In recent years, there has been an insurgency of Single Board Computer (SBC) modules in the market for the DIY community. With the giants of the chipset industry focusing on IoT, the market for these has grown tremendously. Since 2012, the Pi computers have led to a revolution in the field of computer-based DIY. You can make many amazing projects with these SBCs.

The latest, the Raspberry Pi Zero, is a $5 computer that can let your imagination soar without burning a hole in your pocket. However, there have been many compromises made for that price tag. There is no WiFi or Bluetooth module, a single USB port and an HDMI port handling the display duties. This clearly calls for an alternative search, especially for those who want more of these dirt cheap computers. So we've compiled a list of some of the commendable alternatives to the Raspberry Pi Zero:

Short for its name, the CHIP is an affordable SBC that proves to be a very strong competitor to the Pi Zero. It has everything the Pi Zero lacks and then some. You get wireless connections via WiFi and Bluetooth Low Energy modules. You also have the option of connecting your CHIP computer to a monitor that supports VGA ports as well. Additionally, the CHIP uses the newer ARMv7 architecture compared to the Pi Zero's older ARMv6 architecture. It is powered by a lithium polymer battery along with built-in charging circuitry. Also, you don't need to buy a separate SD card to boot it for the first time.

The CHIP has 4GB of NAND flash storage on board and comes with Linux (Debian) pre-installed. CHIP offers two massive rows of 40-pin headers — 80 total I/O, compared to the Pi Zero's paltry 40.