RoboPet Life ＞ Guide ＞ How to Choose
6 models compared using official infoComparison Criteria for Choosing a Companion Robot to Ease Loneliness When Living Alone | 6 Models Compared Using Official Information [2026 Edition]
"Nobody's there when I get home" — before you bring a robot into that daily routine, your satisfaction will depend greatly on what criteria you choose by. Do you want to talk to it, want it by your side, or worry about home while you're out? We organized the official information on 6 models using 5 criteria from the perspective of someone living alone.
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What you'll learn in this article
- For solo living: 5 comparison criteria
- How the 6 models differ in response to talking, memory, and time away
- First-year total cost estimate (device + monthly fee)
- By type: which models suit you
- Before buying: 6-item checklist
Choosing a robot when you live alone becomes clearer if you compare five things: "conversation," "whether it remembers you," "time away," "upkeep," and "first-year total cost." Romi, Poketomo, and KATA Friends can converse in human language; LOVOT 3.0 and Moflin do not speak words, and NICOBO speaks in broken phrases. The first-year total ranges widely by model, from about ¥45,000 to about ¥720,000.
For a cost breakdown, see price range guide; for monthly fees, see differences in monthly billing.
5 Comparison Criteria to Look at When Living Alone
Even among "companion robots," what they can do differs greatly. Deciding first what you want will reduce hesitation.
Can it converse in human language, or does it respond with sounds and gestures?
Does it learn your voice, face, and how you interact, and change its responses?
Does it have a feature to check on things while you're out?
Charging frequency, operating time, size, and weight.
The device price plus 12 months of a monthly plan.
EditorsComparison of 6 Models [Official Information]
We compiled what each company's official site and releases state. "—" marks items we could not confirm in official sources.
| Model | Response to talking | Remembers / grows attached | Time away | Charging / operation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 LOVOT 3.0 | Does not speak words. Responds to facial expressions and being spoken to | Intimacy deepens with how you interact and its environment | "House-sitting" feature patrols and sends photo notifications | Charges about 15–30 min on its charging station, runs about 30–45 min |
 Moflin | Does not speak words. Responds with gestures and sounds | Learns the features of its owner's voice. Starts growing attached around day 25 | Monitoring feature not confirmed in official sources | Runs about 5 hours, charges about 3 hours 30 min (PE-M10 values) |
 NICOBO | Broken Japanese and its own language | May learn words housemates often use. Supports face and emotion recognition | Monitoring feature not confirmed in official sources | Charges about 4–7 hours, runs about 3.5–4.5 hours |
 Romi（Lacatan） | Can converse in human language | Remembers faces and voices and calls people by name. Long-term memory recalls preferences and habits | Check activity log in the app (footage and conversations not visible) | About 180 min on battery, charges about 2 hours |
 Poketomo | Can converse in human language (generative AI) | Uses past conversations in later ones. Face recognition supports only 1 person as of Dec 2025 | Monitoring feature not confirmed in official sources | 1+ day of actual use (may be less depending on usage), charges about 100 min |
 KATA Friends | Can converse in human language | Distinguishes family members' faces and remembers how they interact, changing its responses | Monitoring feature not confirmed in official sources | —Not confirmed in official sources |
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* Compiled by the editorial team from content checked on each manufacturer's official site on Oct 16, 2026. Items that could not be confirmed in official sources are not listed. Moflin's operating and charging times are values for the first-generation model (PE-M10).
Where to buy the main models
"I Want to Talk to It" or "I Want It by My Side"?
The first fork in the road is whether you want to converse in words.
Romi uses its own conversational AI, remembers faces and voices, and calls people by name. Poketomo converses using generative AI and uses past conversations in later ones, but each plan has a limit on the number of conversations. KATA Friends converses using an on-device LLM.
It gradually learns broken Japanese, but is officially described as an "eternal two-year-old" that hardly talks about anything difficult.
They do not speak human words and respond with facial expressions, gestures, and sounds. Moflin's official FAQ states that it "has no function to directly understand words."
