TurtleBot 4 costs $2,884 and TurtleBot 4 Lite $1,754 at RobotShop’s US store (Standard, Lite, checked October 24, 2026), up from launch prices of $1,850 and $1,195 in 2022. Both use the same iRobot Create 3 base, Raspberry Pi 4B and RPLIDAR A1 lidar; the Standard adds the OAK-D Pro camera, a display and extra buttons on a taller frame. They run ROS 2 Humble (Ubuntu 22.04) or Jazzy (Ubuntu 24.04). Clearpath said in January 2025 it would sell TurtleBot 4 hardware until stock runs out, expected into mid-2026, and support Jazzy at least through 2026, so check stock before you plan a course around it.
TurtleBot 4 vs TurtleBot 4 Lite
| TurtleBot 4 (Standard) | TurtleBot 4 Lite | |
|---|---|---|
| US price (RobotShop, Oct 24, 2026) | $2,884 | $1,754 |
| Launch price (May 2022) | $1,850 | $1,195 |
| Camera | Luxonis OAK-D Pro | Luxonis OAK-D Lite |
| Lidar | RPLIDAR A1M8 (360°, 12 m) | RPLIDAR A1M8 (360°, 12 m) |
| Computer | Raspberry Pi 4B, 4 GB | Raspberry Pi 4B, 4 GB |
| Display and buttons | 128×64 display plus 4 user buttons | Create 3’s 2 buttons and power button only |
| Size | 342 × 339 × 351 mm | 342 × 339 × 192 mm |
| Weight | 3.95 kg | 3.27 kg |
| Payload | 9 kg | 9 kg |
| Battery and runtime | 26 Wh Li-ion, 2.5–4 h, 2.5 h to charge | Same |
| Top speed | 0.31 m/s in safe mode, 0.46 m/s without | Same |
Hardware details are from the TurtleBot 4 user manual; launch prices from IEEE Spectrum. RobotShop doesn’t show stock on its product pages, so confirm availability with the reseller or Clearpath before ordering.
Pick the Standard if you need the OAK-D Pro’s active stereo (its IR projector helps depth on blank walls) or want to read the robot’s IP address and status on the built-in screen. Pick the Lite for mapping and navigation courses where the lidar does most of the work; you can find its IP over ROS instead of on a screen.
Which ROS 2 version the TurtleBot 4 runs
- ROS 2 Jazzy on Ubuntu 24.04: supported since October 2024. The Create 3 base needs firmware I.x.x, and Jazzy firmware is fixed to Fast DDS.
- ROS 2 Humble on Ubuntu 22.04: Create 3 firmware H.x.x; Humble lets the Create 3 join Wi-Fi itself.
- Galactic (Ubuntu 20.04): no longer supported.
The robot’s ROS version and the Create 3 firmware must match, per the basic setup guide. Upgrading a Humble robot to Jazzy means flashing Create 3 firmware I.0.0 and the Raspberry Pi image turtlebot4_jazzy_standard_2.0.0 (or the Lite image). If you are new to ROS 2, our first ROS 2 tutorial with turtlesim runs on a laptop before the robot arrives, and the Gazebo version guide tells you which simulator matches Jazzy (Harmonic) or Humble (Fortress).
TurtleBot 4 first setup, step by step
- On your PC, install ROS 2 and then the turtlebot4-desktop package for your distro.
- Put the robot on its dock to power it. It starts as a 5 GHz access point named “Turtlebot4”.
- Connect to that network and SSH to ubuntu@10.42.0.1, then run turtlebot4-setup to switch the Raspberry Pi to your own Wi-Fi.
- Find the robot’s new IP on the display (Standard) or by echoing the /ip topic (Lite).
- Update the Create 3 firmware from its web page on port 8080, and run apt upgrade on the Pi.
- Choose one networking mode: Simple Discovery (multicast, fine for one or two robots) or Discovery Server (Fast DDS only, 5 GHz, scales to many robots with more setup). Don’t enable both.
On Jazzy with Simple Discovery, the Create 3 stays off Wi-Fi and the Pi republishes its topics; on Humble the Create 3 joins a 2.4 GHz network. The networking page has the details and recovery steps.
Will TurtleBot 4 stay available after iRobot’s bankruptcy?
iRobot filed for Chapter 11 on December 14, 2025, with its manufacturer and lender Picea Robotics set to take it over (Fortune). Clearpath had already secured Create 3 inventory with iRobot in 2024 and planned to sell TurtleBot 4 until that stock is gone. Neither company has published a production plan for the Create 3 after the bankruptcy, and Clearpath hasn’t announced a TurtleBot 5. The Create 3 base on its own lists at $449.99 at iRobot Education.
For a lab buying several robots for a 2027 course, ask the reseller for a firm quantity and ship date, and budget a spare battery and Create 3 base. If TurtleBot 4 stock runs out, other ROS 2 teaching robots include Clearpath’s larger platforms in our Clearpath Robotics guide and low-cost arms like the SO-101 kit.
Prices, manual and Clearpath pages checked October 24, 2026.