Implementing home automation systems is not just an educational exercise — for product teams, it’s a decision that impacts scalability, certification timelines, and long-term maintenance. Raspberry Pi 5 remains popular, but for many IoT use cases it provides more resources than many IoT tasks require, which can lead to unnecessary energy use. There are alternatives to Raspberry Pi that are worth considering—especially when your automation needs don’t require as much computing power. Many automation tasks like monitoring temperature, managing lighting or irrigation systems, or transferring sensor data to the cloud (for example via AWS IoT) require far less computing power and can be handled just as well by more lightweight, lower-cost hardware options such as STM32 or i.MX.
Using Raspberry Pi 5 for simple automation often means higher BOM costs, shorter battery life, and more complex certification — issues that can extend development time and increase costs. The question is: which platform delivers the required functionality while reducing complexity in certification and long-term maintenance? Are there affordable options that still offer the capabilities you need—such as GPIO (General Purpose Input/Output) access, networking, or low-power operation? In this article, we’ll explore two major families of Raspberry Pi alternatives: STM32 microcontrollers and NXP i.MX-based embedded boards. We’ll look at what they offer, where they fit best, and how they might help you build an automation setup selected based on technical requirements and available budget aligned with specific project requirements.
Why use alternatives to Raspberry Pi?
The Raspberry Pi 5 is a general-purpose single-board computer with features such as a quad-core Cortex-A76 CPU, up to 8 GB RAM, and 4K video output. It is well suited for tasks like media centers, lightweight servers, or educational robotics.
Most IoT devices, however, are not built around multimedia needs. They depend on predictable control, long operating time on limited power, and hardware that passes certification without unnecessary complexity.
Alternatives to Raspberry Pi such as STM32 microcontrollers and i.MX embedded boards, offer small form factor boards with low energy consumption and available certification support. These characteristics affect development in several ways:
- Designing with STM32 or i.MX boards often requires fewer external components and uses pre-certified modules, which simplify validation and compliance steps.
- Lower energy draw allows battery-powered devices to remain operational for months or even years without replacement, depending on the duty cycle.
- Industrial-grade modules come with existing compliance documentation (e.g., CE, FCC), reducing the scope of additional certification required for end devices.
Choosing a lower-power microcontroller or embedded SoC reduces ongoing energy and servicing requirements while meeting deterministic control demands of IoT devices.
Comparing STM32 and i.MX as Raspberry Pi alternatives for IoT
STM32 Microcontrollers
STM32 refers to a family from STMicroelectronics based on ARM Cortex-M cores (M0, M3, M4, …). These are bare-metal or RTOS-based microcontrollers, not mini-computers.
They provide quite a few advantages, like ultra low cost and very low power. Boards like STM32F103 can cost around €5 and are ideal for battery or always-on sensor use cases. They also give rich real-time I/O and allow for deterministic timing, which makes them perfect for real-time control of lights, motors or relays.
While STM32 are great alternatives to Raspberry Pi if you don’t need the whole computer, they do not include Linux, HDMI nor USB host by default. They also have limited memory and processing power, which can make them less attractive in projects where a lot of data needs to be processed.
STM32 microcontrollers provide reliable, low-latency control at low cost, making them suitable for projects where quick setup with low power and resource use matter.
NXP i.MX Family
The i.MX series are ARM-based System-on-Chip designed to run embedded Linux, offering video, multimedia, networking, and moderate CPU performance. An example of such a board can be i.MX 8M features a Cortex-A53 quad-core processor paired with a Cortex-M4 microcontroller core, video GPU and audio codec or i.MX 6/i.MX 8 – variants used on low-cost modules. These boards deliver Linux, networking and GPIO in a smaller package than Raspberry Pi and often lower cost if you buy modules or compute boards, especially in bulk or industrial variants. They’re ideal when a project requires a UI, multimedia handling, or local Linux services, but still needs to balance energy efficiency and certification readiness.
What are use cases for STM32 and i.MX?
There are many projects where alternatives to the Raspberry Pi 5 can be more cost-effective. For straightforward tasks such as environmental monitoring, relay-based automation, or transmitting MQTT updates, STM32 microcontrollers are a strong choice. They are low-priced boards designed for continuous operation in small devices, such as wireless room temperature controllers or automated garden irrigation systems. STM32 can also be an effective alternative to the Raspberry Pi 5 in robotics or motor control projects. With their low latency and deterministic behavior, STM32 microcontrollers perform well in real-time control applications, handling sensor feedback and precise motor timing more efficiently than Linux-based systems.
For projects needing user interfaces or rich applications like Home Assistant or Node-RED, STM32 is not the optimal choice, as it lacks the necessary hardware and software support for graphical interfaces. In contrast, an i.MX embedded board offers Linux capabilities combined with embedded power efficiency. This makes i.MX modules appropriate for voice assistants, smart dashboards, and energy gateways.
