Raspberry Pi 5 vs Jetson Orin Nano for robots
Pick the Raspberry Pi 5 if the robot only needs to run motors, cameras and networking while a laptop or desktop GPU runs the learned policy, which is how LeKiwi and XLeRobot work. Pick the Jetson Orin Nano Super when the neural network has to run on the robot itself with no PC attached. On 2026-10-25 the Pi 5 4GB costs $110 to $130 and the Orin Nano Super dev kit costs $399, after NVIDIA raised it from $249 in July 2026.
What matters
- Where the model runs: on the robot (needs a GPU) or on a PC over Wi-Fi (a Pi is enough).
- Software support in your stack: LeRobot hosts run on a Pi; the TurtleBot 4 image targets a Pi 4; JetBot and the Jetson AI tools target Jetson.
- Power budget: a Pi 5 needs a solid 5V 5A supply; the Orin Nano runs at 7 to 25W from a 9 to 20V input.
- Price after the 2026 memory-driven increases, including the power supply and storage you still have to buy.
- Camera interface: both have two MIPI CSI connectors plus USB; LeRobot uses ordinary USB webcams.
Our picks
| Pick | Why | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi 5 (4GB) Robots whose policy runs on a laptop or desktop | LeKiwi and XLeRobot use it as the on-robot host: it reads the servos and cameras and streams them to a PC that runs the model. Cheaper and simpler than a Jetson for that job. | Seeed Studio: $110.00 Adafruit: $130.00 |
| NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano Super Developer Kit (8GB) Running vision models and small policies on the robot itself | Up to 67 TOPS of GPU compute with CUDA and TensorRT, so detection, depth and small learned policies run onboard. It is the current replacement for the discontinued Jetson Nano that JetBot was designed around. | SparkFun: $399.00 Seeed Studio: $450.30 bundle |
| Raspberry Pi 4 Model B (4GB) TurtleBot 4 and older ROS images that expect a Pi 4 | The TurtleBot 4 setup images still target the Pi 4, so buy it for that build even though the Pi 5 is faster. | Adafruit: $120.00 |
| NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX 16GB (Seeed reComputer J4012) Bigger onboard models than the Orin Nano can hold | Twice the memory of the Orin Nano for larger vision or policy networks; ToddlerBot runs on one. Costs far more and draws more power. | Seeed Studio: $1,399.00 |
FAQ
Can a Raspberry Pi 5 run a LeRobot policy like ACT on its own?
Not at useful speed for most policies. The LeRobot mobile robots run the model on a laptop and use the Pi only to talk to motors and cameras over the network.
Why did the Jetson Orin Nano Super go from $249 to $399?
NVIDIA raised prices across the Jetson line in July 2026 without giving a reason; memory costs are the likely cause. Some resellers charge more than $399.
Is a Jetson Orin Nano 2 coming?
NVIDIA announced it in August 2026 with about twice the Orin Nano Super's inference speed; the module and dev kit are expected in the first half of 2027.
Why is the Pi 5 so much more than the old $60 price?
Raspberry Pi raised prices in 2026 because of memory costs. BOMs written in 2025 that list $60 for the 4GB are out of date; budget $110 to $130.
Sources: huggingface.co · www.sparkfun.com · www.seeedstudio.com · hwbusters.com · jetsonhacks.com · www.seeedstudio.com · www.adafruit.com · www.adafruit.com · docs.ros.org · www.seeedstudio.com