Raspberry Pi Starter Kit vs Separate Parts: Which is Cheaper?

When you’re shopping for your first Raspberry Pi, it’s tempting to grab a starter kit and be done with it. But after comparing prices and looking closely at what you actually get, I found that the choice between a kit and separate parts isn’t as obvious as it seems.

Buying Raspberry Pi components separately is usually better value, as you avoid purchasing unnecessary accessories. Starter kits are more convenient, but they often cost more than buying only the required parts.

To make the choice easier, I’ll compare real starter kits with equivalent parts and explain when the convenience of a kit is worth the extra cost.

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What’s Inside a Typical Starter Kit

Starter kits bundle components that help you get started with your Raspberry Pi.

I like to picture it this way: the Raspberry Pi is only the motherboard of our computer, but to function properly, we also need a hard disk, a power supply, and a display.

A starter kit includes these additional components you need to start working with your Raspberry Pi. Therefore, you can expect the following components in a typical starter kit:

• Power Supply/Adapter: The Raspberry Pi can be powered by any conventional mobile charger/adapter. However, the Raspberry Pi’s power requirements often differ, so I recommend using only the officially supported charger/adapter.
  
• SD Card: Most Raspberry Pi kits also include an SD Card. The SD card contains the operating system (OS) and software that run on your Raspberry Pi. It is analogous to a computer’s hard disk. Some kits even come with an SD card pre-loaded with the latest version of Raspberry Pi OS.
  
  The Raspberry Pi also supports alternative boot methods, such as booting from USB, an NVMe SSD, or Ethernet. However, these can be a bit technically challenging for beginners.
• HDMI/micro HDMI Cables: This is another component that is commonly found in most Raspberry Pi starter kits. While HDMI cables are common in most households, micro HDMI is a relatively unique format that I have often found difficult to find. Kits often bundle these to simplify connecting your Raspberry Pi to a monitor/display.
  
• Raspberry Pi: All starter kits also include a Raspberry Pi board itself. You can commonly find kits for the mainline Raspberry Pi series, like the Raspberry Pi 4 and Raspberry Pi 5. While looking online, I also found a few unofficial starter kits for the Raspberry Pi Zero line, but they’re less common. With most kits, you can also select different memory amounts.

While most starter kits contain these essential components, each kit differs slightly in what it offers. To help you decide, here are a few Raspberry Pi 5 kits I found while searching online.

Raspberry Pi 5 Desktop Kit (Official)

The Raspberry Pi 5 Desktop Kit is one of the more famous and well-reputed Raspberry Pi kits. The point of a Desktop Kit is to use the Raspberry Pi as a desktop computer out of the box.

This kit contains the following components:

• Raspberry Pi 5 (2GB, 4GB, 8GB)
• 32GB micro SD card (preloaded with Raspberry Pi OS)
• Red and white Raspberry Pi case
• Official Raspberry Pi power adapter
• 3-ft micro HDMI to HDMI cables (set of two)
• Official Raspberry Pi beginner guide
• Official Raspberry Pi keyboard & mouse (red and white)

The total price for this kit ranges from $125 to $235, depending on the Raspberry Pi variant you choose.

I think this is one of the more reliable Raspberry Pi starter kits and is the easiest to recommend. It includes official Raspberry Pi-developed components for the most streamlined experience.

You can find more details regarding this kit on Canakit’s official website.

Vilros Raspberry Pi 5 Starter Kit

This Raspberry Pi 5 starter kit contains some third-party accessories. It also includes additional components that can be useful.

This kit is bundled with the following components:

• Raspberry Pi 5 (1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB)
• 32GB micro SD card (preloaded with Raspberry Pi OS)
• Metal/aluminum alloy passive and active cooling case
• Raspberry Pi 5 compatible power supply (not official)
• Standard HDMI to micro HDMI adapter cable
• Vilros Quickstart Guide for Raspberry Pi
• PWM fan (pre-installed in the case)
• Neoprene storage bag
• Mini-to-standard camera module adapter cable
• LIR2032 battery connector (battery not included)

The total price for this kit ranges from $115 to $255 depending on the Raspberry Pi variant. I found this kit while scanning through Amazon for different kits.

I think this kit includes a lot of nice-to-have components, like the HDMI-to-micro HDMI adapter over a micro HDMI cable, but it also includes parts that increase the price unnecessarily. For example, the storage bag and the battery connector most people probably don’t need.

CanaKit Raspberry Pi Starter Kit

CanaKit’s Raspberry Pi Starter Kit is another well-known, reputable starter kit that reviewers often rate highly. This kit includes a solid case with active and passive cooling via a quality heat sink and PWM fan.

This kit contains the following components:

• Raspberry PI 5 (1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB)
• 128GB micro SD card (preloaded with Raspberry Pi OS)
• CanaKit Turbine Case
• CanaKit USB-C power supply (not official)
• 6ft micro HDMI to HDMI cables (set of two)
• CanaKit Low Noise PWM Fan
• CanaKit MEGA Heat Sink

The total price for this kit ranges from $150 to $400, depending on the Raspberry Pi RAM you choose. In terms of selection, this kit is very similar to the official Raspberry Pi Desktop Kit.

I really like the case and heat sink included in this kit. They’re premium quality, which, besides being aesthetic and robust, also improves thermal performance. You can find more details regarding this kit through their official website.

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Price Comparison: Are Starter Kits Actually Cheaper?

Now that we know what starter kits are available on the market, let’s compare the complete kits with the individual components to see how much you save with each kit.

