Tesla Optimus vs Figure vs 1X NEO: which home humanoid is closest?

Three companies are racing to put a humanoid robot in your home: Tesla with Optimus, Figure with Figure 03, and 1X with NEO. None is sold in Australia yet, and they're at very different stages. Here's how they compare on price, what they can do on their own, size, privacy and timing. Checked 2 November 2026.

By Domestic Robot · Editor: Christian Ganaban · Updated 2 November 2026

Researched, not testedThis comparison is based on the makers' own pages, company statements and news reporting, all linked below. We haven't seen any of these robots in person, and none of them is sold in Australia.

Quick answer

1X NEO is the closest to a real home product, but only in the US. It's the only one you can order (US$20,000, or US$499 a month), and 1X says other markets follow from 2027; at launch it leans on remote human operators for tasks it can't do alone. Figure 03 has the strongest published home results, finishing 56% of chores in 30 homes it hadn't seen, in Figure's own trials, but there's no price or order page. Tesla Optimus is in early production but has no published specifications, no price and no reservation date; Musk denied a report that orders open in December. For Australians, none has a local date. If you want a humanoid now, the Unitree R1 and G1 are sold here as research and education robots, not home helpers.

Side by side

	Tesla Optimus	Figure 03	1X NEO
Can you order one?	No	No (business pilots only)	Yes, US only (US$200 refundable deposit)
Price	Not announced; Musk: less than a car (reported as US$20,000–30,000 at scale)	Not announced; CEO floated leasing for about US$600 a month (May 2026)	US$20,000 early access, or US$499 a month
Australia	No plans announced	No plans announced	Not yet; 1X says other markets from 2027
Stage	Early production at Fremont (Oct 2026)	Figure 03 in testing; Figure 04 at design lock (Oct 2026)	Full production in Hayward since April 2026; US deliveries due in 2026
Size and weight	No official figures for the current version	Figure gives no official weight; about 1.7 m reported	1.68 m, 30 kg
Battery	Not published	2.3 kWh, about 5 hours; wireless charging through the feet	842 Wh, about 4 hours
Remote human control	Earlier demos were teleoperated (Oct 2024)	Not part of the pitch; publishes autonomous results	Built in: scheduled “Expert Mode” lets a 1X operator guide it
Home evidence	None published	56% of trials in 30 unseen homes (Figure's own test, Sep 2026)	No independently verified customer delivery yet

Checked 2 November 2026 against the sources at the bottom of this page. US$ prices exclude shipping, GST and import costs.

Price: only NEO has one

1X NEO is the only one with an official price: US$20,000 for early access, or a US$499 monthly subscription, with a US$200 refundable deposit to order. We haven't converted it to Australian dollars because exchange rates and import costs change, and 1X doesn't sell to Australia yet. Figure has no official price. Its chief executive, Brett Adcock, said in a May 2026 interview that you could lease a Figure 03 for “something like $600 a month”, and Figure says Figure 03 costs far less to make than Figure 02. Tesla has no price either: Musk has said Optimus should eventually cost less than a car, which is usually reported as US$20,000–30,000 at scale. For every humanoid's price in one place, see our humanoid robot price guide.

Who's actually doing the work?

This is the biggest difference, and it matters for privacy.

NEO openly combines AI with remote people. Owners can book “Expert Mode”, where a 1X expert supervises or guides the robot remotely at scheduled times, and can pilot it themselves through an app or VR headset. 1X has said NEO can blur people and that owners can mark areas as off limits. The Wall Street Journal reported at launch that most tasks it saw were teleoperated.
Figure pitches autonomy. In September 2026 it said its Helix 2.5 software completed 56% of trials in 30 Bay Area homes it hadn't trained in (237 of 420 attempts at making beds, folding towels and tidying toys, per Humanoids Daily). Figure ran the test itself; it wasn't independently checked, and these weren't customers' homes.
Optimus robots at Tesla's October 2024 event were remotely controlled by people; one told a guest it was “assisted by a human”. On the Q3 2026 call Musk said a lot of AI work remains before Optimus is useful for open-ended tasks. Tesla hasn't published home results.

If a person can see through a robot's cameras, ask when, with what notice, and what's recorded. Our humanoid safety guide covers the questions.

Size, battery and hardware

NEO is the lightest at 30 kg and 1.68 m tall. 1X says it can lift 70 kg, carry 25 kg, runs about four hours on an 842 Wh battery and is quiet at 22 dB, with a soft, padded body. Figure 03 is covered in soft, washable textiles with foam at pinch points, has cameras in its palms and fingertip sensors that detect about 3 grams, and charges wirelessly at 2 kW through coils in its feet, for about five hours from a 2.3 kWh battery. Figure hasn't published its weight. Optimus: Tesla hasn't published specifications for the version now in production. Older Gen 2 figures circulating online aren't from Tesla, so we haven't used them.

When could each reach Australia?

Robot	Earliest realistic	What it's based on
1X NEO	2027 at the earliest	1X says US first in 2026, “expanding to other markets in 2027”; Australia not named. NEO tracker
Tesla Optimus	Not before 2028, by our reading	Outside business customers from around the end of 2027; no home or Australian date. Optimus tracker
Figure 03 / 04	No date	No consumer sales or Australian partner announced. Figure at home

None of the three companies has said anything about Australia. Australian Consumer Law guarantees would apply to any robot sold here, but buying one from overseas makes getting a repair or refund much harder.

Which one should Australians watch?

Watch NEO if you want the first true home humanoid and accept a remote operator. It's the only one with a price and a production line for homes.
Watch Figure if autonomy matters most. Its published home results are the best of the three, but there's no sign of consumer sales.
Watch Optimus for scale. Tesla is building the factory to make the most robots, but it's starting with businesses and hasn't shown home results.
Want one now? The Unitree R1 (from about A$13,000 to A$17,000 in Australia) and the Unitree G1 are sold by local resellers, but they're research and education robots that won't do your chores.

The appliance giant planning its own home robot: LG CLOiD and its 2030 target.

Common questions

Which is better, Tesla Optimus, Figure or 1X NEO?

For a home buyer today, 1X NEO is furthest along: it's the only one you can order (US only). Figure has the best published autonomy results. Tesla Optimus is in early production but has no home results, price or reservation date.

Can I buy Tesla Optimus, Figure 03 or 1X NEO in Australia?

No. As of 2 November 2026 none is sold in Australia. 1X says NEO will reach other markets from 2027; Tesla and Figure haven't announced consumer sales here.

How much does 1X NEO cost in Australia?

There's no Australian price yet. 1X sells NEO for US$20,000 or US$499 a month in the US; an Australian price would add shipping, GST and import costs.

Is 1X NEO remote-controlled?

Partly. NEO runs on its own AI, but owners can book Expert Mode, where a 1X operator guides it remotely at scheduled times, and can pilot it themselves through an app or VR.

Is Figure 03 for sale?

No. Figure hasn't opened orders or published a price. Its chief executive floated leasing for about US$600 a month in May 2026.

Sources

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