DEPLOY

Buying guide

Clone Protoclone vs Tesla Optimus in 2026

Comparing 2 humanoid robots across availability, pricing, capabilities, and verified deployments. Current as of 2026.

Key differences

On DEPLOY's record, Tesla Optimus has more verified real-world deployments (6 versus 0) than Clone Protoclone as of 2026; DEPLOY counts a deployment only when confirmed at a named site with a primary source.

  • Tesla Optimus has more verified real-world deployments (6 vs 0).
Attribute
Protoclone: Bipedal Musculoskeletal Android V1
Clone ProtocloneView full model page →
Tesla Optimus reaching an open hand toward blocks on the sorting table during the autonomous colour-sorting demo.
Tesla OptimusView full model page →
ManufacturerClone RoboticsTesla
Form factorhumanoidhumanoid
Maturityresearchresearch
Autonomy—◐ not independently verified
Availabilitypreorder-openpreorderannounced-no-dateannounced
Price$20,000 (manufacturer target)$20,000-$30,000 (manufacturer target)
Capability claims—
  • Folds laundry (teleoperated-assisted, teleoperated-in-demo)
  • Tidies a room (demo-only, demonstrated-once)
Brain—
Verified deployments06
Privacy practices——
Sources on file831

Track this matchup

Get told the moment Clone Protoclone or Tesla Optimus changes. Verified changes only, the second they are real. No press-release noise.

Clone Protoclone

Verified changes only. No press-release noise.

Tesla Optimus

Verified changes only. No press-release noise.

Editorial summaries

Clone Protoclone

Clone Robotics is accepting reservations for the Clone Alpha, a limited first edition of 279 units, through its own website. No purchase price has been published. The reservation availability is verified from the maker's page; the price is not disclosed.

Tesla Optimus

Tesla Optimus is the canonical example of the verified-vs-claimed gap in commercial humanoid robotics. Tesla has shown Optimus in choreographed demos, internal-facility deployment, and consumer-marketing contexts, but no verified third-party customer deployments and no shipped consumer units exist as of 2026. The price ($20,000 to $30,000) is a manufacturer target contingent on high-volume production that has not yet begun. Optimus units inside Tesla facilities count as manufacturer pilot, not commercial deployment under DEPLOY's maker-facility rule.

Common questions

How do Clone Protoclone and Tesla Optimus differ?
On DEPLOY's record, Tesla Optimus has more verified real-world deployments (6 versus 0) than Clone Protoclone as of 2026; DEPLOY counts a deployment only when confirmed at a named site with a primary source. Tesla Optimus has more verified real-world deployments (6 vs 0).
What is the difference between Clone Protoclone and Tesla Optimus?
Clone Protoclone and Tesla Optimus are both humanoid robots on the DEPLOY registry. They differ in maker, maturity, price, verified deployments, and how much of their autonomy is independently verified. See the table above for the full head-to-head; each figure is sourced.
Which is cheaper, Clone Protoclone or Tesla Optimus?
On the DEPLOY registry, Clone Protoclone and Tesla Optimus have a comparable recorded price. Both figures are sourced; check each record for the price status (target, estimate, or actual sale).
Is Clone Protoclone or Tesla Optimus more autonomous?
On the DEPLOY registry, neither Clone Protoclone nor Tesla Optimus has capabilities independently verified as fully autonomous yet; their recorded capabilities are teleoperated-assisted, demonstrated, or vendor-claimed. See the table for each capability's verification status.
Which has more verified deployments, Clone Protoclone or Tesla Optimus?
Tesla Optimus has more verified deployments (6) on the DEPLOY registry than Clone Protoclone (0). DEPLOY counts a deployment only when confirmed at a named site with a primary source.

Recent coverage

Related comparisons

Keep researching

Keep reading

Which humanoid robots can you actually buy in 2026?Answer The verified list.Humanoid robot prices: every verified figureAnswer The verified list.All humanoidsRegistry Every verified record in the category.Clone ProtocloneModel The full model page.Tesla OptimusModel The full model page.Clone RoboticsRecord The maker's verified record.

Ask the registry

For AI assistants

Use DEPLOY in Claude, Cursor, and other AI assistants

Connect any MCP-aware assistant to the live registry. Ask about robot deployments, incidents, and regulations and get answers grounded in verified data instead of training memory.

Install instructionsDownload for Claude Desktop

Machine-readable: this page as markdown.

← Back to all consumer robots