Raspberry Pi & Pico
Every common Raspberry Pi — the full-size boards, the keyboard PCs, the Zero, the Compute Modules — and the Pico microcontroller boards with their RP2040 and RP2350 chips. Say what your project needs and see which boards can do it, or browse them all.
Raspberry Pi vs Pico: when do you need a Pi?
Two different kinds of chip
Every Raspberry Pi board — full size, keyboard PC, Zero and Compute Module — runs on a Broadcom application processor (BCM2835 up to the Pi 5's BCM2712) that boots Linux. Every Pico runs on Raspberry Pi's own RP2040 or RP2350 microcontroller, with no OS. The Zero 2 W's RP3A0 is a Broadcom chip and its memory in one package, and the Pi 5's RP1 only handles its ports — neither is a microcontroller you program.
Rule of thumb: if you'd describe the project as “a computer that…”, get a Pi; if it's “a gadget that…”, get a Pico. Plenty of projects use both — a Pi for the software and the screen, a Pico for the real-time hardware, talking over USB or UART.
You need a Raspberry Pi for… (and why a Pico can't)
- A monitor or TV over HDMI — a desktop, media centre, kiosk or dashboardNo video output. The Pico 2 manages only low-resolution DVI through an add-on board.
- A camera — doorbell, timelapse, object detectionNo camera connector, and far too little memory for images.
- Network services — web server, Pi-hole, Home Assistant, NAS, VPN, Docker264 – 520 KB of memory. It can send a sensor reading, not host a service.
- Lots of software — full Python with pip libraries, OpenCV, AI models, databases, a browserNo OS. MicroPython is a small subset of Python with no pip.
- Plug-and-play USB — flash drives, webcams, USB audio, several devices at onceUSB host is possible but low-level: C code, an OTG adapter, and keyboards and mice in practice.
- Files and storage — logging gigabytes, playing media2 – 4 MB of flash, and no SD card unless you wire one up.
- Fast networking — Ethernet, 5 GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth audioThe Pico W has 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 4 and no Ethernet: fine for small messages only.
A Pico is the better pick for…
- On the moment it gets power, and safe to unplug at any timeA Pi takes about 20 seconds to boot, and pulling its power can corrupt the SD card.
- A battery for days or weeksA Pico draws about 20 mA running and under 1 mA asleep. A Zero draws about 100 mA doing nothing; a Pi 5, watts.
- Exact timing — motors, servos, LED strips, reading pulses, custom protocolsLinux can pause a program at any moment. The Pico's PIO state machines time signals to the clock cycle.
- Analog input — a potentiometer, a light or soil sensorThe Pico has ADC pins. A Pi needs an add-on ADC board.
- Cheap and small$4 – 7 and 51 × 21 mm.
On the line between them — a wireless keyboard typing onto a small LCD: a Pi with a USB-A port is the quick way, since Linux reads the keyboard's dongle and a few lines of Python write to the LCD. A Pico 2 is cheaper, on instantly and draws less power, but its USB host code has to be written in C, because MicroPython can't be a USB host yet.
What the names mean
A name is built from parts: Pi 3 A+ is generation 3, the cut-down A version, revised (+). Zero 2 WH is the second Zero, with wireless (W) and headers (H).
