Side by side
Arm Toolchain for Embedded vs PlatformIO Core
Both stand on embedded systems toolchains. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan
The free toolchain offers Clang and LLVM components for supported Arm targets, with GNU-style build support. Check architecture coverage and migration needs before moving a project, and note that Arm support is reserved for Professional and FuSa editions.
Visit Arm Toolchain for Embedded
Free plan ExtensionLinuxMac+1
PlatformIO Core offers a free command-line toolkit for embedded project builds, libraries and serial monitoring across a broad set of host systems. Note that diagnostics and usage sharing starts enabled by default.
Visit PlatformIO CoreThe facts
| Arm Toolchain for Embedded | PlatformIO Core | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Not published | Extension, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 3 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | developer.arm.com | docs.platformio.org |
| On embedded systems toolchains | #13 of 30 | #9 of 30 |
Arm Toolchain for Embedded: what it does well
- Free and open source
- Includes Clang and LLVM tools
- Supports GNU-style linker scripts
- Targets include Armv8-A and Armv9-A families
What to know first
- Community support for the free edition
- Not fully compatible with GCC
- Pre-Cortex architectures are excluded
- Arm Compiler 6 scatter-file projects require migration
PlatformIO Core: what it does well
- Free and open source under Apache 2.0.
- Includes build, package, library and serial-monitor tools.
- Supports Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD and Linux ARMv6+.
- Library Manager accepts several version-control repositories.
- Documented integrations cover multiple CI services.
What to know first
- Minimal diagnostics and usage sharing is enabled by default.
- It is a command-line tool.
- Documented installation methods vary by host system.
Alternatives to Arm Toolchain for Embedded Alternatives to PlatformIO Core The whole list