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Everybody in the inventor’s world has played with the Raspberry pi board at one point or another. But not everyone is aware of these cool alternatives available in the market. In this post, I am have listed 14 alternatives to Raspberry Pi along with their pros and cons as compared to Raspberry pi.
Whether you are just looking for a change, or you think Raspberry pi is an overkill for the project you have in mind, or you need an Embedded Linux board that has more processing power, or you need something more powerful than the Raspberry pi, there is something in this list for you!
I have divided the list into 3 sections, section #1 has the alternatives under 60 Euros, section #2 has the alternatives from 60 Euros to 100 Euros, section #3 has the alternatives above 100 Euros. You can jump to the section you like using the Table of Contents below.
So,
What is a Single Board Computer? It is a computer with all the necessary parts like Processor, Primary and secondary memory and the necessary ports on a single printed circuit board. It is usually abbreviated as SBC.
Price: Under 60 Euros
Alternative #1: Beaglebones Black
When you ask someone for an alternative to Raspberry Pi, the first board they will come up with will be BeagleBone boards. They are produced by a non-profit organization called BeagleBoard.org. The goal of these boards is to provide opensource hardware and software platforms for educational purposes.
Similar to Raspberry Pi, this board can also run the Linux operating system and they come in different form factors. Let’s take a look at the key differences between Raspberry Pi and BeagleBones Black and see where each one shines
Key differences between Beagle Bones Black and Raspberry Pi 4B
| BeagleBones Black | Raspberry Pi 4B |
| Targeted towards people who want to learn Embedded Linux | Targeted towards people who like doing electronics hobby projects and who want an affordable computer to learn computer programming. |
| Open-source hardware and software | Open-source software, but hardware is not 100% open-source |
| We can build our own BeagleBone Boards | We cannot build one |
| There are 7 Analog pins | There are no analog pins available |
| 65 digital pins | 40 digital pins |
| Has JTAG for debugging | No JTAG |
| Performance is weaker as compared to Raspberry Pi 4B, but it has 2 Programmable Real-Time Units (PRUs) | The performance is better. No PRU. |
| Online community and resources are plenty but it is still trailing behind Raspberry Pi | Better Online Communities and resources |
Main Specifications
| BeagleBones Black | Raspberry Pi 4B | |
| Processor | Sitara™ AM335x, ARM cortex A8, 1GHz | Broadcom BCM2711, Quad-core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.5GHz |
| Primary memory | 512MB DDR3 RAM | 1GB/2GB/4GB LPDDR4 |
| Secondary memory | Only micro SD card slot | Only micro SD card slot |
| Price | 57 Euros | 45 Euros (2GB Version) |
Multimedia and connectivity
| BeagleBones Black | Raspberry Pi 4B | |
| Ethernet | 100Mbps | 1Gbps |
| WiFi | No inbuilt WiFi on the base version (WiFi version costs 10 Euros more) | 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11ac |
| Bluetooth | No inbuilt Bluetooth | BLE 5.0 |
| HDMI | 1280×1024 (MAX) | 4K video streaming |
| USB | 1 Host USB 2.0 (Type A socket)1 Client USB 2.0 (mini socket) | 2 USB 2.0 and 2 USB 3.0 all type-A connectors |
When should you pick the Beaglebones Black for your project? As you can see in the above 3 tables the Raspberry Pi 4 (2GB variant) beats the Beagle Bones Black in terms of specifications at a slightly lower price point. But we do have to keep in mind that the Beagle Bones Black is geared towards a different section of the Single Board Computer enthusiasts which is the Embedded Linux arena. Hence it will be more useful for projects where
- The presence of more GPIO pins is useful so that more sensors can be connected
- A JTAG debugging capability is considered a big advantage if you are writing applications to run directly on the processor instead of through an operating system
- You don’t need WiFi or Bluetooth in your project
- You need PRUs in your project
- You would like to design hardware by customizing the design of the Beaglebones black.
Alternative #2: ODROID-XU4
This board is sold by Hardkernel.com. It has a Samsung Xynos Octa-core processor and this can be helpful in highly multi-threaded applications like weather prediction and finite element analysis. Let’s have a look at the differences between ODroid XU4 and the Raspberry Pi 4B.
