Humanoid Robot Companies: Every Major Manufacturer Ranked [2026]

The Rise of Humanoid Robot Companies

The humanoid robotics industry has exploded from a handful of research labs into a $2.9 billion global market in 2025, with projections ranging from $4 billion to $18 billion by 2030. Dozens of humanoid robot companies are now racing to build machines that walk, talk, and work alongside humans.

Whether you're an investor tracking the space, a business evaluating automation, or simply fascinated by humanoid robotics — this guide profiles every major humanoid robot company you need to know in 2026, including their key robots, funding, pricing, and what makes each one unique.

Humanoid Robot Companies: Complete Comparison Table

1. Tesla — Optimus

HQ: Austin, Texas | Founded: Robotics program launched 2021 | CEO: Elon Musk

Tesla is arguably the most high-profile humanoid robot company in the world, thanks largely to Elon Musk's bold claims about the Tesla Optimus. The company leverages its existing AI infrastructure — including the Full Self-Driving neural networks and Dojo supercomputer — to train its humanoid robot.

Key robot: Optimus Gen 2 stands 5'8" tall, weighs approximately 125 lbs (57 kg), and features 28+ degrees of freedom in its hands alone. Tesla aims for a manufacturing cost of $20,000 per unit, with a retail price target of $20,000–$30,000.

Current status: Optimus is performing basic tasks in Tesla's own factories but is "not in usage in a material way," per Musk's Q4 2025 earnings call. Tesla plans to convert its Fremont factory to produce up to 1 million Optimus units annually. Public sales are targeted for late 2027.

What makes them unique: No other humanoid robot company has Tesla's manufacturing scale, AI compute infrastructure, or brand recognition. If Musk's timelines prove even partially accurate, Tesla could dominate the consumer humanoid market by sheer production volume.

Funding: Self-funded by Tesla. The company has committed $20 billion in capex for 2026, covering manufacturing and compute infrastructure for Optimus and other projects.

📖 Read our full review: Tesla Optimus Gen 2 Review

2. Figure AI

HQ: San Jose, California | Founded: 2022 | CEO: Brett Adcock

Figure AI is the fastest-growing humanoid robot company by valuation, reaching $39 billion after raising $1 billion in September 2025. In under three years, Figure has gone from a blank-sheet startup to one of the most well-funded robotics companies in history.

Key robots: Figure 02 is the company's industrial-grade humanoid, currently being piloted with BMW for automotive manufacturing. Figure 03 is the next-generation consumer-focused robot featuring palm cameras, tactile sensors that detect forces as small as 3 grams, wireless charging, and safety foam covering.

AI platform: Figure's proprietary Helix vision-language-action (VLA) model uses a dual-system architecture — System 1 operating at 200 Hz for low-level motor control, and System 2 at 7–9 Hz for planning and reasoning. The company ended its partnership with OpenAI in 2025 to build fully proprietary AI.

Production: BotQ, Figure's dedicated humanoid manufacturing facility, targets 12,000 units per year — the first purpose-built factory for humanoid robots.

Funding: $1.9B+ total from Jeff Bezos, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Intel, Qualcomm, T-Mobile, Salesforce, and Brookfield.

What makes them unique: Speed of execution. No humanoid robot company has scaled faster from founding to multi-billion-dollar valuation. The dedicated BotQ factory gives Figure a manufacturing advantage most startups lack.

3. Boston Dynamics

HQ: Waltham, Massachusetts | Founded: 1992 | CEO: Robert Playter | Owner: Hyundai Motor Group

Boston Dynamics is the most recognized robotics company on Earth. Founded as an MIT spinoff over 30 years ago, it's the company behind the viral videos of robots doing backflips, parkour, and dancing. In 2024, Boston Dynamics retired its legendary hydraulic Atlas and introduced an all-electric version designed for real industrial deployment.

