The Raspberry Pi has become almost synonymous with single-board computers today. The $35 computer has amassed enthusiasts around the globe to make some really cool Raspberry Pi projects. While the Raspberry Pi 3 should be well-suited for most of us, some of us may want a more powerful Raspberry Pi alternative. The ever-growing popularity of Raspberry Pi makes sure that it hogs the limelight, so much so that people aren’t even aware that there are some great Raspberry Pi 3 alternatives available in the market today. So, if you are someone who has been looking for an alternative to Raspberry Pi 3, we have you covered.
Before we discuss Raspberry Pi 3 alternatives, let’s do a recap of the actual Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ specifications. The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ comes with a Broadcom BCM2837B0 SoC clocked at 1.4 GHz (ARMv8) and 1 GB of LPDDR2 RAM.
List of Top Raspberry Pi 3 Alternatives
1. Raspberry Pi 4
Raspberry Pi 4 has been released and it’s going to solve all the performance woes you had with Raspberry Pi 3. The Raspberry Pi 4 is not just an incremental upgrade but brings a whole new powerful processor, more RAM, and a multitude of ports.
Also, now you get an option for 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB of DDR4 RAM. That’s amazing, right? Wait, it’s not over, now RPi 4 can output two 4K monitors at once without breaking any sweat.
- Powerful Broadcomm CPU
- 4GB of DDR4 RAM
- USB 3.0
- 4K at 60FPS rendering
- Onboard Bluetooth and WiFi
Cons
Orange Pi 4B is a powerful single board open-source computer that comes with a Rockchip RK3399 6-core ARM 64-bit processor and Mali T864 GPU. The GPU brings support for OpenGL ES 3.1 and older versions. On the connectivity side of things, it can connect to the Internet via RJ45 ethernet cable and wireless LAN.
The Orange Pi 4B packs 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM, and 16 GB of internal storage which is significantly better than RPi 3. Also, it supports 4K videos while the Pi 3 supports only full-HD videos. In terms of connectivity too, the Orange Pi 4B features onboard WiFi and Bluetooth.
ODROID-N2+ is the latest offering from the Korean company, Hardkernel. Launched in 2018, it comes with an Amlogic quad-core ARM Cortex-A73 CPU CPU clocked @ 1.8GHz, Mali G52 GPU, and 2/4GB of DDR4 RAM.
It supports microSD card expansion, has 2 USB 3.0 ports, 1 USB 2.0 port, an IR receiver, and an HDMI port for audio out. Just like Raspberry Pi 3, it can run Android and various Linux distros.
- Powerful A73-based Amlogic CPU
- Supports 4K at 60FPS
- Run Android and Linux
- 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM
Buy from HardKernel: $63
Started from a Kickstarter crowdfunding in 2015, Pine has raised over $1.4 million for the first version of their single-board computer. The Pine ROCKPro64 comes in a single variant with 4GB of LPDRR4 RAM and a slot for eMMC storage.
Cons
- No onboard WiFi and Bluetooth
Buy From Pine Store: $59.99
NanoPi M4 is another 64-bit single-board computer from the good folks over at FriendlyARM. It houses the Rockchip RK3399 quad-core (Cortex-A53) CPU clocked at 1.5GHz, coupled with a Mali-T864 GPU and up to 4GB of RAM.
The board support video output of up to 4K@60Hz, which goes a long way in making it a better choice over the Raspberry Pi 3. The board supports Android, Debian, and various other Linux distros.
Asus Tinker Board S quite similar to Raspberry Pi 3 and offers some great specifications for the price. On the hardware side of things, it is equipped with a quad-core Rockchip RK3288 SoC clocked at 1.8 GHz, Mali-T764 GPU, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, 4 USB 2.0 ports, GPIO connectivity, and an HDMI port.
The Tinker Board S comes with a custom OS named TinkerboardOS, which is based on Debian. The headline feature is the support for 4K video playback for videos encoded with H.264 or H.265. It also supports WiFi and Bluetooth 4.
Pros
The Banana Pi M4 is the latest 64-bit single-board Banana Pi and runs Android, Debian, Ubuntu among several other operating systems. It’s packed with Realtek RTD1395 ARM Cortex-A53 processor, a Mali 470 MP4 GPU, coupled with 2 GB of DDR4 RAM. It has on-board 8 GB of eMMC memory and also supports expansion via microSD card.
- No USB 3.0
8. Libre Renegade
Libre is another open-source company that is pretty transparent about its hardware and software programs. And for this very reason, it is a suitable alternative to Raspberry Pi 3. Given its open-source stand, Libre enjoys community support in varying degrees which is very comparable to Raspberry Pi Foundation.
- Open-source project
- 4GB of DDR4 RAM
- USB 3.0
- Mali-450 GPU
If you need a low-powered machine to run Linux distros or cloud IDEs then BeagleBone is a great pick. The single-board computer comes with AM335x 1GHz ARM® Cortex-A8 processor with a dedicated 3D graphics accelerator.
Apart from that, you get a few ports including Ethernet, HDMI, USB 2.0 and more. Simply put, if you want a low-configuration single-board computer similar to Raspberry Pi 3 then you can give BeagleBone a shot.
Now if you’re looking for a great Raspberry Pi 3 alternative that can run Windows 10, then you should consider getting the LattePanda – a compact board that packs in Intel Z8350 CPU clocked at 1.92GHz, coupled with 2GB of LPDDR3 RAM and 32GB eMMC storage.
- Average performance
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is Similar to Raspberry Pi?
There is a range of single-board computers similar to Raspberry Pi. Some of the notable ones are Orange Pi, RockPro64, Asus Tinkerboard and more. You can go through our list to find more Raspberry Pi alternatives.
While Raspberry Pi 3 was surely one of the best single-board computers during its time, but it has become outdated now. You can either get the latest Raspberry Pi 4 or from other manufacturers such as Orange Pi or RockPro. These boards are certainly better than RPi3.
The latest Raspberry Pi 4 is amply powerful, so all you have to do is manage it better to get the best performance out of it. For instance, get a solid Raspberry Pi 4 case so you can cool down the CPU. Also, make sure to use a better power supply and install a lightweight OS. Finally, you should use a high-speed memory card for improved performance.
Which is The Best Single-board Computer?
For all good reasons, Raspberry Pi is still the best single-board computer that you can buy right now. However, there are some other mini-boards too which are pretty capable and offer good performance in a compact form-factor.
