Reachy 2 vs Pepper: Specs, Price & ROS Support Compared (2025)
Pollen Robotics (Hugging Face) vs SoftBank Robotics / Aldebaran — independent, side-by-side analysis.
Quick Verdict
Pepper leads in more DOF, lower price. Overall, Pepper has an edge in 2 out of 2 compared categories.
Reachy 2
Pollen Robotics (Hugging Face)
Pepper
SoftBank Robotics / Aldebaran
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Reachy 2 Pepper
Specifications
$70,000Price$32,000
166 cmHeight120 cm
50 kgWeight28 kg
17DOF20
3 kgPayload—
—Runtime12h
—Speed0.83 m/s
NoStairsNo
YesLiDARNo
Solidrun Bedrock v3000ComputeIntel Atom Z530
Ecosystem Openness
91
Reachy 2
/100
—
Pepper
Fully open-source HW+SW. ROS2. Hugging Face backing. Best-in-class openness.
Pros and cons at a glance
Reachy 2
Pros
- Shipping to customers (verified commercial availability)
- Ships with LiDAR for robust depth sensing in low-light environments
Cons
- Low rated payload (3 kg) — research or light-handling tasks only
- Limited articulation (17 DOF)
- Cannot navigate stairs — restricts deployment environments
Pepper
Pros
- Long runtime (12h per charge) for full-shift operation
Cons
- Discontinued by the manufacturer
- Cannot navigate stairs — restricts deployment environments
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper: Reachy 2 or Pepper?
Pepper is cheaper at $32,000 vs $70,000 for Reachy 2. Note that lower price does not imply lower total cost of ownership — see the TCO calculator on the Explore page for utilisation-adjusted figures.
Is Reachy 2 or Pepper actually available to buy?
Reachy 2 is shipping to customers. Pepper has been discontinued. Status reflects the vendor's published commercial position as of the last review and can change between announcement and actual delivery.
Which is better for ROS-based development: Reachy 2 or Pepper?
Reachy 2 has ros2; Pepper has ROS 1 only. For research and multi-vendor robotics stacks, native ROS 2 is the strongest signal of ecosystem maturity.
Does Reachy 2 or Pepper use LiDAR?
Reachy 2 ships with LiDAR for depth sensing; Pepper does not. LiDAR adds cost and complexity but improves obstacle detection in low-light or low-contrast environments.
Last updated: 2025