Which ESP32 should I buy?

A straightforward comparison of the ESP32-C3 Super Mini, ESP32-WROOM-32 and ESP32-S3 N16R8.

There is no single “best” ESP32 board. The right choice depends on size, memory, Bluetooth requirements and how demanding the project is.

Choose the ESP32-C3 Super Mini for compact projects

The C3 Super Mini is the smallest and lowest-cost option in the current Aetherwatt ESP32 range. It suits compact ESPHome nodes, wireless sensors and projects that need Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy but do not require Bluetooth Classic.

Choose the ESP32-WROOM-32 for general-purpose work

The WROOM-32 is the broad all-rounder. Its dual-core 240 MHz processor, mature Arduino and ESPHome support, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Classic + BLE make it a convenient board for learning, prototyping, MQTT devices and general control projects.

Choose the ESP32-S3 N16R8 for memory-heavy projects

The S3 N16R8 provides 16 MB flash and 8 MB PSRAM. That extra memory is especially useful for larger graphical displays, camera work, image buffers, USB devices and experimentation with DSP or edge-ML workloads.