20+ Best Alternatives to Waymo in 2026
The world's most experienced autonomous driver
Looking for an alternative to Waymo? Below are 20 AI startups working in the same space — ranked by our Neuron score so the most credible options come first. Each card shows what makes the tool a viable substitute, pricing signals, and funding stage.
- 1View alternative →
Applied Intuition
$1.2BSimulation and software to develop and deploy autonomous systems
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Waymo — AI Robotics, Autonomous Vehicles.
💵 Custom
- 2View alternative →
Waabi
$1.3BGenerative AI for autonomous trucks and robotaxis
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Waymo — AI Robotics, Autonomous Vehicles.
💵 Enterprise · Contact sales
- 3View alternative →
Aurora
$620MDelivering the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly.
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Waymo — AI Robotics, Autonomous Vehicles.
💵 Enterprise · Contact sales
- 4View alternative →
Wayve
$2.3BEmbodied intelligence for autonomous driving
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Waymo — AI Robotics, Autonomous Vehicles.
💵 Enterprise · Contact sales
- 5View alternative →
General Instinct
$500KDeploy frontier AI into any edge device, fully offline, at maximum performance.
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Waymo — AI Robotics, Autonomous Vehicles.
💵 Contact-sales
- 6View alternative →
Seeing Systems
$500KModular AI-commanded autonomous strike drones built for contested combat environments.
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Waymo — AI Robotics, Autonomous Vehicles.
💵 Contact-sales
- 7View alternative →
Polymath Robotics
UndisclosedSuperpowering off-highway autonomy programs with streamlined, software-first solutions for any machine in any environment.
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Waymo — AI Robotics, Autonomous Vehicles.
💵 Enterprise · Contact sales
- 8View alternative →
PlusAI
UndisclosedTransforming transportation with Physical AI, powered by SuperDrive™, our AI-based autonomous driving system for trucks.
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Waymo — AI Robotics, Autonomous Vehicles.
💵 Enterprise · Contact sales
- 9View alternative →
Encord
UndisclosedThe multimodal data layer powering physical AI from training to real-world deployment.
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Waymo — AI Robotics, Autonomous Vehicles.
💵 Enterprise · Contact sales
- 10View alternative →
The Boring Company
$4BCreating safe, fast-to-dig, and low-cost transportation, utility, and freight tunnels to solve traffic and transform cities.
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Waymo — AI Robotics, Autonomous Vehicles.
💵 Enterprise · Contact sales
- 11View alternative →
Gecko Robotics
$354MAI and robotics for inspecting critical infrastructure
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Waymo — AI Robotics.
💵 Custom
- 12View alternative →
Pudu Robotics
$300MCommercial service robots for delivery, cleaning, and beyond
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Waymo — AI Robotics.
💵 Hardware
- 13View alternative →
Wandelbots
$123MSoftware-defined automation for industrial robots
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Waymo — AI Robotics.
💵 Contact_sales
- 14View alternative →
The Bot Company
$300MHome robots that automate household chores, from former Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Waymo — AI Robotics.
💵 Enterprise · Contact sales
- 15View alternative →
Bear Robotics
$177MAutonomous service robots for restaurants and hospitality
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Waymo — AI Robotics.
💵 Enterprise · Contact sales
- 16View alternative →
Sunday Robotics
$165MBuilding Memo, an autonomous home robot for everyday household chores
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Waymo — AI Robotics.
💵 Enterprise · Contact sales
- 17View alternative →
RoboForce
$67MGeneral-purpose physical AI robots for industrial labor
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Waymo — AI Robotics.
💵 Robotics-as-a-service / hardware (contact sales)
- 18View alternative →
Chemify
$93MDigitizing chemistry with AI and robotics to make any molecule on demand
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Waymo — AI Robotics.
💵 Enterprise · Contact sales
- 19View alternative →
Chef Robotics
$65.5MAI-powered robots that automate food assembly in high-volume kitchens
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Waymo — AI Robotics.
💵 Enterprise · Contact sales
- 20View alternative →
Civ Robotics
$12.5MAutonomous robots that mark survey coordinates on construction sites
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Waymo — AI Robotics.
💵 Paid · From $3000/mo
Frequently asked questions
What are the best alternatives to Waymo?
The top-ranked alternatives to Waymo on NeuronFeed are Applied Intuition, Waabi, Aurora, Wayve, General Instinct. Rankings are based on our Neuron score, which weighs funding, momentum and editorial signal.
Is there a free alternative to Waymo?
Most direct alternatives are paid. Check individual profiles for free trials and startup discounts on our deals page.
How is this list ranked?
We rank alternatives by shared categories with Waymo, then by our proprietary Neuron score (0–100) which combines funding, team quality, momentum, and editorial input. The list refreshes every 30 days.
Waymo vs Applied Intuition — which is better?
It depends on use case. Applied Intuition (Simulation and software to develop and deploy autonomous systems) is the #1-ranked alternative. See the full side-by-side at /compare/waymo-vs-applied-intuition.
Explore more around Waymo
Contextual paths to related AI startups, deals and rankings.