Build in Public runs a directory of hackable gadgets: "little computers you can flash with your own firmware". Seventy entries, each with the chip inside, the feature set, the firmware it runs, the price, and which builders actually own one. It is the closest thing I have found to a curated shortlist of the ESP32 hardware worth knowing about, rather than the usual wall of AliExpress listings.
The site is run by Marc Kohlbrugge, who also built WIP. The gadgets page sits alongside a people directory and a deals page.
How it works
Filter chips across the top: E-ink, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LoRa, Touchscreen, Keyboard, Camera, Microphone, Speaker, Battery, Wearable. Combine them to narrow 70 down to the handful that match what you are building.
Each entry carries the chip, the features, the firmware it runs, the price and an "I use this" count with owner avatars. That last part is the real value. A dev board with three named owners is a different proposition from one nobody has touched.
The Runs field is the one I care about most. Anything tagged ESPHome drops straight into Home Assistant with a YAML file and no C.
M5Stack: the batteries-included family
Thirteen entries. M5Stack sells finished objects rather than bare boards: case, screen, battery, buttons, stackable modules. You pay a small premium and skip the enclosure problem entirely.
| Device | Price | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| AtomS3 | $8 | Thumb-sized ESP32-S3 with a 0.85" screen |
| Atom Echo | $12 | Mic and speaker puck, the cheap ESPHome voice satellite |
| M5StickC PLUS2 | $18 | Stick form factor, battery, IMU |
| Cardputer v1.1 | $30 | Tiny keyboard computer |
| CoreInk | $30 | E-ink core, good for always-on displays |
| M5Dial | $32 | Rotary encoder plus round screen |
| Cardputer ADV | $35 | The updated Cardputer |
| Core2 / CoreS3 | $45 / $55 | The flagship stackable cores with touch |
| Tab5 | $55 | Tablet-format development device |
| PaperS3 | $70 | Larger e-ink panel |
| StackChan AI Desktop Robot | $99 | ESP32-S3 desktop robot with a face |
LilyGO: the widest range, the roughest edges
Fourteen entries, the largest single family in the directory. LilyGO covers more form factors than anyone else and documents them the least. Good value if you are comfortable reading schematics and community forum threads.
| Device | Price | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| T-QT | $10 | Smallest of the lot, 0.85" colour |
| T-Dongle-S3 | $12 | USB stick with a screen |
| T-Display-S3 | $15 | The default cheap ESP32-S3 with a display |
| T-Display-S3 AMOLED | $25 | Same idea, better panel |
| T-Beam Supreme | $35 | LoRa plus GPS, the Meshtastic staple |
| T5 4.7" E-Paper | $35 | Big e-ink for dashboards |
| T-Echo | $40 | LoRa messenger with e-ink |
| T-Watch S3 | $40 | Hackable smartwatch |
| T-Deck | $43 | Handheld with BlackBerry keyboard and trackball |
| T-Lora Pager | $50 | LoRa pager form factor |
| T-Deck Plus / Pro | $60 / $94 | T-Deck with GPS, more storage, better radio |
| T-Watch Ultra | $78 | The premium watch |
| T-Display P4 | $119 | RISC-V P4 chip, the fast one |
E-ink dashboards
The category that has grown fastest. Low power, always on, readable in daylight.
| Device | Maker | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Inkplate 2 | Soldered | $35 |
| Inkplate 6 | Soldered | $75 |
| Inkplate 6COLOR | Soldered | $100 |
| Inkplate 10 | Soldered | $120 |
| TRMNL (OG) | TRMNL | $139 |
| TRMNL (BWRY) | TRMNL | $139 |
| TRMNL (X) | TRMNL | $229 |
| reTerminal E1001 to E1004 | Seeed | $65 to $288 |
| Wireless Paper | Heltec | $25 |
| Vision Master E290 | Heltec | $30 |
TRMNL is the one with real momentum: five named owners in the directory, more than anything else on the page. It is a finished product with a hosted plugin ecosystem rather than a board you program, which is exactly why people actually keep it on the desk.
Cheap wall panels
The bargain end, and the most useful category if you run Home Assistant. These are LCD panels with an ESP32 behind them, sold at prices that make a wall-mounted dashboard in every room reasonable.
| Device | Maker | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Guition JC2432W328 | Guition | $5 |
| Cheap Yellow Display (CYD) | Sunton | $8 |
| Guition JC3248W535 | Guition | $10 |
| Guition JC4827W543 | Guition | $12 |
| Guition 4848S040 wall panel | Guition | $15 |
| WT32-SC01 Plus | Wireless-Tag | $20 |
| Sunton 7" (8048S070) | Sunton | $25 |
| CrowPanel Advance 7" | Elecrow | $30 |
The CYD is the community name for a $8 Sunton board that became the default cheap dashboard. Sunton has no working official site, so the directory entry is the reference point.
Voice and Home Assistant
| Device | Maker | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atom Echo | M5Stack | $12 | Cheapest usable voice satellite |
| ESP32-S3-BOX-3 | Espressif | $45 | Reference voice kit from the chip maker |
| HA Voice Preview Edition | Nabu Casa | $59 | The official Home Assistant puck |
I already have the HA Voice Preview Edition on the desk. Seeing it listed with chip, firmware and a reflashable badge is a reminder that it is an ESP32-S3 running ESPHome, not a sealed appliance. The Atom Echo at $12 is the obvious way to add satellites in other rooms.
Wearables
| Device | Maker | Price |
|---|---|---|
| PineTime | Pine64 | $27 |
| Watchy | SQFMI | $50 |
| T-Watch S3 | LilyGO | $40 |
| T-Watch Ultra | LilyGO | $78 |
| Bangle.js 2 | Espruino | $90 |
Watchy is e-ink and open hardware. Bangle.js 2 runs JavaScript, which lowers the barrier further than anything else here. PineTime is the cheapest way in at $27.
The outliers
- Flipper Zero, $165. The famous one. Sub-GHz, NFC, RFID, infrared, GPIO.
- BUSY Bar. LED matrix status bar for the desk, from the Flipper team.
- Halo by Brilliant Labs, $399. Smart glasses, the most expensive entry by a wide margin.
- Stream Deck Module by Elgato, $130. The 15-key module rather than the consumer unit.
- Ulanzi TC001, $30. Pixel clock that the community reflashes into a notification display.
- Waveshare Touch AMOLED 1.8, $28. Top of the list by owner count, five named builders.
What I would actually buy
Three things stand out for my setup:
- A Guition or CYD panel at $5 to $15. Buy several. A wall dashboard per room costs less than a takeaway. The risk of a failed experiment is nil at this price.
- Atom Echo at $12 as a second voice satellite for the HA Voice already in place.
- A T-Display-S3 at $15 as the generic "screen that shows one number" device. Studio state, render progress, whatever needs a glanceable readout that is not another browser tab.
The Flipper Zero and the Halo are the fun ones, but they are toys with a price tag. The $5 to $30 band is where this directory earns its keep.
Further reading
- Gadgets directory
- Build in Public people directory
- Build in Public deals
- The manifesto
- ESPHome, the firmware most of these run under Home Assistant