Key differences between ODroid XU4 and Raspberry Pi 4B
| ODroid XU4 | Raspberry Pi 4 |
| Targeted at the same market as the Raspberry Pi | Targeted towards people who like doing electronics hobby projects and who want an affordable computer to learn computer programming. |
| Comes with a heat sink preinstalled | Need to buy it separately |
| Has a boot button to choose whether to boot from SD card or eMMC card | Only one boot option |
| Has 8 cores, which will be helpful for multithreaded applications | 4 cores |
Main Specifications
| ODroid XU4 | Raspberry Pi 4 | |
| Processor | Samsung Exynos 5422 Octo core CPU4 x ARM cortex A15 at 2.0GHz4 x ARM cortex A7 at1.4GHz | Broadcom BCM2711, Quad-core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.5GHz |
| GPU | ARM Mali T628 600MHz | Broadcom videocore GPU |
| Primary memory | 2GB DDR3 RAM | 1GB/2GB/4GB LPDDR4 |
| Secondary memory | eMMC connector, and micro SD card slot | Only micro SD card slot |
| Price | 59 Euros | 54 Euros (2GB version) |
Multimedia and connectivity
| ODroid XU4 | Raspberry Pi 4B | |
| Ethernet | 1Gbps | 1Gbps |
| WiFi | Not available | 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11ac |
| Bluetooth | Not available | BLE 5.0 |
| HDMI | HDMI 1.4 supports up to 1080p | 4K/60fps video streaming, 2 micro HDMI ports |
| USB | 1 USB 2.0 type A socket and 2 USB 3.0 type A sockets | 2 USB 2.0 and 2 USB 3.0 all type-A connectors |
| Other Connectors | UART port | Display connector and Camera connector |
When should you pick ODroid XU4 for your project? You can pick the ODroid XU4 if
- Your project needs frequent switching between 2 operating systems
- you need a fast booting performance through eMMC
- Your project need high multithreaded performance since the processor has 8 cores.
Alternative #3: ROCKPro64
This board is made and sold by Pine64.org. Let’s have a look at the differences between the RockPro64 and Raspberry Pi 4B.
Key differences between ROCKPro64 and Raspberry Pi 4B
| ROCKPro64 | Raspberry Pi 4 |
| Targeted towards high-end hobby projects that need more camera connectivity and projects that need more storage like NAS servers | Targeted towards people who like doing electronics hobby projects and who want an affordable computer to learn computer programming. |
| Has 3 camera connectors, LCD screen, eMMC socket, PCIe x4 slot, | Has just 1 camera connector and no PCIe or eMMC slots |
| Is very big, more than 2 times larger than the Raspberry Pi | Credit card size |
Main Specifications
| ROCKPro64 | Raspberry Pi 4 | |
| Processor | RK3399 6 core, 2xA72 (up to 2.0GHz) and 4xA53 cores (up to 1.5GHz) | Broadcom BCM2711, Quad-core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.5GHz |
| GPU | ARM Mali T864 GPU | Broadcom videocore GPU |
| Primary memory | 2GB/4GB LPDDR4 | 1GB/2GB/4GB LPDDR4 |
| Secondary memory | eMMC slot and micro SD card slot | Only micro SD card slot |
| Price | 60 Euros (2GB version) | 54 Euros (2GB version) |
Multimedia and connectivity
| ROCKPro64 | Raspberry Pi 4B | |
| Ethernet | 1Gbps | 1Gbps |
| WiFi | Need to plug in a module (slot available) | 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11ac |
| Bluetooth | Need to plug in a module (slot available) | BLE 5.0 |
| HDMI | 4K/60fps HDMI port | 4K/60fps video streaming, 2 micro HDMI ports |
| USB | 2xUSB 2.0 type-A, 1xUSB3.0 type-A and 1xUSB-C port | 2 USB 2.0 and 2 USB 3.0 all type-A connectors |
| Other Connectors | 3 camera connectors (2 x CSI and 1 x CMOS) | Display connector and Camera connector |
When should you pick ROCKPro64 for your project? The RockPro64 is a good choice if
- your project needs a more powerful processor as compared to the Raspberry Pi 4B
- you need 3 camera connectors
- you need eMMC slot
- you don’t care about the size of the board (this one is twice as big as the Raspberry Pi 4B!)
Alternative #4: Rock Pi 4B
This board is made and sold by RADXA. Let’s have a look at the differences between the Rock Pi 4B and Raspberry Pi 4B.
