Companion robots in 2026: subscriptions, cloud shutdowns, privacy and running costs

This guide covers what home companion and social robots actually do, what they cost to keep running, and what happens when the company behind them stops paying for its servers. It draws on 14 companion robots in our database, from a 230 g desktop pet to a 9 kg home rover, plus short notes on 3 window-cleaning robots and 4 commercial service robots.

Last checked 9 October 2026. Spec-based analysis from maker-published figures; we have not tested these robots hands-on.

What a companion robot is, and what it is not

A companion robot is built to be company rather than to do a chore. That one line explains most of the trade-offs in this category. A robot vacuum is judged by area cleaned per charge. A companion robot is judged by something much harder to put on a spec sheet: whether you still want to pick it up in month six.

The 14 robots in our companion robots category fall into four rough groups:

• Touch pets with no camera. Casio Moflin, Yukai Engineering Qoobo and Tombot Jennie respond to stroking, holding and sound. None of them moves around a room.
• Desktop characters. Living.AI EMO and Energize Lab Eilik are palm-sized robots with animated faces and small servos. EMO wanders around a desk and uses edge detection to avoid falling off. Eilik stays put.
• Mobile pets and camera rovers. Sony aibo (ERS-1000) walks on four legs. Loona rolls. The Enabot EBO Air 2 and EBO X are wheeled cameras that patrol, and Amazon Astro is a three-wheeled home robot with a periscope camera.
• Conversation companions. ElliQ is a tabletop robot for older adults that starts conversations itself. Moxie was a tabletop robot for children whose original maker shut down. Ropet KAMOMO is a plush robot that recognises its owner. Samsung Ballie, a rolling ball with a projector, has been announced several times but never sold.

None of these robots cleans, cooks, lifts or fetches in any general sense. The nearest to "useful" is Astro, whose maker lists item delivery via a cargo bin and remote check-ins. If you want a robot that does housework, look at the robot vacuums or humanoids categories instead.

The 14 robots at a glance

Prices are the current US figures in our record, in US dollars as the maker or retailer publishes them. "Sale" means a temporary price lower than list.

Two price notes. Amazon's own launch post lists Astro at a US$999.99 starting price and US$1,449.99 list; GeekWire reported a US$1,600 consumer price in 2024 and said it was sold by invitation only. For Loona, the US$699 figure is a numbered "Space Edition" on pre-order on the maker's product page; the maker's own price guide lists the standard Premium package at US$499.

Cloud dependence: the question to ask before you buy

Most of the "personality" in a modern companion robot does not live in the robot. Speech understanding, open conversation, memory of faces and the slow growth of character are often handled on the maker's servers. That design keeps the hardware cheap and lets the maker improve behaviour after sale. It also means the robot you buy is half a product. The other half is a service the maker can change, charge for or switch off.

What happened to Moxie

Moxie is the clearest case on record. It was a tabletop robot for children with an animated face, games and open conversation. Our record holds a US$1,499 launch price (reported by TechCrunch) and a later US$799 price.

In December 2024 its maker, Embodied, Inc., said it was closing. Axios reported on 10 December 2024 that the company expected the robots to stop working, likely within days, because conversation and games depended on a constant cloud connection, and that it could not offer refunds. US PIRG reported that a former Embodied engineer built an open-source local server, OpenMoxie, that setup instructions went to owners on 30 December 2024, and that owners who missed the final firmware update were left with robots that could not use it.

The story did not end there. A new company, Moxie Robots, Inc., states on its help page that it acquired the rights to Moxie after Embodied shut down. It now charges US$29.99 a month for the cloud service, or US$4.99 for a single day. Without the service, the page has Moxie describe itself as "just a very cute paperweight". The same page says no data or conversation history was transferred from Embodied, so owners start again from scratch, and that the new company is not bound by terms agreed with Embodied. Its purchase page says Moxie is no longer for sale.

