Before I had Harmony remotes I used to use and program Home
Theater Master remotes. It took much longer, their Database was never as up to date as Logitech, and they really only wanted professionals to use and program them. For individuals like me, it became a pain to download the new database, and access any help.
That said, the programming was very open, with the ability to build different macros to your hearts content. I have found in a few instances that the Logitech programming, while easy to use, is restrictive in allowing you to step outside of their pre-programmed activity functions.
But outside of that rare instance, the software and hardware are first rate, easy to set up and use, and have great accessibility. I can't tell you how many times I have fixed a friends remote while sitting here on my laptop with Harmony. That's convenient.