Raspberry Pi Vs Arduino: What's The Difference, And Which Is Better?

The Arduino and the Rasberry Pi often get compared when prospective tinkerers look for a device to mess around with. Although they are similar in size, they have some major differences. The biggest is that the Arduino is a microcontroller, while the Raspberry Pi is a microcomputer. This drastically changes what each of these devices can accomplish.

Built with a Texas Instruments microcontroller, the Arduino is designed to control electronic components using a single program. Some of the things that the device can control include motors, sensors, and lights. On the other hand, the Raspberry Pi can do much more than the Arduino, as it is a full-blown computer. Its features include Bluetooth support, USB slots, and, most importantly, the ability to run a special branch of the Linux operating system. Because of this, Raspberry Pi owners can pull off crazy builds that just aren't possible on the Arduino.

But that doesn't mean the Raspberry Pi is a straight-up better option for everyone, as the Arduino has some advantages. For one, the Arduino requires less power. The Arduino also has more comprehensive general-purpose input-output pins.

There is no best out of the two. It all depends on what you want to do with the boards. The Arduino is a better choice for beginners because it is less advanced than the Raspberry Pi. Users can tell the device what to do by coding on the Arduino software when connected to the PC. This programming language is based on C#, making it easy to learn. The Arduino can also read from an analog sensor, which can't be done on the Raspberry Pi. 

The Raspberry Pi is a microcomputer you can write code directly onto the device. Because it runs on Linux, users can code in whatever language they want, making this a more versatile device. Although the Raspberry Pi also has GPIO pins, they aren't as advanced. But, because the Raspberry Pi has more components, it is more complicated to work with and needs more power.

If you simply want to mess around with some basic electronics to build a robot, the Raspberry Pi would be overkill. However, if you pay the premium for the Raspberry Pi, you can accomplish much more, such as running a server, streaming live video, and playing retro games. If those applications appeal to you, you're better off picking up a Raspberry Pi.