The best single-board computers, according to hackers
14 single-board computers were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 4 earn the Hacker Approved badge.
Top picks
The three most recommended single-board computers with the badge. Each figure is 5 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Cheap, low-cost board
People recommend it for low power draw, low cost, wifi, GPIO and a large body of online information. Critics point to limited I/O ports and scarce stock.
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Runs for years on original SD card
Long-lived board that people run unattended for years; the older model still gives good value, though one critic found it struggled with heavy workloads.
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Strong multi-core speed beats Pi
Fast enough for everyday desktop use, with RVA23 vector support and strong multi-core speed. Critics say it costs too much for what it delivers.
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All 14 single-board computers, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raspberry Pi | 425 | 277 | 61% | 12 | 5.5 yrs35 owners | — |
| 2 | Raspberry Pi Zero | 77 | 23 | 77% | 12 | 8 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| 3 | NVIDIA Jetson | 28 | 21 | 57% | 12 | — | — |
| 4 | Orange Pi 6 Plus | 18 | 30 | 38% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 5 | Raspberry Pi 2 | 12 | 2 | 86% | 8 | 9 yrs5 owners | Approved |
| Tied 5 | SpacemiT K3 | 12 | 2 | 86% | 8 | — | Approved |
| 7 | Raspberry Pi Compute Module | 10 | 2 | 83% | 6 | — | Approved |
| 8 | Raspberry Pi Zero W | 9 | 3 | 75% | 6 | — | — |
| 9 | Milk-V Jupiter 2 | 8 | 1 | 89% | 6 | — | — |
| 10 | BeagleBone | 7 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | — |
| Tied 11 | Radxa single-board computers | 6 | 2 | 75% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 11 | NVIDIA Jetson Thor | 6 | 2 | 75% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 11 | Hardkernel ODROID | 6 | 2 | 75% | 4 | — | — |
| 14 | Adafruit Fruit Jam | 5 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same single-board computer in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to single-board computers that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.