Key robots: The new electric Atlas is built for industrial manipulation tasks. Spot, their quadruped robot ($75,000), is commercially available for inspection, data collection, and security. Stretch handles warehouse logistics.

Current status: Hyundai has announced plans for 30,000 humanoid robots per year production capacity, primarily for warehouse tasks. Atlas is transitioning from R&D to commercial pilots.

Funding: Owned by Hyundai Motor Group (acquired for ~$1.1 billion in 2021). Previously owned by SoftBank and Google/Alphabet.

What makes them unique: Three decades of locomotion research gives Boston Dynamics unmatched expertise in bipedal movement. Their Orbit cloud platform for fleet management is a key differentiator for enterprise deployments.

4. Agility Robotics — Digit

HQ: Corvallis, Oregon | Founded: 2015 | CEO: Damion Shelton

Agility Robotics built what it calls the "world's first commercially deployed humanoid robot." While other companies are still in pilot phases, Digit is already working in customer warehouses.

Key robot: Digit is a bipedal humanoid purpose-built for logistics — case picking, downstacking, and trailer unloading. It's designed to fill the 1 million+ unfilled material handling jobs in the US.

Business model: Robot-as-a-Service (RaaS), with the Agility Arc cloud platform for fleet management.

Key partnerships: Amazon (warehouse testing), GXO Logistics.

Funding: $200M+ total from DCVC, Playground Global, and Amazon.

What makes them unique: First-mover advantage in commercial humanoid deployment. Purpose-built for logistics rather than trying to be a general-purpose robot, which has allowed faster time-to-market.

5. Unitree Robotics

HQ: Hangzhou, China | Founded: 2016 | CEO: Wang Xingxing

Unitree is the humanoid robot company that's democratizing access to humanoid robots. Their G1 humanoid starts at just $16,000 — making it by far the most affordable humanoid robot available for purchase today.

Key robots: The G1 is a compact, mass-production-ready humanoid. The H1 is a full-size humanoid that set the world speed record for humanoid running at 3.3 m/s (7.4 mph). Sixteen H1 units performed on China's Spring Festival TV in a cultural milestone for robotics.

Production status: Mass production — G1 and quadruped robots (Go2 from $1,600) are commercially available and shipping globally.

Funding: Backed by HongShan (Sequoia China), Matrix Partners, and Shunwei Capital. Exploring a Hong Kong IPO.

What makes them unique: Price disruption. At $16,000, the G1 costs a fraction of any competitor. Unitree is doing for humanoids what DJI did for drones — making advanced robotics affordable.

⚠️ Note: US government scrutiny has increased around Unitree, with security researchers discovering data collection issues and the House Select Committee requesting investigations into alleged PLA connections.

6. Apptronik — Apollo

HQ: Austin, Texas | Founded: 2016 | CEO: Jeff Cardenas

Apollo is Apptronik's general-purpose humanoid robot, standing 5'8" and weighing 160 lbs (73 kg). It features a 4-hour swappable battery and 55 lb (25 kg) payload capacity — practical specs designed for real warehouse work.

Target market: 3PL (case picking, trailer unloading), retail (palletizing, sortation), and manufacturing (line replenishment, machine tending). Their messaging focuses on reducing workplace injuries — one-third of which come from overexertion.

Business model: Robot-as-a-Service, promising "ROI from the start."

Funding: $80M+ total. Named to CNBC Disruptor 50 in 2025.

What makes them unique: Practical, ROI-driven approach. While competitors chase headlines, Apptronik focuses on proving economic value in specific logistics tasks. CEO Jeff Cardenas calls humanoid robots "the space race of our time."

7. 1X Technologies — NEO

HQ: Moss, Norway | Founded: 2014 | CEO: Bernt Børnich

1X Technologies is one of the few humanoid robot companies focused squarely on the home market. Their NEO robot is designed to be a household companion, while EVE serves commercial security and retail applications.

Key partnership: OpenAI is both an investor and AI collaboration partner, giving 1X access to cutting-edge language and reasoning models.