For industrial automation, both STM32 and i.MX are strong choices. STM32’s low power draw and consistent availability make them suitable for stable, durable systems. Industrial-grade i.MX embedded boards, with their Linux-based boards designed for use in industrial controllers and long-term monitoring
Comparison table of alternatives to Raspberry Pi
Below are presented some real boards/modules that can serve as alternatives to a Raspberry Pi 5 depending on your needs.
| Alternative | Type | Approx Cost | Notes | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
STM32F103 “Blue Pill”
|
Microcontroller board |
€5–10 |
Cortex‑M3, basic GPIO, community libraries |
Simple sensor/relay control nodes |
|
STM32F407 Discovery
|
Development board |
€20‑30 |
Faster MCU (Cortex‑M4), built‑in on‑board ST‑Link |
Sensor networks with moderate logic |
|
TechNexion pico‑PI‑iMX8M
|
i.MX 8M module |
€150 |
Cortex‑A53 quad, Linux, 1 GB RAM, eMMC |
Embedded Linux hubs, audio/video tasks |
|
Forlinx OK335xS SBC
|
i.MX 6 (AM3354) |
€40 |
1 GB DDR3, Linux support, industrial temp |
Cost‑effective embedded Linux |
|
Orange Pi 5 / Orange Pi 5 Plus
|
Rockchip (RK3588) |
€60‑80 |
Pi‑compatible GPIO, 4K video decode, good Linux support |
Android kiosk, media centre |
|
Radxa Zero / Zero 2 Pro
|
Rockchip RK3566 |
€50‑70 |
Compact, Pi‑like GPIO, Wi‑Fi, NVMe |
Slim Linux devices |
|
Banana Pi M5
|
Amlogic S905X3 |
€50 |
4 GB RAM, 4× USB3, HDMI 4K, Pi‑compatible GPIO |
NAS, Home Assistant host |
What are the best alternatives to Raspberry Pi?
If your home automation project does not require full desktop performance. Engineering teams typically choose STM32 boards when tasks require deterministic real-time control without Linux overhead. For sensor or actuator nodes, STM32 microcontroller boards are among the lowest-cost options available (€5–20), simplicity, and energy efficiency. An STM32F103 board consumes ~25 mW in active mode, compared to >2 W idle on a Raspberry Pi 5 — a 100× difference in power draw. Lower energy use means years of uptime per device, cutting operational expenses linked to maintenance, while their long-term availability and reuse of existing libraries and documentation lowers integration effort.
If embedded Linux, local interfaces, networking, or modest multimedia handling are required, several affordable i.MX boards or other ARM SBCs provide nearly all the capabilities of a Raspberry Pi 5, but often in more embedded-friendly form factors. Industrial variants come with compliance files that ease certification. For example certification timelines can be shortened by 3–6 months using industrial-grade i.MX modules, compared to general-purpose SBCs.
There are still cases where Raspberry Pi 5 remains unmatched, such as vision, AI, or desktop-like workloads. But for many business scenarios, using STM32 or i.MX platforms can help reduce certification steps and overall component costs, particularly in large-scale deployments.
In summary, STM32 is best suited for ultra-low-cost, low-power nodes, while i.MX embedded boards offer affordable embedded Linux platforms. Both options are capable of supporting automation projects while often being more cost-efficient than deploying Raspberry Pi 5 across all use cases. Choose hardware that matches project requirements and technical specifications.
For projects requiring guidance on platform selection, WizzDev offers support in architecture and implementation.
Glossary
GPIO (General-Purpose Input/Output)
A set of pins on microcontrollers or SBCs used for interacting with external devices like sensors, LEDs, and relays. They can be programmed for input or output functions.
Microcontroller (MCU)
A compact integrated circuit that combines a processor, memory, and I/O peripherals for controlling devices. Typically used in embedded systems for specific, repetitive tasks.
Bare-metal
Programming directly on the hardware without an operating system, often for microcontrollers to achieve precise timing and low overhead.
I²C (Inter-Integrated Circuit)
A communication protocol for connecting low-speed peripherals (e.g., sensors) to microcontrollers or SBCs over two wires.
SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface)
A high-speed communication protocol for connecting devices like displays, sensors, and memory chips to a microcontroller.
UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter)
A serial communication protocol commonly used for debugging, programming, and interfacing with other devices.
MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport)
A lightweight messaging protocol for IoT applications, ideal for sending small amounts of data (e.g., sensor readings) between devices over a network.
eMMC (embedded MultiMediaCard)
A type of embedded flash storage commonly used in SBCs for storing the operating system and data.
Compute module
A small form-factor board containing the essential components (CPU, RAM, storage) of an SBC, designed to be integrated into custom hardware