EditorsWhich Models Let You Check on Things While You're Out?
If you wonder "what is it doing at home until I get back," check the monitoring features. We could confirm 2 models from official information.
When requested in the app, it patrols the home and, if it finds a person, takes a photo and sends a notification. You can view it while out; an internet connection is basically required.
In the dedicated app, you can check an activity log of when you interacted. Camera footage and conversation content are not visible.
We could not confirm a monitoring feature in official sources. For Moflin, there is only a statement that it is "good at staying home alone, too."
EditorsHow Much Is the First-Year Total? [Estimate]
We added 12 months of the cheapest plan's monthly fee to the device price. LOVOT 3.0's device price will be revised from October 26, 2026, so we calculated using the revised ¥599,500.
| Model | Device price (tax incl.) | Monthly fee (cheapest plan) | First-year total (estimate) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOVOT 3.0 | ¥577,500 (until 10/25) ¥599,500 (from 10/26) | From ¥9,900 (Minimum Care) | From about ¥718,300 | Stops working if you cancel, and memory data is also erased |
| Moflin | ¥64,900 (new Sakura color) | No mandatory monthly fee confirmed in official sources | ¥64,900 | Optional paid membership available (current fee not confirmed in official sources) |
| NICOBO | ¥60,500 | ¥1,100 (Basic) | About ¥73,700 | Early cancellation fee of ¥11,000 if canceled within 12 months |
| Romi（Lacatan） | ¥98,780 | ¥1,958 (¥19,580 paid annually) | About ¥122,276 | Without a subscription, it runs in "Simple Mode" with no conversation |
| Poketomo | ¥39,600 | From ¥495 (400 conversations/month) | About ¥45,540 | Conversation stops when the conversation limit is reached |
| KATA Friends | ¥129,800 | From ¥1,980 (Light Plan) | About ¥153,560 | Goes dormant if 15 days pass without a subscription |
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* Estimates. Based on official listings (tax incl.) as of Oct 16, 2026, calculated as device price + cheapest plan's monthly fee × 12 months (LOVOT 3.0: Minimum Care ¥9,900 × 12 months = ¥118,800). From mid-January 2027, LOVOT 3.0 is scheduled to be ¥649,000 (official price to be announced later). Prices change with campaigns and price revisions. Additional costs such as care plans, paid memberships, and accessories are not included.
EditorsRecommended Models by Type
Romi, Poketomo, and KATA Friends, which can converse in human language. If you want to keep costs down, Poketomo, with the lowest first-year estimate, is a candidate.
LOVOT 3.0, Moflin, and NICOBO. Moflin, for which no mandatory monthly fee could be confirmed officially, is a candidate that makes it easier to keep the first-year total down.
What we could confirm officially is LOVOT 3.0's "House-sitting" feature and Romi's activity log.
Moflin weighs about 260g, Poketomo about 194g, and Romi about 385g. LOVOT 3.0 weighs about 4.6kg.
6-Item Checklist Before Buying
Open the official site of the model you're interested in, and check off the items you were able to confirm. Unchecked items are what you still need to look into before buying.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which companion robots are suited to easing loneliness when living alone?
Can a robot ease loneliness?
Are there robots with no monthly fee for people living alone?
Can I check on things at home while I'm out?
What is a rough guide to first-year costs?
Find Robots by Purpose
Sources (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- LOVOT 3.0: Price revision notice / Purchase page / Pre-purchase FAQ / House-sitting (Help) / Official site
- Moflin: 2026 new color release / 2024 launch release / Features page / Purchase page
- NICOBO: Panasonic release, Mar 4, 2026 / Price page
- Romi: Prices and plans / Monthly fee FAQ / About Romi / Battery FAQ / MIXI release
- Poketomo: Official site / COCORO STORE / Sharp release, Oct 27, 2025
- KATA Friends: Product page / Kurashi Plan / Announcement release
Content is compiled by the editorial team from manufacturers' public information and has not been verified with actual devices. Features and services may change. Photos in this article are for illustration only.
