Last week, Logitech officially announced that it would be discontinuing its popular lineup of Harmony smart universal remotes, leaving a gap in the home theater control space. While Logitech is currently noting that those with existing devices won’t be impacted, the lack of new features going forward may very well have current owners looking to make the switch. That’s why we’re rounding up the best Logitech Harmony remote alternatives including Fire TV, Sevenhugs, and more.
Best Logitech Harmony remote alternatives
With more and more households relying on streamlined home theater experiences that are centered around smart speakers or HDMI CEC-enabled soundbar systems, the need to command several devices with a single remote isn’t as evident for many as it used to be. But for those who still prefer to have movie night at home be close to the in-theater experience, the hole left by Logitech Harmony remotes being discontinued does make the one remote to rule them all mission a bit less straightforward.
Even in the absence of the former top contender in the space, there are still plenty of alternatives to recommend for those who don’t want to pick up a now deprecated Logitech Harmony remote. Below you’ll find all of our top picks, ranging from full-blown streaming media players with IR functionality to smart remotes and more.
Fire TV Cube
Starting things off, we have one of the most popular options on the market right now, the Fire TV Cube. Serving as Amazon’s flagship streaming media player, the TV accessory delivers built-in Alexa alongside 4K HDR video playback and access to hundreds of streaming services. But here’s where it differs from just about all of the other competitors out there, including the more affordable devices in Amazon’s lineup.
Entering with built-in IR blaster functionality, the Fire TV Cube earns its spot as one of the best Logitech Harmony remote alternatives, thanks to being able to control everything from TVs to sound bars, surround systems, and more. There’s also HDMI CEC support for devices hooked right into the TV, as well as all of the Alexa smart home control you’d expect that helps you set the scene for movie nights with dimmed lighting and more. Its $120 price tag makes this a compelling offering for those who want to cover all of their bases with a home theater upgrade.
Fire TV Blaster
For those already invested in Amazon’s streaming media player ecosystem, the Fire TV Blaster is a great alternative to the more full-featured Cube. This add-on accessory ditches all of the built-in streaming service access and Alexa control noted on the previous recommendation, but still delivers much of the same home theater control otherwise. At $35, you’ll have to provide your own Echo speaker and Fire TV stick in order to take advantage of its functionality, but those already invested with the Amazon platform will find it to be an easy way to enjoy Logitech Harmony functionality, but without a dedicated remote.
Sevenhugs
Departing from the streaming media player route, the Sevenhugs Smart Remote X and Smart Remote U are more comparable alternatives to the now discontinued Logitech Harmony lineup versus the Fire TV models noted above. Entering as more of a true universal remote, this touchscreen-equipped home theater accessory delivers control over a variety of devices, and not just those that naturally reside in one’s movie-watching setup, either.
Integrating with everything from smart TVs and Sonos sound systems to Philips Hue lighting, smart plugs, and more, this will let you tame the home theater, regardless of which ecosystem you’re in. Alongside being compatible with over 650,000 devices, one of the standout features here is Sevenhugs Remote X’s contextual awareness functionality that will display the right controls just by pointing at various devices.
Pricing starts at $270 for the Smart Remote U, while you’ll pay $400 for the Sevenhugs Smart Remote X. These are surely the most feature-packed Logitech Harmony remote alternatives out there, and are complemented by support for up to 80 paired devices at a time to really earn them a spot among the best contenders.
Sideclick
While not as high tech as the other offerings we’ve recommended above, Sideclick’s collection of streaming media player remote attachments certainly deserve a spot among best Logitech Harmony alternatives. Serving as a way to bring more traditional universal home theater control functionality to your streaming media player’s dedicated remote, the accessory clips on in order to command a variety of devices. Each one features eight buttons for adjusting volume, toggling power, and more, and is compatible with everything from Roku and Fire TV to Apple TV.
Pricing starts at $20 depending on which Sideclick model you end up with, making them one of the most affordable ways to supplement your current home theater setup.
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