STM32F407 vs STM32F405: Which One for Your Project?

STM32F407 vs STM32F405: Which One for Your Project?

Two of STMicro's most popular Cortex-M4 MCUs share the same core architecture — but their peripheral sets tell a different story. Pick the wrong one and you either overspend or run out of interfaces. Here's a direct comparison.

Same Core, Different Toolbox

Both chips run a 168 MHz ARM Cortex-M4 with single-cycle DSP instructions and a hardware FPU. The silicon is identical at the CPU level — same 1 MB Flash, same 192 KB SRAM, same ART Accelerator for zero-wait Flash execution. The difference is entirely in which peripherals are wired out.

When the F405 Is Enough

The F405 is the leaner sibling — and for many designs, it's the smarter choice. You get the full 168 MHz DSP core, hardware crypto engine, camera interface, and enough timers for motor control or power conversion. If your device communicates over UART, SPI, I2C, and CAN — and doesn't need wired networking — the F405 saves you roughly $1.50 per unit with zero performance sacrifice.

Common F405 fits: motor drives, sensor fusion nodes, portable medical devices, drone flight controllers, industrial HMI panels that use serial or wireless connectivity.

When You Need the F407

The F407 adds Ethernet MAC and high-speed USB — two features that turn a microcontroller into a connected device. If your design talks to a LAN, streams data over TCP/IP, or needs USB HS for bulk transfers, the F407 is the clear pick. The extra two general-purpose timers are useful for complex waveform generation but rarely the deciding factor.

The F407 also comes in LQFP-100 minimum (no 64-pin option), so if board space is tight, verify your package choice early.

For most new designs in 2026, the rule is simple: no Ethernet or USB HS → F405. Either one needed → F407.

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