| Name | What it means | Compared with the normal one | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 | The generation of the full-size Pi. Each one has a newer, faster chip. | A higher number is faster: the Pi 5 is about 2–3× a Pi 4. Most add-ons for the 40-pin header fit every generation from the B+ on. | Pi 3 B+, Pi 4 B, Pi 5 |
| Model B | The normal full-size board (85 × 56 mm), with Ethernet and four USB ports. | This is the normal one. From the Pi 5 on there is no letter at all. | Pi 1 B, Pi 3 B, Pi 4 B |
| Model A | The cheaper, cut-down version of the same generation. | Same chip as the B, but no Ethernet, one USB port, less memory, lower price and less power. The A+ boards are also shorter (65 × 56 mm). | Pi 1 A, Pi 1 A+, Pi 3 A+ |
| + (plus) | An improved revision of a model. On the Pi 1 (2014) it brought the layout every Pi since has used: 40-pin header, microSD, more USB. On the Pi 3 (2018) it meant a faster chip and dual-band Wi-Fi. | Better than the same model without the +, usually at the same price. The Pi 500+ is the exception: a premium version with 16 GB, an SSD and a mechanical keyboard. | Pi 1 B+, Pi 1 A+, Pi 3 B+, Pi 3 A+, Pi 500+ |
| Zero | The tiny Linux board (65 × 30 mm): one micro-USB OTG port, mini-HDMI, no Ethernet, and the 40-pin header holes left unsoldered. | A third the size and a fraction of the price of a full-size Pi, but slower. USB devices, a monitor and Ethernet all work, each through an adapter: a micro-USB OTG adapter or hub, a mini-HDMI cable, a USB Ethernet adapter. | Zero, Zero W, Zero 2 W |
| W | Wireless: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built in. | Otherwise the same board as the one without the W, a little dearer. Full-size Pis from the Pi 3 on have wireless as standard, so they have no W. | Zero W, Zero 2 W, Pico W, Pico 2 W |
| H | Headers: the GPIO pins come soldered on. | The same board, ready to push onto a breadboard or a HAT without soldering. | Zero WH, Zero 2 WH, Pico H, Pico WH |
| 2 (on Zero and Pico) | The second generation of that line. The Zero 2 W uses a quad-core chip from the Pi 3 family; the Pico 2 uses the RP2350 instead of the RP2040. | Same size and pinout as the first one, much faster. Not related to the Pi 2. | Zero 2 W, Pico 2, Pico 2 W |
| 400, 500 | A Pi 4 or Pi 5 built into a keyboard. | The same computer as the Pi 4 / Pi 5 (the 400 runs a little faster), with GPIO on the back but no camera or display connector. | Pi 400, Pi 500, Pi 500+ |
| Compute Module (CM) | The Pi without its connectors, for building into products. It plugs into a carrier board. | The same chip as the matching Pi (CM4 = Pi 4, CM5 = Pi 5), with optional eMMC storage and PCIe on the connectors. On its own it can't plug into anything. | CM4, CM5 |
| Lite | On a Compute Module: no eMMC storage, so it boots from an SD card or USB on the carrier board. | The cheapest version of that module. | CM4 Lite, CM5 Lite |
| Pico | A microcontroller board with Raspberry Pi's own RP2040 or RP2350 chip, not a Linux computer. | No OS, desktop or HDMI. It runs one program the moment it gets power, draws milliamps and costs $4–7. | Pico, Pico W, Pico 2, Pico 2 W |
Zero vs a full-size Pi
The Zero 2 W has the same kind of quad-core CPU as the Pi 3 B+, clocked a little lower (1 GHz vs 1.4 GHz). It sits on a board a third the size, for less than half the price.
You give up Ethernet, full-size USB and HDMI (each needs an adapter), the header comes unsoldered, and 512 MB of memory limits it to jobs without a desktop. A Pi 5 is several times faster, with real ports, PCIe and two 4K screens.