To keep the price analysis uniform and standardized, we will consider only the 4GB variants of each kit.

	Raspberry PI 5 Desktop Kit (Official)	Vilros Raspberry Pi 5 Starter Kit	CanaKit Raspberry Pi Starter Kit
Raspberry Pi	Yes $100-115	Yes $100-115	Yes $100-115
SD Card	32GB $20-25	32GB $20-25	128GB $30-40
Case + PWM Fan + Heat Sink	Yes $10-40	Yes $10-40	Yes $10-40
Power Adapter	Official $15	Unofficial $10-20	Unofficial $10-20
Display Cable	3ft micro HDMI cable (set of two) $10-20	HDMI to micro HDMI adapter $5-10	6ft micro HDMI cable (set of two) $10-20
Extra Accessories	Keyboard & mouse $15-30	Storage bag & camera adapter $15-25	None
Total Cost When Purchased Separately	$170-245 Avg $208	$160-235 Avg $198	$160-235 Avg $198
Kit Price	$170 (check price)	$190 (check price)	$205 (check price)

Based on the above comparison, we can see that if we spend carefully, we can usually recreate the kit at an equivalent or cheaper cost.

However, when I looked at individual components on Amazon, I realized the lowest-priced components weren’t the ones I would buy for myself or recommend to most readers.

When you compare prices to averages, kits are generally slightly cheaper than the sum of the average prices of individual components.

The CanaKit Raspberry Pi Starter Kit seems costlier than the average price of the individual components. In their defense, the case and heat sink it comes with are premium quality and therefore costlier than average Amazon prices.

Therefore, after this analysis, I can confidently conclude that, on average, starter kits are slightly cheaper than individual components, and you can save a few bucks by opting for a starter kit.

When Buying Parts Separately Can Be Better

Although we’ve concluded that starter kits are generally slightly cheaper than individual components, a few other factors matter. In some cases, buying individual components separately makes more sense.

We Don’t Need All the Components in a Kit

When we were doing the price comparison, we included the price of each component in a kit. However, almost all kits contain extra items you might not necessarily need.

For example, the official Raspberry Pi 5 Desktop Kit contains a keyboard and a mouse. More often than not, we already have a keyboard and mouse for our Raspberry Pi.

Similarly, the Vilros Starter Kit includes a neoprene bag and a camera adapter cable, which aren’t essential, and you can easily manage without them.

I personally consider these extra components to be fluff. While they do help differentiate one starter kit from another, I find it often difficult to find the exact parts you need in a single kit.

If we remove the price of these extra components and consider only the essentials (i.e., Raspberry Pi + SD card + power adapter + micro-HDMI cables + case), we can see that the starter kits cost more than the individual components.

Additionally, you might already have some essential components, such as a power adapter and micro-HDMI cables. You might also not want a Raspberry Pi case, so you can save money by buying only the components you need.

You Have More Options When Buying Separately

When you buy a starter kit, you’re essentially locked into a set of items, and getting a different, preferred variant of a component costs extra.

For example, you might like the Official Raspberry Pi 5 Desktop Kit but want to use a different case for your Raspberry Pi. Or you might want a higher-speed microSD Card with your Raspberry Pi.

In those cases, buying a starter kit and then adding a separate component you want to customize can be inefficient.

You Learn More When Purchasing for DIY

Buying individual components has another advantage; it lets you optimize your selections and provides a much better learning experience.

Especially if, like me, you are building a Raspberry Pi with your children, I have found selecting parts a great learning experience when I sit with them to choose and personalize each component to pair with our Raspberry Pi of choice.

In such cases, the chore of finding individual components can actually turn into a positive learning experience.

Final Verdict: Which Should You Choose?

I think starter kits have both pros and cons. For most beginners, I highly recommend a starter kit, since you can usually save some bucks. A starter kit also saves you the chore of picking individual components, which can be challenging for non-tech-savvy beginners.

However, more tech-savvy people can usually use components they already have, and by buying only what you need, you can make a more economical choice.

Buying individual components also lets you choose better or more customized parts than those available in the kit. The added educational value of selecting individual components can also be a plus in some cases.

In conclusion, the answer to the question “should I buy a starter kit or separate components?” really depends on you. While I personally prefer buying individual components, I recommend a starter kit for most readers.

I hope this article helps you decide whether to buy a starter kit. If you are thinking of getting a starter kit, another article, “What You Should Know Before Buying a Starter Kit,” can help you decide.

Whenever you’re ready, here are other ways I can help you:

Test Your Raspberry Pi Level (Free): Not sure why everything takes so long on your Raspberry Pi? Take this free 3-minute assessment and see what’s causing the problems.

The RaspberryTips Community: Need help or want to discuss your Raspberry Pi projects with others who actually get it? Join the RaspberryTips Community and get access to private forums, exclusive lessons, and direct help.

Master your Raspberry Pi in 30 days: If you are looking for the best tips to become an expert on Raspberry Pi, this book is for you. Learn useful Linux skills and practice multiple projects with step-by-step guides.

Master Python on Raspberry Pi: Create, understand, and improve any Python script for your Raspberry Pi. Learn the essentials step-by-step without losing time understanding useless concepts.

Master Linux Commands: Overwhelmed with Linux commands? This book is your essential guide to mastering the terminal. It includes practical tips, real-world examples, and a bonus cheat sheet to keep by your side.

You can also find all my recommendations for tools and hardware on this page.