Back to blog

Cobot prices in 2026: Universal Robots vs Dobot vs Fairino, from 26 shop listings

Prices were collected on 16–17 October 2026 from public shop listings, not quotes. Our robot specs and price registry has a page for each arm.

Cobot prices 2026 at a glance: UR vs Dobot vs Fairino

Fairino and the Dobot Nova series cost about a sixth of a comparable Universal Robots arm; Dobot's industrial CRA series sits in between. The fifth column is the cheapest listing found, excluding VAT where the shop states it.

Specs are the makers' datasheet values. In 2025 Universal Robots renamed the UR5e to UR7e and the UR10e to UR12e and raised each rated payload by 2.5 kg, to 7.5 kg and 12.5 kg; some shops still list the old names.

Every listing we found, with its date and tax basis

All 26 listings behind the table above. "Net" is the price without the shop's stated 19% German VAT.

Why the same arm costs 27–48% more in the US

For 5 arms we found both a European and a US listing, and the US price was higher every time. Converted at the ECB reference rate of 16 October 2026 (1.1253 US dollars per euro), the gap runs from 27% on the Fairino FR5 to 48% on the Dobot CR5A.

The listings do not say why, and scope differs (Top3DShop's Dobot prices include the pendant). For a buyer, the seller moves the price as much as the brand does, so get two written quotes with the same scope before comparing brands.

What the cobot price includes, and what it leaves out

A cobot price covers the arm and its controller, and nothing that touches the part. Three items decide whether two prices are comparable:

• Teach pendant. Universal Robots ships the control box and the 12-inch teach pendant with the arm. Fairino sells the pendant separately: €985 at Welectron, $800 at Top3DShop. Fairino's WebApp also runs as a web interface on a tablet or phone, so some buyers skip the pendant.
• Controller. The Dobot Nova listings at OpenELAB include the CCBOX controller; the MG400 has its controller built into the base.
• Gripper. No 6-axis listing above includes one (the MG400 kit comes with a suction-cup tool). A Robotiq 2F-85, a common two-finger gripper for 5 kg cobots, costs €4,950 excluding VAT at WiredWorkers, with 4–6 weeks delivery. On a Fairino FR5 that is almost the price of the arm.

What a working cobot cell costs

In our example a working cell costs 2 to 7 times the arm, and the cheaper the arm, the smaller its share. One 5 kg pick-and-place cell, priced two ways:

The €25,000 for guarding, installation and programming is an assumption, not a market figure. Our simulation of four cobots on one palletizing task used the same €25,000 but counted the gripper inside it; here the gripper is a separate line, so the totals are higher. Two public sources bracket it. Standard Bots' 2026 cobot price guide puts tooling, vision and integration at $5,000 to $30,000 on top of the arm. In MIT interviews with manufacturers (Sanneman, Fourie and Shah), one large robot maker and integrator said integration costs 4 to 5 times the robot (one interviewee, speaking mostly about industrial robots). On a €4,899 arm that is €19,600 to €24,500.

The cheaper arm saves €24,735 here, but not in proportion to its price. Pin down the integration line first: get the integrator's quote before negotiating the arm.

Buying in the EU: duty, CE marking and lead times

If you import a Chinese cobot yourself, customs duty is small. The EU third-country duty on industrial robots, CN code 8479 50 00, is 1.7%, about €83 on a €4,899 Fairino FR5. Import VAT comes on top. Chinese makers publish no factory prices, so compare a factory quote with the EU dealer's price, which already covers shipping and customs.

A cobot arm on its own is partly completed machinery. The integrator who builds the cell runs the risk assessment and CE-marks the whole cell; from the arm's seller, ask for the declaration of incorporation and the safety certificates as files before you order. The EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 replaces the Machinery Directive on 20 January 2027, so a cell commissioned after that date is assessed under the new regulation.

Listed lead times run from 1–3 working days (Fairino FR5 at Welectron, within Germany) to 4 weeks (UR16e at Vention); the Robotiq gripper takes 4–6 weeks, so the gripper, not the arm, can set your start date.

Sourcing from China, someone also has to test the arm on your parts before it ships. We do that, with paperwork and shipping, in our China robotics consulting work from Hangzhou.

Which cobot to choose: price is not the only difference

In our simulation the Fairino FR5, Dobot CR5 and UR5e ran the same palletizing task in the same 5.05 s cycle at collaborative speed, so there the price gap bought no speed. What it does buy:

• Support near you. Who answers when the controller shows an error, and where spare parts are stocked.
• Accessories that fit without adapters. Universal Robots' UR+ programme lists grippers, vision and software certified for its arms; with Fairino or Dobot, check each accessory with your integrator.
• Payload margin. The UR7e carries 7.5 kg, the FR5, Nova 5 and CR5A 5 kg. If part plus gripper is near 5 kg, they are not like for like.

To settle it for your task, run your part and station on two or three candidate arms before buying. That is what our robot simulation service does; how we simulate a robot cell before you buy shows the method.

FAQ