the separate WiFi-connected hub, enabling control of locks, lighting, and more at your fingertips. If you prefer voice control, the Harmony Elite also integrates seamlessly with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

Our experts like the ability to set up routines through the device, for example cuing the lighting and sound in the room to go to specific levels anytime a movie is played. Really, there’s no good reason not to choose the Harmony Elite, apart from the steep price tag.

Sevenhugs

bestbuy.com

$349.99

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Hard-core home entertainment enthusiasts, with equal passion for music, movies, sports, gaming, and more, can be too much for some universal remotes. Not the Smart Remote U, which controls an impressive 20 components, thanks to its compatibility with infrared (IR), WiFI, and Bluetooth. Sonos and Spotify are built-in, for music and podcast lovers.

Our experts found the setup to be intuitive, including the ability to create custom settings, important when juggling so much functionality. On the downside, the absence of physical buttons on the Smart Remote made it a little harder to operate, at least in the beginning, and it doesn’t work with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, meaning no voice control.