In the latest episode of the Raspberry Pi Podcast, Ken Okolo sits down with Simon Burgess from Raspberry Pi’s commercial team to dig into how Raspberry Pi performs as a desktop PC. From Raspberry Pi 4 and 5 to the all-in-one keyboard computer Raspberry Pi 500+, Simon walks us through the full desktop line-up and explains why organisations like McDonald’s in South America and learning centres across the UK are deploying them at scale.

Whether you’re a home user curious about browsing and language learning, or a business wanting to cut hardware and energy costs, this episode is worth 15 minutes of your time.

When we launched our first computer in 2012, our goal was to democratise access to computing and reignite interest in programming and hardware tinkering, particularly among students. What surprised us was how many Raspberry Pis found their way onto people’s desks as genuine everyday PCs.

Yes, Raspberry Pi can be your PC

There’s a common misconception that Raspberry Pi is only used by hobbyists or as an educational tool, but as Simon explains:

“My mother-in-law uses a Raspberry Pi 5. She uses it for Duolingo and emails and she’s delighted with it.”

Raspberry Pi 4 and 5 both work well as desktop machines, despite their size. If you’re looking for something a little simpler to handle, then Raspberry Pi 400, 500, and 500+ are purpose-built keyboard computers that deliver a plug-and-play desktop experience. The computer itself sits inside the keyboard, so you get the added benefit of a clutter-free work station.

All of these devices can capably run services like Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, meaning your day-to-day computing needs can be met.

Raspberry Pi 500, 400, and 500+

Three ways your business benefits from Raspberry Pi

Raspberry Pi is increasingly powering enterprise deployments — particularly as thin clients, where our hardware connects to a central server that handles data and applications instead of processing everything locally.

For organisations considering Raspberry Pi technology, Simon highlights three core advantages:

1. Cost: The price–performance ratio is compelling, particularly at scale. Replacing hundreds or thousands of traditional PCs with Raspberry Pi thin clients delivers significant savings.
2. Energy efficiency: Low power consumption matters enormously when you’re running a large fleet of devices. Reducing energy usage across an organisation isn’t just good for the bottom line — it’s also important from a sustainability standpoint.
3. Long-term availability: This is perhaps the most underappreciated benefit. Raspberry Pi commits to keeping its products in production for years. Raspberry Pi 4 is guaranteed to be available until at least January 2034, and Raspberry Pi 5 until at least January 2036. For industrial customers who need to plan deployments and avoid mid-cycle hardware changes, this kind of commitment is rare and genuinely valuable.

Free software

One of the most attractive aspects of using a Raspberry Pi as a PC is the software cost, or rather the lack of it. Raspberry Pi OS is free, and every device ships with LibreOffice, a full-featured productivity suite that includes a word processor (Writer), a spreadsheet app (Calc), and a presentation app (Impress), all of which are compatible with Microsoft Office formats.

For users who prefer Microsoft or Google’s cloud applications, those remain accessible via a web browser, though the usual subscription fees apply.

Real-world deployments

There are loads of industrial success stories available on our website, but in this podcast episode, Simon hones in on two in particular:

McDonald’s, South America and the Caribbean: Arcos Dorados, the world’s largest McDonald’s franchisee, replaced approximately 2500 back-office PCs with Raspberry Pi–based thin clients, lowering capital costs and reducing energy consumption. Because our hardware mounts directly onto the back of monitors, the thin clients required a smaller physical footprint, freeing up valuable desk space.

Explore Learning, UK: This private tutoring company has learning centres across the UK. They replaced around 5000 PCs with Raspberry Pis and achieved similar benefits, including reduced costs, lower power usage, and an improved experience for staff and students.

Whether you’re a home user looking to cut costs or an enterprise IT manager evaluating your next hardware refresh, this latest episode will help you take a closer look at what Raspberry Pi can do for you.

Leave a comment to let us know which topics you’d like to hear about next, or to share details of your own Raspberry Pi setup. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Raspberry Pi Podcast on Spotify, Amazon, or Apple Podcasts. We’ll also be releasing each episode on our YouTube channel, where you can watch for free. (Here’s a handy RSS feed for those asking!)