The alternative to AutoStore is NEO ASRS.
AutoStore invented cube storage and is the most proven system in the category. The trade it makes is structural — density in exchange for digging. Every bin below the top layer is reached by relocating the bins above it. If your inventory is small, stable and expensive to store, that trade is worth making. If your SKUs move and change, it is the thing that limits you.
What AutoStore builds
Cube storage: bins stacked in an aluminium grid, with robots driving across the top and lifting bins out vertically.
Line by line, from their published specs.
Sources are listed at the foot of this page. Where AutoStore does not publish a figure, the cell says so instead of carrying a guess.
| CAPABILITY | RAMS | AUTOSTORE | EDGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payload per bin | 40 kg (88 lb) | 30 kg (66 lb)[1] | RAMS |
| Bin access | Direct — any robot, any bin, any aisle | Top-down: bins above must be relocated first[2] | RAMS |
| Storage height | Up to 12 m (~39 ft) of system | Bins stack to 5.8–6 m; 600 mm minimum clearance above[2] | RAMS |
| Deepest-bin retrieval | No depth penalty — direct access | 3 min 36 sec to reach the 16th level[3] | RAMS |
| Special flooring | None — flat floor only | Flat floor within their stated loading limits[2] | Even |
| Lead time to live | 4–8 weeks typical | 20-week lead time; 20–26 weeks average total install[3] | RAMS |
| Port throughput | 650+ units/hr per GTP station | CarouselPort: 400 bins/hr floor, 500 bins/hr mezzanine[4] | Even |
| Installed base | Early-stage in North America | ~2,000 systems across 68 countries[5] | Them |
| Bin compartments | 2 / 3 / 4 / 6 / 8 | Three bin heights, 30 kg each[1] | RAMS |
RAMS figures are our own claims and we will substantiate any of them on a call.
Where AutoStore beats us
Written in earnest. If one of these is the thing your operation turns on, AutoStore may be your answer and we would rather say so now.
Proven scale. Around 2,000 systems in 68 countries as of Q2 2026, with a mature certified-integrator network behind them. Nothing RAMS says changes that, and for a risk-averse enterprise buyer it is often the deciding factor.
Raw port throughput. AutoStore publishes 400 bins per hour at floor level and 500 on a mezzanine per CarouselPort — higher than the per-station figure we quote for NEO. If bins-to-port is the only metric that matters to you, they lead it.
Storage density. Cube geometry stores more in a given footprint than open aisles. In a market where the rent per square foot is the binding constraint, that is the right answer and we will say so.
Ecosystem maturity. Mature software, deep operational history, and a global bench of people who have installed it hundreds of times.
Where RAMS wins
No excavation
The digging problem is architectural, not a tuning issue. In a cube, retrieving a bin from the sixth layer means moving five bins first. NEO uses open aisles, so any robot reaches any bin at any station directly. That gap widens as your SKU count and order volatility rise.
40 kg per bin against their 30
AutoStore publishes 30 kg per bin across all three bin heights. NEO carries 40 kg. That difference decides whether tools, automotive parts, small appliances and dense consumables can go in the system at all.
Height you already pay rent on
AutoStore bins stack to 5.8–6 m by their own grid specification. NEO builds to 12 m, and Falcon asks for roughly 1.5 m of clear height above that for the structure. In a tall building that is more than double the cube volume from the same floor plate.
Weeks, not two quarters
AutoStore publishes a 20-week lead time from purchase order to delivery and 20 to 26 weeks average to a completed install. NEO typically runs 4 to 8 weeks because there is no precision floor work and no grid to build.
AutoStore, for your vendor diligence
- Publicly listed in Oslo. Q2 2026 results report approximately 2,000 systems delivered across 68 countries, up from around 1,750 in 60 countries a year earlier.
- Grid is bought outright; robots, ports and software can be taken on a pay-per-pick subscription, but only through their partner network rather than direct.
Sources for every AutoStore figure above
- [1]AutoStore — Bins (30 kg payload, three heights)
- [2]AutoStore — Grid (stack height, clearance, floor)
- [3]AutoStore — General FAQ (lead time, retrieval depth)
- [4]AutoStore — CarouselPort specification sheet
- [5]AutoStore — Q2 2026 results (installed base)
- [6]AutoStore — Buying vs RaaS
Checked August 2026. Vendors revise their specifications; if you find one of these out of date, tell us at info@ramsmfg.com and we will correct the page.
Bring us the operation, not the brochure.
Thirty minutes, an engineer, and your actual throughput numbers. If AutoStore is the better fit for what you described, that is what you will hear.
Book a 30-minute call