# Raspberry Pi Pico 72 Hacker News commenters recommended Raspberry Pi Pico and 16 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 12 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule. **Verdict:** Cheap, capable microcontroller board that people use for physical computing, prototyping and education; critics say it has limited RAM and flash and weak Wi-Fi connectivity. ## Why people recommend it - Cheap compared with other boards (4 comments): "check out the $6 Pi Pico 2 if interested in low-level firmware build processes" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48991149)) "The Pico 2 is also cheap and very capable if you don't actually need Linux." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48483828)) "For the same price as an Uno you can get a Raspberry Pi 4, or seven Picos." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46009918)) - Easy MicroPython and good docs (4 comments): "there's not only a datasheet, but also first-party tutorials that walk you through laying out a minimal reference board design" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47940790)) "Raspberry Pi foundation has released microcontrollers that run MicroPython in a very user-friendly format" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48313875)) "I get the impression that pico with micropython does this pretty well." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46290753)) - Good for education and beginners (3 comments): "The Pico series is, IMO, the truest implementation of the Raspberry Pi Foundation's broader goal to make physical computing accessible to education" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46337127)) "Thank goodness for the Pi Pico which means I'll never have to use Arduino ever again." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46271781)) "the commonly-confused-for-a-full-pi Pi Pico is pretty great for this" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46560227)) - Strong PIO hardware for timing (3 comments): "That's the power of the Pico - the bit-banging happens in the PIOs, not the main cores." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45837051)) "RP2350 pico can pull off a few classic tricks cleanly with the unique io dma design" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49770481)) "The RP2040's PIO state machines are genuinely interesting for signal generation" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47255525)) ## What people warn about - Weak Wi-Fi and connectivity (4 comments): "given the through put on the Pico is just 4Mbps in this setup, it will not work as a travel router for the family" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48658330)) "my microcontroller (raspberry pi pico w) can't keep up with the "promiscuous mode"" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49065337)) "The Picos are closest, but the connectivity situation is a mess." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45984705)) - Often overkill or impractical (3 comments): "these Pi Pico and random ESP32 dev boards are also overkill for what I do with them" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50249652)) "I think this is more of a "can you do this?" rather than something useful." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48662295)) "a Raspberry Pi Pico based "oscilloscope" just reinforces the extent to which these devices aren't practical" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48647294)) - Micro USB instead of USB-C (3 comments): "the official pico board uses micro USB, so overall I would recommend NOT buying them" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45989598)) "Pi's refusal to drop a USB-C on Pico due to cost increases is a terrible call IMO." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48313163)) "there's no good reason for RPi not to offer a USB-C version of the reference board" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48314933)) ## Alternatives hackers recommend - [ESP32](https://hackerapproved.com/p/esp32.md): 190 recommend - [Arduino boards](https://hackerapproved.com/p/arduino.md): 81 recommend - [Raspberry Pi RP2040](https://hackerapproved.com/p/rp2040.md): 29 recommend - [ESP32-S3](https://hackerapproved.com/p/esp32-s3.md): 26 recommend - [STM32 microcontroller](https://hackerapproved.com/p/stm32.md): 25 recommend ## Where to get it - [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Raspberry+Pi+Pico+microcontroller+board&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link) - [Official site](https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-pico/) ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "Raspberry Pi Pico", https://hackerapproved.com/p/raspberry-pi-pico/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).