How Much Does a Companion Robot Cost?

Checked on October 30, 2026, the honest answer runs from about $5,000 to well past $100,000, depending on whether you want something that walks, something that looks human, or the rare machine that attempts both. Here is the whole price landscape, using the numbers makers have actually published, with the asterisks restored.

The entry tier: under $25,000

The cheapest way to own a walking humanoid is not a companion at all. Unitree's R1 is listed on its US store at $4,900 (R1 Air) and $5,900 (R1) before tax and shipping, and its research-grade G1 is $13,500 at base (it launched at $16,000). Both are faceless, child-sized machines with no pretense of warmth.

For actual companionship at this tier, the options are new and telling. Realbotix's Echo Tabletop, a silicone-faced desktop bust, is $11,950 plus an AI plan from $19.99 a month, reserved with a $199 deposit for delivery in the second half of 2027. 1X's NEO, a soft, knit-suited home humanoid, is $20,000 outright or $499/month. UBTech's U1 Lite, the semi-torso edition of the first mass-produced lifelike companion, starts at ¥119,800 (~$17,650), in China only. Until September 2026 Realbotix also listed a conversational bust from about $20,000; its site now sells only Echo.

Tesla's Optimus belongs here only as a promise: the ~$30,000 figure is a target at scale, not a price you can pay today, and Tesla named no price when it said on October 22, 2026 that early production had begun.

Below this tier sit the companions that don't look human at all, from a $429 Casio Moflin to ElliQ at $39-$59 a month. They're compared in our guide to non-humanoid companion robots.

The mid tier: $25,000 to $100,000

This is where full lifelike bodies begin. UBTech's full-body U1 Pro lands at ¥169,800 (~$25,000), the first time a walking, silicone-skinned companion has been priced like a car rather than a house. The Echo Full Body, a life-size Realbotix companion that stands on a base and moves only from the waist up, is $59,950 on the same reservation terms. Realbotix's Melody, the M-Series companion, was listed from $95,000 as late as September 2026 (down from ~$150,000 at launch), but it no longer appears on the maker's site. Unitree's full-size H1 launched at about $90,000 and is now sold by quote; that buys athleticism, not a face.

The flagship tier: six figures

Realbotix's Aria, the most lifelike face and skin anyone has been able to buy, was listed from $125,000 for the F-Series (it launched at $175,000) until Echo replaced the lineup on Realbotix's site in October 2026; ask the maker whether it still takes orders. DroidUp's Moya carries a maker estimate near $173,000, unconfirmed until it ships. UBTech's high-dynamic U1 Ultra tops the consumer field near ¥990,000 (~$146,500). And industrial machines show where enterprise money goes: Agility's Digit sells around $250,000, while Ameca, Atlas and Phoenix are quote-only or not sold at all.

The bill after the sticker

Two costs hide behind every headline price:

Subscriptions. The mind is increasingly rented. Echo's AI plans run from $19.99/month, which covers 10 hours of conversation, to $199/month; Realbotix charged $199.99/month for the AI on Aria and Melody, and 1X's $499/month plan is the product for many buyers. Over five years, $20-$500 a month adds $1,200-$30,000 to the real bill.

Everything else. Maintenance, repairs out of warranty, replacement skin, shipping a 40 kg machine back to the maker — and a resale market that barely exists. We've broken this down in the true cost of ownership.

How to read any robot price

Three rules keep you honest. First: distinguish a price (you can pay it today) from a target (Optimus's $30k, Clone's "under $20k" cost goal, Moya's estimate: all aspirations, flagged as such in our directory). Second: ask what the subscription gates. A companion that stops conversing when the payments stop is a lease with extra steps, and Echo's cheapest plan drops it to basic functions once its 10 monthly hours run out. Third: check the paper trail. In this field, prices fall and ship dates slip, and both tell you about the maker.

Figures come from makers' own published pricing, checked on October 30, 2026; most are tracked in our directory, where each profile lists its sources. Or answer four questions and get a shortlist inside your budget.