Unitree G1 vs Tesla Optimus
Side-by-side comparison of the Unitree G1 and Tesla Optimus humanoid robots — price, technical specifications and availability for European research institutions.
| Spec | Unitree G1 | Tesla Optimus |
|---|---|---|
| Approx. price | from ~€15,000 | not sold — pilot deployments only (~$20–30k target) |
| Height | 127 cm | 173 cm |
| Weight | ~35 kg | ~57 kg |
| Degrees of freedom | 23 (up to 43 with dex. hands) | ~40 |
| Locomotion | Bipedal | Bipedal |
| Software | Open SDK, ROS 2 compatible | Closed, Tesla-only stack |
| EU availability | Via EU distributor | Not commercially available |
Who each robot is for
The Unitree G1 is aimed at universities, research labs and integrators that need a real bipedal humanoid on-site within a normal procurement cycle — CE-marked units are already shipping through European distributors, and the open SDK plus ROS 2 compatibility makes it a plausible platform for manipulation, locomotion and human-robot interaction research.
The Tesla Optimus is not yet a product a European institution can order. Tesla is running internal pilots and has publicly targeted a $20–30k long-term price, but there is no distributor channel, no CE Declaration of Conformity, and no third-party SDK. For research budgets in 2026, treat Optimus as a benchmark to track, not a purchase option.
Price reality check
Unitree lists the G1 from roughly €15,000, but a research-grade configuration — dexterous hands, extra battery, spares, EU import and VAT — usually lands closer to €25–35,000 delivered. That is still substantially below any other full-size bipedal humanoid on sale in Europe today.
Optimus pricing quoted in press coverage refers to Tesla's long-term target, not a sticker price. Until units are sold through a distributor with a warranty path, comparing a real Unitree quote to a Tesla headline number is not a like-for-like comparison.
EU availability & compliance
European buyers should insist on a CE mark, an EU Declaration of Conformity, and an operating manual in the language of the destination country. The Unitree G1 already ships this way through named EU distributors. The Tesla Optimus does not have any of this in place for third-party buyers, which is a hard blocker for university health & safety sign-off.
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