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Buying guide

Ameca 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, Ameca is further along: at the commercial stage versus Tesla Optimus at the research stage, as of 2026.

  • Tesla Optimus has the lower recorded price.
  • Tesla Optimus has more verified real-world deployments (3 vs 2).
  • Ameca is at the commercial stage; Tesla Optimus at the research stage.
Attribute
Ameca (Engineered Arts). Image by Willy Jackson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (Wikidata Q114350510). Re-hosted on the DEPLOY blob store from the Commons original.
AmecaView 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 →
ManufacturerEngineered ArtsTesla
Form factorhumanoidhumanoid
Maturitycommercialresearch
Autonomy—◐ not independently verified
Availabilityshipping-nowshippingannounced-no-dateannounced
Price$250,000 (actual sale price)$20,000-$30,000 (manufacturer target)
Capability claims—
  • Folds laundry (teleoperated-assisted, teleoperated-in-demo)
  • Tidies a room (demo-only, demonstrated-once)
Brain—
Verified deployments2Engineered Arts, Engineered Arts3
Privacy practices——
Sources on file1351

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Ameca

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Tesla Optimus

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Editorial summaries

Ameca

Ameca, from UK-based Engineered Arts, is the famous expressive humanoid: 61 actuated movements (27 DoF head/face plus 34 DoF upper body), 50+ facial expressions, and conversational AI via the Tritium software with LLM and speech integration (Generation 3 shown at ICRA 2025). It is a stationary communication and showpiece robot, not a mobile general-purpose worker.

It is commercially offered for purchase and rental at about $250,000. The expressiveness and conversation are real; what it is not is a walking, working humanoid.

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 Ameca and Tesla Optimus differ?
On DEPLOY's record, Ameca is further along: at the commercial stage versus Tesla Optimus at the research stage, as of 2026. Tesla Optimus has the lower recorded price. Tesla Optimus has more verified real-world deployments (3 vs 2). Ameca is at the commercial stage; Tesla Optimus at the research stage.
What is the difference between Ameca and Tesla Optimus?
Ameca 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, Ameca or Tesla Optimus?
Tesla Optimus has the lower recorded price on the DEPLOY registry than Ameca. Prices are sourced; see each record for whether the figure is a manufacturer target, an estimate, or an actual sale price.
Is Ameca or Tesla Optimus more autonomous?
On the DEPLOY registry, neither Ameca 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, Ameca or Tesla Optimus?
Tesla Optimus has more verified deployments (3) on the DEPLOY registry than Ameca (2). DEPLOY counts a deployment only when confirmed at a named site with a primary source.

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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.AmecaModel The full model page.Tesla OptimusModel The full model page.Engineered ArtsRecord The maker's verified record.

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