What's the Difference between Raspberry Pi and Arduino? Which one to choose?

Raspberry Pi and Arduino have become invaluable tools for someone who likes to tinker with electronics and they're both very popular choices. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but also have their specific applications.But which one should you choose?

The Raspberry Pi is actually a chip system, referred to as SOC. It runs a full Linux distribution, such as Raspbian, which is designed to help you learn at any time. On the other hand, the Arduino is more like a microcontroller than a computer with a lot of support for the community and hundreds of extension options.

Here is a brief overview of what they are, introduce their general applications, and quickly compare them. After reading this article, hope you can find the answer.

Raspberry Pi

In fact, the Raspberry Pi is a tiny computer on a circuit board. It comes with a dedicated processor, memory, graphics drivers, and inputs and outputs like HDMI. Raspberry Pi board also runs a specially designed Linux operating system.

For this reason, Linux software is very easy to install, and with a little effort, you can use it as a media streaming or video game simulator. Pi does not have internal storage, but you can use an SD card for this purpose. This gives you a lot of flexibility in trying different operating systems or updates, especially when debugging.

With Pi, you can run multiple programs at the same time, even using the Linux API. The Raspberry Pi lets you interact with your program using the keyboard and mouse, and lets you use the monitor to see what's going on.

The Raspberry Pi has an independent network connection that can be accessed via SSH settings or via FTP. You can even use it as a network bridge.

Arduino

Unlike the Raspberry Pi, the Arduino board is actually a microcontroller, not a "complete" computer. Arduino lacks a full operating system, but can run code written by its firmware.

Therefore, you really don't have access to the basic tools provided by the operating system, but you can execute the code directly without operating system overhead.

Arduino has no API and does not provide user interactivity because there is no operating system. It basically runs the code on ‘bare metal’.

Arduino is more suitable as an interface between sensors and other devices. With this capability, it is ideal for hardware projects where you need to respond to sensor readings or other inputs.

At first glance, it may not be very impressive, but in reality it is a very complex system that allows for excellent management of the device. For example, it is ideal for interacting with other devices and actuators, and for relatively simple tasks, a complete operating system may be incompetent.

The pros and cons of Raspberry Pi and Arduino

Do you want to know which one is best for you?

Choosing between the Raspberry Pi and Arduino is entirely up to what your project needs.

Arduino is best suited for tasks that require real-time reading and response to sensor data. In addition, Arduino has low power requirements and low maintenance requirements. It is ideal for projects that need to run continuously with little or no interaction.

On the other hand, when working with a personal computer, you should consider using Raspberry Pi. Pi simplifies the project when it comes to managing a large number of operations. This can be connected to the internet to read and write data. It can also include inserting any type of media or connecting to an external display.

In fact, you may find yourself needing both. There are many ways to "bind" these two together. This setup will allow you to access Pi's settings and code on the client side. It also allows Arduino to collect sensor data and react accordingly.

They can both be connected through a variety of options like USB, local networks or through IO ports on the Arduino into the Pi. The choice is in you. 

In short, the difference between the Raspberry Pi and the Arduino is subtle and important. You can think of Arduino as a partial, small-scale decision, and Pi is closer to your brain. You will most likely find that you want to use these two great widgets in your project at the same time. Good luck!

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