Difference between ESP32 vs Raspberry Pi

In the electronics & programming world, there are different small and powerful development boards were developed that provide continuous innovation possibilities like Arduino, ESP32, Raspberry Pi, ESP8266, and many more. Among them, the two popular platforms; ESP32 & Raspberry Pi are most frequently used in electronics as well as programming-based projects, although these significantly differ in terms of programming, hardware & many factors. Both of these boards are used in different electronic projects but as compared to the ESP32 development board, Raspberry Pi is most frequently used based on different parameters. In this article, we are going to provide information on the comparison of ESP32 vs Raspberry Pi.


Difference between ESP32 vs Raspberry Pi

The differences between ESP32 vs Raspberry Pi are discussed below.

What is the ESP32 Development Board?

The ESP32 is a small, powerful, and low-cost microcontroller with integrated Bluetooth, WiFi & AI capabilities, so it is used in IoT and home Automation projects. This board is affordable & energy-efficient board, so is very useful in small electronic projects which operate on a battery. This board is available with flash memory-4MB, RAM – 520KB, dual-core processor-240MHz & it supports different programming languages like; MicroPython, JavaScript & C/C++. This development board is compatible with different sensors & modules.

ESP32 Microcontroller Board
ESP32 Microcontroller Board

What is Raspberry Pi?

The Raspberry Pi is a programmable and low-cost computer which is used earlier to teach as well as improve the programming skills of students. Raspberry Pi boards have some standard PC features like; memory, a graphics driver dedicated processor, and their operating system, which is a Linux-optimized version of RPi. This board has a microSD card that stores up to 32 GB of data. Additionally, it also has Bluetooth, Ethernet & WiFi connectivity, thus you can also utilize it to transmit files above the Internet. By using Raspberry Pi, we can develop simple software with different programming languages such as; Java, Python, C, HTML, C++, etc.

Raspberry Pi
Raspberry Pi

ESP32 vs Raspberry Pi Boards

The differences between ESP32 vs Raspberry Pi boards include the following.

                                ESP32 Raspberry Pi
ESP32 is a programmable development board with internet capabilities. Raspberry Pi is a small computer which uses a microprocessor like a processing unit.
It has 34 – GPIO pins. It has 40 – GPIO pins.
The CPU of ESP32 is a dual-core processor. The CPU of Raspberry Pi is a Quad-core Cortex-A72.
It is smaller as compared to Raspberry Pi. It is larger.
It consumes less power. It consumes more power as compared to ESP32
This board has 520KB SRAM. This board has 2GB, 4GB (or) 8GB.
It has in-built Wi-Fi internet connectivity. It has both in-built Wi-Fi & Ethernet port connectivity.
It doesn’t support an SD card. It has an in-built SD card slot.
The software used in this module is; micro Python & C/C++ languages. The software used in this module are; Python, C, micro python & C++.
It doesn’t need an operating system. It needs operating systems like; Raspbian & Ubuntu.
Its operating voltage is 5v. Its operating voltage is 5.1v.
Its operating frequency is 160MHz and overclockable to 240MHz. Its operating frequency is 1.5GHz.
These development boards are not expensive compared to Raspberry Pi. These development boards are expensive.
This board is from the ESP family. This board is from the ARM family.
These boards are very simple to use for beginners. These boards are complex & hard to learn mainly for beginners.
It doesn’t have an in-built USB-UART mainly for programming. It has two USB 2.0 ports like; 2 USB 3.0 ports
These boards are used in smart dustbins, home automation & weighing machines. These boards are used in advanced-level applications like; desktop PCs, robotics, servers, etc.
Its operating temperature ranges from –40 °C to +125 °C. Its operating temperature ranges from -20 °C to +85 °C.
Its flash is 4MB. Its flash is 2MB.
Interfaces used are; I2S-2, I2C-2, UART-3, SPI -4, and PWM channels – 16. Interfaces used are; UART-2, I2C-2, SPI-2, PWM channels -16.
The sensors used in the module are; Temperature, Touch, and Hall Effect. The sensor used in this board is a temperature sensor.

Thus, this is an overview of ESP32 vs Raspberry Pi boards. The Raspberry Pi & the ESP32 boards are the two most important and popular platforms used mainly for electronic & programming projects. As compared to ESP32, Raspberry Pi is a better choice when the user needs microcontroller boards based on their specifications. These two boards have scope in every field of technology nearly, but the Raspberry Pi board is very popular & powerful because has a large community & many people utilize it for various purposes. These boards have more processing power & memory. Here is a question for you, what is ESP32 CAM?