The best Raspberry Pi alternatives of 2025: Expert recommended

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The Raspberry Pi is a single-board machine (SBC), the bulk of which are manufactured successful the U.K., which has captured the imaginativeness of developers and location hobbyists alike for galore years.

These SBCs are often recovered astatine the bosom of do-it-yourself computing projects. That doesn't mean determination aren't immoderate fantabulous alternate SBCs that tin supply the aforesaid -- oregon much -- powerfulness and versatility including alternate processors, RAM options, and media-related components. If you're looking for thing from a beginner-friendly exemplary to a almighty developer-based SBC, we person you covered.

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What is the champion Raspberry Pi alternate close now?

The Orange Pi 5 Plus is my wide apical pick. It's a versatile committee with capable powerfulness to grip media projects, and portion it isn't the cheapest SBC astir astatine $136, it provides capable powerfulness for hobbyists and programmers alike. There's besides plentifulness of documentation disposable to get you started.

Libre's Sweet Potato besides deserves a mention. This $35 Raspberry Pi alternate is simply a coagulated SBC for beginners and enthusiasts and considering its terms point, could besides marque a large acquisition for anyone funny successful programming.

The ZDNET squad is well-versed successful SBC use. We'll assistance you find the cleanable SBC for your location automation, customized gadget creation, oregon the robot you've ever wanted to build. After examining the market's astir fashionable options, lawsuit feedback, and reviews, my apical recommendations for the champion Raspberry Pi alternatives of 2025 are below.

The champion Raspberry Pi alternatives of 2025

The Orange Pi 5 Plus committee is an fantabulous Raspberry Pi alternate if you're looking for a committee suitable for media and wide DIY projects.

Why we similar it: Put simply, the Orange Pi 5 Plus packs a punch.

It sports a Rockchip RK3588 8-core (64-bit) cardinal processing portion (2.4Ghz), an Arm Mali graphics processing portion (GPU), 16GB random entree representation (RAM), enactment for Debian 11, Android 12, Ubuntu 22.04, Orange Pi operating systems, and a video output high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) connector up to 8K.

Who is it for: Anyone who wants the implicit bundle successful an SBC for DIY, media, and video projects.

Customers study being blessed with the powerfulness and velocity of the strategy arsenic an alternate to the Raspberry Pi.

The 8GB Orange Pi 5 Plus is priced astatine $148, and transportation whitethorn instrumentality respective weeks depending connected your location.

Who should look elsewhere: According to idiosyncratic feedback, this instrumentality is excellent, but determination are enactment problems. Therefore, it whitethorn not beryllium the champion enactment for those seeking method enactment implicit the agelong term. However, considering this SBC is aimed astatine hobbyists, a Wiki-style available if you privation to larn astir the circumstantial functions of this SBC, which mightiness beryllium much suitable than method support anyway.

It should besides beryllium noted that picking up accessories mightiness beryllium difficult. Due to changes to U.S. customs regulations, Orange Pi.net, 1 of the champion places to bargain the product, is nary longer shipping boards to the U.S. Accessories whitethorn besides yet go an issue, too.

Orange Pi 5 Plus tech specs: Processor: Rockchip RK3588 8-Core 64-Bit (quadcore A76 and quadcore A55) up to 2.4GHz | Graphics: ARM Mali-G610 | RAM: LPDDR4/4x up to 16GB | up to 256GB eMMC retention modules | Video: up to 8K astatine 60fps | Connectors: USB, Ethernet (2xPCIe 2.5G LAN)

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The Libre Sweet Potato is an affordable, solid, single-board computer, making it 1 of my apical picks for SBCs extracurricular the Raspberry Pi range.

Why we similar it: The heir to the older but inactive fashionable Le Potato SBC, Sweet Potato supports Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, Debian 12, and CoreELEC and comes with USB-C connectivity, a modern upgrade from its predecessor. Its signifier origin is akin to the Raspberry Pi 3, and further updates see an onboard UEFI bootloader and PoE mezzanine support.

Guides and tutorials for this SBC are disposable astatine the Libre Computer hub.

Who is it for: If you're funny successful trying retired an SBC for the archetypal clip to comparison with accepted PC setups without breaking the bank, this is simply a large enactment for you.

On Amazon oregon implicit astatine LoveRPI, you tin prime up a 2GB exemplary for lone $35. A scope of accessories, including heatsinks, cables, and dongle web adapters, tin beryllium purchased from LoveRPi.