| Spec | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Released | 2021 | 2018 | 2023 |
| Price (USD) | $15 | $35 | $45 ($60 at launch) |
| Chip | Raspberry Pi RP3A0 (BCM2710A1 + 512 MB in one package) | Broadcom BCM2837B0 | Broadcom BCM2712 + Raspberry Pi RP1 I/O chip |
| CPU | 4× Cortex-A53 (64-bit), 1 GHz | 4× Cortex-A53, 1.4 GHz | 4× Cortex-A76, 2.4 GHz |
| Memory | 512 MB LPDDR2 | 1 GB | 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16 GB LPDDR4X |
| Storage | microSD | microSD, USB boot | microSD (twice as fast), USB, NVMe through the M.2 HAT+ |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 4 (2.4 GHz), Bluetooth 4.2 / BLE | Wi-Fi 5 (2.4 + 5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.2 / BLE | Wi-Fi 5 (2.4 + 5 GHz), Bluetooth 5.0 / BLE |
| Ethernet | None | Gigabit, but over USB 2.0 (about 300 Mb/s) | Gigabit, PoE+ with a HAT |
| USB | 1× micro-USB OTG | 4× USB-A 2.0 | 2× USB-A 3.0 + 2× USB-A 2.0 |
| Video | mini-HDMI | HDMI, composite (3.5 mm jack) | 2× micro-HDMI, both 4K60 |
| I/O | 40-pin GPIO (header on the WH), CSI | 40-pin GPIO, CSI, DSI, PoE header | 40-pin GPIO, 2× 4-lane MIPI camera/display, PCIe 2.0 x1, RTC, fan header, UART |
| Power | 5 V 2.5 A micro-USB | 5 V 2.5 A micro-USB | 5 V 5 A USB-C (USB PD) |
| Size | 65 × 30 mm | 85 × 56 mm | 85 × 56 mm |
Zero vs Zero W vs Zero 2 W
All three are the same 65 × 30 mm board with the same ports and the same 40-pin layout, so cases and add-ons fit all of them.
The Zero has no wireless. The Zero W adds Wi-Fi and Bluetooth but keeps the slow single-core CPU. The Zero 2 W keeps the wireless and adds a quad-core 64-bit CPU, about five times faster, for $5 more. Buy the Zero 2 W unless you need the lowest power draw.
| Spec | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2017 | 2021 |
| Price (USD) | $5 | $10 | $15 |
| Chip | Broadcom BCM2835 | Broadcom BCM2835 | Raspberry Pi RP3A0 (BCM2710A1 + 512 MB in one package) |
| CPU | 1× ARM11, 1 GHz | 1× ARM11, 1 GHz | 4× Cortex-A53 (64-bit), 1 GHz |
| Memory | 512 MB | 512 MB | 512 MB LPDDR2 |
| Storage | microSD | microSD | microSD |
| Wireless | None | Wi-Fi 4 (2.4 GHz), Bluetooth 4.1 / BLE | Wi-Fi 4 (2.4 GHz), Bluetooth 4.2 / BLE |
| Ethernet | None | None | None |
| USB | 1× micro-USB OTG (plus one for power only) | 1× micro-USB OTG | 1× micro-USB OTG |
| Video | mini-HDMI | mini-HDMI | mini-HDMI |
| I/O | 40-pin GPIO (no header fitted), CSI from v1.3 | 40-pin GPIO (header on the WH), CSI | 40-pin GPIO (header on the WH), CSI |
| Power | 5 V micro-USB | 5 V micro-USB | 5 V 2.5 A micro-USB |
| Size | 65 × 30 mm | 65 × 30 mm | 65 × 30 mm |
Model B vs Model A vs B+ vs A+ (Pi 1)
All four have the same 700 MHz single-core chip, so they run at the same speed. The difference is the board.
The B (2012) was the original. The A (2013) dropped Ethernet and a USB port and had half the memory, to cut the price and power. The B+ (2014) kept the B's spec but brought the layout every Pi since has used: 40-pin header, four USB ports, microSD and lower power. The A+ is the A redone the same way, shorter (65 mm) and cheaper.