Funding: $125M+ total from OpenAI, Tiger Global, and Samsung.

What makes them unique: One of the only European humanoid robot companies, and the clearest "home robot" play in the market. The OpenAI partnership could give NEO conversational and reasoning abilities that competitors can't match.

8. Sanctuary AI — Phoenix

HQ: Vancouver, Canada | Founded: 2018 | CEO: Geordie Rose (co-founder of D-Wave Quantum)

Phoenix is Sanctuary AI's industrial-grade humanoid, and it has something most competitors don't: industry-leading hydraulic hands with exceptional dexterity and tactile feedback.

AI approach: Sanctuary builds an embodied AI cognitive architecture that mimics human movement and cognition, using sim-to-real transfer with NVIDIA Isaac Lab.

Key partnerships: Microsoft (co-presented at Hannover Messe 2025), NVIDIA.

Funding: $100M+ total.

What makes them unique: The hydraulic hand technology gives Phoenix fine manipulation capabilities that electric-motor-based hands can't yet match. Having a quantum computing pioneer (Geordie Rose) leading a robotics company brings a unique cross-disciplinary perspective.

9. UBTECH Robotics

HQ: Shenzhen, China | Founded: 2012 | CEO: James Zhou

UBTECH is the most commercially successful humanoid robot company by consumer product volume. Their Walker S is a full-size humanoid for service applications, while the Alpha Mini and Alpha 1E are affordable consumer/education robots priced at $200–$400.

Market position: UBTECH went public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in December 2023, raising ~$130 million. Before the IPO, they had raised $940M+ in private funding — one of the most-funded robotics companies globally.

Target market: Education (AI education solutions), elderly care, consumer hardware, and service robotics. Deployed in schools and institutions worldwide.

What makes them unique: Dual focus on affordable consumer products AND full-size humanoids. The Alpha series gives UBTECH revenue and brand awareness while Walker S pushes the technology frontier.

10. Xiaomi — CyberOne

HQ: Beijing, China | Founded: 2010 | CEO: Lei Jun

CyberOne is Xiaomi's humanoid robot — standing 177 cm tall, weighing 52 kg, with 21 degrees of freedom and emotion recognition capabilities. Currently an R&D prototype and technology showcase rather than a commercial product.

More relevant: CyberDog 2, Xiaomi's quadruped robot, is more commercially advanced and demonstrates the company's manufacturing prowess.

What makes them unique: Xiaomi's consumer electronics manufacturing capability is unmatched. If they decide to mass-produce a humanoid robot, they could scale faster than almost any competitor. For now, CyberOne remains a statement of intent.

11. AgiBot (Zhiyuan Robot)

HQ: Shanghai, China | Founded: ~2023 | Backer: CATL (world's largest EV battery maker)

AgiBot has one of the most ambitious product portfolios of any humanoid robot company: the A2 Ultra full-size humanoid, A2-W for flexible manufacturing, open-source X1/X2 research platforms, the D1 quadruped, and the OmniHand dexterous manipulator.

What makes them unique: Having CATL as a backer means direct access to cutting-edge battery technology — a critical advantage when battery life (typically 2–4 hours) is the biggest limitation in humanoid robotics. Their open-source X1 platform and "AGIBOT World Dataset" suggest they're building an ecosystem, not just a product.

12. Engineered Arts — Ameca

HQ: Penryn, Cornwall, UK | Founded: 2004 | CEO: Will Jackson

Ameca went viral for its incredibly realistic facial expressions — 17 degrees of freedom in the face alone. It's an upper-body social humanoid designed for entertainment, exhibitions, and research rather than physical labor.

Pricing: Reported at $100,000+, available for purchase or rental.

Other products: Mesmer (hyper-realistic humanoid) and RoboThespian (entertainment robot).

