Arduino: The Basics
- ▸ATmega328P, 16MHz, 2KB RAM, 32KB flash
- ▸Simple, well-documented, massive community
- ▸5V tolerant I/O, deterministic real-time behavior
- ▸Limited RAM, no WiFi/Bluetooth, slow processor
ESP32: The Powerhouse
- ▸Dual-core 240MHz, 520KB SRAM, up to 16MB flash
- ▸Built-in WiFi 802.11 b/g/n + Bluetooth 4.2/BLE
- ▸34 GPIO pins, hardware floating point
- ▸3.3V I/O only — not 5V tolerant
Choose Arduino When
- ▸Project needs 5V I/O compatibility
- ▸Hard real-time requirements (motor control, precise timing)
- ▸Simple project, needs ultra-low power
- ▸No connectivity required
Choose ESP32 When
- ▸Project needs WiFi or Bluetooth
- ▸Need more processing power (FFT, image processing)
- ▸Web server, MQTT, OTA updates required
- ▸Modern IoT device
💡 Tip: Most Arduino libraries work on ESP32 with no changes. If you know Arduino, you can program ESP32 immediately.