Head to head
NEO vs Optimus
NEO (1X Technologies, from $20,000) against Optimus (Tesla, from $30,000), side by side on price, realism, specifications and availability.
The short version
- NEO scores higher on our Realism Index: 40/100 to Optimus's 34. The widest gap is body & skin (50 vs 30).
- NEO is the cheaper way in: $20,000 against $30,000.
- NEO is on preorder; Optimus is announced but not on sale.
- NEO also carries a $499/month software subscription.
Composed from the two directory records, so it updates when they do.
Our verdict
NEO is the home humanoid you can order today, at $20,000 or $499 a month, in a soft 30 kg body built to be safe around people. Optimus wears industrial shells with no synthetic skin, with a target of about $30,000 at scale and a history of slipped dates. Optimus scores slightly higher on motion (60 vs 58) and mind (52 vs 50), but NEO leads on body (50 vs 30) and reality (35 vs 25). Neither has a face.
- Pick NEO if
- Pick NEO if you want a humanoid in your home soonest and accept that early units rely partly on teleoperation.
- Pick Optimus if
- Pick Optimus if you'd rather wait for Tesla's manufacturing scale to deliver its price target than buy into an early product now.
NEO40/100
Optimus34/100
Realism Index sub-scores — six weighted dimensions built from public evidence. How we score
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Pre-order | Announced |
| Type | Consumer | Humanoid |
| Form | Full body | Full body |
| Presents as | Non-gendered | Non-gendered |
| Price | $20,000 outright, or $499/month | Target ~$30k at scale; Musk has floated under $20k |
| Subscription | $499/mo | — |
| Availability | Preorder · 2026 deliveries promised, none confirmed | Early production · outside deliveries late 2027 |
| Origin | USA | USA |
| Realism index | 40/100 | 34/100 |
| Height | 167 cm · 5 ft 6 in | 173 cm · 5 ft 8 in |
| Weight | 30 kg · 66 lb | 57 kg · 125 lb (Gen 2 baseline) |
| Skin & materials | 3D-lattice polymer body in a woven knit suit | Industrial shells — no synthetic skin |
| Actuation | Patented Tendon Drive compliant actuators | 40+ actuators; hands targeting 22 DoF (Gen 3) |
| Power | ~842 Wh battery | ~2.3 kWh battery |
| Runtime | ~4 hours typical use (est.) | Not officially confirmed |
| AI & conversation | Onboard 'Redwood' vision-language model | FSD-derived vision; new AI5 chip for onboard intelligence (Gen 3) |
| Voice | Conversational LLM; speaks when addressed | Grok-based conversational voice (Gen 3 target) |
| Mobility | Walks ~5 km/h; quoted max speed unconfirmed | Bipedal walking demoed ~8 km/h |
| Expressions | No face — communicates by voice and motion | No expressive face |
| Languages | — | — |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 5G | Wi-Fi / cellular |