Robot butler in 2026: which household robots exist, which are promised, and what chores they really do
No robot butler that handles a whole house is on sale in the US as of October 18, 2026. Several home robots with arms take preorders, from the $3,555 Flourish 1 to the $20,000 1X NEO, but most have not shipped and many rely on remote human help for hard tasks.
Researched by Riley Hart · updated Oct 18, 2026 · How we research
You can preorder a household robot with arms today, but you cannot buy a working robot butler off the shelf. The 1X NEO ($20,000 or $499 a month) and Weave Isaac 1 ($7,999 or $449 a month) are the best known preorders. Flourish 1 ($3,555) ships 50 units in December 2026. Sunday Memo, SwitchBot onero H1, Figure 03, Tesla Optimus and LG CLOiD are not orderable yet.
| Robot | Price | Status (Oct 18, 2026) | Chores the maker claims | Remote human help |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1X NEO | $20,000 or $499/mo; $200 deposit | Preorder; "US Deliveries start 2026" | Fold laundry, organize shelves, tidy rooms, fetch items, open doors | Yes; you can schedule a 1X Expert |
| Weave Isaac 1 | $7,999 or $449/mo; $250 deposit | Preorder; first shipments fall 2026, California first | Pick up and fold laundry, make beds, put toys and shoes away | Yes, when needed |
| Flourish 1 | $3,555 | Preorder; 50 units in December 2026 | Put shoes away, scoop litter, refill water bowl, clear counters | Maker says it works on its own after you teach it |
| Sunday Memo | Not set; about $20,000 to hand build today | Beta late 2026; no sale yet | Clear tables, load and run the dishwasher, pull espresso, fold socks | Maker says no teleoperation in your home |
| SwitchBot onero H1 | $9,999 listed | "Coming Soon"; not orderable | Laundry and dishwashing | Not stated |
| Figure 03 | Not published | No consumer sale | Dishwasher loading and tidying in demos | Human pilots used for training data, per TIME |
| Tesla Optimus | Not published | No preorder; Musk says public sales by late 2027 | None confirmed for homes | Not stated |
| LG CLOiD | Not published | Concept; feasibility demo planned in 2027 | Folding laundry, unloading dishwashers, serving food | Not stated |
From maker pages and the press sources listed below, checked October 18, 2026. Chores are maker claims unless a reporter observed them.
Exists now vs only promised
Sort household robots into three groups. You can order some today: 1X NEO, Weave Isaac 1 and Flourish 1 take deposits with published prices. Some run small trials: Sunday is starting a beta for its Memo robot in late 2026. The rest are announcements, with no order page: SwitchBot onero H1, Figure 03, Tesla Optimus and LG CLOiD.
Even the ones you can order have not reached homes in volume. 1X's order page still says only "US Deliveries start 2026." Weave says first shipments begin in fall 2026. Flourish says December 2026. Until a robot is in a stranger's home doing chores, treat every chore list as a promise.
Chore by chore: what is claimed and what reporters saw
- Laundry: NEO, Isaac 1, onero H1 and CLOiD all claim it. TIME saw Figure 03 struggle to fold T shirts. CNET found onero H1 took almost two minutes to move one item into a washer at IFA 2026, Techinsider reported.
- Dishes: Sunday says Memo clears plates and glasses and loads and runs the dishwasher. TIME saw Figure 03 load a dishwasher. LG says CLOiD can unload one.
- Tidying: Isaac 1's Daily Reset makes beds and puts away toys and shoes. Flourish 1 puts shoes away and clears counters. NEO lists tidying rooms and organizing shelves.
- Pets: Flourish says its robot can scoop the litter box and refill a water bowl.
- Cooking: no household robot here promises to cook a meal. Memo pulls an espresso shot, and LG showed CLOiD serving food.
Who is really doing the work
Many home robots get help from people far away. 1X says owners can schedule a 1X Expert to guide NEO through chores it does not know yet. Weave says Isaac 1 is autonomous by default for its two routines and uses teleoperation help when needed.
Others say they avoid it. Sunday says Memo does not need to learn through human teleoperation in your home; it trains from people wearing its Skill Capture Glove. Flourish says you teach each chore by driving the robot from your phone for about 30 minutes, then it repeats the task. TIME reported that Figure used human pilots in VR headsets to record training data.
Before you pay, ask what a remote worker can see in your home and whether you approve each session.
What a robot butler costs
Up front prices run from $3,555 for Flourish 1 to $7,999 for Isaac 1 and $20,000 for NEO. Subscriptions run $449 a month for Isaac 1 and $499 a month for NEO.
Watch for running costs. Flourish includes six months of cloud computing, then charges $50 a month, or you can use your own GPU. Sunday says a hand built Memo costs about $20,000 today and that it expects mass production to cut costs by at least 50%. SwitchBot lists onero H1 at $9,999, but the product shows "Coming Soon" and cannot be ordered.
Tesla has no price. BGR reports Musk once estimated $20,000 to $30,000, while some analysts expect $50,000 to $100,000 at release.
The big names: Figure, Tesla, LG
Figure CEO Brett Adcock told TIME in October 2025, "We want the robot to be able to do most things in your home, autonomously, all day," and "We're not there yet. We think we can get there in 2026, but it's a big push." Figure has no consumer order page.
Tesla has no preorder for Optimus. BGR reports Tesla expects to build more than 1,000 a week by the end of 2026. Musk has said the public could buy one by late 2027.
LG showed CLOiD at CES 2026 as a concept. Let's Data Science reports LG plans a real world feasibility demonstration the following year and would not commit to a launch date.
Should you wait for a robot butler?
If you want help this year, a narrow robot that does one job will serve you better. If you are curious about general home robots, a refundable deposit is a low risk way to hold a place. Weave refunds its $250 deposit until the robot ships, and 1X calls its $200 deposit fully refundable.
Wait for independent reviews of delivered units before paying in full or signing a monthly plan.
Household robots in our directory
Questions people ask
Is there a robot butler I can buy?
Not one that runs a whole house. You can preorder home robots with arms, such as 1X NEO, Weave Isaac 1 and Flourish 1, but none had shipped widely as of October 18, 2026.
What is the cheapest household robot with arms?
Flourish 1 at $3,555, limited to 50 units shipping in December 2026. It carries only 3.3 lb, per the maker.
Can a household robot do dishes?
Sunday says Memo loads and runs a dishwasher, and TIME saw Figure 03 load one. Neither is on sale yet.
Do home robots use remote operators?
Some do. 1X lets you schedule a remote 1X Expert, and Weave uses teleoperation help when needed. Sunday says Memo does not need it in your home.
When will Tesla sell a robot butler?
Tesla has no preorder. BGR reports Musk has said the public could buy Optimus by late 2027. That is a promise.
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Sources
- 1X NEO order page
- 1X: NEO home robot
- Weave Robotics: Isaac 1
- Flourish Robots
- Sunday Robotics (sunday.ai)
- SwitchBot onero H1 product page
- Techinsider: onero H1 at IFA 2026
- TIME: Figure 03 reveal (Oct 2025)
- BGR: Tesla targets 1,000 Optimus robots weekly (Oct 2026)
- Notebookcheck: LG reveals CLOiD (Jan 2026)
- Let's Data Science: LG plans CLOiD feasibility demonstration