Key differences between Rock Pi 4B and Raspberry Pi 4B
| Rock Pi 4B | Raspberry Pi 4B |
| Hexa core CPU | Quad-core CPU |
| Option for eMMC and NVMe storage | Not available |
| Software support not as good as Raspberry Pi | Better software support |
| 5 Bucks cheaper than Raspberry pi 4B | A little bit more expensive |
Main Specifications
| Rock Pi 4B | Raspberry Pi 4B | |
| Processor | Rockchip RK3399 SoC6 core, 2 x A72 (up to 1.8 GHz) and 4xA53 cores (up to 1.4GHz) | Broadcom BCM2711, Quad-core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.5GHz |
| GPU | ARM Mali T860MP4 GPU | Broadcom videocore GPU |
| Primary memory | 1GB/2GB/4GB LPDDR4 | 1GB/2GB/4GB LPDDR4 |
| Secondary memory | eMMC card slot, micro SD card slotM.2 Slot for NVMe SSD | Only micro SD card slot |
| Price | 50 Euros (2GB version) | 54 Euros (2GB version) |
Multimedia and connectivity
| Rock Pi 4B | Raspberry Pi 4B | |
| Ethernet | 1Gbps | 1Gbps |
| WiFi | 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11ac | 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11ac |
| Bluetooth | BLE 5.0 | BLE 5.0 |
| HDMI | 1 X HDMI port4K @60fps | 4K/60fps video streaming, 2 micro hdmi ports |
| USB | 2 USB 2.0 and 2 USB 3.0 all type A connectors | 2 USB 2.0 and 2 USB 3.0 all type A connectors |
| Other Connectors | PoE connector, Display connector and Camera connector | Display connector and Camera connector |
When should you pick Rock Pi 4B for your project? You can choose the Rock Pi 4B if
- your project needs fast storage options via eMMC and NVMe flash storage
- you need a CPU with more cores (6 core CPU) for your multi-threaded applications
- you are good at messing with Linux to get things working!
Alternative #5: Atomic Pi
This board is sold by dlidirect.com. It has an Intel Atom Processor and hence the name. It was originally designed for a robot but later once the plan to mass-produce these robots was dropped these boards were auctioned off and have been rebranded. So they are limited in supply.
Key differences between Atomic Pi and Raspberry Pi 4B
| Atomic Pi | Raspberry Pi 4 |
| Targeted towards people who need an x86 single-board computer for their hobby project. | Targeted towards people who like doing electronics hobby projects and who want an affordable computer to learn computer programming. |
| Can run mainstream operating systems and has a 9 axis inertial navigation sensor | Has just 1 camera connector and no PCIe or eMMC slots |
| Much larger than Raspberry Pi | Credit card size |
| Need to be powered through GPIO connectors | Has USB-C power connection |
Main Specifications
| Atomic Pi | Raspberry Pi 4 | |
| Processor | Intel Atom x5-z8350x86 quad-core @1.44GHz (1.92GHz Burst) | Broadcom BCM2711, Quad-core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.5GHz |
| GPU | Cherry Trial HD graphics (200 to 500 MHz) | Broadcom videocore GPU |
| Primary memory | 2GB DDR3 RAM | 1GB/2GB/4GB LPDDR4 |
| Secondary memory | 16GB onboard eMMC flash storage and micro SD card slot | Only micro SD card slot |
| Price | 50 Euros | 54 Euros (2GB version) |
Multimedia and connectivity
| Atomic Pi | Raspberry Pi 4B | |
| Ethernet | 1Gbps | 1Gbps |
| WiFi | WiFI b/g/n 2.4 & 5GHz WiFi | 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11ac |
| Bluetooth | BLE 4.0 | BLE 5.0 |
| HDMI | 1xHDMI1080p @60fps video streaming. | 4K/60fps video streaming, 2 micro HDMI ports |
| USB | 1 USB 3.0 port, 1 USB 2.0 available as a header | 2 USB 2.0 and 2 USB 3.0 all type-A connectors |
| Other Connectors | Volume control, system fan, UART and speaker connectors | Display connector and Camera connector |
When should you pick Atomic Pi for your project? You can go with Atomic Pi if
- you need an x86 based mainstream processor at a very cheap price tag of 50 euros.
- you need an IMU sensor on your project
- you need faster booting using the onboard flash storage
- you don’t expect to upgrade your project with newer hardware in a couple of year time
- you don’t need the camera or display connectors
Alternative #6: Orange Pi 3
Orange Pi 3 is designed and sold by orangepi.org. As the name suggests they are a direct competitor to the Raspberry Pi ecosystem. (at least in terms of hardware!). Let’s compare the Orange Pi 3 with Raspberry Pi 4B.
