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BeagleBoard BeagleBone Black vs Raspberry Pi 3 Model B

Researched, not hands-on tested.How we review ›

all judged against single-board computers at a similar price

The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B scores 6.4/10 overall, ahead of the BeagleBoard BeagleBone Black at 5.0/10.

The BeagleBoard BeagleBone Black leads on storage.

The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B leads on software support, performance and value.

They score the same on I/O and networking.

The biggest difference is software support, where the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B scores 10/10 to the BeagleBoard BeagleBone Black's 7/10.

BeagleBoard BeagleBone Black

BeagleBoard BeagleBone Black

5.0/10verdict: good, not the best

The BeagleBone Black is for people building embedded, hardware-interfacing or low-demand single-purpose projects. It suits those who want onboard eMMC, two large expansion headers and officially listed Debian images. It is a poor fit for anyone wanting a general-purpose desktop or a board with fast networking.

Typically about £74 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

Raspberry Pi 3 Model B

Raspberry Pi 3 Model B

6.4/10verdict: good, not the best

The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B suits people who want a small board for GPIO projects, simple services or learning. It fits builders who need a 40-pin header with camera and display ports. It is a poor fit for anyone who needs fast networking, USB 3 or storage beyond a microSD card.

Typically about £33 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

Scores, criterion by criterion

CriterionWeightBeagleBoard BeagleBone BlackRaspberry Pi 3 Model B
Software support30%7/1010/10
Performance25%3/105/10
Storage15%6/104/10
I/O and networking15%5/105/10
Value15%3/105/10
Overall5.0/106.4/10

Specifications

SpecBeagleBoard BeagleBone BlackRaspberry Pi 3 Model B
Processor (SoC)TI Sitara AM3358 (AM3358BZCZ100), 1 GHz ARM Cortex-A8, SGX 3D graphics, NEON, 2x 200 MHz PRUsBroadcom BCM2837, quad-core 64-bit ARM Cortex-A53 at 1.2 GHz
Memory512 MB DDR3L 800 MHz1GB RAM
Storage options4 GB 8-bit eMMC onboard; microSD connectormicroSD slot only, for OS and data
Networking10/100 Mbit Ethernet (RJ45). No Wi-Fi or Bluetooth on this board.100Base Ethernet; wireless LAN and Bluetooth
GPIOTwo 46-pin expansion headers (LCD, UART, eMMC, ADC, I2C, SPI, PWM)40-pin extended GPIO header
Video outputsHDMI, LCD interface, stereo audio over HDMIFull-size HDMI, 4-pole stereo and composite video port, CSI camera port, DSI display port
Power input5 V DC via 2.1 mm barrel jack or mini-USB; a 1 A 5 V supply is typicalMicro USB, up to 2.5 A switched supply

Strengths and weaknesses

BeagleBoard BeagleBone Black

  • + Official Debian 13.7 and 12.15 images with three kernel branches
  • + Two 46-pin expansion headers plus two 200 MHz PRUs
  • + 4 GB eMMC onboard alongside a microSD connector
  • − Only 512 MB of RAM
  • − Ethernet is 10/100 and there is no Wi-Fi
  • − USB host port is limited to 500 mA

Skip it if:

  • Buyers who need Wi-Fi or Bluetooth on the same board
  • Anyone running several containers or VMs that need more than 512 MB of RAM
  • Users who need faster than 10/100 Ethernet or high-current USB devices
Read the full BeagleBoard BeagleBone Black review ›

Raspberry Pi 3 Model B

  • + 40-pin GPIO header plus CSI camera and DSI display ports
  • + Built-in wireless LAN and Bluetooth
  • + Production promised until at least January 2028
  • − Ethernet is 10/100 only, not gigabit
  • − No USB 3; four USB 2.0 ports
  • − microSD only, with no M.2 or NVMe support published

Skip it if:

  • Anyone who needs gigabit Ethernet or USB 3 for fast file transfers
  • Buyers who want NVMe or M.2 storage rather than a microSD card
  • People who need more than 1GB of RAM for several services or VMs
Read the full Raspberry Pi 3 Model B review ›

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