ESP32-C3 Pinout Quick Reference: GPIO/UART/ADC Lookup Table (2026 Practical Edition)

Introduction to the ESP32-C3

The ESP32-C3 is a low-cost MCU module developed by Espressif that meets typical IoT product requirements while significantly improving security. Priced similarly to the ESP8266, the ESP32-C3 delivers notably better performance. Key design features include:

1. Select GPIOs support RTC functionality, enabling wake-up from deep-sleep low-power modes

2. Configurable analog features include ADC (Analog-to-Digital Conversion) for reading analog sensor data

3. Certain pins support capacitive touch sensing, replacing physical buttons for touch-based interaction

Pinout and Schematics

ESP32-C3-DevKitM Pin Layout

As the module is still relatively new, prices haven’t dropped much yet. On Espressif’s official Taobao store it sells for ¥60, plus ¥15 shipping — bringing the total cost to ¥75. Here is the dev board schematic

Pin Table

.pow33v, .pow5v { border: 8px solid red!important; } .i2c { border: 8px solid #fc4cfc!important; } .i2s { border: 8px solid #63c9cb!important; } .uart { border: 8px solid gray!important; } .spi { border: 8px solid #343ffb!important; } .gnd { background-color: black!important; line-height: 19px; border: 8px solid yellow!important; color: #ffffff; } .pin { background-color: white; width: 35px; height: 35px; line-height: 17px; position: relative; border: 8px solid green; border-radius: 100%; text-align: center; margin: 0px auto; } .pow33v-bg, .pow5v-bg{ background-color: red !important; color: white !important; } .gnd-bg { background-color: black !important; color: white !important; } .i2c-bg { background-color: #fecdfe !important; } .i2s-bg { background-color: #d0e7f4 !important; } .spi-bg { background-color: #d0e7f4 !important; } .uart-bg { background-color: gray !important; color: white !important; } .i2s-bg { background-color: #d0f7fa !important; } .gpio-bg { background-color: #cefcce !important; } table#pinout { width:100%; text-align: center; } table img { height:250px; } @media only screen and (max-width: 600px) { table td,table th { padding: 0px; } .mobile { display:block; } table#pinout{ display:none; } } @media only screen and (min-width: 601px) { .mobile { display:none; } table#pinout{ display:block; } }

Function	Name	Pin	Pin	Name	GPIO (BCM)
Ground	GND	1	1	GND	Ground
3.3V Output	3V3	2	2	TX	GPIO21, U0TXD
3.3V Output	3V3	3	3	RX	GPIO20, U0RXD
GPIO2, ADC1_CH2, FSPIQ	IO2	4	4	GND	Ground
GPIO3, ADC1_CH3	IO3	5	5	IO9	GPIO9
Ground	GND	6	6	GPIO8	GPIO8, RGB LED
Ground	RST	7	7	GND	Ground
Ground	GND	8	8	IO7	GPIO7, FSPID, MTDO
GPIO0, ADC0_CH1, XTAL_32K_P	IO0	9	9	IO6	GPIO6, FSPICLK, MTCK
GPIO1, ADC1_CH1, XTAL_32K_N	IO1	10	10	IO5	GPIO5, ADC2_CH0, FSPIWP, MTDI
GPIO10, FSPICS0	IO10	11	11	IO4	GPIO4, ADC1_CH4, FSPIHD, MTMS
Ground	GND	12	12	GND	Ground
5V Output	5v	13	13	IO18	GPIO18
5V Output	5V	14	14	IO19	GPIO19
Ground	GND	15	15	GND	Ground

Uploading Code

1. Drivers

The ESP32-C3 uses the CH341 serial driver, which is relatively new and not compatible with older ESP32 setups. You’ll need to install the updated driver. Windows Driver Mac Driver

2. Configuring PlatformIO

We use PlatformIO most frequently, so let’s start with its setup. PlatformIO requires modifications to platform and platform_packages to work properly with the ESP32-C3.

platform = https://github.com/tasmota/platform-espressif32/releases/download/v2.0.3rc1/platform-espressif32-2.0.3.zip
board = esp32-c3-devkitm-1
framework = arduino
platform_packages =
framework-arduinoespressif32 @ https://github.com/espressif/arduino-esp32#master
board_build.f_flash = 80000000L
board_build.flash_mode = dio
monitor_speed = 115200

3. Configuring Arduino IDE

First, add the following URL to the Additional Board Manager URLs:

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/espressif/arduino-esp32/gh-pages/package_esp32_dev_index.json

Then search for “ESP32” in the Board Manager to find and install the ESP32 board package with C3 support.