Raspberry Pi No Longer Default
Supply shortages and rising prices mean Raspberry Pis are no longer recommended for most DIY projects, especially Home Assistant hubs or Docker containers. Alternative platforms now offer better availability and price stability. This shift affects the entire maker community's go-to hardware choices.
- The supply issues began in early 2021, stemming from a global chip shortage linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted supply chains and increased demand for home electronics. - During the peak of the shortages, Raspberry Pi's CEO Eben Upton confirmed that the company was prioritizing sales to commercial and industrial customers over individual hobbyists. - More recent price hikes in late 2025 and early 2026 have been attributed to a global memory shortage, as the demand for LPDDR4 RAM, used in newer Pi models, has surged for use in AI infrastructure. - As an example of the price changes, the Raspberry Pi 5 with 16GB of RAM has increased to $205, which is over 70% higher than its original launch price. - The price increases have specifically affected the Raspberry Pi 4 and 5 models with 2GB of RAM or more, while the 1GB models, Raspberry Pi Zero, and older generations have not been impacted. - Competing single-board computers like the Orange Pi 5 Plus, Odroid N2+, and Libre Computer's "Le Potato" have become popular alternatives, offering comparable or better performance for certain tasks. - The Raspberry Pi Foundation has stated it views the current price hikes as temporary and intends to lower them once the memory market stabilizes. - To offer a lower-cost entry point to their latest generation, the company introduced a new 1GB version of the Raspberry Pi 5 for $45.