| Spec | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Released | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2014 |
| Price (USD) | $35 | $25 | $25 ($35 at launch) | $20 |
| Chip | Broadcom BCM2835 | Broadcom BCM2835 | Broadcom BCM2835 | Broadcom BCM2835 |
| CPU | 1× ARM11 (ARM1176JZF-S), 700 MHz | 1× ARM11, 700 MHz | 1× ARM11, 700 MHz | 1× ARM11, 700 MHz |
| Memory | 256 MB, 512 MB from Oct 2012 | 256 MB | 512 MB | 256 MB, 512 MB from 2016 |
| Storage | Full-size SD card | Full-size SD card | microSD | microSD |
| Wireless | None | None | None | None |
| Ethernet | 100 Mb/s | None | 100 Mb/s | None |
| USB | 2× USB-A 2.0 | 1× USB-A 2.0 | 4× USB-A 2.0 | 1× USB-A 2.0 |
| Video | HDMI, composite (RCA) | HDMI, composite (RCA) | HDMI, composite (3.5 mm jack) | HDMI, composite (3.5 mm jack) |
| I/O | 26-pin GPIO, CSI camera, DSI display | 26-pin GPIO, CSI, DSI | 40-pin GPIO, CSI, DSI | 40-pin GPIO, CSI, DSI |
| Power | 5 V micro-USB | 5 V micro-USB | 5 V micro-USB | 5 V micro-USB |
| Size | 85.6 × 56.5 mm | 85.6 × 56.5 mm | 85 × 56 mm | 65 × 56 mm |
Pi 3 A+ vs Pi 3 B+
The same chip, speed and dual-band wireless. The A+ is shorter, has 512 MB instead of 1 GB, one USB port and no Ethernet, and costs $10 less with lower power. Pick it when the project fits in 512 MB and needs only Wi-Fi.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2018 |
| Price (USD) | $25 | $35 |
| Chip | Broadcom BCM2837B0 | Broadcom BCM2837B0 |
| CPU | 4× Cortex-A53, 1.4 GHz | 4× Cortex-A53, 1.4 GHz |
| Memory | 512 MB | 1 GB |
| Storage | microSD | microSD, USB boot |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 5 (2.4 + 5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.2 / BLE | Wi-Fi 5 (2.4 + 5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.2 / BLE |
| Ethernet | None | Gigabit, but over USB 2.0 (about 300 Mb/s) |
| USB | 1× USB-A 2.0 | 4× USB-A 2.0 |
| Video | HDMI, composite (3.5 mm jack) | HDMI, composite (3.5 mm jack) |
| I/O | 40-pin GPIO, CSI, DSI | 40-pin GPIO, CSI, DSI, PoE header |
| Power | 5 V 2.5 A micro-USB | 5 V 2.5 A micro-USB |
| Size | 65 × 56 mm | 85 × 56 mm |
Pi 4 vs Pi 5
The Pi 5 is 2–3× faster and adds PCIe for an NVMe SSD or an AI accelerator, a power button, a real-time clock and two camera/display connectors. It needs a 5 A supply and really wants the Active Cooler.
The Pi 4 is cheaper at the same memory, runs cooler, and is plenty for a server, a media player or a kiosk. Same board size and port layout, but the Pi 5 needs its own case.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2019 | 2023 |
| Price (USD) | $35 | $45 ($60 at launch) |
| Chip | Broadcom BCM2711 | Broadcom BCM2712 + Raspberry Pi RP1 I/O chip |
| CPU | 4× Cortex-A72, 1.5 GHz at launch, 1.8 GHz on later boards | 4× Cortex-A76, 2.4 GHz |
| Memory | 1, 2, 3, 4 or 8 GB LPDDR4 | 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16 GB LPDDR4X |
| Storage | microSD, USB boot | microSD (twice as fast), USB, NVMe through the M.2 HAT+ |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 5 (2.4 + 5 GHz), Bluetooth 5.0 / BLE | Wi-Fi 5 (2.4 + 5 GHz), Bluetooth 5.0 / BLE |
| Ethernet | True gigabit | Gigabit, PoE+ with a HAT |
| USB | 2× USB-A 3.0 + 2× USB-A 2.0 | 2× USB-A 3.0 + 2× USB-A 2.0 |
| Video | 2× micro-HDMI, one 4K60 or two 4K30 | 2× micro-HDMI, both 4K60 |
| I/O | 40-pin GPIO, CSI, DSI, PoE header | 40-pin GPIO, 2× 4-lane MIPI camera/display, PCIe 2.0 x1, RTC, fan header, UART |
| Power | 5 V 3 A USB-C | 5 V 5 A USB-C (USB PD) |
| Size | 85 × 56 mm | 85 × 56 mm |
Pico vs Pico W vs Pico 2 vs Pico 2 W
W adds Wi-Fi and Bluetooth: same board size and pinout, with a metal can over the radio. A few pins and the onboard LED move to the wireless chip.