The lesson is not that every maker will fail. It is that a cloud-only robot carries the maker's business risk on top of its hardware price.

What happened to Astro for Business

Large makers retire products too, but usually on better terms. GeekWire reported that on 3 July 2024 Amazon told customers its Astro for Business security robot would stop working on 25 September 2024, less than a year after launch. Business buyers were offered a full refund of the device price, a US$300 credit and refunds of unused prepaid subscription fees. The same report said the Astro Secure patrol subscription was also being withdrawn for home users. The consumer Astro in our database is a different product, and our record still lists it as pre-order with an unconfirmed status.

Ballie: six years of announcements

Samsung first showed Ballie in its CES 2020 keynote. In a newsroom release dated 9 April 2025, the maker said it would go on sale in the United States and Korea that summer. It did not. SamMobile reported in January 2026, citing Bloomberg, that the consumer launch had been put on hold and that Samsung now describes Ballie as an internal innovation platform. Our record lists it as a prototype. Treat any pre-launch hype for a companion robot with the same caution.

How to read a maker's cloud promises

Four questions cut through most of it:

1. Which features work with no internet at all? Eilik's maker says it works without Wi-Fi. Casio says Moflin processes data locally and uploads only through its app when you choose. Ropet says image and audio are processed on the device. Those robots lose little if the maker disappears.
2. Is the cloud plan included, and for how long? Sony's support guide says you must subscribe to aibo's cloud service to raise it, and that learned data and photos are stored and backed up there. A Sony release says three years are included and that owners are then responsible for periodic fees. Our record holds a US$300 yearly renewal.
3. Is there a published support end date? In the UK, the PSTI security regulations, in force since 29 April 2024, require makers of connectable consumer products to publish a "defined support period" with an end date for security updates, shown with equal prominence to the price when sold online. In the EU, the Cyber Resilience Act's reporting duties apply from 11 September 2026 and the rest from 11 December 2027; the Commission's summary says the support end date, with month and year, must be clear at the time of purchase. Note that this covers security updates, not a promise to keep personality servers running.
4. Can you export or delete your data? Moxie Robots, Inc. offers a "Delete everything" option in settings. Many makers say nothing about export.

Running costs: the price tag is only the start

This table adds the recurring fees we hold on record to the upfront price. All figures are in US dollars as published. Simple sums only; we have not added tax, shipping or accessories.

ElliQ needs a closer look because it is the only robot here that you cannot buy at all. Its membership page states that the device is leased, not sold, with a one-time US$249 lease-initiation fee. The 24-month plan bills US$936 up front, the annual plan US$588 and the monthly plan US$59 a month. The page lists a lifetime hardware warranty, free shipping and returns, and a 30-day trial on the 24-month and annual plans only. Our database record, taken earlier, held a monthly figure of US$59.99 and US$49.99 shipping, so check the live page before you sign. When the lease ends, so does the robot.

For Astro, the subscription figure comes from a press report, not from Amazon, so read the three-year sum as approximate. Our record says Ring Protect Pro is needed for autonomous patrols and cloud video storage, not for basic use.

Where a maker says "no subscription", read the wording. Loona's maker says its core experience needs no mandatory monthly fee but adds that connected services and policies may change. That is honest, and it applies to every robot whose conversation runs on someone else's servers.

Privacy: cameras, microphones and where the data goes

Ten of the 14 robots in our records carry at least one camera. All five floor-roaming robots you can order (Astro, aibo, Loona and the two EBOs) carry cameras. In practice they are mobile cameras with a personality attached. That is useful for checking on a pet or a parent. It is also a moving camera in your bedroom.

