Which Raspberry Pi should you buy? Every Raspberry Pi Series Explained

Since 2012, Raspberry Pi has offered various low-cost single board computers (commonly referred to as SBCs) aimed at educators, DIYers, and beyond. However, if you’re in the market for a Pi, you might be intimidated by the range of product lines available. We’ll break down what each does to help you decide which option would best suit your needs – but right off the bat, if you’re looking for a Pi with the most up-to-date specs and support, you’ll want to look into the Raspberry Pi 5. The price of these models varies widely depending on RAM capacity, however, with the 1GB model costing $45 and the 16GB model costing $305.

The Pi 5 is the “standard” model of the flagship series, featuring the proven hardware configuration of what was formerly known as the Model A or Model B Pis. However, since the Pi 5, the Model A and Model B nomenclatures have been abandoned. Cards in this series are the size of a credit card, but powerful enough to run local AI agents. They sport several common I/Os, as well as a 40-pin general-purpose input and output (GPIO) header. With GPIO, you can connect a Pi board to countless other electronic devices using a breadboard or by soldering components, making this model incredibly versatile. You can even connect HATs, which are specially designed, rules-based boards that Raspberry Pi introduced in 2014. Popular HAT choices include NVMe drives for faster OS boots, as well as Pi’s AI HAT+ for running your own AI applications.

Alongside the Pi 5, there are two models of current generation Pi hardware: the Pi 500 and the Compute Module 5. The Pi 500 is conveniently enclosed in a keyboard chassis, and with its relatively low cost and compact form factor for a personal computer, it is ideal for students or aspiring coders. The Pi 500+, the top-of-the-line model of the Pi 500, even sports an NVMe SSD and mechanical switches in place of the Pi 500’s built-in storage and membrane keys.

Since its launch in 2019, the Raspberry Pi 4 has been overtaken by the Pi 5, which is 2.5 times faster and can therefore be used for more rigorous tasks. There are other limitations to the Pi 4 besides reduced processing power; for example, it doesn’t have built-in PCIe, so you can’t add hardware like an AI HAT or NVMe SSD daughter card without modifying the device itself. Conversely, the Pi 5 supports this hardware out of the box and includes PCIe connectors. However, the Pi 4 still holds its own for many types of projects – and if you don’t care about having the latest and greatest Pi model, the Pi 4 is a great kit to grab if you want to take on quick, easy, beginner-friendly Raspberry Pi projects at a more affordable price.

Even though the Pi 4 has been impacted by recent Raspberry Pi price increases, it can still be quite affordable. The 1GB model is priced modestly at $35, although the 8GB model is significantly more expensive at $165. You can use a Pi 4 device for complex applications like setting up network-attached storage servers, weather stations, and even closed-circuit television (CCTV) setups with software like Frigate. It’s also great for playing older games using emulation packages, such as RetroPie, or being the brain at the center of your smart home via Home Assistant.

If you are designing an embedded system or even a commercial product, the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 (aka CM5) is a great buy. CM5s start at $67.50, although the top-end version with 16GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage costs $330. These models are however not ideal if you are a Raspberry Pi newbie. The Compute Module series Pis are generally used for industrial purposes and are aimed specifically at those looking to work on their own PCB.

Compute modules feature the essential elements of computer hardware: a processor, RAM, and (optional) eMMC storage. But because they don’t have I/O, compute modules must be placed on carrier boards, such as the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 I/O board, with ports to connect to things like power and PCIe interfaces. One of the main advantages of the official Raspberry Pi carrier boards is that they feature full-size HDMI ports instead of micro HDMI ports. For complete control over your project, you can design your own carrier board or have one printed by a company like PCBWay. There are also ready-to-use custom boards with specific features, including touchscreens and an explosion-proof chassis, designed to help you achieve a myriad of project goals.

