ElliQ price: what it costs and how to actually get one
Retail ElliQ is $249 plus $39 to $59 a month, so two years runs $1,185 to $1,665 and you never own the device. Aging agencies in six states provide it free to qualifying seniors, which makes that phone call the cheapest first move.
The ElliQ price is $249 up front plus $39 to $59 a month, and at the end of it you own nothing. Those are the only retail numbers Intuition Robotics publishes, they were on ElliQ's membership page when I checked it on 9 August 2026, and on the two plans billed by the year they work out to $837 or $957 for a first year.
Before any of that, the number to chase is $0. A large share of these robots reach older adults through a state aging agency rather than a store: New York's aging office alone has roughly 900 units out in the community, at no charge to the people using them. The checkout page is the wrong place to start.
The three plans, and what a year of each costs
ElliQ sells one thing: a membership that bundles the device, the software, updates, support, and warranty. The plans differ only in how long you commit and how much you hand over on day one. The $249 lease initiation fee is charged alongside your first membership payment, whichever plan you pick. There is also only one place to do this. Intuition Robotics, whose main customers are state agencies and health plans, publishes a single checkout, its own store at elliq.com, so there is no retail box to carry home and no reseller price to compare against.
| Plan | Monthly rate | Charged at checkout | Membership per year | Two-year total, fee included | 30-day trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $59 | $308 | $708 | $1,665 | No |
| Annual, billed $588 | $49 | $837 | $588 | $1,425 | Yes |
| 24-month, billed $936 | $39 | $1,185 | $468 | $1,185 | Yes |
A first year, setup fee included, is $957 on the monthly plan, $837 on the annual plan, and $1,185 prepaid on the 24-month plan for two years of service. After year one the fee drops out and you are looking at $468 to $708 a year in membership alone.
The strikethrough on ElliQ's own page is worth decoding, because it is real arithmetic rather than a marketing flourish: it advertises $1,185 against a crossed-out $1,665, and $1,665 is exactly 24 months at the $59 monthly rate plus the $249 fee. The 24-month plan saves $480 over two years, which is $20 a month, for anyone who is certain the robot stays.
What the money buys
The $249 covers account setup and installation support, and ElliQ's checkout lists it as carrying free shipping, free returns, a lifetime hardware warranty, premium customer support, and unlimited caregiver app access. The monthly payment covers the rest: the hardware itself, the conversations, games, music, and automatic software updates, plus phone and email support Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Eastern.
The wording differs between the two routes. Retail buys "installation support", which is help rather than a person at the door, while the agency programs list free home installation. If setup worries the household, ask which one is on offer.
The plan choice is really a trial choice
The 30-day risk-free trial comes with the Annual and 24-month plans only. The monthly plan, the one that asks for the least cash at checkout, is the one you cannot return for a full refund.
So the cheapest way to find out whether an older adult will actually talk to this thing is to prepay $837 for a year and rely on the refund, which ElliQ says returns both the initiation fee and the membership charges if the device goes back inside the window. That inversion catches families out. If there is genuine doubt about whether it will suit the person, the annual plan is the one to buy, and the calendar reminder for day 25 matters as much as the purchase.
You are renting, and the terms say so plainly
There is no purchase price for ElliQ because there is no purchase. In the company's own words: "At this time, ElliQ is only leased through a membership which includes the device + everything that keeps ElliQ improving over time." The device works only while a membership is active.
Four cost items live in that arrangement:
- The device goes back. Cancel any time, and ElliQ sends a prepaid label. A $1,500 fee applies if the unit is not returned within 45 days of cancellation. Their advice, worth following: keep the original box.
- Stopping payment stops the robot. ElliQ's own answer is that she "will only work with an active membership", so a paused subscription is a dark screen on the counter.
- Home internet is a prerequisite. ElliQ needs power and WiFi to do anything, so a household without broadband is looking at a second monthly bill before the first one is any use.
- Support runs business hours. Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Eastern, which is worth knowing if the person you are buying for is three time zones west.
The route that costs nothing
There are two doors into this product, and the second one is free. ElliQ's partner page is blunt about the price to participants: "No. The ElliQ program is fully funded by our partners for eligible participants. There are no fees or billing information required." What a qualifying senior receives is a free 12-month premium subscription with support, free home installation, and free shipping, with the device on a lease basis and free pickup if the person leaves the program.
ElliQ's page says the program runs in five states. The agency list printed directly underneath it spans six: New York, Washington, Florida, Wisconsin, New Jersey, and Nevada, including the New York State Office for the Aging, Washington's Department of Social and Health Services, the Area Agency on Aging of Broward County, the ADRC of Dunn County, Inclusa, Hudson County's Division on Aging Services, and Lyon County Senior Services. Programs fill up, and approved applicants go on a waiting list. The state-by-state detail, including Washington's Medicaid route, is in how to get ElliQ free through your state's aging programs.
AAABC partners with @IntuitionRobo to bring the ElliQ Care Companion to #BrowardCounty's older adults! Eligible individuals can apply for a free ElliQ, promoting independence, connection, and engagement. (@AAgencyonaging, 2023-05-31)
One thing the free route leaves open: ElliQ's page commits to twelve months and says nothing about month thirteen. Ask the agency directly whether renewal is funded, whether the unit is collected, or whether the family is expected to pick up retail pricing at that point. Get the answer before the robot arrives, not eleven months later.
How that price sits next to everything else
A recurring bill is unusual in this category. Of the ten robot pets with a published price on our tracker, exactly one charges a recurring fee. A Joy for All companion cat is $159.99 once (joyforall.com, 9 August 2026) and asks nothing further of anyone, which is part of why state aging programs lend robotic pets alongside the conversational machines.
ElliQ does a different job from a purring cat: proactive check-ins, medication reminders, and a caregiver app that reports back to family. For budgeting purposes it behaves like a service with a robot attached, priced the way a phone plan is priced. So weigh it against the other recurring things $468 to $957 a year could buy the same person: a few hours a month of a home-care aide, a spell at an adult day program, or a simplified tablet plus a standing video call with a grandchild. We work through those tiers in the companion robots for seniors buyer's guide, and what the machine does hour to hour is in ElliQ, explained. Current pricing also sits on the ElliQ tracker page.
What to do, in order
Call your county's Area Agency on Aging through the federal Eldercare Locator, 1-800-677-1116, which takes calls and texts, and ask whether your state provides ElliQ or any companion robot through its aging programs. ElliQ's own program line, (855) 888-1295 or help@elliq.com, will route you to the partner in your state if there is one.
If there is no program, price the plan against the person rather than the discount. Under a year of likely use, or any real doubt at all, take the annual plan at $837 for the trial protection. Two years or more of confident use, take the 24-month plan at $1,185 and keep the $480.
Then put two dates on the kitchen calendar where everyone can see them: day 25 of the trial, while a refund is still possible, and 45 days after any cancellation, the window for getting the box back to ElliQ. Both deadlines cost real money when they slip past a family with other things on its mind.
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