What makers publish:

• Physical controls. Astro is the only robot in our records with a maker-stated physical button that cuts the camera and microphone, with a red indicator light. A physical switch is the strongest control because it does not rely on software.
• Software privacy modes. Enabot says the EBO Air 2's privacy mode turns off the camera and microphone in one tap and stops uploads, and that guest access is logged. Moxie Robots, Inc. lets owners turn off voice wake-up.
• Off by default. ElliQ's maker says its cameras and microphones are not active by default and switch on only for features the user chooses, such as video calls.
• Local processing. Casio, Ropet and Samsung (for Ballie) stress on-device processing. Casio's product page says Moflin converts voice features into non-identifiable data stored on the device rather than recording speech.
• Silence. Six of the 14 records hold no privacy statement at all. That does not mean those robots are unsafe. It means the maker has not told buyers what it does with the data.

Several robots send speech to a third-party cloud language model for open conversation; Loona, EBO X and Ballie all name such partnerships. Once that happens, the maker's privacy policy is only part of the picture. The model provider's policy applies too, as US PIRG noted for OpenMoxie owners who connected their own chatbot service.

For children's robots in the United States, the FTC's amended Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule took effect on 23 June 2025, with most compliance obligations from 22 April 2026. Moxie's help page refers to parental consent checks under this law. If a robot aimed at children does not mention parental consent, ask why.

Battery: how long they run, and what makers leave out

Nine robots carry a maker-stated runtime. They range from 90 minutes (Eilik) to 480 minutes (Qoobo). The pattern is simple: the less a robot moves, the longer it runs. The cushion and plush pets, which barely move, outlast the walkers and rollers.

Three things to watch:

• Runtime without conditions is a best case. Casio is unusual in saying its five-hour figure assumes typical use at 25°C, and that continuous use or cold shortens it. Other makers give a single number with no test conditions.
• Self-docking matters more than runtime for a mobile robot. A rover that returns to charge on its own can run for weeks without help. One that cannot will sit flat in a corner. aibo, Loona and both EBOs list automatic docking; Loona's maker sells the dock both in bundles and on its own.
• Replaceable batteries are rarely mentioned. Moxie Robots, Inc. says outright that Moxie's battery cannot be replaced and suggests keeping it plugged in. For a robot you may keep for five years or more, ask the maker.

Choosing by who it is for

Older adults

ElliQ is the only robot in our records designed around older adults. It starts conversations, runs wellness check-ins, makes video calls and acts as a picture frame, and it has a caregiver app. You pay for it as a service, and it is sold only in the US. For someone who mainly wants something warm to hold, Moflin, Qoobo and Jennie need no screen, no camera and little or no setup. Qoobo's maker says plainly that it cannot understand words. That simplicity is a feature for some users.

Children

Moxie shows the risk with cloud-only children's robots. If you buy for a child, prefer robots that work offline and keep their behaviour on the device. Eilik's manual lists a UK Declaration of Conformity under the Toy (Safety) Regulations 2011, which tells you it was assessed as a toy. Note that ISO 13482, the safety standard for personal care robots, excludes robot toys from its scope, so toy safety law is the relevant test for this group.

Pets and home monitoring

If the goal is to watch a dog while you are at work, the EBO Air 2 is a camera with wheels and a laser pointer at a fraction of the cost of Astro. Check its obstacle limit: the maker states a maximum step of 6 mm and a 4° slope, so door thresholds and thick rugs can stop it. The EBO X adds fall detection and four microphones at a higher price.

Adults who want a desk companion

EMO and Eilik are expressive desk toys. Neither claims to do much beyond play, and both are among the cheapest robots here. EMO's maker states no subscription.

Collectors

aibo is the most mechanically complex robot in this group and by far the most expensive. Budget for the cloud plan from year four, and remember that its learned personality is stored on Sony's service.

Window-cleaning robots: a short note

Our window-cleaning robots category holds three Ecovacs models. All three list a safety rope and a backup battery, which keeps the robot clinging to the glass if mains power fails.

The suction figure on the box is a maximum. Ecovacs also publishes a lower figure while moving: 3,400 Pa for the mini 2 and 3,300 ± 100 Pa for the W3 OMNI. That moving figure is the one that keeps the robot on the glass as it works. Always use the safety rope on an upper-floor window.

