5-Year Total Cost of Pet Robots in 2026: Device Price, Subscriptions, and Repairs Compared

Choosing a Pet Robot by Device Price Alone Often Backfires

When shopping for a pet robot, most people look at the device price first. But once you actually live with one, subscription fees, repair coverage, battery replacement, and periodic checkups start to add up.

A robot that costs about ¥130,000 up front and one that costs about ¥60,000 can swap places in total cost once you keep a monthly plan going for five years.

This article estimates the total cost of ownership over five years (60 months) for major pet robots, using prices published by the manufacturers. It goes a step further than our earlier post that only compared monthly fees (Pet Robot Monthly Subscriptions Compared) by including repairs, batteries, and checkups.

Key Takeaways

• LOVOT is the most expensive over five years. About ¥1.77 million with the Full Cover Care plan, or about ¥1.49 million with Basic Care once checkups and servo replacement are included.
• aibo starts at about ¥383,000. That assumes you keep renewing the required Basic Plan. Adding Care Support (repair discounts) brings it to about ¥482,000.
• Among subscription models, Pokétomo and Moflin are the cheapest. Roughly ¥70,000 and ¥92,000 over five years.
• One-time-purchase robots are easy to budget. The standard Mia stays at ¥9,800 (tax included), and even the Conversation model comes to about ¥41,800 over five years with its ¥300 monthly plan.
• Repairs and batteries are easy to overlook. Robots with low monthly fees often leave repair costs entirely on you.

How We Estimated the 5-Year Cost

• The period is five years (60 months).
• All prices include tax (Japan, in yen).
• Each figure is the device price plus the monthly or annual plan you effectively need to use the robot.
• Repair and checkup costs are included only where the manufacturer publishes a price.
• Electricity, shipping, promotional discounts, and installment fees are not included.
• Prices reflect official information checked on September 30, 2026. They can change, so confirm the latest details before buying.

5-Year Total Cost at a Glance

Note: Pokétomo, Romi, and Nicobo monthly fees are taken from Pet Robot Monthly Subscriptions Compared. Qoobo's price is its regular price, as an approximation. At ¥160 per US dollar, ¥100,000 is about US$625.

What Each Robot Costs Over Five Years

LOVOT 3.0: About ¥1.36 million to ¥1.77 million

LOVOT 3.0 costs ¥577,500, and you use it with a monthly "living cost" plan. The official pricing page lists three plans.

On top of that, a LOVOT checkup roughly every two years (¥29,700 under Basic Care, free under Full Cover) and a servo motor replacement roughly every four years (¥69,300 under Basic Care, free under Full Cover) apply.

Over five years, Basic Care comes to ¥778,800 in plan fees plus ¥128,700 for two checkups and one servo replacement, for about ¥1,485,000 in total. Full Cover Care includes those items, for about ¥1,765,500.

Note: each plan may have a promotional price for the first months. This article uses regular prices.

Related: LOVOT Review

aibo: Consider Care Support if You Worry About Repairs

aibo costs ¥217,800. Sony's guidance assumes you subscribe to the aibo Basic Plan, which includes cloud services and a dedicated mobile connection.

• The first three years cost ¥99,000 paid up front (or ¥3,278/month × 36 = ¥118,008)
• From year four, renewal is ¥33,000 per year (or ¥3,278/month × 12)

Over five years, ¥217,800 for the device plus ¥165,000 for the plan comes to about ¥382,800.

If you want discounted repairs, aibo Care Support (¥59,400 for three years, then ¥19,800 per year to renew) takes 50% off repairs and the standard aibo checkup, with no limit on usage. With Care Support, the five-year total is about ¥481,800.

Sony's manufacturer warranty lasts 30 days from purchase, so later repairs are your own cost unless you have Care Support.

Related: aibo Review

KATAfriends: Your Plan Choice Doubles the Total

KATAfriends costs ¥129,800 and requires a "Life Plan" subscription.