If you privation a powerfulness upgrade, you tin drawback a mentation with a 15W PoE for $50.

Who should look elsewhere: Customers emotion the terms constituent and wide versatility of this SBC, but immoderate study occasional glitches, truthful it mightiness not suit users of the developer variety.

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The Tinker Board 2S is different of my favorites, acknowledgment to its robust powerfulness and processing capabilities.

Why we similar it: The Tinker Board 2S features an fantabulous processor, and the 16GB embedded multi-media paper (eMMC) offers capable powerfulness for astir projects. It besides supports high-definition (HD) and ultra-high-definition (UHD), besides known arsenic 4K video, arsenic good arsenic assorted ports, including section country web (LAN) and USB.

This committee has respective fantabulous features that marque it perfect for hobbyists. I peculiarly admit the color-coded general-purpose (GPIO) header, which makes it casual to admit respective pin headers. Plus, the elaborate silk-screen people connected the look of the committee makes it wide wherever everything goes.

Who is it for: Customers accidental determination is acold little enactment disposable compared to Raspberry Pi, but they mostly similar it arsenic a task SBC. I see this 1 of the amended options astir for hobbyists.

This SBC is presently successful banal astatine Amazon for $130, though stocks bash fluctuate. User manuals and quick-start guides are also .

Who should look elsewhere: Anyone who wants a accelerated delivery. Shipping tin instrumentality up to respective weeks, depending connected the retailer.

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Powerful yet energy-efficient, the Odroid N2+ would beryllium 1 of ZDNET writer Adrian Kingsley-Hughes' archetypal choices if helium wanted to regenerate his desktop with a single-board computer.

Why we similar it: The N2+ is perfect for precocious users who necessitate much powerfulness than a modular SBC. It offers fantabulous connectivity and tin tally the Petitboot app.

It tin besides tally assorted versions of Linux, including Ubuntu, and is compatible with Android. In addition, the CPU timepiece of the quad-core Cortex-A73 was accrued from 1.8GHz to 2.4GHz, and the dual-core processor was boosted from 1.9GHz to 2.0GHz.

It's besides adjacent to intolerable to reason with the terms point, arsenic Hardkernel sells a 2GB exemplary for lone $66, which could mean this is simply a large enactment arsenic a acquisition for a budding programmer. Cases tin besides beryllium purchased astatine Amazon.

Also: How to instal Linux connected your Raspberry Pi

Who is it for: Customer reviews bespeak that the N2+ is simply a large location automation and gaming option, and truthful this mightiness beryllium the close prime for tasks that necessitate important resources, arsenic good arsenic thing suitable for location DIY projects.

Who should look elsewhere: Some users, however, person experienced powerfulness proviso issues and truthful support this successful mind. If changeless usage and cognition are important to you, different 1 of my recommendations mightiness beryllium much suitable.

Odroid N2+ tech specs: Processor: Amlogic S922X -- 4x Cortex-A73 @ 2.2GHz, 2x Cortex-A53 astatine 1.9GHz | Graphics: Mali-G52 GPU | RAM: 2GB oregon 4GB DDR4 | Interface: eMMC socket with optional 8GB to 128GB | Features: 8MB SPI flash with footwear prime power and Petitboot app | Ports: Gigabit Ethernet port, HDMI 2.1 larboard for up to 4K astatine 60Hz | Connectivity: 4x USB 3.0 ports | Speed: 2.4Ghz with Gigabit Ethernet Port

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The Udoo Bolt V8 tin grip a wide scope of power-hungry projects that necessitate utmost speed, making it different of my apical SBCs.

Why we similar it: With a Ryzen processor (@ 2.0GHz, 3.6GHz Boost) and Vega 8 graphics, it's accelerated and large for virtual world (VR), augmented world (AR), and AI tasks. If you request to load ample files rapidly and effectively, the Udoo Bolt V8 won't disappoint.

The developer says this SBC is "almost doubly arsenic accelerated arsenic the MacBook Pro 13 for VR, AR, and AI projects."

The velocity and powerfulness of this SBC are a measurement supra astir of the different boards I recommend. It's besides expensive, costing $452, depending connected the supplier.

Who is it for: Customers who person utilized the Udoo Bolt V8 notation however costly it is, but galore bask the sheer powerfulness this SBC provides, and I see this 1 of the champion options for nonrecreational and developer-based SBC projects.