Key differences between Orange Pi 3 and Raspberry Pi 4B
| Orange Pi 3 | Raspberry Pi 4B |
| Targeted towards professionals who need good specs at a lower price point, and are willing to write their own software to make things work | Targeted towards people who like doing electronics hobby projects and who want an affordable computer to learn computer programming. |
| Very bad manufacturer-provided software support. | The best software and online community in the single board computer market |
| Good value for money in terms of hardware | Good value for money as a system (Hardware and Software) |
Main Specifications
| Orange Pi 3 | Raspberry Pi 4 | |
| Processor | Allwinner H6, Quad-core A-53 at 1.8GHz | Broadcom BCM2711, Quad-core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.5GHz |
| GPU | ARM Mali T720 GPU | Broadcom video-core GPU |
| Primary memory | 2GB LPDDR3 | 1GB/2GB/4GB LPDDR4 |
| Secondary memory | 8GB eMMC and a micro SD card slot | Only micro SD card slot |
| Price | 40 Euros | 45 Euros (2GB Version) |
Multimedia and connectivity
| Orange Pi 3 | Raspberry Pi 4B | |
| Ethernet | 1Gbps | 1Gbps |
| WiFi | 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11ac | 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11ac |
| Bluetooth | BLE 5.0 | BLE 5.0 |
| HDMI | 4K/60fps video streaming, 1 HDMI ports | 4K/60fps video streaming, 2 micro HDMI ports |
| USB | 4xUSB 3.0 and 1xUSB 2.0 all type-A connectors | 2 USB 2.0 and 2 USB 3.0 all type-A connectors |
| Other Connectors | PCIe 2.0, micro USB OTG port, microphone, UART, IR receiver | Display connector and Camera connector |
When should you pick the Orange Pi 3 for your project? As we can see in the tables above the Orange Pi 3 does not have very good software support but the hardware specs are good. You can choose this board for your project
- if you need fast boot-up times since this board has 8GB eMMC onboard
- If you need PCIe slots and IR receiver to make home entertainment systems
- if you are very good at Linux and can handle all the software hiccups!
Alternative #7: Chip
Chip is the cheapest single board computer with onboard WiFi and Bluetooth. Costing at 9 Euros it is a highly capable device. Just to see what you will be losing in terms of specs and performance let’s compare the CHIP with the Raspberry Pi 4B.
Key differences between CHIP and Raspberry Pi 4B
| CHIP | Raspberry Pi 4B |
| For light-weight projects | Targeted towards people who like doing electronics hobby projects and who want an affordable computer to learn computer programming. |
| Has a composite video port by default | Not available |
| 2 X 40 pin header | 40 Pin header |
| Very cheap at 9 Euros | No PRU’s available |
Main Specifications
| CHIP | Raspberry Pi 4B | |
| Processor | Allwinner R8 SoC, 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 | Broadcom BCM2711, Quad core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.5GHz |
| GPU | ARM Mali 400MHz GPU | Broadcom videocore GPU |
| Primary memory | 512MB DDR3 RAM | 1GB/2GB/4GB LPDDR4 |
| Secondary memory | 4GB onboard flash storage | Only micro SD card slot |
| Price | 9 Euros | 54 Euros (2GB version) |
Multimedia and connectivity
| CHIP | Raspberry Pi 4B | |
| Ethernet | Not available | 1Gbps |
| WiFi | 802.11 b/g/n | 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11ac |
| Bluetooth | BLE 4.0 | BLE 5.0 |
| HDMI | Composite video output, has HDMI add on DIPs available | 4K/60fps video streaming, 2 micro hdmi ports |
| USB | USB 2.0 x 1 type A | 2 USB 2.0 and 2 USB 3.0 all type A connectors |
| Other Connectors | Lipo battery connector | Display connector and Camera connector |
It really is not a fair comparison since they are in different leagues both in terms of price and in terms of performance so let’s take a moment to compare the CHIP with its cousin from the Raspberry PI family the Raspberry Pi Zero.
Key differences between CHIP and Raspberry Pi Zero
| CHIP | Raspberry Pi Zero |
| For light-weight projects | For light-weight projects |
| Has a composite video port by default | Not available |
| 2 X 40 pin header | 40 Pin header |
| Has WiFi and Bluetooth | No WiFi or Bluetooth |
| Very cheap at 9 Euros | Even cheaper at 5 Euros |
Main Specifications
| CHIP | Raspberry Pi Zero | |
| Processor | Allwinner R8 SoC, 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 | Broadcom BCM2835, 32-bit SoC @ 1GHz |
| GPU | ARM Mali 400MHz GPU | Broadcom videocore GPU |
| Primary memory | 512MB DDR3 RAM | 512MB DDR2 RAM |
| Secondary memory | 4GB onboard flash storage | Only micro SD card slot |
| Price | 9 Euros | 5 Euros |
Multimedia and connectivity
| CHIP | Raspberry Pi Zero | |
| Ethernet | Not available | Not available |
| WiFi | 802.11 b/g/n | Not available |
| Bluetooth | BLE 4.0 | Not available |
| HDMI | Composite video output, has HDMI add on DIPs available | Mini HDMI port, 1080p @ 60fps |
| USB | USB 2.0 x 1 type A | Micro USB port |
| Other Connectors | Lipo battery connector | Composite video port headers |
They both have their Pros and Cons.
