Logitech Harmony Companion vs. Logitech Harmony Smart Control: Which should you buy?

Logitech Harmony Companion

Logitech Harmony Companion

The Harmony Companion is a full-featured universal remote for controlling not only your TV and cable box, but your streaming boxes, Blu-ray players, and even smart home products. We just wish you had more options with the dedicated smart home buttons, and the price could always be lower.

Logitech Harmony Companion

Control your TV, cable box, Apple TV, Roku or other entertainment devices
Controls smart home devices like Philips Hue lights
Dedicated smart home control buttons
Control devices hidden behind cabinet doors
Can set up with smartphone or computer
One-year battery life with replaceable battery
Works with Alexa when the hub is plugged in
Newer compared to the Smart Control
Smart home control buttons are limited in their scope
More expensive than the Smart Control for not much more functionality

Logitech Harmony Smart Control

Logitech Harmony Smart Control

The Harmony Smart Control offers many of the same capabilities as its newer brethren in Logitech's lineup, offering control of all of your entertainment devices and various smart home appliances. It would be better if it had some dedicated space for smart home products, and it's also a little older than I'd generally prefer a tech product.

Logitech Harmony Smart Control

Control your TV, cable box, Apple TV, Roku or other entertainment devices
Controls smart home devices like Philips Hue lights
Control devices hidden behind cabinet doors
Easy to set up with smartphone app
One-year battery life with replaceable battery
Works with Alexa when the hub is plugged in
Cheaper than the Harmony Companion with most of the functionality
No dedicated smart home buttons
Older than Harmony Companion

If you want a universal remote that will control both your entertainment setup and your smart home devices, both the Harmony Companion and Harmony Smart Control would be good fits for you. The Smart Control might be a few years older, but it's cheaper, with most of the same features as the Harmony Companion.

A matter of control

Truth be told, these are very similar remotes. They connect to the same Harmony Hub, both control different smart home appliances like Philips Hue lights, and both use coin-style batteries that should last around a year. The biggest difference is that the Harmony Companion is a newer device than the Smart Control, so if you're concerned about ongoing support, that's something to consider. Otherwise, you should be just fine with the Harmony Smart Control.

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Header Cell - Column 0 Logitech Harmony Companion Logitech Harmony Smart Control
Battery Life One year One Year
Wi-Fi Yes Yes
Bluetooth Yes Yes
IR Yes Yes
Smartphone setup Yes Yes
Dedicated Smart home buttons Yes No
Alexa Yes (with Hub) Yes (with Hub)
Google Assistant Yes (with Hub) Yes (with Hub)
Hub Included Yes Yes

Unless you're really worried about its age, I'd recommend that you pick up the Logitech Harmony Smart Control. It offers most of the same functionality as the Companion at a lower price.

While the Harmony Companion does have the smart home control buttons, their functionality is limited to more simple actions, like turning on lights or locking and unlocking doors. For instance, while you can use the buttons to control, say, your Philips Hue lights, they won't allow you to set scenes. The '+' and '-' home control buttons are for brightening and dimming lights.

The saving grace here is really that the list of Harmony-enabled smart home products is continually expanding. However, the biggest material advantage that the Companion has other than "newness" over the Smart Control can turn into something frustrating for the Harmony Companion, as it might not expand smart home functionality as much as you might hope.

Those frustrations aside (and keep in mind, we're talking about six out of 43 buttons here), the Companion is still a great device. Both it and the Harmony Smart Control are excellent remotes, you just won't get much more for the additional price out of the Harmony Companion compared to the Harmony Smart Control.