The 4 best Raspberry Pi alternatives in 2024

If you aren’t knowledgeable about the Raspberry Pithen you’ve most likely become aware of it, being among the most popular single-board computer systems (SBC) in the world, offering well over 40 million copies in its life time. Obviously, if you recognize with the Raspberry Pi, then you understand how flexible it is as a small computer system, and can frequently do a great deal of the exact same or comparable functions that you may discover on a laptop computerwhich is outstanding. That stated, the Raspberry Pi is not the only SBC on the marketplace, and there are really a lots of outstanding options, particularly if you can’t discover the Raspberry Pi design you desire, which is extremely possible.

While there are a lots of rivals out there, we’ve selected our 5 favorites and noted them listed below, in addition to entering into their specifications and a few of their finest usage cases. Naturally, you do not need to utilize them in the method we recommend, which is among the terrific features of SBCs like this: you can utilize them in basically any method you select.

The Very Best Raspberry Pi Alternatives in 2024

• Purchase the

  if you desire the very best total Raspberry Pi option.

• Purchase the

  if you desire the very best premium Raspberry Pi option.

• Purchase the

  if you desire the very best spending plan Raspberry Pi option.

• Purchase the

  if you desire the very best Raspberry Pi option for networking and streaming.

• Purchase the

  if you desire the very best Raspberry Pi option for GPU efficiency and AI.

Orange Pi 5

Finest total Raspberry Pi alternative

While the Orange Pi 5 has actually rather flown under the radar, you may be amazed to learn that it’s rather competitive in regards to specifications with the Raspberry Pi. Approved, it is a bit more costly, however it has the power behind it to make it worth the additional expense, which’s not to discuss the reality that it came out before the Raspberry Pi 5. If you’re looking for the finest option to the Raspberry Pi 5, then the Orange Pi 5 is the one, although it’s essential to point out from the beginning that it does not have a lot of cross-compatibility, which is one prospective problem when changing to it.

In regards to processing power, the Orange Pi 5 includes a Rockchip RK3588S, which is a quad-core A76 and quad-core A55 mix for an overall of 8 cores operating on a 64-bit architecture and can strike 2.4 GHz. You likewise get an ARM Mali-G610 GPU with some 2d and 3d velocity, however more remarkably, it has the capability to show 8k resolutions, which provides you a couple of more choices in regards to how you wish to manage your screen. The highest-end design features 16GB of RAM, however you can likewise get designs with 32GB and 8GB of RAM, along with a bundled variation that consists of a 256GB eMMC.

When it comes to connection, you have a quite terrific spread, and it consists of an HDMI out, a USB 3.0 type-C, 2 USB 2.0 type-As, a Gigabit LAN port, and a USB 3.1 type-C port for power, the latter of which is great to have. You likewise get a 26-pin GPIO header, the capability to utilize an M. 2 PCIe2.0, and an enhance of LCD and video camera user interfaces. Truly, you have a heap of methods you can link to the Orange Pi 5 and output info, making this an ideal alternative for high-performance and requiring jobs.

UDOO BOLT V3

Finest premium Raspberry Pi alternative

The fact is that the UDOO BOLT V3 is most likely going to be overkill for basically most utilize cases, however if you actually require something that’s practically as effective as an entry-level laptop computer, then this is what you require. Obviously, it practically costs the like a budget plan laptop computer, however it has comparable processing power going all out, so it’s not all that bad. The AMD Ryzen Embedded V1202b is rather effective and can strike 2.3 ghz usually and up to 3.2 ghz when improved, so it can manage a lot more intricate jobs than your typical SBC.

With that sort of processing power, you can run basically any Linux circulation you can consider and possibly even Windows 10, which is outstanding for this little of a gadget. It likewise features an AMD Radeon Vega 3 GPU, which has to do with the level of an older GTX 800 or 900 series laptop computer GPU, however that’s still rather a great deal of power in such a little plan. Even much better, it implies that you can utilize this for numerous kinds of video game emulation if you wish to develop a small-form-factor emulation rig, which would be an intriguing job.

When it comes to RAM, you get 2 dual-channel 64-bit So-DIMM Sockets that can manage approximately 32GB of ECC RAM, which is a great deal of power to have under the hood and best for more extreme jobs, and the 32GB of EMMC storage is likewise quite terrific. In general, the UDOO BOLT V3 is quickly among the most effective total SBCs that you can get and is excellent for whatever from emulation to VR tasks and after that some. That stated, if that’s inadequate power for you still, you might constantly invest an additional $100 and obtain a UDOO BOLT V8 that has a better CPU and GPU combination and might possibly measure up to some entry-level laptop computers in regards to processing power.

Libre Le Potato

Finest budget plan Raspberry Pi alternative

Purchasing an SBC does not need to be a pricey venture, and while something like the Raspberry Pi 3 is typically a great go-to for budget plan choices, it can be tough to discover in stock nowadays, particularly with the Raspberry Pi 4 and 5 out. Thankfully, the option is still respectable and is available in the type of the Libre Le Potato, which not just has a charming name however is likewise remarkably effective for what you get. Approved, it does reveal its age like the Pi 3, however at simply $35 MSRP for the 2GB RAM variation, you can’t actually fault it for that.

In regards to processing, you get quad 64-bit 1.5 GHz ARM Cortex-A53 processors, which are fairly effective for many utilize cases and do not need the huge quantities of RAM you generally discover on more pricey SBCs. For a GPU, you get the ARM Mali-450 at 750MHz, which can deal with 4k at 60FPS however isn’t actually effective adequate to do most 3d making that you may require for emulation software application. That stated, you might possibly handle a few of the actually old-school video gaming that has 2D making and isn’t as power-hungry, which is completely in line with the price.

