ESP32-C5-WROOM-1 vs ESP32-S3-WROOM-2

ESP32-C5-WROOM-1

WROOM · ESP32-C5 · New

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ESP32-S3-WROOM-2

WROOM · ESP32-S3 · Active

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Figures here are compiled from Espressif's official datasheets, with the source linked on each page. Mistakes are possible, so if something looks off, please report it.

Which should you choose?

These run different SoCs (ESP32-C5 vs ESP32-S3), so they differ in CPU, wireless and peripherals, not just packaging.

Choose ESP32-C5-WROOM-1 if you need

Wi-Fi 6: better battery life and throughput in busy networks
5 GHz Wi-Fi: less congestion and higher throughput than 2.4 GHz-only
802.15.4 radio for Thread, Zigbee and Matter-over-Thread mesh

Choose ESP32-S3-WROOM-2 if you need

2 CPU cores vs 1: more headroom for RTOS / parallel work
vector / AI acceleration for on-device ML and DSP
more PSRAM (up to 16 MB)
native USB-OTG: act as a USB device/host without a USB-UART chip
more usable GPIO (33 vs 22)

Size, to scale

ESP32-C5-WROOM-1: 18×27.5 mm
ESP32-S3-WROOM-2: 18×25.5 mm

Spec differences at a glance

CPU: ESP32-C5-WROOM-1 RISC-V, 1-core · ESP32-S3-WROOM-2 Xtensa LX7, 2-core
SRAM: ESP32-C5-WROOM-1 384 KB · ESP32-S3-WROOM-2 512 KB
ROM: ESP32-C5-WROOM-1 320 KB · ESP32-S3-WROOM-2 384 KB
Flash options: ESP32-C5-WROOM-1 4 / 8 / 16 / 32 MB · ESP32-S3-WROOM-2 16 / 32 MB
PSRAM: ESP32-C5-WROOM-1 8 MB (quad) · ESP32-S3-WROOM-2 8 / 16 MB (octal)
Wi-Fi: ESP32-C5-WROOM-1 Wi-Fi 6 · ESP32-S3-WROOM-2 Wi-Fi 4
Wi-Fi bands: ESP32-C5-WROOM-1 2.4+5GHz · ESP32-S3-WROOM-2 2.4GHz
802.15.4 (Thread/Zigbee): ESP32-C5-WROOM-1 Yes · ESP32-S3-WROOM-2 No
Usable GPIO: ESP32-C5-WROOM-1 22 · ESP32-S3-WROOM-2 33
ADC: ESP32-C5-WROOM-1 6× 12-bit · ESP32-S3-WROOM-2 20× 12-bit
USB: ESP32-C5-WROOM-1 USB-Serial-JTAG · ESP32-S3-WROOM-2 USB-OTG
UART / SPI / I²C / I²S: ESP32-C5-WROOM-1 2 / 1 / 1 / 1 · ESP32-S3-WROOM-2 3 / 2 / 2 / 2
Touch: ESP32-C5-WROOM-1 0 · ESP32-S3-WROOM-2 14
Deep sleep: ESP32-C5-WROOM-1 — µA · ESP32-S3-WROOM-2 7 µA
Dimensions: ESP32-C5-WROOM-1 18 × 27.5 × 3.3 mm · ESP32-S3-WROOM-2 18 × 25.5 × 3.1 mm
Pin count: ESP32-C5-WROOM-1 29 · ESP32-S3-WROOM-2 41
Temp range: ESP32-C5-WROOM-1 -40 to 85 °C · ESP32-S3-WROOM-2 -40 to 65 °C
Lifecycle: ESP32-C5-WROOM-1 New · ESP32-S3-WROOM-2 Active
Crypto: ESP32-C5-WROOM-1 AES, SHA, RSA, HMAC, ECC, ECDSA, RNG · ESP32-S3-WROOM-2 AES, SHA, RSA, HMAC, RNG

Compute & memory

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	ESP32-C5-WROOM-1	ESP32-S3-WROOM-2
CPU≠	RISC-V, 1-core	Xtensa LX7, 2-core
Max clock	240 MHz	240 MHz
SRAM≠	384 KB	512 KB
ROM≠	320 KB	384 KB
Flash options≠	4 / 8 / 16 / 32 MB	16 / 32 MB
PSRAM≠	8 MB (quad)	8 / 16 MB (octal)
Co-processor	ULP-RISC-V	ULP-RISC-V

Wireless

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	ESP32-C5-WROOM-1	ESP32-S3-WROOM-2
Wi-Fi≠	Wi-Fi 6	Wi-Fi 4
Wi-Fi bands≠	2.4+5GHz	2.4GHz
Bluetooth	BLE 5.x	BLE 5.x
802.15.4 (Thread/Zigbee)≠	Yes	No
Antenna	PCB	PCB

Peripherals & I/O

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	ESP32-C5-WROOM-1	ESP32-S3-WROOM-2
Usable GPIO≠	22	33
ADC≠	6× 12-bit	20× 12-bit
USB≠	USB-Serial-JTAG	USB-OTG
UART / SPI / I²C / I²S≠	2 / 1 / 1 / 1	3 / 2 / 2 / 2
TWAI (CAN)	Yes	Yes
SD/MMC	Yes	Yes
Ethernet MAC	No	No
Touch≠	0	14

Power

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	ESP32-C5-WROOM-1	ESP32-S3-WROOM-2
Operating voltage	3.0-3.6 V	3.0-3.6 V
Deep sleep≠	— µA	7 µA

Physical

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	ESP32-C5-WROOM-1	ESP32-S3-WROOM-2
Dimensions≠	18 × 27.5 × 3.3 mm	18 × 25.5 × 3.1 mm
Pin count≠	29	41
Temp range≠	-40 to 85 °C	-40 to 65 °C
Mounting	SMD castellated	SMD castellated
Lifecycle≠	New	Active

Security

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	ESP32-C5-WROOM-1	ESP32-S3-WROOM-2
Secure boot	Yes	Yes
Flash encryption	Yes	Yes
Crypto≠	AES, SHA, RSA, HMAC, ECC, ECDSA, RNG	AES, SHA, RSA, HMAC, RNG
Digital signature	Yes	Yes
TRNG	Yes	Yes