Comparison table
 MentorPi M1Hiwonder |  ROSMASTER M1Yahboom |  UGV RoverWaveshare |  UGV BeastWaveshare |  TurtleBot 3 BurgerROBOTIS |  JetRoverHiwonder | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | ||||||
| Price range | $430 – $880 | $349.90 – $1,169.90 | $245 – $727 | $265 – $752 | $758 – $1,934 | $780 – $2,600 |
| Version compared | Starter with Pi 5 2 GB, $429.99 | Standard with Pi 5 8 GB, $679.90 | PT Pi 5 ROS 2 Kit, $726.99 | PT Pi 5 ROS 2 Kit, $751.99 | Burger RPi4 2 GB, $758.20 | Standard with Pi 5 4 GB, $969.99 |
| Also needed | Nothing listed | Nothing listed | Three 18650 cells | Three 18650 cells | Nothing listed | Nothing listed |
| Assembly | Chassis comes assembled, then fit the Pi and sensors | Kit to assemble | Ships assembled, lidar and depth camera fitted | Ships assembled, lidar and depth camera fitted | Kit to build | Chassis ships assembled with the lidar, then fit the arm and camera |
| Hardware | ||||||
| Computer included | Raspberry Pi 5 2 GB | Raspberry Pi 5 8 GB | Raspberry Pi 5 4 GB | Raspberry Pi 5 4 GB | Raspberry Pi 4 2 GB | Raspberry Pi 5 4 GB |
| Jetson option | No (Hiwonder's Jetson rovers are separate models) | Orin Nano Super kit $1,169.90 | Orin Nano kit $1,070.99, or $539.99 without the Jetson | Orin Nano kit $1,097.99, or $554.99 without the Jetson | No | Orin Nano Super kit $1,279.99 |
| Lidar | COIN-D6 2D lidar | T-MINI Plus 2D lidar, 12 m | D500 2D lidar | D500 2D lidar | LDS-02 2D lidar | SLAMTEC A1 2D lidar |
| Depth camera | Standard kit, +$140 (Nuwa-HP60C) | Superior kit, +$140 (Nuwa-HP60C) | Included (OAK-D Lite) | Included (OAK-D Lite) | No | Included, on the arm |
| Other cameras | Wide-angle camera on a 2-axis mount | 2 MP camera on a pan-tilt mount | 5 MP wide-angle camera on a pan-tilt mount | 5 MP wide-angle camera on a pan-tilt mount | None | None (the depth camera is the arm camera) |
| Drive | Mecanum wheels (Ackermann on the A1) | Mecanum wheels (Ackermann on the sister A1) | 6 wheels, skid steering | Tracks with suspension | 2 wheels, differential | Mecanum, Ackermann or tracks, same price |
| Arm | – No | – No | – No | – No | – No | Yes, 6-DOF bus-servo arm |
| Top speed | Not published | Not published | 1.3 m/s | 0.35 m/s | 0.22 m/s | Not published |
| Runtime | Not published | Not published (6,000 mAh pack) | Not published | Not published | About 2.5 h | Not published |
| Software and learning | ||||||
| ROS 2 version | Humble (in Docker) | Humble | Humble | Humble | Humble and Jazzy | Humble on Ubuntu 22.04 (ROS 1 image also offered) |
| Course material | Hiwonder online lessons on SLAM, navigation, vision and LLM voice control | Yahboom online course with 26 sections, from ROS 2 basics to lidar, vision and LLMs | Waveshare wiki and ROS 2 tutorials, open-source code | Waveshare wiki and ROS 2 tutorials, open-source code | ROBOTIS e-Manual, widely used in university ROS courses | Hiwonder online lessons on SLAM, navigation, arm grasping and LLM voice control |
| Gazebo simulation | URDF model only | Not found | Official package with SLAM and Nav2 | Official package with SLAM and Nav2 | Official package, used throughout the e-Manual | Gazebo and MoveIt simulation with a URDF model |
| Programmability | Full SDK | Full SDK | Full SDK | Full SDK | Open source (hardware + software) | Full SDK |
| LLM support | Official LLM tools | Official LLM tools | Official LLM tools | Official LLM tools | Possible via SDK | Official LLM tools |
| Purchasing | ||||||
| Where to buy in the US | Hiwonder store or Amazon US | Yahboom store, or Amazon US | Waveshare store | Waveshare store | ROBOTIS US store | Hiwonder store or Amazon US |
| Shipping to the US | Next day on Amazon for Standard kits | From China, about 6 working days after dispatch, free express over $499 | From China, about 1–2 weeks | From China, about 1–2 weeks | From ROBOTIS US within 2 business days | Dispatched the next business day, transit not published |
| Suggested ages | 14+ | 14+ | 14+ | 14+ | 16+ | 14+ |
Highlighted cells are the strongest in their row. Speeds marked (est.) are not published by the maker. They come from owner measurements or the makers' gait code, explained on each robot page. Prices are US list prices as of September 2026. Each robot's page has full specs, sources and photos.
Which one fits
- MentorPi M1 is the cheapest way in, with a Raspberry Pi 5 and lidar for $429.99, and its Standard kits arrive the next day through Amazon. It is small and low, its mecanum wheels suit hard floors better than carpet, and the depth camera costs $140 more.
- ROSMASTER M1 includes an 8 GB Pi 5, lidar, a pan-tilt camera and a voice module for $679.90, plus Yahboom's long online course. It comes as a kit to assemble, ships from China, and its speed and runtime are not published.
- UGV Rover comes with both lidar and an OAK-D Lite depth camera in its ROS 2 kit, and Waveshare publishes a Gazebo package with SLAM and Nav2 for it. Its metal six-wheel body handles rugs and thresholds, but the 18650 cells are sold separately.
- UGV Beast runs the same software as the UGV Rover on tracks with suspension, for rougher floors and outdoor paths. It is slower and its track odometry is less accurate for mapping.
- TurtleBot 3 Burger is the standard teaching robot for ROS, with the official e-Manual, a matching Gazebo simulation and support for both Humble and Jazzy. It is slow, has no camera and must be built, but it ships from ROBOTIS US within two business days.
- JetRover is the only one with an arm, a 6-DOF bus-servo arm carrying the depth camera on top of lidar navigation, for $969.99 with a Pi 5 and the same price on mecanum, Ackermann or tank chassis. It is the most expensive here and weighs 4.3–5.5 kg, and Hiwonder's tutorials are broad but uneven.