Who should look elsewhere: Considering the terms point, this Raspberry Pi alternate won't beryllium suitable for anyone conscionable starting retired with SBC programming.

Udoo Bolt V8 tech specs: Processor: AMD Ryzen Embedded V1605B Quad Core/eight Thread @ 2.0GHz (3.6GHz Boost) | Graphics: AMD Radeon Vega 8 | RAM: 2x Ddr4 Dual-channel 64-bit So-DIMM Sockets with Ecc Support Up To 32GB 2400 Mt/s | Speed: 32GB eMMC 5.0 high-speed drive

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The Orange Pi 5 Plus is ZDNET's apical prime wide owed to its features and popularity successful the single-board machine space. We've breached down each Raspberry Pi alternate beneath based connected processor, storage, and velocity to assistance you take a single-board computer.

Best Raspberry Pi alternative	Processor	RAM/Storage	Speed
Orange Pi 5 Plus	Rockchip RK3588 8-core, up to 2.4GHz	16GB LPDDR4 RAM, up to 256GB eMMC modules	2.4Ghz with Gigabit Ethernet Port
Libre Sweet Potato	Amlogic S905X SoC	Up to 2GB DDR3 SDRAM	100Mb Fast Ethernet, optional
Tinker Board 2S	Rockchip Quad-Core RK3399 2GHz	4GB DDR4 SDRAM, 16GB eMMC	16GB eMMC high-speed drive
Odroid N2+	Amlogic S922X -- 4x Cortex-A73 astatine 2.2GHz, 2x Cortex-A53 astatine 1.9GHz	2GB oregon 4GB DDR4	2.4Ghz with Gigabit Ethernet Port
Udoo Bolt V8	AMD Ryzen Embedded V1605B Quad Core/eight Thread @ 2.0Ghz (3.6ghz Boost)	2x DDR4 Dual-channel 64-bit So-DIMM Sockets With Ecc Support Up To 32GB 2400 Mt/s	32GB eMMC 5.0 High Speed Drive

A inexpensive single-board machine volition suffice for a speedy task oregon if you're exploring the tract of SBCs, but if you privation to put successful amended hardware, marque definite you're not wasting money.

Before buying a pricier SBC, we suggest starting with a wide thought of the projects you'll usage it for. This is worthy the time. Getting derailed partway done a task tin effect successful a monolithic and costly setback.

Next, bash immoderate research. How overmuch powerfulness and show bash you need? What operating strategy bash you request to use? This SBC usher offers the champion Raspberry Pi alternatives truthful you tin find the committee that fits your fund and needs.

Choose this SBC...	If you want...
Orange Pi 5 Plus	The champion Raspberry Pi alternate overall. The Orange Pi 5 Plus is simply a single-board machine designed for video and media support, susceptible of handling up to 8K video processing astatine 60fps with precocious show levels.
Libre Sweet Potato	A fund enactment for hobbyists and enthusiasts, and the cleanable mode to research SBCs. This Libre exemplary is simply a large Raspberry Pi alternate for those who privation to larn astir SBCs without spending a fortune.
Tinker Board 2S	While it has a terms constituent connected the higher broadside extracurricular of income promotions, the Tinker Board has everything you request for a assortment of projects.
Odroid N2+	A scope of hardware options. The Odroid N2+ is simply a apical performer that 1 of our ain authors would prime arsenic a desktop PC replacement.
Udoo Bolt V8	A high-end SBC with the benignant of show you would expect from a desktop computer. It's expensive, but the velocity and enactment for VR, AR, and AI projects whitethorn marque it worthy it.

When you are selecting a azygous committee machine extracurricular of the Raspberry Pi brand, you should see the pursuing factors earlier making a purchase:

