I am new to microcontrollers and programming them and was wondering what would be the best controller to start with. I have been looking around and have found two options, the raspberry pi pico, and the arduino uno REV3. I program in python and can provide links if that helps.

I have the r3 has a gift from my uncle who has a CS and EE degree and he said as a micro controller the r3 is better and the pi series is more of a full on computer.For the pi pico I think I need to get like extra thing to use it with breadboards instead of soldering.The pi series is like 100x more powerfull CPU wise (number may or may not be exaggeration generated at an instant) but less breadboard friendly. It can also act as a slow laptop. The Arduino is also more easier to code for (I think , I haven't really toched a pi) One time I planned on making a z80 system with the Arduino acting as the RAM and IO but the r3 doesn't have enough ports so if you want that type of stuff get the Arduino mega or emulate with any pi.

You cannot program the Arduino uno series in python, so, unless you are willing to learn a new programming language, get the uno R3, but if you want much more power, and micropython programming, get the raspberry pi pico.

Oh yeah I didn't see the python part, the Arduino u code in C or C++ (I forget).

If you want to get started with the Python you already know, the Arduino and the Raspberry Pi Pico family both support MicroPython, a stripped-back version of Python with limited libraries. I would strongly recommend then progressing to C/C++ (for the Pi Pico) or the pseudo-C++ that the Arduino supports. Both boards have more than enough features and I/O for the casual developer, but the Arduino is a little more user-friendly.

Only the arduino nano series, and the arduino giga series can run micropython (and the potentia series, but that is professional)

Thank you all for your responses! 🙂