In the past two years, the Raspberry Pi Zero and Raspberry Pi Zero W have emerged as new members in the Raspberry Pi product line. These ultra-small single-board computers are very popular and will remain a part of the Raspberry Pi projects for a considerable time in the maker and DIY community.

To achieve smaller sizes and effectively control pricing, they had to make compromises on many features, such as omitting dedicated Ethernet ports and using slower processors compared to their full-featured counterparts.

In a previous article, we listed the best alternatives to the Raspberry Pi. Here, I will provide some alternatives to the Raspberry Pi Zero and Raspberry Pi Zero W.

Raspberry Pi Zero Alternatives: Ultra-small single-board computers for IoT and embedded projects

Thanks to open-source design and open-source software stacks, we have excellent alternatives with various feature sets available for different projects. All of these boards run various variants of embedded Linux.

Although the launch prices of the Raspberry Pi Zero and Raspberry Pi Zero W are $5 and $10 respectively, it is difficult to buy them at that price even within the United States. Outside the U.S., it may cost $12 to $20 to purchase them.

Knowing this, let’s take a look at some Raspberry Pi Zero alternatives under $20.

1. Banana Pi BPI M2 Zero

The Banana Pi M2 Zero is priced at $18 and has the same layout as the Raspberry Pi Zero W. It looks like a replica of the Raspberry Pi Zero W, but it is only similar in appearance. It uses a faster Allwinner H2+ SOC chip and can connect to a network module. It can also run various Linux-based operating systems.

Main Specifications

For more details, refer to the Banana Pi Wiki.

2. Banana Pi BPI-M2 Magic (BPi-M2M)

This model has 2 variants, with the version without onboard eMMC flash priced at $20. This is a relatively small single-board computer with greater processing power for its size. I believe it is undoubtedly suitable as a touchscreen panel and display in IoT and smart home applications. Its onboard power management system is also quite attractive.

Main Specifications

For more details, refer to the Banana Pi Wiki.

3. Banana Pi BPI-P2 Maker

It is one of the smallest single-board computers with an onboard network module and supports Power over Ethernet (POE). This board is priced at $13 (the version with the POE module is priced at $19). Like the Banana Pi M2 Zero, it uses the Allwinner H2+ SOC chip and is a very interesting board. It has 8 GB eMMC storage onboard and a camera interface and can be used for DIY surveillance cameras or as a basic machine learning processor.

Main Specifications

For more details, refer to the Banana Pi Wiki.

4. Orange Pi Zero LTS

The current smallest and cheapest single-board computer with onboard network and POE support, priced at only $11.49 (the 256 MB memory version is priced at $9.49). It uses the very common Allwinner H2+ processor and provides reliable expansion through GPIO and a 13-pin header.

Main Specifications

For more details, refer to the official website.

5. Orange Pi i96

With dimensions of only 6×3 centimeters, it is one of the smallest models, priced at $8.8. This board uses the RDA8810PL processor and can serve as a fairly advanced feature phone, (according to the manufacturer) suitable for camera applications, capable of capturing 1080p resolution images at a rate of up to 30 frames per second. Among products in the same price range, the input-output capabilities are excellent.

Main Specifications

For more details, refer to the official website.

6. Orange Pi PC

This board is priced at $15 and includes many features. It is one of the few models in the same price range that integrates 1 GB of memory. It uses the Allwinner H3 SoC chip, capable of decoding 4K HEVC/H.265 video. It has an HDMI output and supports HDCP and CEC. This single-board computer can be turned into a very useful media box by installing software. It even comes with an onboard infrared receiver and microphone.

Main Specifications

There is also a reduced version of the Orange Pi PC, which uses the same processor but has a smaller memory capacity.

For more details, refer to the official website.

7. Orange Pi One and Orange Pi Lite

These two boards use the Allwinner H3 processor, similar to the Orange Pi PC, but are equipped with 512MB of memory.

