The Difference Between Raspberry Pi, Banana Pi, Orange Pi, Lychee Pi and Bayberry Pi Development Boards

Here’s a detailed comparison of Raspberry Pi, Banana Pi, Orange Pi, Lychee Pi (RISC-V), and Bayberry Pi (or similar niche SBCs) in terms of performance parameters, application scenarios, prices, usability, and examples:

1. Raspberry Pi

Performance Parameters:

• Creator: Raspberry Pi Foundation (UK)

• Popular Models: Pi 5, Pi 4B, Pi Zero 2W

• OS Support: Raspberry Pi OS (Debian-based), Ubuntu, others

• Key Features:

  • Strong community & software support

  • GPIO pins for electronics projects

  • Good balance of performance and price

• Use Cases: Education, home automation, media centers, robotics

• CPU: Broadcom BCM2712 (Cortex-A76, 4-core, 2.4GHz) in Pi 5

• GPU: VideoCore VII (supports 4K@60Hz)

• RAM: 1GB–8GB LPDDR4

• Storage: MicroSD, USB 3.0, PCIe 2.0 (Pi 5)

• I/O: 40-pin GPIO, USB 3/4, Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6 (Pi 5)

Application Scenarios:

• Education: Teaching coding (Python, Scratch)

• Home Automation: Home Assistant, Pi-hole

• Media Center: Kodi, RetroPie gaming

• Robotics: Sensor-based projects

Price:

• Raspberry Pi 5 (4GB): ~$60

• Pi Zero 2W: ~$15 (ultra-compact)

Usability:
✔ Pros: Best software support, huge community, stable OS
✖ Cons: Often out of stock, expensive compared to competitors

Example:

• Pi-hole: Network-wide ad blocker on Raspberry Pi 4.

2. Banana Pi

Performance Parameters:

• Creator: Sinovoip (China)

• Popular Models: BPI-M5, BPI-M2 Ultra

• OS Support: Android, Armbian, Debian, Ubuntu

• Key Features:

  • Often more powerful than Raspberry Pi (some models)

  • SATA support (for direct HDD/SSD connection)

  • Less community support than Raspberry Pi

• Use Cases: NAS servers, media centers, industrial apps

• CPU: Allwinner A100 (Cortex-A53, 4-core, 1.8GHz) in BPI-M5

• GPU: Mali-G31 MP2

• RAM: 2GB–8GB DDR4

• Storage: MicroSD + SATA 3.0 (for HDD/SSD)

• I/O: 40-pin GPIO, USB 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet

Application Scenarios:

• NAS (Network Storage): SATA port for direct HDD connection

• Industrial Control: Reliable GPIO for automation

• Media Server: Higher storage bandwidth than RPi

Price:

• Banana Pi BPI-M5: ~$80

Usability:
✔ Pros: SATA support, good for storage-heavy projects
✖ Cons: Smaller community, fewer OS optimizations

Example:

• DIY NAS: Banana Pi + 2TB HDD for home file server.

3. Orange Pi

Performance Parameters:

• Creator: Shenzhen Xunlong (China)

• Popular Models: Orange Pi 5, Orange Pi Zero 3

• OS Support: Android, Armbian, Ubuntu, Debian

• Key Features:

  • Often cheaper than Raspberry Pi

  • Some models have NPUs (AI acceleration)

  • Mixed hardware/software reliability

• Use Cases: Budget projects, AI/edge computing

• CPU: Rockchip RK3588 (Cortex-A76 + A55, 8-core, 2.4GHz) in Orange Pi 5

• GPU: Mali-G610 MP4

• RAM: 4GB–32GB LPDDR4

• Storage: MicroSD, NVMe (some models)

• I/O: 26-pin GPIO, USB 3.0, 2.5G Ethernet

Application Scenarios:

• AI/Edge Computing: NPU (6 TOPS in RK3588)

• Budget Desktop: Runs Android/Linux

• Cluster Computing: Affordable nodes

Price:

• Orange Pi 5 (8GB): ~$100

Usability:
✔ Pros: High performance, NVMe support, great for AI
✖ Cons: Buggy firmware, overheating issues

Example:

• AI Camera: Orange Pi 5 + Coral TPU for object detection.

4. Lychee Pi (RISC-V)

Performance Parameters:

• Creator: Various Chinese manufacturers

• Popular Models: Lychee Pi 4A (RISC-V based)

• OS Support: Limited (Debian RISC-V, Fedora)

• Key Features:

  • RISC-V architecture (alternative to ARM)

  • Experimental, less software support

• Use Cases: RISC-V development, academic projects

• CPU: TH1520 (4-core RISC-V, 1.85GHz)

• GPU: None (relies on CPU)

• RAM: 8GB–16GB LPDDR4

• Storage: MicroSD, eMMC

• I/O: 40-pin GPIO, USB 3.0

Application Scenarios:

• RISC-V Development: Testing open-source CPU architecture

• Academic Research: Low-power computing experiments

Price:

• Lychee Pi 4A: ~$120

Usability:
✔ Pros: Future-proof RISC-V architecture
✖ Cons: Limited software (no Android, few Linux distros)

Example:

• RISC-V OS Porting: Running Fedora RISC-V on Lychee Pi.

5. Bayberry Pi (Niche SBCs)

Performance Parameters:

• Note: "Bayberry Pi" isn’t a major brand, but some Chinese SBCs use yangmei/bayberry branding.

• Likely Specs:

  • Allwinner or Rockchip CPU

  • Similar to Banana/Orange Pi but less known

• Use Cases: Hobbyist projects, local market products

• CPU: Allwinner H616 (Cortex-A53, 4-core)

• GPU: Mali-G31 MP2

• RAM: 2GB–4GB DDR3

• Storage: MicroSD

• I/O: Basic GPIO, USB 2.0

Application Scenarios:

• Hobbyist Projects: LED controllers, simple IoT

• Local Markets: Sold in China as cheap RPi alternatives

Price:

• ~$–$50

Usability:
✔ Pros: Very cheap
✖ Cons: No brand support, outdated hardware

Example:

• Weather Station: Bayberry Pi + sensors for local data logging.

Summary Table

Which One to Buy?

• For Beginners: Raspberry Pi (best support).

• For NAS/Storage: Banana Pi (SATA port).

• For AI/Performance: Orange Pi 5 (NPU + NVMe).

• For RISC-V Experimentation: Lychee Pi.

• For Ultra-Budget Projects: Bayberry Pi.