There’s likewise rather a great deal of compatibility in between this and the Raspberry Pi 2 and 3, so if you have parts for those, they’ll likely fit on this, which is cool. That stated, since this isn’t as popular an SBC as some others on this list, it has basically no paperwork, making this practically difficult for novices to utilize and find out, which is an embarassment provided how low-cost it is. The ports are quite dated, and you will not discover any USB 3.0 here, and no type-C ports, which is aggravating.

ODROID N2+

Finest Raspberry Pi option for networking and streaming

If you’re trying to find something that’s flexible and excellent for networking and streaming or enjoying your media, then you can’t fail with the ODROID N2+, which is a significant upgrade to the previous ODROID N2+. It has a much smaller sized footprint and heatsink, which is efficiently put so it can cool without an extra fan or any thermal throttling. That implies you aren’t going to need to have a hard time to fit a fan on here or discover a case that deals with it, which is currently a bit tough considering that there isn’t much cross-compatibility in between this and the Raspberry Pi.

In regards to processing power, you get the Amlogic S922X SoC that includes a Quad-core Cortex-A73 and a dual-core Cortex-A53, so you get a quite strong quantity of CPU power to deal with. When it comes to GPU, there’s the ARM Mali-G52 which can support 4k and both HDR10 and HLGthe latter of which is an HDR requirement most sports broadcasters utilize, so it’s a great choice for streaming that kind of material. It’s likewise effective adequate to run some video game emulation software application, although do not anticipate anything too expensive or high-end.

RAM is restricted to 4GB, which is sufficient for a lot of usages you ‘d have for this, and there’s no on-board storage, although it does have both a MicroSD slot and an area for eMMC storage, so it depends upon just how much you wish to spend lavishly and whether you require that faster storage rate. When it comes to ports, you get 4 USB 3.0 type-A, an HDMI, ethernet, Micro USB, and a DC port for power. It likewise has a 40-pin GPIO header, which is likewise terrific to see, although it is very important to keep in mind that the knowledgebase isn’t as comprehensive or readily available as it is for the Raspberry Pi, so there is some knowing curve here.

Nvidia Jetson Nano

Finest Raspberry Pi option for GPU efficiency and AI

If you’re an advanced user and remain in the marketplace for an SBC that’s terrific for deep knowing and AI, then the Nvidia Jetson Nano is the best option, as it’s been made by Nvidia particularly for that use. A great deal of that is because of the really effective 128-core Maxwell GPU, which is appropriate for the sort of processing that deep knowing needs. It can likewise run the Dolphin emulator for some playing GameCube and Wii, however it’s not actually constructed for that, and you may wish to choose something that has a more conventional GPU architecture like UDOO BOLT V3.

When it concerns the CPU, you get a Quad-core ARM A57 performing at 1.43 GHz, so it’s quite effective, although it does not truly take on some other SBCs on the list. That’s ok, however, given that the focus is more on the GPU than the CPU, and having the ability to render intricate simulations or run artificial intelligence does not count on having the most effective CPU out there when the GPU is more than capable. That stated, memory does peak at 4GB, and there is no internal storage, so you’ll need to depend on the MicroSD card or an external disk drive plugged in through USB.

Beyond that, there’s very little to state; fortunately, the Nvidia Jetson Nano has exceptional documents and SDK, with assistance for Linux OS and the Nvidia software application match, such as the Nvidia CUDA, cuDNN, and TensorRT software application libraries, that makes it extremely flexible. You likewise have a great choice of ports, consisting of 4 USB 3.0 s and a USB 2.0 Micro-USB, in addition to an HDMI port; although it would have been good to see a number of Type-C ports, they aren’t really essential for what this is going to be utilized.

How We Chose These Raspberry Pi Alternatives

Adaptability

While we’ve sort of put each of the above SBCs into a particular classification, the reality is that the majority of them are extremely flexible, which was among the most essential things we wished to concentrate on. That indicates that they have adequate efficiency and ability that you can change them around for numerous usages if you wish to, instead of having something that’s super-specialized. The only genuine variance from that is the Nvidia Jetson Nano, which is truly purpose-made for AI and artificial intelligence and has actually ended up being preferred for many years.

Connection

Having the ability to have a number of inputs and outputs is a trademark of an SBC, particularly if you wish to make use of things like extra screens and cams. To that end, we’ve done our finest to select ones that have a great deal of ports and connections for you to deal with which consist of bigger pin headers or more ports than what you may discover on a Raspberry Pi. Once again, there is one discrepancy from that, which is the Libre Le Potato, which has a great deal of ports, however they are a bit dated in exchange for getting an actually excellent rate on it, so we feel it’s worth the compromise.

Assistance

If you’re going to fan out from Raspberry Pi, then you need to concern terms with the truth that you aren’t going to discover as much documents and understanding out there for other SBCs. That’s not actually their fault, thinking about that the Raspberry Pi is among the most popular SBCs out there, so there’s a big neighborhood. Be conscious that the level of assistance will differ commonly from having exact technical documents from the likes of Nvidia to hardly having some online forums where you can ask concerns, such as in the case of the Libre Le Potato.

That stated, we do intend to see more assistance get for the lesser-known SBCs as individuals end up being more knowledgeable about them, so even if there’s very little paperwork now, that may alter in a couple of months, so do not let that stop you if you have some experience and like to play.

This post is handled and developed independently from the Digital Trends Editorial group.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Microsoft Surface Pro 9 with Surface Pro Keyboard is $440 off

• This 17-inch HP video gaming laptop computer with an RTX 4080 is $500 off today

• Lenovo Legion Go simply got an unmatched rate cut

• The 5 finest Apple Pencil options in 2024

• Dell sale: Save huge on the XPS 13, XPS 15, and XPS 17 today

Learn more