Main Specifications

The Orange Pi Lite is priced at $12 and does not support onboard wired networking but provides WiFi connectivity. It has an onboard microphone and infrared receiver. For more details, refer to the official website.

The Orange Pi One is priced at $11, has onboard wired networking but does not support WiFi. For more details, refer to the official website.

In the end, I would like to briefly mention several boards they provide that are suitable for custom applications.

These boards are all under $20, for more details, refer to the official website.

8. NanoPi Neo LTS

Starting at $9.99, this board is very compact (4×4 centimeters) and similar in specifications to the Orange Pi Zero. The difference is that it uses the more powerful Allwinner H3 SoC chip and up to 512MB of memory. Although it has no onboard WiFi and Bluetooth chips, it can connect external devices via USB to obtain the corresponding functions. This board is very suitable as a headless Linux server, DNS filter (like Pi-Hole), and also very suitable as an edge device for IoT applications. You can expand many functions you need through GPIO.

Main Specifications

For more details and purchase, refer to the official website.

The simplified version of the NanoPi NEO is called the NanoPi NEO Core LTS, which adds eMMC storage to meet industrial application needs and provides onboard USB and network interfaces through expanded GPIO. For more details, refer to here.

The WiFi/Bluetooth version of the Nano NEO is called the NanoPi NEO Air, which provides eMMC storage and camera input interface, onboard USB and network interfaces. For more details, refer to here.

9. Zero Pi

This is one of the boards I am most interested in here, priced at $9.99, featuring an onboard Gigabit Ethernet port, using the Allwinner H3 processor, small but powerful, suitable for network-related applications. It can run OpenWRT, complementing its Gigabit network. While running as a DNS server, it can also run multiple instances of Pi-Hole.

Main Specifications

For more details and to place an order, refer to the official website.

10. NanoPi NEO 2

The NanoPi NEO 2 is priced at $19.99, which is double that of the NanoPi NEO. It has the same dimensions as the NanoPi Neo but uses the Allwinner H5 processor and is equipped with Gigabit network functionality. This makes the board small yet powerful.

Main Specifications

For more details and to place an order, refer to the official website.

The links above are about the NanoPi series boards. In addition, there are some other interesting boards, such as those equipped with dual Gigabit Ethernet ports and those aimed at camera applications.

11. La Frite

Produced by Le Potato, priced at $20, mainly aimed at media consumption and streaming. It achieves 1080p video playback via HDMI 2.0 interface in HDR mode, supporting the latest Android 9/TV, upstream Linux, u-boot, Kodi, etc.

Main Specifications

For more details, refer to the official website.

12. Onion Omega2+

If you need a single-board computer for IoT scenarios, then the Onion Omega 2+ is a great alternative to the Raspberry Pi Zero. It is a development platform for IoT applications, running an embedded Linux development environment based on OpenWRT.

Main Specifications

You can purchase its simplified version for $13 from the official website and choose from various accessories.

13. VoCore2

VoCore2 is definitely the smallest among similar products, with a simplified version measuring only 1 inch square, priced at $17.99. Its small size allows it to be easily embedded in various applications and allows for different features to be expanded as needed. The board uses the MediaTek MT7628 processor designed for mid-range routers. The manufacturer has announced that it will continue to supply until 2025, which is good news.

Main Specifications

You can learn more details from here.

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, various single-board computers with different specifications and features can meet a wide range of usage needs. Moreover, the vast majority of such products are based on open-source designs and run open-source software. This is undoubtedly a paradise for hardcore players.

Due to the rampant COVID-19, it may take some effort to get hands on these boards, and we hope the situation improves soon!

If anyone knows of other interesting alternatives to the Raspberry Pi Zero and Raspberry Pi Zero W, please leave a comment. We will check and enrich the information as needed.

via: https://itsfoss.com/raspberry-pi-zero-alternatives/

Author: Chinmay Topic: lujun9972 Translator: silentdawn-zz Proofreader: wxy

This article is originally translated by LCTT, proudly presented by Linux China.