ESP32ESP8266

ESP32 and ESP8266 are families of Wi-Fi system-on-chip microcontrollers developed by Espressif Systems. They provide built-in wireless connectivity for embedded devices and have become popular in the Internet of Things (IoT) due to low cost, small form factors, and a wide development ecosystem. The ESP8266 introduced a compact, single-chip solution with integrated 802.11 Wi‑Fi, while the ESP32 family followed with more processing power, additional wireless options, and expanded peripherals. The ESP32 lineup includes several variants such as ESP32-D0WD, ESP32-S2, ESP32-S3, ESP32-C3 (RISC-V), and others, each targeting different balance points between performance, power, and features.

The ESP8266 is a low-cost, single-core microcontroller that runs at up to 80 MHz (with some modules capable of bursts approaching higher speeds) and includes integrated 802.11 b/g/n Wi‑Fi. It provides a moderate set of peripherals, typically including GPIO, UART, SPI, I2C, PWM, and analog-to-digital conversion, but lacks Bluetooth and hardware-level security features found in later generations. Its simplicity and affordability made it a common choice for simple networked sensors, switches, and tiny controllers.

The ESP32 adds substantial enhancements: a faster Xtensa dual-core or single-core architecture (up to 240 MHz in many variants), integrated Bluetooth Classic and BLE, and a richer peripheral set (GPIO, ADC, DAC, SPI, I2C, I2S, CAN on some models, USB in certain variants). It also offers more RAM and often supports external PSRAM, improved security features (secure boot, flash encryption), and more advanced power-management modes for battery-powered use. The ESP32 family supports a broad software ecosystem, including the ESP-IDF framework, Arduino core, MicroPython, and PlatformIO, enabling a wide range of applications from simple sensors to complex connected devices.