ESP8266 Community Forum

The ESP-01 I have came with the AT command firmware.

There is also the NodeMCU firmware.
There is also the Arduino firmware that can be downloaded through the Arduino IDE.

Any opinions on which firmware to use?

I only have the ESP-01.

What do you want to do?

If you want to use the esp as a wifi gateway for a microcontroller board like the Arduinos, then the AT firmware might work for you.
If you want the esp to be a stand alone device for some type of sensor then the Arduino firmware is a good option. There are many example sketches out there.

I am not sure what I want to do with the three ESP-01 that I have.

I have soldered one onto a PCB and made the whole thing into a quasi-shield to use with an Arduino Uno. It works well with the AT commands.

The other two ESP-01 are standalone.

Have you tried either the Arduino firmware or the NodeMCU firmware?
If so, which do you prefer?

atexit8,

MMISCOOL'S espBASIC is awesome!!!

I know, I know... But it's basic! who uses Basic??
Well if you want easy webpage interaction and easy to modify and edit your code "Right on the ESP module" with no need for any external tools then YOU should at least try Mike's espBASIC.

http://www.espbasic.com

and see the forum section from the main forum page.

download the flasher tool
flash it to your module
give it a test drive!
If you don't like it then flash something else.

my .02
dwight