Robot rounds vs a night guard: what each costs, and what each can do.
How does a robot compare with a night guard on cost? One night guard, 8 hours a night, costs about $6,000 to $12,000 a month at typical US billed rates of $25 to $50 an hour. Patrol robots are published at about $1,750 to $8,000 a month per robot. A robot adds a photo record of each check, but it cannot respond, de-escalate or detain, so a person must stay on call.
| Option | Monthly cost | Hours covered | Can respond, de-escalate or detain | Photo record of each check | Works if the network is down |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One night guard, 8 hours a night | About $6,000 to $12,000 a month, at $25 to $50 an hour billed | 240 hours | Yes | Only if the guard tour system takes photos | Yes |
| A guard post around the clock | About $18,000 to $36,000 a month, at the same rates | 720 hours | Yes | Only if the guard tour system takes photos | Yes |
| An autonomous patrol robot subscription | About $1,750 to $8,000 a month per robot, as published | Scheduled patrols between charges | No. It alerts a person | Yes | Varies by product. Alerts need a connection |
| Cereal's robot today, with a person walking it | $1,250 USD a month per robot (founding-site pilot), plus the time of the person who walks with it | The hours a person walks with it. Rounds on its own come next | No. It shows a person what it sees | Yes. A photo when asked, logged with the time | No. Today's robot uses internet services |
Monthly figures are 30 nights at standard rates; overnight and armed rates are often higher. Billed guard rates include the guard company's costs and margin, so they are higher than a guard's wage. Robot prices vary with the contract, the hours and what support includes.
Sources: Talo (April 2026: most businesses pay $25 to $50 an hour for standard security services); Belfry Software (September 2025: the average rate charged to clients typically $35 to $50 an hour); San Antonio Report (February 2024: $21,000 a year for one airport patrol robot, about $1,750 a month); Oxmaint (May 2026: $7 to $11 an hour of patrol, about $5,000 to $8,000 a month around the clock).
Hours times the billed rate, then what is left over.
A guard company bills by the hour. At $25 to $50 an hour, one guard for 8 hours a night over 30 nights is 240 hours, about $6,000 to $12,000 a month. A post staffed around the clock is 720 hours, about $18,000 to $36,000 a month.
For scale, the median wage for US security guards was $38,020 a year in May 2025, about $18.28 an hour. The rest of a billed rate covers the guard company's costs, such as payroll taxes, insurance and supervision, and its margin.
Patrol robots are usually sold as a service: a yearly or monthly fee, or a price per hour of patrol, that covers the robot, its software and support. Published figures run about $1,750 to $8,000 a month per robot, depending on the hours, the site and the contract.
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics (median $38,020 a year, May 2025); O*NET OnLine (median $18.28 an hour); San Antonio Report (February 2024: $21,000 a year for one airport patrol robot, about $1,750 a month); Oxmaint (May 2026: $7 to $11 an hour of patrol, about $5,000 to $8,000 a month around the clock).
A record is not a responder.
A guard can stop someone, talk a situation down, give first aid, call the emergency services and decide what happens next. No robot on the market today does that, and ours does not try.
So the honest comparison is not a robot instead of a guard. It is whether a robot lets a smaller team cover more ground, with a photo of every check, while someone stays on call to act on what it finds. Your alarms, access control and emergency procedures stay as they are.
The routine looking, and the record of it.
Rounds are mostly routine: the same doors and corridors, checked the same way, night after night. That is where a robot is useful, because it checks each point the same way and keeps a photo of each one:
- Fire doors propped open or blocked.
- Doors and gates left open.
- Lights left on, or out.
- Visible leaks and spills.
- Blocked exits and walkways.
- Items left in corridors.
Supervised today. Rounds on its own next.
Today our robot, a four-legged body running Cereal OS, walks a route with a person beside it. It follows them, comes when called, learns places by the names they give them and, when asked, says what it sees and sends a photo. There are three ways to stop it: its handheld remote, the Stop button on its live page, or asking Cole. It does not walk rounds on its own yet, carry things, open doors or call lifts, and it does not replace a guard, a carer or an alarm.
Rounds it walks on its own, from a list of places you name, are next on our list, with a photo at each stop and an alert to a person when something needs attention. We will test them with a person present before we say they work. Pilots start in Thailand and the US from early 2027.
The practical details.
Is a security robot cheaper than a night guard?
Per month, often yes: published patrol robot subscriptions run about $1,750 to $8,000 a month per robot, while one guard for 8 hours a night costs about $6,000 to $12,000 a month at US billed rates. But they do different jobs. A robot checks and records; a guard responds. Most sites that use robots keep a person on call.
Can a robot replace a night guard?
No. A robot cannot stop anyone, de-escalate, give first aid or decide what to do about what it finds. It can take on routine checks and keep a photo record, so a person can spend their time on what needs one.
How much does a night security guard cost per month?
At typical US billed rates of $25 to $50 an hour, one guard for 8 hours a night over 30 nights costs about $6,000 to $12,000 a month. A post staffed around the clock costs about $18,000 to $36,000 a month.
What does a security robot cost per month?
Published figures for autonomous patrol robots run about $1,750 to $8,000 a month per robot, usually including the robot, software and support. The price depends on the hours, the site and the contract.
Does Cereal's robot patrol on its own?
Not yet. Today a person walks with it and asks for a photo where it matters. Rounds it walks on its own, from a list of places you name, come next, and we test them with a person present before we offer them.
What does a Cereal pilot cost?
Our founding-site pilot is $1,250 USD a month per robot in the US, or ฿29,900 a month in Thailand, with no setup fee for founding sites, for 90 days. Add the time of the person who walks with it.
Does it work if the Wi-Fi goes down?
Not today. Our current robot uses internet services, so a site needs reliable coverage on the route. Working through a network outage is a design goal, not something we offer yet.
Is it available in Thailand?
Pilots start in Thailand and the US from early 2027, with service visits in Bangkok and Cole on LINE, WhatsApp or by phone.