The Raspberry Pi Zero has an HDMI port and good software and ecosystem support while the CHIP has WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity.
When should you pick CHIP for your project? You can pick up the CHIP if
- you don’t care about the display and you are planning to SSH into the CHIP remotely
- Your project is not performance intensive (Most hobby projects can be done here)
- you need to connect a lot of sensors to the GPIOs
Price: 60 to 100 Euros
Alternative #8: Asus Tinkerboard
The Tinkerboard is a single board computer from Asus at a price of 70 Euros this board has an excellent build quality and a quadcore 1.8GHz processor. Let’s see how the Asus Tinkerboard compares with the Raspberry Pi 4B
Key differences between Asus Tinkerboard and Raspberry Pi 4B
| Asus Tinker Board | Raspberry Pi 4B |
| Excellent build quality, better than a Raspberry Pi 4B | Very good build quality bit behind the Tinker Board |
| We can connect an external antenna for WiFi and Bluetooth, so we can get better wireless performance | No option to connect external antenna |
| Not so good community and software support | Excellent community and software support |
Main Specifications
| Asus Tinker Board | Raspberry Pi 4B | |
| Processor | Rockchip quad-core RK3288ARM Cortex A17 @ 1.8GHz | Broadcom BCM2711, Quad-core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.5GHz |
| GPU | ARM Mali T760 at 600MHz | Broadcom videocore GPU |
| Primary memory | 2GB DDR3 | 1GB/2GB/4GB LPDDR4 |
| Secondary memory | Only micro SD card slot | Only micro SD card slot |
| Price | 70 Euros | 45 Euros (2GB Version) |
Multimedia and connectivity
| Asus Tinker Board | Raspberry Pi 4B | |
| Ethernet | 1Gbps | 1Gbps |
| WiFi | 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11 b/g/n (option to connect external antenna) | 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11ac |
| Bluetooth | BLE 4.0 | BLE 5.0 |
| HDMI | 4k/30fps video streaming, 1 HDMI port | 4K/60fps video streaming, 2 micro HDMI ports |
| USB | 4 USB 2.0 type-A ports | 2 USB 2.0 and 2 USB 3.0 all type-A connectors |
When should you pick Asus Tinker Board for your project? The Asus Tinkerboard is a suitable choice if
- you need excellent wireless reception through external antennas
- you need a comparable performance as the Raspi 4B
- you don’t mind spending the extra 15 bucks
- you don’t need BLE 5.0 or USB 3.0
To summarise the Tinkerboard is a very good board and it needs an upgrade for it to compete with the Raspi 4B. For now, it is not a great choice unless you need to add external antennas.
Alternative #9: Nvidia Jetson Nano
Nvidia the GPU manufacturer has also entered the Single Board Computer Market. Let’s have a look at Nvidia’s Jetson Nano maker board and see how it compares to the Raspberry Pi 4B.
Key differences between Nvidia Jetson Nano and Raspberry Pi 4B
| Nvidia Jetson Nano | Raspberry Pi 4 |
| Targeted towards people who want to make some Artificial Intelligence Projects | Targeted towards people who like doing electronics hobby projects and who want an affordable computer to learn computer programming. |
| Comes as 2 pieces, an SoM (System on Module) and carrier board combination | Comes as a single piece |
| Better performing GPU as compared to Raspberry Pi 4 | GPU is basic |
Main Specifications
| Nvidia Jetson Nano | Raspberry Pi 4 | |
| Processor | Quad-core A57 at 1.43GHz | Broadcom BCM2711, Quad-core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.5GHz |
| GPU | 120 CUDA core Maxwell GPU | Broadcom video core GPU |
| Primary memory | 4GB LPDDR4 | 1GB/2GB/4GB LPDDR4 |
| Secondary memory | Only SD card slot | Only SD card slot |
| Price | 90 Euros | 45 Euros (2GB Version) |
Multimedia and connectivity
| Nvidia Jetson Nano | Raspberry Pi 4B | |
| Ethernet | 1Gbps | 1Gbps |
| WiFi | No inbuilt WiFi | 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11ac |
| Bluetooth | No inbuilt Bluetooth | BLE 5.0 |
| HDMI | 4K @ 60fps video streaming, 1 HDMI port, and 1 display port | 4K @ 60fps video streaming, 2 micro HDMI ports |
| USB | 4 USB 3.0 all type-A connectors | 2 USB 2.0 and 2 USB 3.0 all type-A connectors |
When should you pick the Nvidia Jetson Nano for your project? The Jetson Nano is a good choice if
- Your project has some machine learning/AI component
- You don’t need wireless connectivity and you don’t mind adding them through the USB ports
- You don’t mind spending 2 times the price of Raspberry Pi 4B
To summarise the GPU is the main selling point of this Single Board Computer.
