Relative Accuracy

The spec that matters for altitude. Near sea level, 0.12 hPa is roughly 1 m of height. The BMP390’s ±0.03 hPa tracks changes of about ±25 cm; an old BMP280 is closer to ±1 m.

Absolute Accuracy & Noise

Absolute accuracy matters for weather reporting against official stations. Low noise matters for variometers and floor detection, where you want a stable reading without heavy filtering lag.

Power Consumption

Battery nodes care about current at 1 Hz and in standby. The BMP581 sips about 1.3 µA at 1 Hz; a FIFO (BMP390, DPS310) lets your MCU sleep longer between reads.

Interface & Logic Level

All picks speak I²C; most also do SPI for faster, noise-immune links. Check whether the breakout has a regulator and level shifter if you’re on a 5V Arduino Uno.

Pressure Range & Port

Barometric parts top out around 1.1–1.25 bar. For tubes, cuffs, vacuum or pneumatics you need a ported sensor like the MPRLS with a barb you can push tubing onto.

The BMP280 is the barometer most makers learn on, and HiLetgo’s purple 6-pin board is one of the most widely used versions. It delivers about ±0.12 hPa relative accuracy (roughly ±1 m of altitude), a 300–1100 hPa range and both I²C and SPI, all for pocket change. It is plenty for a home weather station, a pressure-trend storm alarm or a first altimeter experiment. Just note this is the 3.3V version with no regulator or level shifter: perfect for ESP32, ESP8266 and Pico, but power it from 3.3V on an Arduino and use a shifter on the I²C lines.

The TE Connectivity MS5611 is the barometer that has flown in countless Pixhawk-class flight controllers and paragliding variometers. Its 24-bit ADC gives a resolution of about 0.012 mbar (roughly 10 cm) at the highest oversampling setting, and its 10–1200 mbar range covers everything from sea level to high-altitude balloons. The GY-63 board adds a regulator so it runs from 3–5V over I²C or SPI. The trade-offs: you must read the factory calibration PROM and apply the datasheet’s compensation math (libraries handle it), conversions take several milliseconds, and the bare sensor is light-sensitive, so cover it with foam in a drone.

If you’re building a weather station or an indoor environment monitor, the BME280 gives you the BMP280’s pressure core plus a humidity sensor (±3 %RH) and temperature in one chip. Buying it from Waveshare matters: the board has a level shifter for 3.3V and 5V hosts, and you get a genuine BME280 rather than the relabelled BMP280s that flood the market. Its pressure performance matches the BMP280, so it isn’t the choice for precise altitude, but for weather it is the most practical single sensor you can buy.

Infineon’s DPS310 is a capacitive barometer with a precision of about ±0.002 hPa (±2 cm) in its high-precision mode, ±0.06 hPa relative accuracy, a 32-sample FIFO and very low current. That makes it a strong alternative when you want BMP390-class altitude tracking from a different supplier, for example to dual-source a product design or cross-check readings. This DONGKER module runs from 3.3V or 5V and exposes I²C and SPI. Infineon’s Arduino library and Adafruit’s DPS310 driver both support it.

ST’s LPS22HB is the barometer found on many STM32 Nucleo sensor shields and the Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense. It offers ±0.1 hPa absolute accuracy (factory calibrated, with no compensation math needed), a wide 260–1260 hPa range and output data rates up to 75 Hz, which helps when you need quick pressure updates for gesture, door-open or airflow detection. ST’s drivers, STM32Cube packages and the Arduino LPS22HB library make bring-up easy. This module is 3.3V only, so it suits ESP32, STM32 and Pico boards.

Sometimes you need to measure pressure inside something: a blood-pressure cuff, a vacuum line, a soft-robotics actuator or a pneumatic gripper. The Adafruit MPRLS uses Honeywell’s MPRLS sensor with a metal port you can push silicone tubing onto, measuring 0–25 PSI absolute (about 0–1.7 bar). It is factory calibrated and compensated, talks simple I²C at address 0x18, and runs from 3–5V thanks to its onboard regulator. It’s less sensitive than the barometers above, so it isn’t for altitude, but it handles jobs none of them can. On Amazon it is currently offered through other sellers, so use “See All Buying Options”.

Building an altimeter on any board?

Get the Waveshare BMP390: ±0.03 hPa relative accuracy with a level shifter for 3.3V and 5V hosts.

Battery-powered wearable or IoT node?

The SparkFun BMP581 has the lowest current and noise, plus Qwiic for quick wiring.

Learning or on a tight budget?

Start with the HiLetgo BMP280 on an ESP32 or Pico. Cheap, well documented and good enough for weather trends.

Drone, rocket or variometer?

The flight-proven MS5611 (GY-63) gives ~10 cm resolution. Cover it with foam to block light and prop wash.

Weather station?

Use the Waveshare BME280 for pressure, humidity and temperature from one genuine chip.

Measuring pressure in a tube or cuff?

Choose the ported Adafruit MPRLS (0–25 PSI). Barometric sensors can’t take tubing.

BMP280 vs BME280 vs BMP390: which should I buy?

The BMP280 is a budget pressure and temperature sensor. The BME280 is the same pressure core plus a humidity sensor, so it suits weather stations. The BMP390 is a newer, more precise pressure-only sensor (about four times better relative accuracy than the BMP280) with a FIFO, so it is the better choice for altitude. For pure altitude, buy a BMP390 or BMP581; for weather, a BME280; for the lowest cost, a BMP280.

How accurate is altitude from a barometric sensor?

Near sea level, 1 hPa corresponds to roughly 8 m of altitude. Relative changes (how far you climbed in the last minute) can be tracked to tens of centimetres with a BMP390, BMP581, DPS310 or MS5611. Absolute altitude is much less reliable because air pressure shifts by several hPa as weather changes, so you need the local sea-level pressure (QNH) from a nearby weather station, or a GPS fix, to calibrate it.

Can I connect these sensors to a 5V Arduino Uno?

Only the boards with a regulator and level shifter: the Waveshare BMP390, Waveshare BME280, GY-63 MS5611, DONGKER DPS310 and Adafruit MPRLS. The HiLetgo BMP280, SparkFun BMP581 and LPS22HB modules are 3.3V parts; on a 5V board, power them from 3.3V and put a bidirectional level shifter on SDA and SCL. On an ESP32, ESP8266, STM32 or Raspberry Pi Pico, all of them connect directly.

Why do my pressure readings jump around or drift?

Most noise comes from the environment, not the chip. Airflow from fans or propellers, direct sunlight on the sensing hole, and heat from a nearby regulator or Wi-Fi radio all cause swings. Enable the sensor’s oversampling and IIR filter, keep the board away from heat sources, shield it with open-cell foam, and avoid sealing it in an airtight box (the sensor must see ambient air). Also read temperature and pressure from the same measurement, since compensation depends on both.

Can a barometric sensor measure water depth or tyre pressure?

No. Barometric sensors top out around 1.1–1.25 bar absolute and are not waterproof, so they can’t handle immersion or a tyre at 2–3 bar gauge. The Adafruit MPRLS reaches 25 PSI absolute through a tube, which covers cuffs, vacuum and light pneumatics. For water depth you need a gel-filled waterproof sensor such as the MS5837, and for tyres or hydraulics an industrial transducer rated for the full pressure.