• Lite plan: ¥1,980 per month, or ¥19,800 per year
• Peace of Mind plan: ¥69,980 per year (unlimited repair support)
• One-time purchase plan: ¥98,200 (AI and software services permanently, with Peace of Mind care services included in the first year)

The Lite plan paid annually comes to about ¥228,800 over five years. The one-time purchase plan brings the total to about ¥228,000 with no software fee from year six onward. The Peace of Mind plan brings it to about ¥479,700. The same robot can differ by around ¥250,000 depending on the plan.

The Lite plan covers AI and software only, not repairs. The official page lists regular prices of ¥39,800 per treatment (repair), ¥49,800 for a checkup, and ¥12,980 for a body refresh.

Related: KATAfriends Review

Moflin: Club Moflin Pays Off With One Battery Replacement

Moflin costs ¥59,400. Its AI learning works without a monthly fee, but the ¥6,600 annual Club Moflin membership (about ¥550 per month) gives member prices on repairs and battery replacement.

• Battery replacement: ¥15,400 regular, ¥7,700 for members
• Restoring interaction records ("Yomigaeri"): ¥5,500 regular, free for members
• Shampoo and blow-dry, or fur renewal: ¥12,100 regular, ¥6,050 for members

Keeping the membership for five years costs ¥33,000, for a total of about ¥92,400, or about ¥100,100 with one battery replacement. Without the membership, one battery replacement alone brings the total to about ¥74,800, but you don't get the member discounts.

The manufacturer warranty is 100 days from purchase; repairs after that are paid.

Related: Moflin Review

Pokétomo, Romi, and Nicobo: Mid-Priced Robots Where Fees Add Up

• Pokétomo has three plans based on how much you talk, from ¥495 (Normal) to ¥1,980 (Gold) per month. With a ¥39,600 device, the five-year total is about ¥69,300 on Normal and about ¥158,400 on Gold.
• Nicobo costs ¥60,500 plus ¥1,100 per month, about ¥126,500 over five years.
• Romi (Lacatan model) costs ¥98,780 plus ¥1,958 per month, about ¥216,260 over five years. With the annual plan (¥19,580 per year), the five-year total is about ¥196,680.

Even with similar device prices, monthly fees alone can create a gap of around ¥90,000 after five years.

Related: Pokétomo Review / Nicobo Review / Romi Review

Mia: A One-Time Purchase Keeps the Total Predictable

The standard Mia is ¥9,800 (white) or ¥10,800 (black), tax included. Its standard voice phrases work without a monthly fee.

To use Conversation mode, you need the Conversation model (¥23,800) and the ¥300 per month (tax included) premium service. Over five years, ¥23,800 plus ¥18,000 comes to about ¥41,800.

Mia’s warranty period is 100 days from purchase.

Related: No-Subscription Pet Robots Compared

How to Choose Based on Five-Year Cost

Five Things to Check Before You Buy

1. Is the monthly plan required or optional? Confirm what stops working if you cancel.
2. Does the plan include repair coverage? If not, look up typical repair costs.
3. Battery and consumable costs. Some robots, like Moflin, charge ¥15,400 for a battery replacement.
4. Periodic checkups. LOVOT, for example, needs a checkup roughly every two years and parts replacement roughly every four.
5. Manufacturer warranty length. It ranges from 30 days for aibo to 100 days for Moflin and Mia.

Summary

Judging a pet robot by its device price alone is easy to get wrong. Added up over five years:

• LOVOT: about ¥1.36 million to ¥1.77 million
• aibo: about ¥383,000 to ¥482,000
• KATAfriends: about ¥229,000 to ¥480,000
• Romi, Nicobo, Pokétomo, Moflin: about ¥70,000 to ¥216,000
• Mia and Qoobo: about ¥10,000 to ¥42,000

One-time-purchase robots are easy to budget and make good gifts. If you want a low-cost start, Mia from ¥9,800 (tax included) is one option.

Calculating your five-year total before you buy helps you choose with confidence.

👀 You may also like:

👉 2026 Guide: AI Pet Robots for Elderly Loneliness – A Comparison of 10 Companion Robots

👉 2026 Edition: 9 Recommended Pet Robots Under $150 – Cheap, Cute, and Healing Models

👉 Monthly and Maintenance Costs of Pet Robots: Moflin, LOVOT, Mia, and More

👉 Mia – Your Chatty AI Cat Companion Robot with 100+ Expressions