You can’t buy a new Pepper robot in 2026. Production stopped around 2020–2021, and the French company that built it, Aldebaran, went bankrupt in 2025. The one official way to get a working Pepper today is in Japan: since February 2, 2026, SoftBank Robotics has rented an updated model called Pepper+ to businesses and care facilities, starting at ¥79,800 a month on a one-year contract. In Europe, Pepper has no official support center, and its cloud services shut down on October 1, 2026. Used units do appear on resale sites, but they come without a factory warranty or a guaranteed support path.
Why Pepper stopped being made
SoftBank and Aldebaran introduced Pepper in 2014 as a 1.2-meter wheeled humanoid for shops, banks and receptions. The company said it sold about 17,000 Pepper robots in 70 countries before it stopped production in 2020 or 2021, according to The Robot Report.
Aldebaran filed for bankruptcy in February 2025 and went into receivership that June. In July 2025, Shenzhen-based Maxvision Technology bought Aldebaran’s core assets and intellectual property for both Pepper and its smaller sibling, NAO. NAO is now sold and supported from France by Maxtronics, the company that took over the robots’ European operations, but no one has announced a restart of Pepper production.
What Pepper+ is, and what it costs in Japan
SoftBank Robotics Japan announced Pepper+ on February 2, 2026, the same day it said Guinness World Records had recognized Pepper as the first mass-produced humanoid service robot. Pepper+ keeps Pepper’s body but adds a new chest tablet running a newer Android version and AI apps, including a sales assistant that greets shoppers, recognizes them on camera, and recommends products based on their clothing and conversation.
Pepper+ is rented, not sold. The prices on SoftBank Robotics’ Pepper+ page, as of October 19, 2026:
- Retail and general business (AI plan): ¥79,800 a month on a one-year contract, plus a ¥9,800 setup fee. Custom content for the AI sales assistant costs extra. Cancelling early means paying the rest of the year.
- Short-term rental (events): ¥150,000 for up to one month, plus the ¥9,800 setup fee. A one-week rental costs the same as a full month; extra days are ¥5,000 each.
- Care facilities: from ¥39,800 a month, one-year minimum, plus a ¥120,000 setup fee. This plan includes exercise and recreation apps for nursing homes.
Maintenance is included in the monthly fee. SoftBank says a new installation usually takes three to four weeks.
SoftBank’s Pepper+ pages are in Japanese and priced in yen, and the service is aimed at companies in Japan. There is no listed way to rent Pepper+ for a home or for use outside Japan. SoftBank Robotics Japan also lists older Pepper plans for schools (Pepper for Education) and homes (Pepper for Home 2.0) on the same site.
What a site needs before Pepper+ arrives
SoftBank lists these conditions in its Pepper+ FAQ:
- an internet connection (a SIM card or pocket Wi-Fi works if the site has none)
- a flat, hard floor with no slopes or steps
- at least 90 cm of open space around the robot
- an indoor spot out of direct sunlight and strong light
What happened to Pepper support outside Japan
Maxtronics, the French company that now sells and supports NAO (aldebaran.com redirects to it), says on its Pepper status page that:
- it does not provide technical support for Pepper; its support covers NAO6 only
- there is no official Pepper support center in Europe
- the Aldebaran cloud services, including the Pepper app store, ended on October 1, 2026
- it is looking for a European partner to take over Pepper sales, repair and support, and can refer businesses to a local partner that rents Pepper for events
The same page keeps the archived Pepper software, documentation and SDK downloads online for owners who want to maintain their robots themselves. It warns against upgrading or downgrading Pepper’s operating system (NAOqi 2.5 to 2.9 or back) on your own, because the head and the tablet must be updated together.
If you are thinking about a used Pepper
Used Peppers show up on auction and resale sites. Before buying one, check:
- The hardware version. Pepper 1.6 and 1.7 run only NAOqi 2.5 (Python). Pepper 1.8 and 1.8A can run NAOqi 2.5 or 2.9 (Android), according to Maxtronics.
- That the head and tablet run the same NAOqi version. A mismatch can leave the robot unusable.
- What still works without the cloud. Apps that depended on Aldebaran’s cloud services may not work after October 1, 2026.
- Who will repair it. Outside Japan, there is no official repair service. In Japan, SoftBank Robotics runs a Pepper support desk; ask whether it will service a robot bought secondhand.
Alternatives if you need a reception or research robot
- NAO6, Pepper’s smaller sibling, is still sold and supported by Maxtronics for schools, research and healthcare.
- Pepper+ remains the option for businesses in Japan that specifically want Pepper.
- For a wider view of which humanoid makers sell robots today, see our list of humanoid robot companies in 2026, sorted by which ones sell, which run pilots, and which are still building.