The Hangzhou-based company said on Wednesday its R1 model would cost around $8,150 after import fees, while a scaled-down version is priced at roughly $6,800. The robots will be sold in markets including the U.S., Canada, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, and Singapore via AliExpress, according to Bloomberg, citing a Unitree spokesperson.

Unitree first introduced the R1 in July 2025 in three configurations, starting at $4,900 for the lower-spec R1 Air version, setting a new benchmark for affordability in humanoid robots.

Forbes noted that if such pricing becomes the standard for entry-level humanoid robots, more capable models could become widely available within one to two years, potentially handling many labor tasks.

Unitree’s R1 specs. Photo courtesy of Unitree

U.S.-based robotics firm 1X Technologies is developing a competing product, Neo, which is available for pre-order. Customers can reserve the home-assistant robot with a $200 deposit, with options to rent it for $500 per month or purchase it for $20,000. The company said deliveries in the U.S. are expected to begin this year.

Unitree’s overseas push through Alibaba comes ahead of its planned 4.2 billion yuan (S$783.3 million) initial public offering on Shanghai’s Nasdaq-style STAR Market.

Chinese manufacturers led global humanoid robot shipments in 2025, significantly outpacing U.S. competitors such as Tesla and Figure AI, according to research firm Omdia.

Unitree is currently the second-largest humanoid robot manufacturer globally by shipments, trailing only Agibot. It sold around 5,500 humanoid robots in 2025, mainly to universities and research institutions.

Strong domestic and international demand for its bipedal and quadruped robots drove revenue growth of more than 300% last year, according to the company’s IPO prospectus.

Unitree starts selling cheapest humanoid robot from US,800

Unitree’s R1 humanoid robot. Video courtesy of Unitree