Raspberry Pi first introduced the Compute Module after the Raspberry Pi 1, then followed it three years later with the Compute Module 3. These looked like USB drives and could easily be housed in configurations that supported clustering, where the combined power of multiple devices could be used to perform tasks. Conversely, calculation modules 4 and 5 are small rectangular cards that are easier to implement in projects. Since it’s technically just a Raspberry Pi 5 in a smaller, more limited form factor, the CM5 remains versatile. You can integrate the tiny computer into a custom handheld gaming console, use it to power advanced robotics projects, and much more. And if you choose to design your own carrier board, you can use your CM5 in almost unlimited ways.

The Raspberry Pi Zero is an even smaller device than the flagship Raspberry Pi models. It produces only a fraction of the power of the Raspberry Pi 4, but retains the essential elements of the Raspberry Pi: a processor, onboard memory, a GPIO header, and multiple inputs, including an SD card slot and a mini HDMI port. These boards are now available in the Raspberry Pi Zero 2W form factor, which offers built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 for improved connectivity. With an MSRP of just $15, they’re slightly more expensive than the original Pi Zero, but they pack more power.

As with Compute Modules, Zeros are not designed to be used as computers themselves, but rather as integrated solutions for educational purposes and DIY projects. They offer just enough power and flexibility to be implemented in a range of projects, including DIY devices such as security cameras and Bluetooth speakers. The Zeros, however, run on a 1GHz single-core processor and only have 0.5GB of onboard RAM. Barring niche scenarios, browsing the Internet or even using a GUI is slow on Zeros, so they are best used as headless devices using protocols such as SSH.

A common use case for the Pi Zero is to turn it into a KVM (kernel-based virtual machine) by taking advantage of its ability to run Linux. Once connected, the Pi Zero can act as an intermediary controller between the device you’re on and other devices on your network. Other network-centric projects supported by Zero include Pwnagotchi, which involves experimentation with GPIO connections, e-ink and networking.

The Raspberry Pi Pico is a remarkably small microcontroller. Often used in hardware-centric projects, these devices act as a brain that can move mechanisms or route power to electronic components connected to them. The Picos run on Raspberry Pi’s own RP2350 chips, which have been upgraded from the 2040 chips in previous iterations to offer greater power output. Even so, the current version of the Pico remains incredibly affordable, typically costing between $5 and $7. The Pico 2 was even used to power badges at a hacker convention, Def Con 32, in 2024. In addition to getting you into the event, they could also run the original Doom.

Picos are ideal for projects that just need a little juice to get going, although they are surprisingly varied in what they can achieve. The latest editions, the Pico 1W and 2W, support both Bluetooth 5.2 and wireless LAN, which greatly expands the range of projects you can do with a Pico, like a wireless pump that waters your flowers. With the built-in GPIO, you can connect the Pico to almost any electronic device, and there are custom Python scripting languages ​​like MicroPython and CircuitPython that can run directly on the Pico. There is plenty of documentation on these languages, as well as online learning resources and libraries, to make them relatively easy to access, even for beginners.

It is worth mentioning that Raspberry Pi has been hit hard by AI data center-induced RAM shortages. Raspberry Pi head Eben Upton has announced several price increases for many Pi models, although he also announced a 3GB variant of the Pi 4 as a more affordable alternative. The Pi 5 with 16GB of RAM now costs $305, $100 more than its previous price, while the high-end Pi 500+ now costs $410 after a $150 price hike.

The company always tries to keep its prices as low as possible, but it’s never been more expensive to jump into the Raspberry Pi ecosystem. If you’re just itching to start playing around with some GPIO, buying the Raspberry Pi Pico or Zero is a great way to jump on the bandwagon without breaking the bank.

It’s unclear when the current RAM crisis will subside, but with enough luck, Raspberry Pi prices could start to return to normal, especially if the company manages to build up a healthy stockpile of RAM and other components. For now, at least, the devices are still on shelves, unlike during the COVID-19 pandemic, when they were almost impossible to find for months.