Summary
- The Raspberry Pi 4 Model B astatine $35 is simply a versatile prime for assorted projects, ranging from gadgets to web servers.
- The $15 Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W is perfect for airy tasks similar hosting web services oregon Bluetooth conversion.
- The almighty Raspberry Pi 5 astatine $50 offers much features similar PCIe enactment and dual-band Wi-Fi, arsenic good arsenic a 2.4GHz quad-core CPU.
There are respective Raspberry Pi models to take from and adjacent much terms points. With models arsenic debased arsenic $15 and arsenic costly arsenic $120, present are the terms points of the 3 main Raspberry Pi mini-computers and what they're bully for.
The Raspberry for Everyone
At $35, the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B is honestly the Pi for everyone, I think. It comes with 1GB of RAM connected the basal model, and for $75, you tin get 8GB of RAM.

Raspberry Pi 4 Model B
With the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, you tin make each kinds of amusive projects, and upgrade gadgets astir your home. Alternatively, instal a afloat desktop OS and usage it similar a regular computer.
While the Pi 4 B mightiness not person astir the powerfulness that the Pi 5 has, it's inactive much than capable for the mean idiosyncratic moving lightweight tasks. I usage a Pi 3 B to tally my backup Pi-Hole server and it does a fantastic occupation astatine that.
With the Pi 4 B, you'll get 2 micro HDMI ports that tin each output 4K to abstracted displays, Gigabit Ethernet, USB-C power, 2 USB 3.0 and 2 USB 2.0 ports, and overmuch more. The Pi 4 B besides offers a quad-core 1.8GHz ARM processor alongside up to 8GB of RAM and overmuch more.

The Pi 4 is besides compatible with galore of Raspberry Pi's authoritative accessories, similar the PoE+ HAT. With the PoE+ hat, you tin powerfulness your Raspberry Pi without the request for a USB-C powerfulness supply, arsenic it tin get its foodstuff close from the Ethernet port of the Pi itself.
So, if your Pi needs see light webserver tasks, location automation, oregon adjacent retro gaming, the Pi 4 B, starting astatine $35, is cleanable for you.
The Pi for Those Who Just Need a Slice
Not each task requires a batch of power. That's wherever the $15 Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W comes in. As an ultra-low-power Raspberry Pi, the Zero 2 W features a quad-core 1GHz processor with 512MB of RAM. It has built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2, though nary Ethernet jack. There's besides a USB 2.0 OTG larboard and 40-pin GPIO header should you request immoderate further expansion.

Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W
The Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W is ace tiny and ace affordable, but it packs capable computing powerfulness for a assortment of DIY projects. You tin usage it to make a handheld retro gaming console, for Klipper/Mainsail, a ace compact location oregon media server, and more.
The happening is, for the Pi Zero 2 W, you shouldn't request a batch of expansion. This is simply a great, lightweight Pi to grip elemental tasks. The Mini HDMI larboard allows you to hook it up to an outer show if necessary.
However, wherever I spot the Pi Zero 2 W excelling is successful hosting ultra-lightweight web services oregon arsenic a backup device. The Pi Zero 2 W would beryllium large arsenic a secondary Pi-Hole server. It would besides enactment good for converting an aged analog talker to usage Bluetooth. One much usage would beryllium making a wired printer wireless.

There are a batch of projects that the Pi Zero 2 W tin handle, but conscionable marque definite you're not trying to bash tons of gaming oregon AI processes connected this $15 portion of Pi.
The King of Pi
If you're aft the astir powerfulness imaginable successful a Raspberry Pi currently, past the Pi 5 is it. The processor is mode much powerful, clocking successful astatine 2.4GHz connected the quad-core ARM CPU. You'll besides find a minimum of 2GB of RAM connected this $50 SBC, with the quality to upgrade each the mode to 16GB for $120.

Raspberry Pi 5
It's lone recommended for tech-savvy users, but the Raspberry Pi 5 is simply a tinkerer's dream. Cheap, highly customizable, and with large onboard specs, it's a coagulated basal for your adjacent mini PC.
With dual-band Wi-Fi onboard, alongside Bluetooth 5.0, Bluetooth LE, and Gigabit Ethernet, the Pi 5 has rather a batch going for it. In fact, the Pi 5 adds a PCIe 2.0 x1 interface for the archetypal clip connected a Pi, meaning you tin leverage NVMe storage oregon different PCIe-based peripherals and accessories.

Related
Raspberry Pi 4 vs. 5: Which One Should You Choose?
With the Raspberry Pi 5 present available, is it truly a amended prime than the Pi 4?
The Pi 5 has a batch to offer, but it's besides beauteous expensive. You could bargain a Pi 4 B and a Pi Zero 2 W for the terms of 1 Pi 5, but you'd person 2 wholly autarkic computers for that price. If you deliberation of upgrading to the $120 16GB version, that's lone a fewer dollars abbreviated of having 2 abstracted Pi 4 B 8GB SBCs.

Overall, the Pi 5 is the king of Pi for now. It's got a ton of powerfulness and tin utilize the caller Pi hats like the AI HAT+ for artificial quality workloads. But, it does travel astatine a higher cost. It's up to you to find if that other outgo is worthy it for your scenario.
Now that you've chosen the cleanable Pi for your setup, it's clip to take the close OS. Here are nine fashionable operating systems to tally connected your Pi that aren't Raspbian.