Alternative #10: Beagle Bone AI
This is another board from the Beagleboard organization. This is specifically designed for robotics, machine vision, and artificial intelligence projects. It is supported by the Texas Instruments Machine learning library. Let’s compare it with the Raspberry Pi 4B.
Key differences between Beagle Bone AI and Raspberry Pi 4B
| Beaglebone AI | Raspberry Pi 4B |
| Targeted towards Embedded Machine Learning projects for researchers and hobbyists | Targeted towards people who like doing electronics hobby projects and who want an affordable computer to learn computer programming. |
| It has 4 Embedded Vision Engines (EVEs) which are supported by Texas Instrument’s TIDL machine learning library | Not available |
| 2 x 46 pin expansion headers | 40 Pin header |
| 2x Dual-Core Programmable Real-Time Unit (PRU) subsystems (4 PRUs total) | No PRU’s available |
Main Specifications
| Beaglebone AI | Raspberry Pi 4B | |
| Processor | Texas Instruments AM5729, Dual Core ARM Cortex-A15 @1.5GHz | Broadcom BCM2711, Quad-core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.5GHz |
| GPU | Vivante® GC320 2D graphics accelerator dual-core PowerVR® SGX544™ 3D GPU | Broadcom videocore GPU |
| Primary memory | 1GB DDR3 | 1GB/2GB/4GB LPDDR4 |
| Secondary memory | 16GB eMMC onboard storage, micro SD card slot | Only micro SD card slot |
| Price | 90 Euros | 54 Euros (2GB version) |
Multimedia and connectivity
| Beaglebone AI | Raspberry Pi 4B | |
| Ethernet | 1Gbps | 1Gbps |
| WiFi | 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11ac | 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11ac |
| Bluetooth | BLE 4.2 | BLE 5.0 |
| HDMI | Micro HDMI port 4K@15fps, 1080p@60fps | 4K/60fps video streaming, 2 micro hdmi ports |
| USB | USB 2.0 Type A port | 2 USB 2.0 and 2 USB 3.0 all type-A connectors |
| Other Connectors | UART serial port | Display connector and Camera connector |
When should you pick the Beaglebone AI for your project? The Beaglebone AI is the best choice when your project has
- machine-learning parts which need to be quick and efficient
- you need Programmable Realtime Units
- you need faster storage and boot-up time
- you don’t need a camera or display connector
Alternative #11: NanoPi M4
The Nano Pi M4 is produced and sold by Friendlyarm.com. It is a fairly expensive SBC at 99 euros. Let’s see how it compares to the Raspberry Pi 4B.
Key differences between NanoPi M4 and Raspberry Pi 4B
| Nano Pi M4 | Raspberry Pi 4 |
| People who would like something similar to a Raspberry Pi but with some eMMC storage and PCIe expansion options | Targeted towards people who like doing electronics hobby projects and who want an affordable computer to learn computer programming. |
| 40 pin Raspberry pi compatible GPIO connectors and a 24 pin connector with 2xUSB 2.0 and PCIe x 2 | Only 40 Pin connector |
| Good software support, community support not as good as Raspberry Pi | The best software and community support in the market. |
Main Specifications
| Nano Pi M4 | Raspberry Pi 4 | |
| Processor | RK3399, 6 core, 2 x A72 (upto 2.0GHz) and 4xA53 cores (upto 1.5GHz) | Broadcom BCM2711, Quad core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.5GHz |
| GPU | ARM Mali T864 GPU | Broadcom videocore GPU |
| Primary memory | 2GB/4GB DDR3 | 1GB/2GB/4GB LPDDR4 |
| Secondary memory | eMMC slot and micro SD card slot | Only micro SD card slot |
| Price | 99 Euros (2GB version) | 45 Euros (2GB version) |
Multimedia and connectivity
| Nano Pi M4 | Raspberry Pi 4B | |
| Ethernet | 1Gbps | 1Gbps |
| WiFi | 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11ac | 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11ac |
| Bluetooth | BLE 4.1 | BLE 5.0 |
| HDMI | 4k/60fps video streaming, 1 HDMI port | 4K/60fps video streaming, 2 micro hdmi ports |
| USB | 4 USB 3.0 Ports all type A connectors, USB-C (OTG) | 2 USB 2.0 and 2 USB 3.0 all type A connectors |
| Other Connectors | Display connector and Camera connector | Display connector and Camera connector |
When should you pick the NanoPi M4 for your project? You can pick the Nano Pi 4B if
- your application is multi-threaded and needs more cores as compared to Raspi4B
- It needs more GPIO pins as compared to Raspi4B
- you are okay with BLE 4.1 and don’t need BLE 5.0
- you don’t mind spending the extra 55 bucks for the upgrade.
