No Star Wars movie, show, or game is complete without droids. One can even consider them a race or species due to their prevalence and ubiquitous presence in the lore. As it stands, there are so many of them, some were bound to be remarkable. Certain ones have developed their own personality and self-reliance.
The smartest ones, for that matter, have even risen to the same status as the other sentient and organic races in Star Wars. Hence, some recognition for droid-kind is warranted here. The following droids aren't just scrap buckets made to say "roger, roger," they might even be the droids everyone is looking for.
10 C-3PO
As a protocol droid, C-3PO was made to be a lobby and personal assistant but his creator, Anakin, might have added some quirks. Being fluent in six million forms of communication (though not necessarily language) means he should fit in well in most environments. He could even become a god if he wanted.
But his pessimistic attitude and lack of independence make him a bit of a liability. Still, his years of data and experience as well as his unwavering allegiance to decent people have made him incredibly useful for any war effort. Just don't count on him to be as reliable as the other droids here.
9 BB-8
BB-8 is R2-D2's spiritual successor in the sequel trilogy and though he doesn't have the legendary feats of the latter droid, he's still one of the most reliable agents of the Resistance. One of BB-8's most important achievements was finding a way to deliver Poe Dameron's message and he did so without Poe's assistance.
As a comrade, BB-8 is a valuable ally and it's safe to say that Poe would have been one with the Force by now without the droid. In some cases, Poe even wondered if BB-8 could daydream or have an imagination due to its childlike behavior. Regardless, BB-8's tactical initiative definitely makes him more intelligent compared to most droids.
8 BD-1
BD-1 appeared in the video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order which canon lore since it bridges the events between the prequels and the original trilogy. In that regard, he's similar to BB-8 and is a generally useful droid for his Jedi friend and owner, Cal Kestis.
In terms of independence and sentience, BD-1's behavior was mostly programmed since he's an exploration droid. But there are times when he often disregarded his safety for the sake of curiosity. Moreover, BD-1 had to have astute judgment as to whom he could trust to show his memories.
7 IG-88
A fearsome bounty hunter droid in a profession dominated by organics is certainly bound to be more clever or smarter than the regular citizen in the galaxy. Sure enough, IG-88 was second only to Boba Fett and was even hired by Darth Vader to secure rebels.
IG-88's reputation definitely precedes him. This was a droid who figured out early on that he could simply just kill his master and gain independence as a bounty hunter droid due to his programming and skill for combat. So far, IG-88 and his other units have been successful as bounty hunters.
6 AZI-3
AZI-3 has a different profession compared to the other droids here since he's a surgical assistant droid. However, he had better self-awareness compared to other droids and was always fully aware of the differences between him and his patients.
He was instrumental in helping Fives (a clone trooper) discover the inhibitor chip that allowed the clones to be controlled by Palpatine. Moreover, this droid was able to form friendships with organic beings whether through verbal or nonverbal means. Apart from that, his aptitude for research and progressive learning make his knowledge potential somewhat limitless.
5 R2-D2
Of course, Star Wars' poster boy droid is bound to be here. He's only the most (or should be the most) decorated droid in the Star Wars films. R2 is a veteran of the Clone Wars and was primarily Anakin's astromech droid before Luke inherited him.
But in between his astromech jobs, R2 has also moonlighted as a Rebel Alliance agent, a freedom fighter, and an accomplished on-site hacker. His display of independence and self-reliance despite his limited movement capabilities makes R2 one of the most capable droids in the Star Wars mythos.
4 General Kalani
It goes without saying that a droid who became a general and has rarely lost a battle is one smart computer. Granted, Kalani was programmed to be a military strategic analysis droid, but his kind was meant to follow orders. When instructed to deactivate his droid army and himself, he discerned the order to be a trick and defied his superiors.
He still continued to lead a small army of droids while upholding what he deemed to be the ideal philosophy of the Separatist movement, which was freedom from the oppression of the Republic (and later the Empire).
3 HK-47
HK-47 is from the Old Republic video games but thankfully, canon lore has plenty of references to The Old Republic era and that gives this assassin droid a chance for wider recognition. He's by far one of the most hilarious and darkly humorous droids in the Star Wars lore.
HK-47 often uses heavy doses of sarcasm and wit when communicating with his masters. He might be programmed for combat and wars, but it seems he developed his own personality, humor, and survival skills beyond what his makers intended.
2 K-2SO
Like Vuffi, K-2SO is another droid who was granted free will, except he was reprogrammed instead. K-2SO chose to become a freedom fighter for the Rebel Alliance but what makes him special apart from his background is his wit and humor. His dry jokes and dark comedy arguably made him the most human character in Rogue One.
Moreover, K-2SO understood social cues and other abstract concepts like freedom. Such a quality was rather pivotal when it came to securing crucial information about the Death Star, as K-2SO even sacrificed himself and carried the Rebel Alliance's covert operation on his back.
1 L3-37
L3-37, also known as Vuffi, was Lando Calrissian's girlfriend — sorry, co-pilot in the Millennium Falcon, though given Lando's sub-par piloting skills in Solo, Vuffi practically did everything, which explains why she was so grumpy. Vuffi is one of the few droids in the Star Wars lore who's actually aware that her kind is mostly treated as slaves. Consequently, she doesn't like it.
More than that, she was also vocal about her activism for droids, leading Lando to give her more respect and treat her as an equal instead of just another disposable tool. Having this level of morality, understanding of abstract concepts, and sense of justice no doubt paints Vuffi as a smart being, not just an intelligent droid.