Best 1X NEO Alternatives of 2026
Five robots for people weighing a $20,000 NEO preorder, ranked on what you can actually buy, what it does and what each company has published.
By , research by the BestBots team ยท Updated Oct 19, 2026
Fact checked against each company's published pricing, documentation and verified user ratings. How we score
The best 1X NEO alternative depends on what you need. To own a humanoid today, the Unitree G1 is on sale at $13,500. For the most capable home humanoid on paper, watch Figure 03, which has no consumer price yet. If you want help at home right now, single purpose robots, from Amazon Astro to a robot vacuum with an arm, do specific jobs well.
Our top picks
Why people look for 1X NEO alternatives
NEO is the only home humanoid with an announced consumer price and a working preorder: $20,000 for Early Access or $499 a month, a $200 refundable deposit, and US deliveries announced for 2026. It is 5 ft 6 in and 66 lbs with a soft body, lifts 154 lbs, runs 4 hours and is rated at 22 dB. The reasons buyers compare:
- Basic autonomy at launch. Chores NEO does not know are done by scheduled remote 1X Experts who teleoperate it.
- Cooking is restricted at launch.
- It is not waterproof. 1X lists IP68 hands and an IP44 body, for indoor use on firm ground.
- US only for now, with international deliveries later.
- Price. $20,000 is a big bet on a first generation product.
Our picks, in detail
- Status
- On sale through Unitree
- Announced price
- $13,500 (G1, tax and shipping excluded); G1 EDU contact sales
- Height and weight
- 1,320 mm (about 4 ft 4 in), about 35 kg (77 lbs)
- Runtime
- About 2 hours, 9,000 mAh
The Unitree G1 is on sale now at a listed $13,500 before tax and shipping, against NEO's $20,000 preorder with 2026 delivery. It has 23 degrees of freedom (up to 43 on the G1 EDU), a depth camera plus 3D LiDAR and about 2 hours of runtime, and folds to 690 mm for transport.
Pros
- Published price and real availability
- Depth camera plus 3D LiDAR
- Folds to 690 mm for transport
Cons
- Not a household chores robot
- 2 kg arm payload
- Secondary development only on G1 EDU
- Short 8 month warranty
Skip it if you want help with chores; it is a research and developer platform with about 2 kg of payload per arm and an 8 month warranty.
- Status
- Not for sale to consumers; deployed at BMW and in Figure's own home trials
- Announced price
- None published
- Height and weight
- Not published
- Runtime
- Not published
Figure 03 has the most production behind it: Figure's BotQ plant built 1 robot per hour and had delivered 350+ by April 29, 2026, and its Helix model tidied, folded laundry and made beds in 30 Bay Area homes at a 56% zero shot success rate. Palm cameras and tactile sensors detect down to 3 grams.
Pros
- Real production volume (1 per hour by April 2026)
- Published home task results across 30 homes
- Soft textile and foam design for home safety
Cons
- No consumer price or availability
- Zero shot home success rate published at 56%
- Privacy policy for home use not addressed in the launch post
Skip it if you want to place an order; Figure has published no consumer price or sales date.
- Status
- Not for sale; internal Tesla use
- Announced price
- None published by Tesla; a roughly $30,000 figure was cited at the October 2024 We, Robot event
- Height and weight
- 5 ft 8 in, 125 lbs (published Gen 2 figures)
- Runtime
- Not published
Optimus is backed by Tesla's manufacturing scale, with a Fremont line being installed per Tesla's Q1 2026 earnings call, 22 degree of freedom Gen 3 hands and internal factory work already under way. Published Gen 2 figures are 5 ft 8 in and 125 lbs.
Pros
- Backed by Tesla's manufacturing scale and new credit lines
- 22 degree of freedom hands
- Already doing internal factory tasks per Tesla
Cons
- Cannot be ordered
- Missed production targets (reported behind on 5,000 units in 2025)
- Demos have used teleoperation (October 2024 event)
Skip it if you want certainty; Tesla has opened no orders and past sales timelines have slipped.
- Status
- On sale through Unitree
- Announced price
- $4,900 (R1 AIR), $5,900 (R1); R1 EDU contact sales
- Height and weight
- 1,230 mm, about 27 kg (AIR) or 29 kg
- Runtime
- About 1 hour, quick release battery
The Unitree R1 starts at $4,900 for the R1 AIR and $5,900 for the R1, about a quarter to a third of NEO's price. It has up to 26 joints, a built in multimodal model for voice and images and a quick release battery.
Pros
- Lowest published humanoid price
- Built in multimodal voice and image model
- Quick release battery
Cons
- About 1 hour of runtime
- Short warranties
- Not a chores robot
Skip it if you expect household help; it runs about 1 hour and is a hobby and education robot.
