What changes the decision
When evaluating a demonstration, ask whether the video is continuous, how many attempts were made, what the operator did and whether the environment was arranged in advance. A successful sequence does not establish a useful success rate. Ask for repeated trials of your intended task with failures included.
For a purchasing decision, measure completed tasks per hour and the human time required to set up, supervise and recover the system. A narrower, repeatable capability can be more useful than a broad but fragile demonstration. Do not assume future software updates are included or will remove current limitations.
Humanoid robots in the UK: what you can buy and what it costs →
Buying in your market: United Kingdom
Ask for a UK delivered quote with configuration and service scope. Separate hardware, integration, training and recurring software costs. Do not interpret a foreign launch price or a deposit as the cost of a ready-to-use household humanoid.
Compare UK offers in pounds for the exact model, dock and accessories. Confirm whether the displayed total includes VAT and delivery, and check the seller’s return terms. A euro or US-dollar listing is not a UK price, even if international shipping appears possible.
For an imported model, verify the supplied plug, service destination and responsibility for return shipping. Prices shown are dated research records and can change. Unknown local stock remains unknown rather than being inferred from a manufacturer’s global launch.
Comparison at a glance
| Model | Evidence summary | Local offer |
|---|---|---|
| Unitree G1 | A genuinely important low-cost humanoid platform for research and development, but it is not a household robot. The real value is the hardware, SDK access and developer ecosystem. | No verified local price in our records |
| Unitree R1 | One of the cheapest serious humanoid platforms available, but the low headline price is for an experimental robot rather than a programmable household worker. The EDU version is the meaningful choice for developers. | No verified local price in our records |
| 1X NEO | The most credible home-humanoid preorder today, but still an early-access robotics programme rather than a finished autonomous housekeeper. The hardware is genuinely interesting; the autonomy and privacy trade-offs are the reason to wait. | No verified local price in our records |
| Figure Figure 03 | One of the most technically convincing humanoids in development, but not a normal product anyone should budget for yet. The hardware and autonomy demos are impressive; pricing, support and broad availability are still unresolved. | No verified local price in our records |
| Apptronik Apollo 2 | One of the more credible industrial humanoid development platforms because Apptronik is building the software, data and pilot ecosystem around the robot rather than only showing demos. It is still a pilot platform, not a finished product with a normal price and delivery date. | No verified local price in our records |
Models to investigate
Based on owner feedback
Unitree G1
Catalogue status · local delivery must be confirmed: Commercial pilot
A genuinely important low-cost humanoid platform for research and development, but it is not a household robot. The real value is the hardware, SDK access and developer ecosystem.
What people like: Developers praise the price relative to other humanoids, usable SDK and active research community.
Common complaints: The programmable configurations cost much more than the headline base price, and buyers should expect a development platform rather than finished autonomy.
No verified local price in our records · GBP
Based on owner feedback
Unitree R1
Catalogue status · local delivery must be confirmed: Available now
One of the cheapest serious humanoid platforms available, but the low headline price is for an experimental robot rather than a programmable household worker. The EDU version is the meaningful choice for developers.
What people like: Independent buyer guides praise the unusually low entry price, compact body and the existence of real SDK/development options on the EDU configuration.
Common complaints: The base R1/Air versions do not support secondary development, buyers handle shipping and import costs, and autonomous household work is far beyond what the robot delivers today.
No verified local price in our records · GBP
Sources (4)
Based on owner feedback
1X NEO
Catalogue status · local delivery must be confirmed: Preorder
The most credible home-humanoid preorder today, but still an early-access robotics programme rather than a finished autonomous housekeeper. The hardware is genuinely interesting; the autonomy and privacy trade-offs are the reason to wait.
What people like: Independent reviewers praise the soft home-safe design, published pricing, self-charging concept and unusually capable new hands.
Common complaints: Early units still depend on basic autonomy plus optional human teleoperation for difficult chores, there is no broad independent home-delivery history yet, and remote Expert Mode creates an obvious privacy trade-off.
No verified local price in our records · GBP
Sources (4)
Based on owner feedback
Figure Figure 03
Catalogue status · local delivery must be confirmed: Prototype
One of the most technically convincing humanoids in development, but not a normal product anyone should budget for yet. The hardware and autonomy demos are impressive; pricing, support and broad availability are still unresolved.
What people like: Independent analyses highlight strong tactile hands, whole-body autonomy, useful published specs and credible industrial pilot activity.
Common complaints: There is no public retail price, normal order route or long-term independent household reliability evidence, so the home-robot story is still a watchlist rather than a buying decision.
No verified local price in our records · GBP
Sources (4)
Based on owner feedback
Apptronik Apollo 2
Catalogue status · local delivery must be confirmed: Commercial pilot
One of the more credible industrial humanoid development platforms because Apptronik is building the software, data and pilot ecosystem around the robot rather than only showing demos. It is still a pilot platform, not a finished product with a normal price and delivery date.
What people like: Independent analysis highlights modular mobility, swappable batteries, human-centred safety work and the Google DeepMind/Gemini Robotics partnership.
Common complaints: Apollo 2 remains a prototype and data-collection platform for enterprise pilots, with no simple public purchase package or proven broad deployment economics yet.
No verified local price in our records · GBP
Separate availability from capability
A listed price may refer to base hardware, a developer edition or a deposit. Confirm the exact configuration, included hands, computing, batteries, software access and permitted use. A commercial pilot is not equivalent to a consumer product you can order and maintain at home.
Treat prototype announcements and scheduled delivery dates separately from shipping evidence. Ask for a written delivery and support scope. A product video shows a task occurred under some conditions; it does not prove that an ordinary buyer receives the same capability.
Ask what autonomous actually means
For each task, ask who selects the goal, whether anyone remotely controls motion, how the environment was prepared and what happens after a mistake. Scripted sequences, remote operation and autonomous recovery are different capabilities. Edited demonstrations may omit resets or unsuccessful attempts.
A useful trial specifies the environment, task, success criteria and number of repetitions. Record human interventions and recovery time. Compare repeatable performance with your operational needs rather than counting the variety of impressive clips.
Calculate the complete project cost
Hardware is only one line in the budget. Add shipping and import arrangements, setup, spare batteries, chargers, replacement parts, software or cloud fees, training, maintenance and the staff time needed to operate the system. Keep quote-only items visibly unpriced.
For a development platform, verify SDK access, documentation, software compatibility and support response. Low base pricing can be misleading when the desired manipulation package or computing configuration is an extra. Obtain a configuration-specific quote before comparing totals.
Choose a controlled use case
Start with a bounded task in an appropriate test area. Follow the manufacturer’s operating and safety documentation, including supervision and emergency-stop arrangements. Size, mass and joint force make a humanoid a different proposition from a small desktop companion.
For a household buyer seeking reliable everyday help, established single-purpose robots are often easier to assess. If your aim is research or development, judge the platform by documentation, repeatability, repair access and engineering support rather than a promise of general household competence.