To summarise, unless your project requirements match the Nano Pi M4 exactly, it is not a great replacement for the Rasp4B at the 100 Euro price tag.
Alternative #12: LattePanda
The Lattepand is the first SBC from dfrobot. This is another Intel-Atom based SBC that can run Windows 10 Operating System. Let’s see how it compares with the Raspi4B
Key differences between LattePanda and Raspberry Pi 4B
| Lattepanda | Raspberry Pi 4 |
| Same as Raspberry pi but with windows and x86 platform | Targeted towards people who like doing electronics hobby projects and who want an affordable computer to learn computer programming. |
| Intel Atom processor, Arduino coprocessor both have GPIO pins | No option to connect external antenna |
| Windows 10 comes pre installed | Excellent community and software support |
Main Specifications
| Lattepanda | Raspberry Pi 4 | |
| Processor | Intel Z8300 quad-core Atom processor at 1.44GHz to 1.84GHzATMega32u4 co-processor | Broadcom BCM2711, Quad core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.5GHz |
| GPU | Intel Gen 8 200 to 500MHz | Broadcom videocore GPU |
| Primary memory | 2GB/4GB DDR3 | 1GB/2GB/4GB LPDDR4 |
| Secondary memory | 32GB/64GB eMMC onboard storage | Only SD card slot |
| Price | 99 Euros (2GB/32GB version) | 54 Euros (2GB version) |
Multimedia and connectivity
| Lattepanda | Raspberry Pi 4B | |
| Ethernet | 100Mbps | 1Gbps |
| WiFi | 802.11n 2.4GHz | 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11ac |
| Bluetooth | BLE 4.0 | BLE 5.0 |
| HDMI | HDMI full size port | 4K/60fps video streaming, 2 micro hdmi ports |
| USB | 2 x USB 2.0 port1 X USB 3.0 port | 2 USB 2.0 and 2 USB 3.0 all type A connectors |
| Other ports | Touch panel and LCD panel connectors | Display and Camera connectors |
When should you pick Lattepanda for your project? It is the best option if
- you have an Arduino project which needs to communicate with your PC and you want to miniaturize it.
- you need windows 10 and a fairly powerful processor
- you need faster storage
To summarize the Lattepanda is a good SBC for 100 Euros as it comes with 32/64GB of eMMC preinstalled along with an Intel Atom Processor and a ATMega32 microcontroller.
Price: Over 100 Euros
Alternative #13: LattePanda Alpha 864
The Lattepanda alpha 864 is an excellent SBC from dfrobot. It hosts a laptop level Intel Dual-core m3 7y 30 processor. It is priced at 330 Euros. At first thought, you might think who is gonna buy it at this price point. The answer to that question is Industry! It can be used to make prototypes and proof of concepts.
Let’s see how it compares to Raspberry Pi 4B.
