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ESP32-C3 vs ESP32-C6

10 of the 20 features in our table differ between the ESP32-C3 and the ESP32-C6.

RISC-V

ESP32-C3

Small RISC-V, Wi-Fi 4, BLE 5, 5 µA deep sleep

A small, low-cost RISC-V chip with Wi-Fi 4, Bluetooth LE 5, USB Serial/JTAG built in and 5 µA in deep sleep.

Watch out: One core, no PSRAM and only 5 ADC pins you can rely on, since ESP-IDF doesn’t support ADC2.

RISC-V

ESP32-C6

Wi-Fi 6, BLE 5.3, Thread and Zigbee

Wi-Fi 6 on 2.4 GHz plus Thread and Zigbee in one chip: the natural pick for Matter devices and mixed networks.

Watch out: No PSRAM, a single 160 MHz core, and ESPHome supports it only with ESP-IDF.

Differences

FeatureESP32-C3ESP32-C6
Low-power coreNoLP RISC-V core
SRAM400 KB512 KB
Wi-FiWi-Fi 4 (802.11 b/g/n), 2.4 GHzWi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), 2.4 GHz
BluetoothLE 5LE 5.3
Thread / ZigbeeNoYes (802.15.4)
GPIO2230 (22 on QFN32)
ADC channels6 (ADC1: 5)7
TWAI (CAN)12
Deep sleep5 µA7 µA
ESPHomeYes (ESP-IDF or Arduino)Yes (ESP-IDF)

Same on both: CPU, PSRAM, USB, DAC, Touch pins, Camera, Display interface, Ethernet MAC, AI / DSP, and Arduino-ESP32.

Choose the ESP32-C3 if you need

Choose the ESP32-C6 if you need

Open the ESP32 comparison →Tick what your project needs and see which of the eight chips fits best.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the ESP32-C3 and the ESP32-C6?

The ESP32-C3 has a lower deep-sleep current (5 against 7 µA) and the Arduino framework in ESPHome. The ESP32-C6 has Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Thread or Zigbee, more internal SRAM (512 against 400 KB), and more GPIO (30 against 22).

Which uses less power in deep sleep, the ESP32-C3 or the ESP32-C6?

The ESP32-C3: 5 µA against 7 µA for the ESP32-C6, as typical figures for the chip alone in Espressif’s datasheets. On a development board the regulator, the LEDs and the USB-serial chip usually draw more than the chip itself.

Can I move my project from the ESP32-C3 to the ESP32-C6?

Arduino-ESP32 and ESP-IDF support both chips, so most code builds for either; pin numbers, strapping pins and some peripherals change. In ESPHome the ESP32-C6 works only with the ESP-IDF framework, so components that need Arduino won’t build.

Other comparisons

ESP32 vs ESP32-C3 ESP32 vs ESP32-C6 ESP32-C3 vs ESP32-C5 ESP32-C3 vs ESP32-H2 ESP32-C3 vs ESP32-P4 ESP32-C3 vs ESP32-S2 ESP32-C3 vs ESP32-S3 ESP32-C5 vs ESP32-C6 ESP32-C6 vs ESP32-H2 ESP32-C6 vs ESP32-P4 ESP32-C6 vs ESP32-S2 ESP32-C6 vs ESP32-S3

Figures from Espressif datasheets, ESPHome and Arduino-ESP32 documentation, checked in November 2026.