Price: How overmuch are you consenting to walk connected your caller project? If you're starting out, a cheaper SBC should beryllium fine, whereas you mightiness privation to walk a small much for semipermanent oregon precocious projects. For example, determination volition beryllium outgo differences betwixt a basal SBC to larn programming fundamentals and 1 designed for AI.
Project: If you privation an SBC for hobbyist projects, you won't request the astir precocious oregon costly kits retired determination -- minimal RAM and processing volition do, and truthful you mightiness not privation to spell for the astir precocious processing powerfulness oregon the champion board. You whitethorn adjacent get distant with recycling older components, specified arsenic outer storage, for usage with your caller SBC.
Next-gen tasks: If you privation to research the capabilities of AI, you volition request an SBC with precocious specifications oregon thing explicitly built with these projects successful mind, specified arsenic the Nvidia Jetson. However, you should expect to wage much for precocious SBCs.
Connectivity: Consider what connectivity is important to you earlier you buy. SBCs whitethorn see antithetic types of USB ports -- specified arsenic USB-A oregon USB-C -- arsenic good arsenic varied net oregon Bluetooth connectivity options.
Media: If you mean to usage your Raspberry Pi alternate for media, specified arsenic streaming audio and video, guarantee that the SBC you are considering has the required components and support, particularly for immoderate outer retention you mean to use.
Protection: SBCs are acold little bulky than accepted computers, truthful you whitethorn beryllium tempted to bring 1 erstwhile you travel. If so, guarantee you person besides factored successful a protective lawsuit oregon measures to halt your SBC from being damaged during transit oregon impacted by particulate and water.
Cooling: If you privation to tally assets and power-heavy applications connected your SBC, you volition request to see vigor generation. The much powerfulness an SBC uses and the much tasks it performs, the much vigor it generates, and truthful you whitethorn request to look into cooling methods specified arsenic vigor sinks oregon fans.

The Raspberry Pi is an fantabulous portion of hardware, but it's been built wrong circumstantial constraints that alteration wide appeal. These SBCs instrumentality what the Raspberry Pi brought to the array further with features that let you to customize your experience.

My database includes options personally tested by ZDNET authors and highly recommended products based connected lawsuit reviews and feedback, with these factors specifically successful mind:

Performance: Performance is captious erstwhile you see purchasing a caller SBC. I considered processing power, RAM, and graphics and person included options capable to grip resource-heavy projects.
Connectivity: SBCs connection a scope of connectivity options. Some supply Bluetooth, for example, whereas others lone person HDMI and Ethernet. I've besides included antithetic options for the SBC hobbyist.
Storage: Some SBCs see storage, portion others supply USB ports for connecting outer drives. I similar to see choices with and without storage, allowing you to much power implicit implementing these types of components.
Ease of use: SBCs don't person to beryllium complex. Some of my options see applicable colour coding oregon different features to marque your projects easier to handle. Furthermore, immoderate of my apical recommendations are suitable for learning however to codification and for acquisition projects.
Price: Not everyone wants to put successful the astir high-spec SBC retired there, particularly if they are conscionable starting retired and exploring their interests. I considered a scope of devices with beginners, hobbyists, and tech enthusiasts successful mind.

Latest quality successful the SBC space

Raspberry Pi debuted a caller touchscreen display, a 5-inch constituent present disposable for $40.
Banana Pi unveiled the BPI-M4 Super, a caller SBC that could beryllium cleanable for high-resource and show projects.
Researchers accidental hackers planted a 4G-enabled Raspberry Pi successful a slope web to forge a backdoor into an ATM network.
Adafruit is moving connected a caller SBC, dubbed Fruit Jam, which is astir the size of a recognition card. A motorboat day is yet to beryllium announced.
Another new product that precocious appeared is the Banana Pi BPI-R4 Pro, featuring a MediaTek processor and much RAM than erstwhile models.
The CrowPi 3 "Al Learning and Development Station" reached its Kickstarter goals. This SBC is intended for AI exertion use.

Single-board computers are apt to beryllium impacted by tariffs. The concern regarding tariff rates is changing weekly, and the imaginable for uncertainty and rising costs for equipment, shipping, and manufacturing whitethorn beryllium passed connected to consumers.

The White House's imaginable ending of the under-$800 exemption connected goods entering the U.S. could mean that the outgo of user goods whitethorn emergence sharply, and this, unfortunately, includes SBCs. At the clip of writing, I haven't noticed immoderate important terms rises that interaction my favourite products, but this could alteration astatine immoderate time.

Raspberry Pi is simply a tiny computing strategy developed by the U.K.-based non-profit Raspberry Pi Foundation. Raspberry Pi SBCs are cheaper than PCs oregon laptops, and are utilized to larn programming, physique computers, robots, information systems, and more. In a sense, Raspberry Pi SBCs relation arsenic the compact encephalon of a strategy oregon project.

The Raspberry Pi is inactive the champion spot to commencement if you privation to get acquisition with a single-board computer. You tin besides instrumentality a look astatine guides provided by the Raspberry Pi Foundation to larn astir SBC components.

