If you’ve worked on DIY computing projects in the late 2010s, you’ve definitely heard of the Raspberry Pi, unless you own a few single-board computers from this family. After all, their small form factor, reasonable price tags, and solid compatibility with popular Linux distros (and packages) make them perfect workmates. But now all that is in the past.
Don’t get me wrong, Raspberry Pi SBCs still have plenty of benefits for modern projects. But their poor features make it difficult to recommend the main series to newcomers, especially compared to similarly priced x86 (or x86-64 for the pedantic crowd) hardware. On a budget, microcontrollers like the ESP32 and Raspberry Pi Pico have become reliable substitutes for a variety of projects.
In fact, the market for tuning devices has evolved so much that a project you would have turned to a Raspberry Pi a day ago can now be built with a variety of gizmos—many of which can save you hundreds of dollars.
Microcontrollers serve as a low-cost alternative to RPi SBCs for simple projects
Although they are completely different products
Let me be clear: a microcontroller is very different from a single-board computer. Even the mighty ESP32 MCU family has a fraction of the system RAM and CPU capacity of the Raspberry Pi SBC. Likewise, these little gizmos can’t run regular (full-fledged) Linux distributions, and they can’t double as makeshift computers when you plug them into a display and some input devices.
Instead, they’re better for projects that involve direct interaction with sensor modules, motors, resistors, or typical circuit gizmos. They’re also free of the extra services that run on Linux distros, which keeps their startup times fairly short and latency unnoticeable – especially when you compare them to their mainstream Raspberry Pi counterparts.
The ESP32 is surprisingly capable of circuit, automation, and smart home experiments
Although I started my hardworking journey with a Raspberry Pi SBC, these days I stick to microcontrollers when building smart home devices with different sensors. It is certainly easier for beginners to connect the BME280 sensor to the Raspberry Pi, but with a little effort it is possible to connect it to the ESP32, turn on the quick YAML configuration via ESPHome and pull the statistics directly to the Home Assistant. The same goes for building vibration-controlled automations, Bluetooth proxies, custom e-ink panels, and practically most other IoT projects out there.
Although I rely on ESP32 microcontrollers for most of my projects, the Raspberry Pi’s Pico lineup isn’t too bad either. of course ESP32 boardsespecially the newer ones tend to crush their RP2040 rivals when it comes to sheer specs. However, the Pico array is fantastic for MicroPython-heavy projects as well as experiments involving lots of PIO connections.
Regardless of your choice of MCU, ESP32 and Pico microcontrollers can be used to build a number of common Raspberry Pi projects, while sipping a fraction of the power and costing less than $10 for a few boards.
Typical x86 mini-PCs and SBCs are better for demanding tasks
They are also not very expensive
On the other side of the performance fence, x86 hardware is better for projects where the microcontroller just can’t quite cut it. Legacy thin clients and mini-PCs have gotten significantly cheaper over the years, and even the most budget-friendly x86 gizmos can run circles around the Raspberry Pi when it comes to horsepower. On the compatibility front, the situation is largely the same. Although the RPi faction has a significant advantage over competing ARM families when it comes to distro images and packages that they can support, they cannot run all the software available for x86 systems.
The only factor where Raspberry Pi devices seem to be on top is energy efficiency. But given the extra performance and distros you can run on x86 devices, the extra power doesn’t really matter much, especially if you’re going for (comparatively) newer hardware like the N100.
When it comes to the price aspect, entry-level mini-computers are actually comparable in cost to the Raspberry Pi 5. High-end models have already crossed the $200 mark, and that’s before including a microSD card and other accessories. Even if you’re not looking for fancy customers at eBay auctions, you can still find vintage mini-PCs for just over $175 — models with a case and SSD, no less. And as someone who tries to run everything from bare metal Windows installations for Proxmox (and its virtual guests) on Raspberry Pi.there are some projects where it is better to forgo ARM boards for x86 systems.
The RPi Zero is the only Raspberry Pi SBC worth buying these days
While I wouldn’t recommend picking up a basic RPi system, the Zero series is an exception. For starters, Raspberry Pi Zero boards aren’t as expensive as numbered inputs. Even if they don’t win any awards for their features, they can handle everything from retro games to simple containers. I use them to bridge the gap between ESP32 and x86 projects. You know, experiments where the MCU isn’t enough, and the thin client/mini-PC seems overkill.
