Key takeaways
- Top pick: John Deere, best for: Large row-crop farms adding autonomy to existing fleets. U.S. Sugar runs five autonomous John Deere tractors across a 255,000-acre farm, according to Equipment Finance News.
- Also near the top: Lely, best for: Dairy farms automating milking; and Carbon Robotics, best for: Specialty crop growers cutting herbicide and hand-weeding costs.
- How it was ranked: 10 deep tech companies compared. Each verdict is below.
Best Agricultural Robotics Companies: Top 10 Ranked. John Deere ranks first, with a Lister Score of 96.9.
John Deere leads for autonomous field work on large farms, and
Lely is the most proven farm robot maker, with its Astronaut milking robots on dairy farms globally.
Carbon Robotics leads laser weeding for specialty crops, and
Ecorobotix is the strongest choice for plant-by-plant precision spraying.
Best Agricultural Robotics Companies in 2026, compared| RANK | ENTRY | BEST FOR | SCORE | FROM |
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| 1 |  John DeereU.S. Sugar runs five autonomous John Deere tractors across a 255,000-acre farm, according to Equipment Finance News. | Large row-crop farms adding autonomy to existing fleets | 96.9 | Not public |
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| 2 |  LelyLely says it installed its 50,000th Astronaut milking robot on a farm in Northern Ireland, with units in 50 countries. | Dairy farms automating milking | 95.6 | Not public |
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| 3 |  Carbon RoboticsCarbon Robotics says LaserWeeder growers have treated more than 250,000 acres. | Specialty crop growers cutting herbicide and hand-weeding costs | 94.3 | Not public |
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| 4 |  EcorobotixEcorobotix announced in March 2026 that 1,000 ARA sprayers had been sold worldwide. | Growers cutting chemical use in vegetables and row crops | 93.1 | Not public |
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| 5 |  DeLavalDeLaval sold its 10,000th VMS milking robot in 2013. | Dairy farms, including large herds, automating milking | 91.8 | Not public |
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| 6 |  SwarmFarm RoboticsSwarmFarm reports its robots have logged more than 220,000 operating hours across two million hectares. | Broadacre farms running autonomous spraying | 90.5 | Not public |
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| 7 |  BurroBurro says it has more than 800 robots in the field across 17 countries and more than one million autonomous hours logged. | Growers moving harvested crops by hand in vineyards and orchards | 89.2 | Not public |
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| 8 |  Saga RoboticsSaga says Thorvald treats an estimated 30% of the UK's tabletop strawberry production and protects about 2,500 acres of California vineyards. | Strawberry and grape growers reducing fungicide use | 87.9 | Custom |
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| 9 |  AgXeedSelected Claas dealers in Germany and Switzerland sell and service AgXeed's AgBots under a distribution agreement. | Arable farms and contractors in Europe going fully driverless | 86.6 | Not public |
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| 10 |  FarmDroidFarmDroid secured a 10.5 million euro investment in October 2024, led by Convent Capital. | Organic growers cutting hand weeding | 85.3 | Not public |
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How to choose
Start from what you need it for. Where each entry fits best:
- John Deere (#1): Large row-crop farms adding autonomy to existing fleets
- Lely (#2): Dairy farms automating milking
- Carbon Robotics (#3): Specialty crop growers cutting herbicide and hand-weeding costs
- Ecorobotix (#4): Growers cutting chemical use in vegetables and row crops
- DeLaval (#5): Dairy farms, including large herds, automating milking
- SwarmFarm Robotics (#6): Broadacre farms running autonomous spraying
- Burro (#7): Growers moving harvested crops by hand in vineyards and orchards
- Saga Robotics (#8): Strawberry and grape growers reducing fungicide use
- AgXeed (#9): Arable farms and contractors in Europe going fully driverless
- FarmDroid (#10): Organic growers cutting hand weeding
Each entry's full verdict is below.
The ranking, in detail
01
Autonomous tractors and See & Spray
John Deere, based in Moline, Illinois, offers autonomy for its large tractors and See & Spray, a camera-guided system that sprays weeds rather than whole fields. U.S. Sugar runs a fleet of autonomous John Deere tractors on its farmland in Florida.
PROS- Large dealer and service network
- Autonomy built on tractors farmers already use
CONS- Autonomy tied to Deere equipment
- Price not published
- Best for
- Large row-crop farms adding autonomy to existing fleets
- Where it falls short
- Autonomy is restricted to John Deere equipment.
- Pick something else if
- you use non-Deere tractors.
96.9
02
Astronaut robotic milking systems
Lely, based in Maassluis in the Netherlands, makes the Astronaut robotic milking system, which lets cows choose when to be milked, along with robots for feeding and barn cleaning.
PROS- Long track record on dairy farms
- Wide range of barn robots
CONS- Dairy farming only
- Price not published, sold through dealers
- Best for
- Dairy farms automating milking
- Where it falls short
- Dairy farming only.
- Pick something else if
- you need equipment for other livestock types.
