Humanoid robot rental in 2026: $299 a day in the US, 1,796 yuan with an engineer in China

Renting a humanoid robot costs from $299 a day for a self-operated Unitree G1 on a multi-day booking in the US, Canada, the UK and Europe, to about $2,800 a day for a robot delivered and run by an operator, based on published price lists checked on September 28, 2026. In China, where the rental market is largest, a basic humanoid fell to 3,000–4,000 yuan a day by early 2026, and JD.com listed humanoids with an engineer from 1,796 yuan a day in March.

Why it matters: rental is the main way most companies, event organisers and audiences meet humanoid robots today. Day rates show what the market actually pays for a robot that walks, waves and dances, and how fast that price is falling as supply grows.

How much does it cost to rent a humanoid robot?

Expect roughly $300 to $3,000 a day in the US and Europe, depending mostly on whether a trained operator comes with the robot. The robot is almost always a Unitree G1, a 127 cm, 35 kg humanoid that sells for far less than full-size machines (see our 2026 humanoid price guide). The table below lists published rates we could confirm. Prices exclude tax unless stated, and most providers discount longer bookings.

Published humanoid robot rental prices, as of September 28, 2026 unless another date is shown.

Provider (market)	Robot	Price	What’s included	As of
ZMP Robots (US, Canada, UK, Europe)	Unitree G1	From $299/day, multi-day self-service; full-service on quote	Two batteries, charger, tablet controller with motion library, damage cover, delivery and collection; operator only in full-service	Sep 2026
The Robot Studio (Dallas, US)	Unitree G1-based robots	$500/hour (3-hour minimum); $1,800 for 5 hours; $2,800/day up to 8 hours	Setup, operation, on-site technician; delivery within Dallas–Fort Worth	Sep 2026
Agibot (17 countries and regions)	A2, X2, G2	From $1,000/day	Delivery, on-site setup and operation through local partners	Mar 2026
Robo Renta by D.I.S.R. (Japan)	Unitree G1	¥50,000 for 2 days; ¥125,000 for 4 days; ¥600,000/month (Basic, pre-tax)	Robot only; operator and training on request	Sep 2026
EmplifAI (Japan)	Unitree G1	Event plan from ¥400,000/day; static display from ¥200,000/day; long-term from ¥50,000/day	Event plan: staff operation, transport within Tokyo’s 23 wards	Sep 2026
JD.com self-operated store (China)	Humanoid (Unitree)	From 1,796 yuan/day	On-site engineer	Mar 2026
Influencer rental reported by SCMP (China)	Unnamed humanoid	10,000 yuan (US$1,400)/day	Not specified	Mar 2025

In Korea, IL Robotics launched a humanoid rental service on June 29, 2026 with its Y1 and H2 robots, and Bigwave Robotics’ Marosol platform rents Agibot’s X2 Ultra. Both sell packages with setup, operation and content, and neither publishes a day rate; prices are by quote.

What is included in a humanoid robot rental?

The robot, batteries and transport are standard; the operator is what doubles or triples the price. A Unitree G1 runs about two hours per battery, so a full event day needs spare packs or charging breaks. ZMP Robots’ $299 self-service tier assumes your team runs the robot from a tablet, with training sold as an add-on. The Robot Studio and EmplifAI’s event plan send staff who set up, run and supervise the robot. Robo Renta’s Japanese list price covers the robot alone and quotes operation separately. Lead time matters too: ZMP Robots recommends booking three to six weeks ahead, and longer for custom motion sequences.

What the robot does on the day is usually pre-programmed: walking, waving, handshakes, dance routines and voice responses. Complex tasks involve a human operator, which is also true of most robot combat shows.

Why did humanoid rental prices fall in China?

Supply outran demand. The CEO of Qingtianzu, a rental platform controlled by Agibot (Zhiyuan Robotics), told the Economic Observer that day rates for humanoids were about 10,000 to more than 20,000 yuan from March to May 2025. In the second half of 2025 a standard Unitree G1 dropped from over 10,000 yuan to about 5,000 yuan. After a short rebound over Christmas, New Year and corporate year-end parties, basic humanoids settled at 3,000–4,000 yuan a day by the 2026 Spring Festival. That is the roughly 80% one-year decline the report cites.

The supplier count explains it. More than 1,500 new robot rental companies were registered in China in 2025, up 48.1% year on year, according to the same report. Qingtianzu launched on December 22, 2025, and JD.com and Wanjiyi Rent entered in early 2026. One Qingtianzu city partner with six robots reported about ten orders per robot per month at an average of 2,500 yuan, and estimated a six- to eight-month payback. That arithmetic depends on festival peaks: entertainment and marketing made up 65% of Qingtianzu’s Spring Festival orders.

What records have humanoid robots set?

The fastest is the half-marathon. On April 19, 2026, a robot from smartphone maker Honor won Beijing E-Town’s humanoid half-marathon in 50 minutes 26 seconds, NPR reported. That beats the men’s human world record of about 57 minutes, set by Jacob Kiplimo in Lisbon in March 2025. The 2025 winner took 2 hours 40 minutes 42 seconds. The fine print: about 40% of the robots navigated autonomously, and a remote-controlled Honor robot actually crossed first in 48:19, but the title went to the autonomous winner under weighted scoring.

Records like this feed rental demand, because event organisers want the robot audiences have seen on the news. They also overstate what a rented G1 will do in a hotel ballroom. For the longer-distance, off-road side of legged robotics, see KAIST’s Raibo 2 marathon run, and for how robot sport is trying to become a business, our piece on the World Humanoid Robot Games.

Is it cheaper to rent or buy a humanoid robot?

For a few event days a year, renting wins. Forbes noted that Agibot’s $1,000 day rate would add up to about $357,700 over a year of daily use, compared with roughly $30,000 to buy a Unitree G1. The break-even comes much sooner at operator-included US rates. But purchase adds costs rentals absorb: an operator’s time, spare batteries, transport cases, repairs and software updates. Our view: companies planning more than about a month of cumulative robot days a year should price a purchase and a part-time operator; everyone else should rent and let the price keep falling.