Restaurant and commercial service robots: a short note

Our service robots category holds four records: two KEENON delivery robots for restaurants and two AgiBot floor scrubbers. They are tools for businesses, not companions, but they share the same question of who keeps the software running.

Only the C5 has a published price: US$32,900 on sale in AgiBot's global store, plus US$500–3,000 shipping and buyer-paid duties. The cleaning-rate figures are maker maxima; real rates depend on furniture and obstacles. Both KEENON robots top out at 1 m/s, a walking pace that suits a busy dining room.

What the numbers say (Analysis)

• 10 of 14 companion robots in our records are shipping. Two are on pre-order (Astro, with an unconfirmed status, and Loona's Space Edition), one is a prototype (Ballie) and one is no longer sold (Moxie).
• Across the 11 robots with a current purchase price (list price where published; sale price for KAMOMO, pre-order price for Loona), prices run from US$149.99 (Eilik) to US$3,199.99 (aibo), a 21-fold spread. The median is US$429 (Moflin).
• 4 of 14 records carry a recurring fee: aibo, ElliQ, Astro and Moxie. Three of the four (aibo, Astro and Moxie) cost US$799 or more upfront; the fourth, ElliQ, cannot be bought at all. Recurring fees cluster at the premium end of the market.
• 10 of 14 robots carry at least one camera. The four with no camera on record (Eilik, Moflin, Qoobo, Jennie) all list at US$449 or less.
• 9 of 14 publish a maker-stated runtime, and 5 of those 9 run for less than four hours. Only 2 of 14 publish a maker-stated charge time, and only 1 of 14 (Moflin) publishes battery energy in watt-hours.
• 8 of 14 records include any maker or reported privacy statement; 6 of 14 say nothing we could record.

Frequently asked questions

Do companion robots need a subscription?

Some do. In our records aibo, ElliQ, Moxie and Astro have recurring fees. EMO's maker says it has none, and Loona's maker says its core experience needs no mandatory monthly fee. Always check whether the free tier includes the features you actually want.

What happens to my robot if the company goes bust?

It depends on where the robot's brain lives. Moxie lost its cloud service after Embodied closed in December 2024, and it now needs a paid service from a different company. Robots that work offline, such as Eilik, carry on regardless.

Which companion robots work without the internet?

Among our records, Eilik's maker says it works without Wi-Fi. Casio and Ropet say their robots process data locally. Qoobo has no voice assistant at all.

Are companion robots safe for children's privacy?

Look for parental-consent checks, a clear data-deletion option and a way to switch off the camera and microphone. A robot that does not run on the cloud collects less in the first place.

Is ElliQ bought or leased?

Leased. Its maker charges a US$249 lease-initiation fee plus a monthly membership, and the device goes back when you stop paying.

How long does a companion robot's battery last?

Maker-stated figures in our records run from 90 minutes to 480 minutes. Walking and rolling robots sit at the low end, so choose one that docks itself.

Can I buy Samsung Ballie?

No. Samsung has never put a price on it, and it was reported in January 2026 to be on hold.

Methodology

Every specification in this guide comes from a robot record in the RankedRobot database. Each record cites its source on the robot's page, and each field is labelled maker-stated, reported or estimated. We gathered figures from maker product pages, spec sheets, manuals and press releases. Where only a press report exists, we say so. For context the database lacks, we read the makers' own help and pricing pages, UK legislation, EU Commission guidance, the US Federal Register and the ISO catalogue, all on 9 October 2026. Prices are given in the currency the maker publishes, without conversion, and three-year totals are simple sums of stated figures. We have not tested these robots hands-on, so this guide does not judge personality, build quality or how a robot feels to live with. Read more on our methodology page, filter robots by spec in the finder, line them up side by side in compare, or see our best companion robots list and companion robot buying guide.

Spotted an error or a newer figure? Email corrections@rankedrobot.com and we'll check it and log the correction.