🏷️ MCU | ⚙️ Arch / Speed | 📶 Wireless | 💾 Flash / RAM | 🔌 GPIO | ⚡ Voltage | 💡 Highlights |
---|
ESP32 | Xtensa / 240MHz | Wi-Fi + BT | 4MB / 520KB | ~34 | 3.3V | Dual-core, BLE & Wi-Fi, AI capable (S3) 🔥 |
RP2040 | ARM Cortex-M0+ / 133MHz | None | 2MB / 264KB | 26 | 3.3V | Raspberry Pi’s chip! Dual-core, flexible, fast DMA ⚡ |
ATmega328P | AVR / 16MHz | No | 32KB / 2KB | 23 | 5V | Classic Arduino Uno chip ❤️ |
STM32F103C8 | ARM Cortex-M3 / 72MHz | No | 64KB / 20KB | ~37 | 3.3V | Powerful 32-bit MCU, cheap “Blue Pill” 🧪 |
ESP8266 | Xtensa / 80–160MHz | Wi-Fi only | 4MB / 80KB | ~17 | 3.3V | Cheap Wi-Fi beast, NodeMCU 💻 |
ATtiny85 | AVR / 8MHz | No | 8KB / 512B | 5–6 | 5V/3.3V | Tiny but mighty! Fits in small builds 🐜 |
Teensy 4.0 | ARM Cortex-M7 / 600MHz 😲 | No | 2MB / 1MB | ~40 | 3.3V | Ridiculously fast, real-time audio/video 💣 |
ESP32-C3 | RISC-V / 160MHz | Wi-Fi + BLE 5 | 4MB / 400KB | ~22 | 3.3V | BLE 5.0 + RISC-V core = future-ready 🚀 |
Seeeduino XIAO | ARM Cortex-M0+ / 48MHz | No | 256KB / 32KB | ~11 | 3.3V | Super compact, breadboard-ready, USB-C 🎯 |
Adafruit Feather nRF52840 | ARM Cortex-M4 / 64MHz | BLE 5 | 1MB / 256KB | ~21 | 3.3V | BLE powerhouse, perfect for wearables & IoT 💎 |
🥇 Category Winners
🏆 Category | 🥇 Winner | 💬 Why |
---|
Best All-Rounder | ESP32 | Dual-core, BLE/Wi-Fi, low cost, huge ecosystem 🌐🔥 |
Best for Low Power IoT | ESP32-C3 / nRF52840 | BLE 5, energy efficient, great for sensors 🔋 |
Best Budget Option | ATmega328P | Reliable, easy to use, legendary for beginners 💸 |
Best for Speed | Teensy 4.0 | 600MHz — seriously next level for real-time audio/video 🚀🎧 |
Smallest Form Factor | Seeeduino XIAO / ATtiny85 | Tiny but versatile – ideal for wearables or mini bots 🦾 |
Best for Advanced Users | STM32F103C8 | 32-bit control, tons of GPIO, affordable, but needs STM tools ⚙️ |
🌈 Use-Case Recommendations
- 🤖 Robotics: ESP32, STM32, Teensy
- 🌍 IoT: ESP32-C3, ESP8266, nRF52840
- 🎮 Wearables/Compact: Seeeduino XIAO, ATtiny85
- 🎨 Creative Projects: RP2040 (with Pico SDK), Teensy (for MIDI, audio)
- 🧪 Experimental/Future-Proof: ESP32-S3, RISC-V based boards
📡Broadcast the signal — amplify the connection.