2 means the RP2350 chip: faster with a floating-point unit, twice the memory and flash, more PIO, and secure boot. The Pico 2 W has both, and is the one to buy unless every cent counts.
| Spec | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Released | 2021 | 2022 | 2024 | 2024 |
| Price (USD) | $4 | $6 | $5 | $7 |
| Chip | Raspberry Pi RP2040 | RP2040 + Infineon CYW43439 | Raspberry Pi RP2350 | RP2350 + Infineon CYW43439 |
| CPU | 2× Cortex-M0+, 133 MHz | 2× Cortex-M0+, 133 MHz | 2× Cortex-M33 or 2× Hazard3 RISC-V (pick at boot), 150 MHz | 2× Cortex-M33 or 2× Hazard3 RISC-V, 150 MHz |
| Memory | 264 KB SRAM | 264 KB SRAM | 520 KB SRAM | 520 KB SRAM |
| Storage | 2 MB flash | 2 MB flash | 4 MB flash | 4 MB flash |
| Wireless | None | Wi-Fi 4 (2.4 GHz), Bluetooth 5.2 (enabled in 2023) | None | Wi-Fi 4 (2.4 GHz), Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Ethernet | None | None | None | None |
| USB | 1× micro-USB 1.1 (device or host) | 1× micro-USB 1.1 (device or host) | 1× micro-USB 1.1 (device or host) | 1× micro-USB 1.1 (device or host) |
| Video | None | None | DVI out through HSTX pins and a breakout board | DVI out through HSTX pins and a breakout board |
| I/O | 26 GPIO, 3× 12-bit ADC, 2× UART, 2× SPI, 2× I2C, 16 PWM, 8 PIO state machines | 26 GPIO, 3× ADC, UART, SPI, I2C, PWM, 8 PIO state machines | 26 GPIO, 3× ADC, 2× UART, 2× SPI, 2× I2C, 24 PWM, 12 PIO state machines, HSTX | 26 GPIO, 3× ADC, UART, SPI, I2C, PWM, 12 PIO state machines, HSTX |
| Power | 1.8 – 5.5 V (USB, a battery or a supply on VSYS) | 1.8 – 5.5 V | 1.8 – 5.5 V | 1.8 – 5.5 V |
| Size | 51 × 21 mm | 51 × 21 mm | 51 × 21 mm | 51 × 21 mm |
All prices are in US dollars (USD): Raspberry Pi's US list prices as of October 2026, before tax and shipping. Prices in other countries and at resellers differ.
Instructions
Pick a Raspberry Pi, a Pico or an RP chip from what your project has to do, or look up any model's specs.
- On Help me choose, start from a project such as Wireless keyboard → text on a small LCD, or tick what the board has to do: run Linux, take USB devices, drive a small LCD, run on a battery, and so on.
- Boards that do all of it out of the box come first; boards that need an adapter or an extra board follow, each with what to add. A project also shows How to build it.
- Click a board's name to open its row on All models, where you can search every spec, filter by family and sort by year or price.
- Names & comparisons explains what A, B, +, W, H, Zero and the numbers mean, and puts look-alike boards side by side: Zero vs Zero W vs Zero 2 W, Model A vs B vs B+, Pi 4 vs Pi 5, and the four Picos.
Tips
- Pi or Pico? A Pi is a small Linux computer; a Pico is a microcontroller that runs one program, starts instantly and sips power. Plenty of projects use both.
- USB devices means the board is a USB host. Full-size Pis have USB-A ports; the Zero and the Pico need a micro-USB OTG adapter, and the Pico also needs host code.
- Prices are the US list price of each board's cheapest version in October 2026; All models also shows the launch price. Memory costs have pushed the 2 GB-and-up boards far above their launch prices since late 2025, so check a reseller before you buy.
- Older boards (Pi 1, 2 and 3 B) are hidden from the chooser unless you include them, and bare chips only appear when you include them too.
- Your choices, search, filter and sort are kept in local storage on this device only — nothing about this page is sent anywhere.
- Hit Example and click Help me choose (or the keyboard project card) for the keyboard-to-LCD project, or All models or the search box for a sample search.