Dev Boards

ESP32 development boards are the most popular microcontroller platform for IoT, smart home, and maker projects in 2026. This collection includes bare ESP32 modules, boards with built-in displays (like the LILYGO T-Display S3), LoRa-equipped boards for Meshtastic, and beginner-friendly options from Arduino and Raspberry Pi. How do you choose the right dev board? It depends on your project. For basic IoT and smart home sensors, an ESP32-C3 or ESP32-C6 gives you WiFi and Bluetooth at the lowest cost (often under $5). For projects needing a screen, the LILYGO T-Display S3 includes a 1.9" LCD with touch. For mesh networking and off-grid communication, look at LoRa-equipped boards like the T-Beam or Heltec LoRa 32. For AI and camera projects, the ESP32-S3 with its vector instructions handles basic inference tasks. What is included with each board? Every listing shows: chip variant, flash/PSRAM size, connectivity (WiFi, BLE, LoRa, Thread), GPIO count, display specs (if any), supported frameworks (Arduino IDE, PlatformIO, ESPHome, MicroPython), and compatible project types. We test each board and note any setup quirks. Quick comparison at a glance. ESP32-S3: Best for displays and camera projects (vector instructions, USB OTG) ESP32-C6: Best for smart home (WiFi 6, Thread/Zigbee, low power) ESP32-C3: Best budget option (WiFi + BLE, RISC-V, under $5) Raspberry Pi Pico W: Best for Python-first developers (MicroPython native) Arduino Nano ESP32: Best for Arduino ecosystem compatibility Espressif shipped over 1 billion ESP32 units cumulatively through 2025, making it the most widely adopted microcontroller family for hobbyist and commercial IoT projects worldwide. Last updated: April 2026

0 products