What makes them unique: No humanoid robot company creates more realistic human-like expressions. With 20 years of experience, Engineered Arts has unmatched expertise in the social/expressive dimension of humanoid robotics.

13. Hanson Robotics — Sophia

HQ: Hong Kong | Founded: 2013 | CEO: David Hanson

Sophia is the most famous robot in the world — she was granted Saudi Arabian citizenship, has appeared on countless talk shows, and has become a cultural icon. Hanson Robotics uses patented Frubber skin material for lifelike facial expressions.

Current relevance: More media personality and research platform than commercial product. Little Sophia, a $150 consumer education robot, has been discontinued.

What makes them unique: Unmatched brand recognition and cultural impact. Sophia has done more to bring humanoid robots into public consciousness than any other single robot.

14. Fourier Intelligence — GR-3

HQ: Shanghai, China | Founded: 2015 | CEO: Zen Gu

Fourier Intelligence bridges medical rehabilitation robotics with humanoid consumer products. Their GR-3 is positioned as a "caring and capable companion," while their RehabHub platform generates established revenue from the healthcare sector.

What makes them unique: The rehabilitation robotics heritage gives Fourier deep expertise in human-safe robot interaction — critical knowledge that pure-play humanoid companies lack. They understand human biomechanics at a clinical level.

15. XPeng Robotics — IRON

HQ: Guangzhou, China | Parent: XPeng Inc. (XPEV on NYSE)

XPeng follows the Tesla playbook — an electric vehicle company pivoting into humanoid robotics. IRON is their full-size bipedal humanoid, currently in the R&D/prototype stage.

What makes them unique: Like Tesla, XPeng can leverage EV manufacturing infrastructure, AI talent, and supply chain relationships. They represent the broader trend of automotive companies entering humanoid robotics.

Other Notable Humanoid Robot Companies

The humanoid robotics landscape extends well beyond the top 15. Here are additional companies making humanoid robots worth watching:

• PAL Robotics (Barcelona, Spain) — 20+ years making research humanoids. TALOS and TIAGo Pro sold to 35+ countries.
• SoftBank Robotics (Tokyo, Japan) — Created Pepper and NAO, but has pivoted from humanoid manufacturing to robot integration.
• Promobot (Russia/US operations) — Service robots deployed in 40+ countries. Actively seeking dealers and partners.
• Clone Robotics (Warsaw, Poland) — Radical musculoskeletal approach using artificial tendons instead of traditional actuators.
• Mentee Robotics (Israel) — Founded by Mobileye co-founder Amnon Shashua. Robots you can "mentor" via natural language.
• LimX Dynamics (Shenzhen, China) — Building COSA, an embodied Agentic OS integrating high-level cognition with whole-body control.
• Kepler Robot (Shanghai, China) — Forerunner humanoid with ~40 DoF for industrial applications.
• RobotEra (Beijing, China) — STAR1 humanoid targeting manufacturing, logistics, and home care.

The Investment Landscape: Who's Funding Humanoid Robot Companies?

Total venture capital investment in humanoid robotics exceeded $3–4 billion in 2024 alone. The largest single round was Figure AI's $1 billion raise at a $39 billion valuation in September 2025.

Key investors in humanoid robotics:

• NVIDIA — Both investor and infrastructure provider (Isaac Sim, GR00T foundation model)
• Jeff Bezos — Personal investment in Figure AI
• Microsoft — Invested in Figure AI; partnered with Sanctuary AI
• OpenAI — Invested in 1X Technologies
• Samsung, Intel, Qualcomm — Strategic investments across multiple companies
• Amazon — Invested in and testing Agility Robotics' Digit
• Hyundai — Acquired Boston Dynamics for $1.1 billion

Industry Trends Shaping Humanoid Robot Companies

Price Disruption

Unitree's $16,000 G1 signals the beginning of humanoid robot commoditization. Tesla targets $20,000–$30,000. Within 5 years, consumer-grade humanoids under $20,000 could become reality.