Also: Raspberry Pi conscionable released its ain high-performance SSDs and SSD kits

These alternatives are a large adjacent measurement to grow your SBC knowledge. The Raspberry Pi is simply a large instrumentality for familiarizing yourself with the setup and general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pins. It's besides a utile instrumentality if 1 of your kids has an involvement successful programming that you privation to encourage.

You tin find a batch of generic cases retired determination to support your Raspberry Pi oregon alternate SBC, and I urge getting one. After all, if you're investing successful an SBC, you should support it. You could cheque retired KKSB for a fewer ideas.

Also, if you are fortunate capable to ain a 3D printer, past you'll person an endless proviso of cases. Alternatively, you tin sojourn the 3D printing marketplace Pinshape to find your cleanable case.

You tin effort to waterproof the lawsuit by utilizing seals oregon silicone grease. You could besides spray the committee with a conformal coating to defy moisture.

Beyond these steps, there's nary mode to marque them wholly waterproof, and you hazard harm if you don't support your electronics distant from adverse upwind conditions and environments.

Yes, galore professionals usage Raspberry Pi for everything from merchandise investigating to acquisition projects, but they besides usage alternatives. It each depends connected idiosyncratic and task needs.

The outgo of Raspberry Pi models -- erstwhile lone $15 oregon truthful -- has accrued owed to proviso shortages, and the terms of computing components and chips has accrued owed to inflation. Still, successful the expansive strategy of things, immoderate Raspberry Pi models are inactive precise affordable for a scope of SBC projects.

Yes, Banana Pi is simply a coagulated alternate to Raspberry Pi. It is simply a akin strategy but has added benefits. For example, it supports a wider scope of operating systems, specified arsenic Android and Linux -- including Ubuntu. It allows for much almighty processors and further RAM options, arsenic good arsenic enhanced connectivity similar Gigabit Ethernet and serial precocious exertion attachment (SATA) support.

Developer kits are a circumstantial benignant of committee that has been assembled -- from the circuit committee to peripherals -- with the improvement of prototypes and experimental programming successful mind. While there's nary coagulated favoritism betwixt a developer kit and a modular SBC, developer boards tin often beryllium stripped down to elemental products focused connected improvement and coding alternatively than extremity projects.

Latest updates

August 2025: In ZDNET's August update, we performed editorial changes and added caller accusation related to our apical and alternate merchandise picks. We besides added the Sweet Potato to our apical picks, and included the older version, Le Potato, arsenic 1 of our favourite alternatives.
July 2025: In ZDNET's July update, we performed important transcript and editorial changes. We besides replaced the Udoo Bolt V3 with the Udoo Bolt V8 arsenic a apical choice, and provided much accusation connected our favourite alternate Raspberry Pi SBCs. We besides removed the Jetson Nano from our alternatives owed to a deficiency of stock.
June 2025: In ZDNET's June update, we performed editorial updates and removed products that are retired of stock.
May 2025: In May, we performed extended transcript changes and updated each pricing.

More Raspberry Pi alternatives

The $119 FriendlyElec NanoPi R6S is simply a versatile unfastened root alternate with enactment for operating systems including Debian, Android, and FriendlyWrt. Specifications see a quad-core ARM Cortex-A76 (up to 2.4GHz) and quad-core Cortex-A55 CPU (up to 1.8GHz), alongside a Mali GPU and 32GB eMMC storage.

You tin acquisition a $20 lawsuit seperately. Due to a warehouse change, however, shipping is delayed.

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The Orange Pi 5 is simply a 4GB, 8-core enactment for developers, susceptible of handling AI, VR, and AR. You tin prime 1 up for $100 astatine Amazon. It's expensive, but it comes with a Rockchip RK3588S processor, an ARM Mali-G610 GPU, an AI accelerator, and immoderate different utile hardware components.

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You could see the $40 Libre Computer Le Potato for your adjacent project. Le Potato supports the Ubuntu 22.04 semipermanent enactment (LTS) and Raspbian 11 operating systems. You won't interruption immoderate velocity records, and it's not suitable for heavy-resource projects. Still, this committee offers large features including Linux, unfastened root graphics, video libraries, and unified extensible firmware interface (UEFI) support.

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Looking for thing much almighty than a single-board computer? Check retired our apical picks for the best all-in-one PCs and the best laptops connected the market.

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