Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W

A huge share of Raspberry Pi projects don't need Pi 5-level performance, they need something small enough to hide inside an enclosure, cheap enough to leave embedded permanently in a one-off build, and compatible enough with the broader Pi ecosystem that tutorials and HATs still work. The Zero 2 W hits all three, at the cost of any workload heavier than light scripting, basic web serving, or simple sensor/automation projects.

The 40-pin GPIO header footprint is unpopulated but fully compatible with the standard Raspberry Pi HAT ecosystem once pins are soldered on, meaning the same accessory boards that work with our Raspberry Pi 5 largely work here too, just in a dramatically smaller physical package.

Against our Raspberry Pi 5 (8GB), the Zero 2 W is a completely different tool, pick the Pi 5 for anything computationally demanding and the Zero 2 W specifically when size and cost are the binding constraints. Against our Orange Pi Zero 3, both target the ultra-budget compact tier, the Pi Zero 2 W's smaller RAM ceiling (512MB fixed) is offset by unmatched Raspberry Pi software and community support, the Orange Pi Zero 3 counters with up to 4GB RAM options for a similar price.