Buying guide

SE01 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 1) than SE01 as of 2026; DEPLOY counts a deployment only when confirmed at a named site with a primary source.

SE01 has the lower recorded price.
Tesla Optimus has more verified real-world deployments (6 vs 1).

Attribute	SE01 View full model page →	Tesla Optimus View full model page →
Manufacturer	EngineAI	Tesla
Form factor	humanoid	humanoid
Maturity	research	research
Autonomy	◐ not independently verified	◐ not independently verified
Availability	internal-onlyenterprise	announced-no-dateannounced
Price	$12,000-$26,000 (analyst estimate)	$20,000-$30,000 (manufacturer target)
Capability claims	Picks and packs (demo-only, demonstrated-once)	Folds laundry (teleoperated-assisted, teleoperated-in-demo) Tidies a room (demo-only, demonstrated-once)
Brain	—	Tesla FSD-Bot (foundation-model) Grok (xAI) (foundation-model)
Verified deployments	1EngineAI	6
Privacy practices	—	—
Sources on file	6	31

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SE01

Tesla Optimus

Editorial summaries

SE01

EngineAI's SE01 (from EngineAI, Shenzhen) is a 32-degree-of-freedom research humanoid noted for a neural-network natural-gait walking demonstration. DEPLOY records it at research maturity with no verified deployments: the natural-gait footage is demonstration material, not evidence of autonomous deployment, and DEPLOY cap-flags aggregator framing of SE01 as 'autonomous' or commercially deployed. As a smaller-maker research platform it has no consumer price.

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 SE01 and Tesla Optimus differ?

On DEPLOY's record, Tesla Optimus has more verified real-world deployments (6 versus 1) than SE01 as of 2026; DEPLOY counts a deployment only when confirmed at a named site with a primary source. SE01 has the lower recorded price. Tesla Optimus has more verified real-world deployments (6 vs 1).

What is the difference between SE01 and Tesla Optimus?

SE01 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, SE01 or Tesla Optimus?

SE01 has the lower recorded price on the DEPLOY registry than Tesla Optimus. Prices are sourced; see each record for whether the figure is a manufacturer target, an estimate, or an actual sale price.

Is SE01 or Tesla Optimus more autonomous?

On the DEPLOY registry, neither SE01 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, SE01 or Tesla Optimus?

Tesla Optimus has more verified deployments (6) on the DEPLOY registry than SE01 (1). DEPLOY counts a deployment only when confirmed at a named site with a primary source.

Recent coverage

Virtuix Expands Omni One Into Tesla Optimus, NASA And U.S. Military ApplicationsTesla Optimus · Pulse2 · 2026-08-22
Tesla and SpaceX will invest $16.8B to start building ‘Terafab’ chip factory in TexasTesla Optimus · TechCrunch – Transportation · 2026-08-06
EngineAI opens Shenzhen T800 factory producing one humanoid robot every 15 minutesSE01 · Ben Smith, Deploy Editor · 2026-06-20
What Is a Humanoid Robot? [2026] - RoboZapsSE01 · Google News · 2026-06-10

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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.SE01Model The full model page.Tesla OptimusModel The full model page.EngineAIRecord The maker's verified record.

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