The best universal remotes can help clean up the clutter on your coffee table. Instead of reaching for one remote to turn on your TV, another remote to turn on your soundbar, and yet another for your streaming stick, a universal remote can let you control everything from one device.
Better yet, the best universal remotes let you automate a number of tasks — such as turning on all the components, and having them change to the right settings — all with a single button press. Some universal remotes also have smart home controls, as well as voice search, so you can look for shows, movies, and more across multiple streaming services.
Among the best universal remotes, the choices are less than universal. Over the past few years, Logitech — which made the best universal remotes — discontinued its product line, so there are far fewer options than before, but you still have some choices. That's why our top pick at the moment is the SofaBaton X1S. It's the closest that comes to what I liked the most about Logitech's remotes; it's comfortable to hold, and fairly easy to program. If you're on a budget, the SofaBaton U2 costs less than $100, and does much of the same, but it's not as easy to program.
Read on for the best universal remotes.
The quick list
The SofaBaton X1S lets you control up to 60 devices, is easy to program, and works with Alexa and Google Assistant.
It can only control 15 devices, but the SofaBaton U2 costs a third of the X1, making it the more economical option.
Who needs a remote? The Fire TV Cube lets you control everything by voice alone — provided you use Alexa.
The best universal remotes you can buy today
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Best overall
The closest thing you can get to Harmony's universal remotes is the SofaBaton X1S. The remote itself has an attractive, comfortable design with just the right number of buttons — which are backlit, to boot. There's a small scroll wheel just underneath its display to let you switch between activities and devices; you then use the circular d-pad underneath to control your system. I liked the smooth, rounded edges of the X1S, and its buttons offered just the right amount of resistance and feedback.
The X1S has a built-in battery (there's a USB-C port on the bottom of the remote), but it will last for weeks before it needs recharging. I wish it came with a small recharging cradle, which would make things just a little bit easier.
The SofaBaton X1S sends its commands to a hub, so you can hide everything away behind a cabinet, for a cleaner look. Because the hub is connected to Wi-Fi, you can also link it to Alexa and Google Assistant for hands-free operation. It can even control some smart home devices, but it's so limited it isn't worth bothering to set up.
You can program the X1S with a number of macros to automatically turn your entertainment center to the right settings. The setup process has also become a lot more intuitive since the last time we tested a SofaBaton, which is why my opinion has improved, and why I think it's the best universal remote out there.
Read our full Sofabaton X1S review.
Best budget
The SofaBaton U2 looks a heckuva lot like the now-discontinued Logitech Harmony Elite, and it tries its best to perform like the what was best universal remote, too. However, when your remote costs just $49 — a fraction of the Harmony — you have to cut a few corners. For starters, the SofaBaton doesn't feel as nice as the Logitech, and the button presses aren't as smooth.
There's also a bit of a learning curve to programming the SofaBaton U2; I've tested a bunch of universal remotes, and it took me quite a while to figure out. Once I got things sorted, though, it worked pretty well. Check it out if you're looking for a universal remote that's less than $50, but if you can swing it, the SofaBaton X1S offers a much better experience overall.
Best voice control
The Amazon Fire TV Cube packs both one of the best streaming devices and Alexa into a single package, so you can use Amazon's assistant to not only look up shows and programs you want to watch, but also control your TV, cable box, switch HDMI inputs, and more.
Plus, as a streaming device, it offers an excellent 4K HDR image, fast response times, and more. The Fire TV interface could use some improvement — whose can't? — but it gives you access to just about every streaming service you could want. It also comes with a physical remote, but you can't use it to replicate everything you can do with your voice.
However, if you have limited mobility and need to access your TV, entertainment center, and smart home devices, the Fire TV Cube could be what you're looking for.
Read our full Amazon Fire TV Cube (2022) review.
Best Apple TV alternative
Let's face it: The worst thing about the Apple TV is its remote. It prizes form over functionality, which with its minimalist design, is a real pain. The Function101 remote may not look as sleek as the Apple TV remote, but it's a heckuva lot easier to use. And, its larger size actually makes it more comfortable to hold.
However, the Function101 remote does not have a Siri button, so you can't use Apple's voice assistant to look up shows or enter passwords. But, at $39, it's a worthwhile tradeoff — until Apple designs something better.
Read our full Function101 Button Remote for Apple TV review
Also tested
- Logitech Harmony Elite: The former gold standard for universal remotes, it was easy to set up, could control dozens of devices, and also had smart home controls built in to turn on your smart lights and plugs. Unfortunately, Logitech discontinued all of its smart remotes, but still supports them. You can sometimes find the Harmony Elite available on Amazon via third parties, but they're not cheap.
- Sofabaton X1: The immediate predecessor to the X1S, this model worked well, but was harder to set up, and doesn't have as nice a display. However, you can find it for about $30 less than the X1S.
What is a universal remote?
Broadly defined, a universal remote is a device that can control all of your home entertainment devices — your TV, soundbar, streaming device, cable box, A/V receiver, and so on.
More importantly, the best universal remotes can be programmed to control multiple devices at once. Let's say you want to watch a show on your Roku device: You simply press a single button on your universal remote, and it will turn on your Roku streaming stick, turn on your TV and set it to the correct input, and turn on your soundbar or A/V receiver to the right settings.
Universal remotes have become less popular in recent years, as HDMI and CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) have been more widely adopted by TV makers. This technology allows the remote that comes with your TV to control more devices itself, which obviates the need for a third-party universal remote. Still, universal remotes can prove handy, especially if you have older components.
How to choose the best universal remote
If you've gotten this far, you know by now that truly good universal remotes aren't that common. Logitech's Harmony remotes were pretty much the only game in town, and work well, but now that they've been discontinued, you'll have to look elsewhere unless you can get them at a discount.
When it was available, the Harmony Elite, at the top end, cost around $250, and let you control everything you would want, and has a little touchscreen at the top that makes it easy to switch between watching, say, cable TV to your Fire TV stick to your gaming console. Below that was the Harmony Companion, which originally sold for around $149. It doesn't have a touchscreen, but we liked that it has a physical number pad at the bottom, which is better suited for those who like to punch in channel numbers. Both the Elite and the Companion had dedicated smart home controls, so you can dim the lights easily, and you can also use Logitech's app to control everything if you happen to lose your remote.
Our current top pick, the SofaBaton X1S, does have a couple of smart home controls, but they're extremely limited, to the point where we wouldn't bother using them.
How we test the best universal remotes
To test universal remotes, we set them up in our home entertainment system, and connect them to several streaming devices (an Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV Cube, Roku Stick) as well as a Dish TV receiver, and a soundbar.
We look to see how easy things are to set up — programming a universal remote is often the hardest part of any of these systems — and once everything is up and running, how quickly and accurately the remote can send commands to all of our devices.
We also take into consideration the feel of the remote in our hands, as well as the ease with which we can reach all the buttons.
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