- Status
- Invitation only via Amazon Day 1 Editions, limited quantities
- Announced price
- Not published
- Height and weight
- Not published
- Runtime
- Not published
If what you want from NEO is a robot that moves around your home and checks on it, Amazon's Astro does that today by invitation: remote room checks, alerts for unrecognized people or sounds, a periscope camera, Alexa routines and Ring patrols with a subscription. One button turns off its mics, cameras and motion.
Pros
- One button privacy shutoff
- Ring integration for patrols
- Alexa follows you around the house
Cons
- Invitation only since 2021
- Best features need a Ring Home Premium subscription
- No arms; it monitors, it does not do chores
Skip it if you want chores done; Astro has no arms, and it has been invitation only since 2021.
Status and specs compared with NEO
| Robot | Status, October 2026 | Price | Size | Runtime | Built for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1X NEO | Preorder, US deliveries announced for 2026 | $20,000 or $499 per month (announced) | 5 ft 6 in, 66 lbs | 4 hours | Home chores, with remote Experts |
| Unitree G1 | On sale | $13,500 (G1, tax and shipping excluded) | About 4 ft 4 in, 77 lbs | About 2 hours | Research and development |
| Figure 03 | Not for sale to consumers | None published | Not listed | Not listed | Home and commercial work |
| Tesla Optimus | Not for sale | None published by Tesla | 5 ft 8 in, 125 lbs (Gen 2) | Not listed | Factory work, general purpose later |
| Unitree R1 | On sale | $4,900 (R1 AIR), $5,900 (R1) | About 4 ft, 27 to 29 kg | About 1 hour | Hobby and education |
| Amazon Astro | Invitation only | Not listed here | Wheeled, not humanoid | Not listed | Home monitoring |
Humanoid prices are the makers' own published or announced figures, October 2026. Amazon Astro is sold through Amazon, so we do not quote its price.
How to choose
Do you want to buy now or wait? Only NEO (preorder), the Unitree G1 and the Unitree R1 can be ordered. Figure 03 and Optimus are programs to watch, not products.
Chores or curiosity? None of the buyable alternatives does household chores. The G1 and R1 are platforms for developers, researchers and hobbyists. NEO is the only one sold as a home helper, and even it leans on remote operators for unfamiliar tasks.
Privacy. NEO's Expert Mode puts a remote 1X operator in control during sessions you schedule; 1X says owners control those sessions, data is not sold and an opt out is offered. Astro has a one button privacy shutoff. Figure has not addressed home privacy in its launch post.
Single purpose robots already work. If the goal is less housework, a robot vacuum and mop such as the Roborock Saros Z70, whose arm picks up socks before it cleans, a robot mower or a self cleaning litter box handles one chore reliably today. See best robot vacuums.
What a home humanoid costs
The only published consumer prices in this category are NEO's $20,000 (or $499 a month), the Unitree G1's $13,500 and the Unitree R1's $4,900 to $5,900. Tesla has not published a price; a roughly $30,000 figure cited at its October 2024 event is a target, not an offer. Our humanoid robot cost guide breaks down the math, including the NEO subscription, which passes the purchase price after about 40 months.
How we picked
We started from the humanoids in our best humanoid robots guide and the robots most often compared with NEO in search results and humanoid roundups, then added Amazon Astro as the only home robot on sale that patrols and monitors a home. We ranked them on what a NEO shopper weighs: whether you can buy it, what it costs, what it can do in a home and what the company has published. Facts come from each company's own pages, filings and launch posts; we did not test the robots. See the full 1X NEO review and our Tesla Optimus vs 1X NEO comparison.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to the 1X NEO?
It depends on what you want. To own a humanoid now, the Unitree G1 is on sale at $13,500. For a home helper, nothing on sale does what NEO promises yet; Figure 03 is the strongest on paper but has no consumer price. For monitoring today, Amazon Astro, and for tidying floors, a robot vacuum like the Roborock Saros Z70 with its arm.
Is there a humanoid robot cheaper than the 1X NEO?
Yes. Unitree lists the G1 at $13,500 and the R1 from $4,900 (R1 AIR) or $5,900 (R1). Both are research, education and hobby robots, not household helpers, and both have short warranties of 6 to 8 months on the base models.
1X NEO or Tesla Optimus?
NEO, if you want to order: 1X takes a $200 refundable deposit for $20,000 Early Access or $499 a month by subscription, with US deliveries announced for 2026. Tesla has opened no orders for Optimus. See our Tesla Optimus vs 1X NEO comparison.
1X NEO or Figure 03?
Figure 03 has more published production and home task data; NEO has a price and a preorder. If you want to buy one, only NEO is an option today.
Can any robot do household chores today?
Not in the general way NEO promises. NEO itself ships with basic autonomy and relies on remote 1X Experts for chores it does not know. Single purpose robots already handle specific chores: robot vacuums and mops, robot mowers, pool robots and self cleaning litter boxes.
Is the 1X NEO subscription worth it over buying?
At $499 a month, the subscription passes the $20,000 purchase price after about 40 months. It suits people who want to try a home humanoid without the full commitment; owners planning to keep it longer save by buying.