95.6
03
LaserWeeder for herbicide-free weed control
Carbon Robotics, based in Seattle, makes the LaserWeeder, a tractor-pulled implement that uses computer vision and lasers to kill weeds without herbicides. It raised a $70 million Series D in October 2024.
PROS- No herbicides needed
- In use on commercial farms
CONS- Mainly suited to specialty crops
- Price not published
- Best for
- Specialty crop growers cutting herbicide and hand-weeding costs
- Where it falls short
- The price is not published, so you cannot determine if it fits your budget.
- Pick something else if
- you need to know the cost upfront.
94.3
04
ARA plant-by-plant precision sprayer
Ecorobotix, based in Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland, makes ARA, a camera-guided sprayer that treats individual plants instead of whole fields, sold through a dealer network.
PROS- Large installed base for a specialist
- Treats single plants, not whole fields
CONS- Tractor-mounted rather than fully autonomous
- Price not published
- Best for
- Growers cutting chemical use in vegetables and row crops
- Where it falls short
- The system is tractor-mounted rather than fully autonomous.
- Pick something else if
- you need fully autonomous operation.
93.1
05
VMS voluntary milking robots
DeLaval, based in Tumba, Sweden, and part of Tetra Laval, makes the VMS voluntary milking system and VMS Batch Milking, a robotic set-up for large herds.
PROS- Long track record in dairy equipment
- Options for large herds
CONS- Dairy farming only
- Price not published, sold through dealers
- Best for
- Dairy farms, including large herds, automating milking
- Where it falls short
- Dairy farming only.
- Pick something else if
- you need solutions for other livestock types.
91.8
06
SwarmBot autonomous farm platforms
SwarmFarm, based in Queensland, Australia, makes SwarmBots, autonomous platforms that carry spraying and other tools across broadacre farms. It raised AUD 30 million in a Series B in October 2025 to expand production and enter North America.
PROS- Long commercial track record in Australia
- One platform for several farm tasks
CONS- North American rollout still early
- Price not published
- Best for
- Broadacre farms running autonomous spraying
- Where it falls short
- North American availability is still limited as the rollout remains in early stages.
- Pick something else if
- you need immediate deployment in North America.
90.5
07
Autonomous carts for farm crews
Burro, based in Philadelphia, makes autonomous electric robots that follow workers and carry crops and materials in vineyards, orchards and nurseries. In October 2026 it began shipping Grande 44, a larger platform that tows up to 6,000 lbs.
PROS- Large fleet in commercial use
- Works alongside existing crews
CONS- Hauling rather than fieldwork
- Price not published
- Best for
- Growers moving harvested crops by hand in vineyards and orchards
- Where it falls short
- The price is not published.
- Pick something else if
- you need to know costs upfront.
89.2
08
Thorvald UV-C crop treatment robots
Saga Robotics, founded in Norway, runs Thorvald robots that move through vineyards and strawberry crops at night, applying UV-C light to control powdery mildew. Thorvald was named one of TIME's Best Inventions of 2026.
PROS- Reduces fungicide use
- Large share of UK tabletop strawberries
CONS- Narrow set of crops
- Offered mainly in the US and UK
- Best for
- Strawberry and grape growers reducing fungicide use
- Where it falls short
- It supports only a narrow set of crops.
- Pick something else if
- you grow crops outside its supported list.
87.9
09
AgBot driverless tractors
AgXeed, based in the Netherlands, makes AgBots, driverless tractors built for autonomous field work such as tillage, seeding and mowing. Claas has invested in the company.
PROS- Purpose-built for autonomy rather than retrofitted
- Covers several field tasks
CONS- Smaller company than equipment majors
- Price not published
- Best for
- Arable farms and contractors in Europe going fully driverless
- Where it falls short
- It is a smaller company than equipment majors and does not publish its price.
- Pick something else if
- you need published pricing or major brand scale.
86.6
10
Solar-powered seeding and weeding robot
FarmDroid, based in Vejen, Denmark, makes the FD20, a solar-powered robot that sows seeds and weeds mechanically by recording each seed's position by GPS.
PROS- Runs on solar power
- Combines sowing and weeding
CONS- Works at low speed
- Price not published
- Best for
- Organic growers cutting hand weeding
- Where it falls short
- The robot operates at a low speed.
- Pick something else if
- you need faster field coverage.
85.3
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best Agricultural Robotics Companies?
John Deere ranks first on Lister. John Deere, based in Moline, Illinois, offers autonomy for its large tractors and See & Spray, a camera-guided system that sprays weeds rather than whole fields. U.S. Sugar runs a fleet of autonomous John Deere tractors on its farmland in Florida.
What are the top 10 Agricultural Robotics Companies?
1. John Deere; 2. Lely; 3. Carbon Robotics; 4. Ecorobotix; 5. DeLaval; 6. SwarmFarm Robotics; 7. Burro; 8. Saga Robotics; 9. AgXeed; 10. FarmDroid.
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