AI Breakthroughs

Vision-language-action (VLA) models are enabling robots to learn tasks from demonstration rather than explicit programming. This is the single biggest technical unlock driving the industry forward.

Manufacturing Scale

Figure's BotQ (12,000 units/year), Tesla's Fremont conversion (targeting 1 million/year), and Boston Dynamics/Hyundai (30,000/year) represent a massive ramp in production capacity.

Robot-as-a-Service (RaaS)

Companies like Agility Robotics and Apptronik are using subscription models to lower the adoption barrier for enterprises — you don't need $100K+ upfront to deploy a humanoid robot.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many humanoid robot companies are there?

There are approximately 30–50 companies actively developing humanoid robots as of 2026. This includes major players like Tesla, Figure AI, and Boston Dynamics, as well as dozens of smaller startups and Chinese manufacturers. The number has roughly doubled since 2023 as venture capital poured into the sector.

Which humanoid robot company is the most valuable?

Figure AI holds the highest private valuation at $39 billion as of September 2025. However, Tesla's Optimus program, if valued separately from the parent company, could arguably be worth more — Elon Musk has claimed 80% of Tesla's value will eventually come from Optimus. Among publicly traded pure-play companies, UBTECH (HKEX) is the most notable.

What is the cheapest humanoid robot you can buy?

The Unitree G1 at approximately $16,000 is the most affordable humanoid robot available for purchase today. For even cheaper options, UBTECH's Alpha series consumer robots start around $200–$400, though these are small educational robots rather than full-size humanoids. See our cheapest humanoid robots guide for more options.

Can you buy a humanoid robot right now?

Yes. Several humanoid robots are commercially available in 2026: the Unitree G1 ($16,000+), Unitree H1, UBTECH Alpha series ($200–$400), Engineered Arts Ameca ($100,000+), Boston Dynamics Spot (quadruped, $75,000), and Agility Robotics Digit (RaaS model). Visit Robozaps for current listings and pricing.

Which companies are making humanoid robots for home use?

The companies most focused on home/consumer humanoid robots are: 1X Technologies (NEO), Figure AI (Figure 03), Tesla (Optimus, long-term), and Unitree (G1). Most are still in development or early pilot stages. For what's available now, see our guide to humanoid robots for home use.

Are Chinese humanoid robot companies safe to buy from?

Chinese companies like Unitree and UBTECH offer compelling products at competitive prices. However, there are legitimate security concerns — researchers have found data collection issues and potential backdoors in some Chinese robot platforms. US government scrutiny is increasing. We recommend reviewing security disclosures and considering data privacy implications before purchasing. See our buying guide for detailed recommendations.

What will the humanoid robot industry look like in 2030?

Market projections range from $4 billion (conservative) to $18 billion (aggressive) by 2030. Key milestones to watch: Tesla's planned public sales (late 2027), Figure AI scaling BotQ production, and whether costs fall below $20,000 for consumer-grade humanoids. The industry's trajectory depends heavily on AI capability improvements and manufacturing cost breakthroughs.

The Bottom Line

The humanoid robotics industry is at an inflection point. Billions in investment, breakthroughs in AI, and the entrance of manufacturing giants like Tesla are accelerating the timeline for humanoid robots to enter our factories, warehouses, and eventually our homes.

No single humanoid robot company has "won" yet. Tesla has scale. Figure AI has momentum. Boston Dynamics has experience. Unitree has price. The next 2–3 years will determine which companies making humanoid robots can cross the gap from impressive demos to reliable, commercially viable products.

For the latest reviews, pricing, and availability of humanoid robots, visit Robozaps — your marketplace for humanoid robots. Browse our best humanoid robots of 2026 ranking or explore humanoid robot costs to find the right robot for your needs.

Last updated: February 2026 | Sources: Manufacturer websites, SEC filings, Crunchbase, MarketsandMarkets, Grand View Research, Tesla Q4 2025 earnings call