Quick Answer: Kress and Husqvarna both sell wire-free robot mowers in 2026, and both skip the buried boundary wire — but they get there through different navigation networks. The Kress KR174 covers 1.2 acres (1.7 max) with OAS obstacle avoidance for $2,699.99, using RTKⁿ network RTK with zero hardware mounted on your property. The Husqvarna Automower 420 iQ covers 0.5-1 acre for $3,499.99 using wire-free EPOS satellite navigation, backed by a 4-year unit warranty plus a separate 3-year battery warranty, per Husqvarna. Buy Kress for more coverage per dollar and obstacle avoidance; buy Husqvarna for the longer warranty and three decades of dealer-backed track record.
Kress and Husqvarna both bet on wire-free navigation in 2026, but they solved the “no antenna” problem in opposite ways. Husqvarna’s EPOS still needs a small reference station mounted somewhere on your property with a clear sky view. Kress’s RTKⁿ skips that too — the correction signal comes from Kress’s own network of professional base stations, so the only hardware in your yard is the mower and its dock. Here’s how the two actually compare model for model.
Kress vs Husqvarna at a glance
| Factor | Kress | Husqvarna |
|---|---|---|
| Navigation | RTKⁿ network RTK, no antenna on property | Wire-free EPOS, reference station required |
| Entry price | $1,699.99 (KR172, 0.5 acre) | $2,999.99 (410 iQ, 0.5 acre) |
| Flagship price / coverage | $2,699.99 (KR174, 1.2-1.7 acres) | $4,299.99 (440 iQ, 1-2 acres) |
| Obstacle avoidance | OAS on KR173/KR174 | Ultrasonic + lift/tilt sensors, no dedicated OAS |
| Max slope | 40% (~22°) | 45% (iQ series) · 70%/35° (AWD 435 iQ) |
| Warranty | 3-year residential / 2-year commercial | 4-year unit + separate 3-year battery |
| Retail channel | Dealer network, Amazon | Dealer network + Amazon |
| Track record | Positec's premium mower brand (also owns Worx) | Category creator since 1995, dealer service |
Kress: cheaper coverage, no antenna, OAS included
Kress KR174 (Mission RTKⁿ 1¼-acre with OAS)
- Covers a recommended 1.2 acres on a 48-hour cycle, up to 1.7 acres every 72 hours, per Kress.
- RTKⁿ navigation streams correction data from Kress's own base-station network — no reference antenna to mount on your roof or lawn.
- OAS (Obstacle Avoidance System) steers around toys, furniture and beds instead of bump-and-turn.
- Undercuts the comparably-sized Husqvarna 440 iQ by roughly $1,600, per Kress and Husqvarna list pricing.
- Backed by a 3-year residential warranty (2-year commercial), per Kress's official warranty table.
Getting a mower delivered fast matters when your lawn’s already overgrown — try Amazon Prime free for 30 days for two-day shipping on either brand’s Amazon-sold models.
Full lineup and pricing across the whole Mission range in our Kress robot mower review.
Husqvarna: longer warranty, dealer network, steeper hills
Husqvarna Automower 420 iQ
- Covers 0.5 to 1 acre using wire-free EPOS satellite navigation — no buried perimeter wire, per Husqvarna.
- Backed by a 4-year unit warranty plus a separate 3-year battery warranty — a full year longer on the unit than Kress's residential term, with no usage-type distinction.
- Part of a full iQ-series range from 0.5 acres (410 iQ) up to 2 acres (440 iQ), plus the AWD 435 iQ for slopes up to 70% (35°) that Kress's residential line doesn't match.
- No dedicated obstacle-avoidance vision system — relies on ultrasonic detection and a lift/tilt blade-stop sensor instead of routing around objects.
See the full iQ-series lineup in our best Husqvarna Automower guide.
Head-to-head: who wins each category
- Upfront price: Kress. The KR174 costs roughly $1,600 less than a comparably-sized Husqvarna 440 iQ.
- Obstacle avoidance: Kress. OAS on the KR173/KR174 actively steers around objects; Husqvarna’s iQ series only detects and stops.
- Warranty: Husqvarna. A 4-year unit warranty with no residential/commercial split beats Kress’s 3-year residential term by a year.
- Steep-slope handling: Husqvarna. The AWD 435 iQ climbs 70% (35°); Kress’s residential lineup tops out at 40% (22°).
- No-hardware-on-property navigation: Kress. RTKⁿ needs zero antenna or reference station; Husqvarna’s EPOS still requires one mounted with a clear sky view.
- Brand track record: Husqvarna. Three decades since the original Automower in 1995 versus Kress’s newer entry into the wire-free category.
Kress vs Husqvarna by the numbers
- ~$1,600: Roughly how much less the Kress KR174 costs than a comparably-sized Husqvarna 440 iQ.
- 4 years vs 3 years: Husqvarna’s no-usage-split unit warranty versus Kress’s residential (prosumer) warranty term — the narrowest warranty gap Husqvarna holds against any wire-free rival on this site.
- 2-3 cm: RTKⁿ’s positioning accuracy, per Kress — on par with EPOS, but delivered with zero base-station hardware on the property itself.
- 40% vs 70%: Kress’s residential slope ceiling versus Husqvarna’s AWD 435 iQ — the clearest technical edge Husqvarna holds if your yard has real hills.
The bottom line
If price per acre and obstacle avoidance matter most, the Kress KR174 gets you a genuinely antenna-free RTK mower with OAS for hundreds less than Husqvarna charges. If a longer warranty, steeper-slope AWD options, and Husqvarna’s three-decade dealer network matter more than sticker price, the Husqvarna Automower is worth the premium. Full breakdowns in our Kress robot mower review and best Husqvarna Automower guide, or start with our best robot lawn mower pillar for the rest of the field. Comparing a different value wire-free challenger instead? See our Sunseeker vs Husqvarna comparison.