Compared to the outlandish $2.50 for a D1 Mini?
Sometimes it pays to go that extra mile!
TBH, the biggest issue I have with the ESP-01 (other than the limited number of broken-out GPIOs) is that fact that they are so awkward to work with compared to a D1 Mini. The lack of a USB port for debugging is a pain, and although you can stick the ESP-01 onto a USB adapter it’s far less convenient in my opinion.
The thing I love about the D1 Mini is the range of accessories that can be stacked on top, or alongside the main board. I use the double and triple bases quite a bit, along with the prototyping shields, and it’s very convenient to work with and even use as a final solution like the gate release setup shown in this topic…
Pete.