Key differences between LattePanda Alpha 864 and Raspberry Pi 4B
| Lattepanda alpha 864 | Raspberry Pi 4 |
| Targeted towards professionals who need to prototype their latest product onto a small form factor board and make proof of concepts. | Targeted towards people who like doing electronics hobby projects and who want an affordable computer to learn computer programming. |
| 100 pins | 40 pins |
| Cost is about 7x the price of a Raspberry Pi 4B | Price is much lower and hobbyist friendly |
| Performance is on par with budget Laptops | Performance on par with budget smartphones |
| Not as good online support as Raspberry Pis | Better Online Communities |
Main Specifications
| Lattepanda alpha 864 | Raspberry Pi 4 | |
| Processor | Intel Dual core m3 7y 30, upto 2.6Ghz and a Arduino Leanardo coprocessor ATMega 32u4 | Broadcom BCM2711, Quad core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.5GHz |
| GPU | Intel HD graphics 615 | Broadcom videocore GPU |
| Primary memory | 8GB LPDDR3 | 1GB/2GB/4GB LPDDR4 |
| Secondary memory | 64GB eMMC 5.0 Onboard storage and a micro SD card slot | Only micro SD card slot |
| Price | 330 Euros | 45 Euros (2GB Version) |
Multimedia and connectivity
| Lattepanda alpha 864 | Raspberry Pi 4B | |
| Ethernet | 1Gbps | 1Gbps |
| WiFi | 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11ac | 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11ac |
| Bluetooth | BLE 4.2 | BLE 5.0 |
| HDMI | 4k HDMI port x 1USB-C port x 1 (can be used as data or display port) NVMe M.2 slot that can take an SSD | 4K/60fps video streaming, 2 micro hdmi ports |
| USB | 3xUSB 3.0 type A connectors | 2 USB 2.0 and 2 USB 3.0 all type A connectors |
| Other Connectors | Display connector, Touch panel connectors, M.2 E-Keyed PCIe Slot. | Display connector and Camera connector |
When should you pick Lattepanda alpha 864 for your project? The Lattepanda alpha is the only option if
- you need to make a proof of concept for a professional computation-intensive application/product
- you don’t have a hardware engineer in your team to fulfill your needs for a high-performance single-board computer
- you don’t care about the price tag
Alternative #14: UDOO Bolt V8 Ryzen
Last but not least is the UDoo Bolt V8 Ryzen, produced by udoo.org, a Ryzen embedded V1605B based board is the most expensive SBC in our list at 410 Euros. It is practically a desktop computer, though smaller than a typical motherboard. Let’s have a comparison with the Raspi4B.
The ATMega32U4 (same microcontroller as arduino leanardo board) is connected via USB to the main Ryzen system, so it is similar to connecting an Arduino Leanardo via USB to a computer.
Key differences between UDOO Bolt V8 Ryzen and Raspberry Pi 4B
| UDOO Bolt V8 Ryzen | Raspberry Pi 4 |
| Robotics and as a Desktop PC with a very small form factor Vega 8 Graphics can help it to run AI tasks | Targeted towards people who like doing electronics hobby projects and who want an affordable computer to learn computer programming. |
| Has a ATMega32U chip soldered onto the PCB and connected to the main Ryzen system via USB | Single processor |
| 12 x 12 cm | Credit card size |
| Very expensiveMore expensive than similar performance desktop builds | Comparitively a lot cheaper |
| Performance is on par with budget Laptops | Performance on par with budget smartphones |
Main Specifications
| UDOO Bolt V8 Ryzen | Raspberry Pi 4 | |
| Processor | Ryzen embedded V1605B, quad core 2.0/3.6 GHz and ATMega32U4 microcontroller | Broadcom BCM2711, Quad core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.5GHz |
| GPU | Radeon Vega 8 upto 1100MHz | Broadcom videocore GPU |
| Primary memory | No onboard storage, 2xDDR4 SODIMM slots | 1GB/2GB/4GB LPDDR4 |
| Secondary memory | 32Gb onboard eMMC storage, SATA connector, M.2 SATA SSD slot and M.2 NVMe SSD slot | Only micro SD card slot |
| Price | 410 Euros | 54 Euros (2GB version) |
Multimedia and connectivity
| UDOO Bolt V8 Ryzen | Raspberry Pi 4B | |
| Ethernet | 1Gbps | 1Gbps |
| WiFi | Not available (M.2 slot available for plugging in a wireless card) | 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11ac |
| Bluetooth | Not available (M.2 slot available for plugging in a wireless card) | BLE 5.0 |
| HDMI | 2xHDMI ports 4K/60fps | 4K/60fps video streaming, 2 micro hdmi ports |
| USB | 2xUSB-C2xUSB 3.1 type A ports | 2 USB 2.0 and 2 USB 3.0 all type A connectors |
| Other Connectors | Speaker connectors, IR reciever, Arduino compatible connectors | Display connector and Camera connector |
When should you pick UDOO Bolt V8 Ryzen for your project? Pick the UDOO Bolt V8 Ryzen if
- price is not an issue
- your company needs to make a proof of concept of a computation-intensive product
- You need an Arduino coprocessor on board
- You need M.2 slots and SODIMM slots much like a normal motherboard
- you don’t mind the size increase as compared to the Lattepanda alpha
To summarise this is a miniaturized motherboard with the processor, co-processor, and memory soldered onboard.
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