Choose the Right Development Board

Three different board classes arranged side by side: a microcontroller board, a single-board computer and an AI edge-compute board

Different board classes are good at different things. Here's a platform-neutral way to think about which one fits your project.

Microcontroller Boards

Best for: sensors, automation, real-time control, low power, and simple embedded devices. If your project needs to start instantly, run for a long time on a battery, or respond with precise timing, this is usually the right category.

Single-Board Computers

Best for: Linux, networking, databases, cameras, heavier software, and local servers. If your project needs a real operating system, needs to run existing software, or juggles multiple tasks at once, this category fits better.

AI / Edge Compute

Best for: computer vision, machine learning inference, and higher-performance edge applications. This category trades some of a microcontroller's simplicity and power efficiency for meaningfully more compute capability.

Questions to Ask

  • Do I need an operating system?
  • Do I need Wi-Fi/Bluetooth?
  • How many GPIO pins do I actually need?
  • Do I need analog inputs?
  • Do I need a camera or display output?
  • What's my power budget?
  • What programming language do I want to use?
  • Does my project need real-time behavior?
  • Is there solid library/community support for what I'm building?

For a deeper comparison, see Microcontroller vs Single-Board Computer: Which Should You Use? and the rest of the Learn section.