Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Microbit VS esp32

Compare Microbit VS esp32 and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Microbit logo Microbit

BBC's handheld, programmable computer given free to UK kids

esp32 logo esp32

A very cheap small chip, compatible with Arduino.
  • Microbit Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-04
  • esp32 Landing page
    Landing page //
    2020-02-01

Microbit features and specs

  • Educational Tool
    Micro:bit is designed as an educational tool to teach coding and basic electronics, making it accessible for students, educators, and beginners.
  • Ease of Use
    The Micro:bit platform offers a user-friendly drag-and-drop coding environment with support for block-based languages like Microsoft MakeCode and text-based languages such as Python and JavaScript.
  • Affordability
    Micro:bit is relatively inexpensive compared to other microcontroller platforms, making it accessible for schools and hobbyists with limited budgets.
  • Wide Range of Features
    It includes sensors, LEDs, buttons, and communication capabilities such as Bluetooth, enabling a variety of creative projects without needing additional hardware.
  • Community Support
    Micro:bit has a large and active community, offering extensive resources, tutorials, and support for new users.

Possible disadvantages of Microbit

  • Limited Processing Power
    Micro:bit has limited processing capabilities compared to more advanced microcontrollers, which can restrict complex computations and multitasking abilities.
  • Limited Memory
    The device has a small amount of RAM and storage, which can limit the size and complexity of programs that can be run on it.
  • Peripheral Expansion
    While it includes several inbuilt features, additional interfacing and peripheral expansion require extra hardware and can be more complex than with other platforms.
  • Small Display
    Micro:bit's small 5x5 LED matrix, while useful for basic output, is limited in its display capabilities and unsuitable for detailed visual information.
  • Limited Power Supply Options
    The power supply options for Micro:bit are somewhat limited, which can affect its use in mobile or long-term battery-powered projects without enhancements.

esp32 features and specs

  • Powerful Dual-core Processor
    The ESP32 features a dual-core processor, offering robust processing capability which is suitable for complex IoT applications and tasks that require a high performance.
  • Integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
    It comes with integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (both Classic and BLE), which makes it very versatile for wireless communication in various projects.
  • Low Power Consumption
    ESP32 is designed for low power consumption, making it a great choice for battery-powered devices and applications that require energy efficiency.
  • Rich Peripheral Set
    The ESP32 includes a wide range of peripherals such as ADCs, DACs, capacitive touch sensors, and more, enabling diverse applications.
  • Extensive Library Support
    There is strong community and library support, making development smoother with ready-to-use libraries and examples.
  • Cost-effective
    Given its features, the ESP32 offers great value for money, being cost-effective for developers and prototyping needs.

Possible disadvantages of esp32

  • Complexity in Setup and Use
    Due to its advanced features and configuration options, beginners might find the setup process and initial learning curve to be complex.
  • Limited RAM
    The ESP32 has a limited amount of RAM, which can be a constraint for applications that require a lot of memory and data processing.
  • Power Supply Sensitivity
    The ESP32 can be sensitive to power supply fluctuations, necessitating a stable power supply for reliable operation.
  • Variability in Module Quality
    There is variability in quality across different ESP32 modules from various manufacturers, which can affect performance and reliability.

Microbit videos

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esp32 videos

ESP32 Review: Using the ESP32 with the Arduino IDE

More videos:

  • Review - #159 Big ESP32 Boards Review and Test
  • Review - #339 The new ESP32-S2: How relevant is it for the Makers? First tests

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Microbit and esp32)
Kids Education
100 100%
0% 0
Electronics
0 0%
100% 100
Education
100 100%
0% 0
Single Board Computer
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Microbit and esp32

Microbit Reviews

16 Scratch Alternatives
Founded in 2016, Microbit Portal is an online education-based organization in the UK that can help numerous users gain knowledge of the This platform can let its users have the education of creating software and hardware so they can have the excitement of seeking technology. It can even permit clients to access the easy-to-use educational resources, as it can support...

esp32 Reviews

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Microbit should be more popular than esp32. It has been mentiond 21 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Microbit mentions (21)

  • Impl Snake For Micro:bit - Embedded async Rust on BBC Micro:bit with Embassy
    The BBC Micro:bit is a small educational board. It is equipped with an ARM Cortex-M4F nRF52833 microcontroller, a 5⨉5 LED matrix, 3 buttons (one of which is touch-sensitive), a microphone, a speaker, Bluetooth capabilities, and much more. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • A 15 pound computer to inspire young programmers (2011)
    [Disclaimer: I work at the BBC.] ...later on, the BBC made[0] the micro:bit[1], another £15 (well, around £15 back then for the V1) computer to inspire young programmers. Funny to think that little did the BBC know that they'd be creating their own cheap computer. [0]: Well, the BBC didn't _make_ it exactly — rather, the development and manufacturing was subcontracted to third-party companies (though some people... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • And DigTech teachers willing to share?
    Https://microbit.org/ are really good in my experience too, maybe a little bit dated now and they seem to have lost momentum, but they're super cheap and providing something physical that you can actually code is pretty exciting to a lot of kids. Source: about 2 years ago
  • google developed course on Rust
    Comprehensive Rust 🦀: Bare-Metal: a 1-day class on how to use Rust for bare-metal development. You will learn what no_std is and see how you can write firmware for microcontrollers (a micro:bit) and well as how to write drivers for a more powerful application processor (using Qemu). Source: about 2 years ago
  • Sony backs Raspberry Pi with fresh funding, access to A.I. chips
    Kids in the UK (and elsewhere?) can access the Micro:bit computer[0], while not the same and powerful/extendable as R Pi - it is cheap, good and plenty available. It includes a LED display and motion sensor. Kids can program it using "block coding", or write Python code that runs with the help of MicroPython[1]. [0] https://microbit.org/. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
View more

esp32 mentions (3)

  • how and where to learn programming ESP32 in C?
    Esp32.net has a bunch of additional references, projects, and places to gather information. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • Is there any true Open Source WiFi cards over 802.11g?
    Closest thing is the ESP32 from Espressif Systems See ESP32 link for details. Since you specifically asked for open source, so some tinkering and compile is required. Source: about 4 years ago
  • Buying advice, not sure which dev boards are really supported
    There's also many more dev boards, chips and modules listed here, though they may not necessarily have platformio IDs. Source: about 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Microbit and esp32, you can also consider the following products

Scratch - Scratch is the programming language & online community where young people create stories, games, & animations.

Intel NUC boards - Four-by-four inch Intel NUC boards come with a soldered-on processor.

CodeCombat - Learn programming with a multiplayer live coding strategy game.

Intel NUC - Intel NUCs are available as Kits(Barebones), Boards(Mainbaord only) and as perconfigured Mini-PCs.

Dacobots - Friendly robots teaching kids about the beauty of the world.

SanCloud BeagleBone Enhanced WiFi 1G - One amongst SanCloud's range of BeagleBone Enhanced SBCs - each are enhancements of the BeagleBone Black (BBB).