I think it's helpful to compare Pin Oak with Northern Red Oak as they are both, broadly, in the Red Oak family and roughly the same size.
 
     Both have attractive fall color with Pin Oaks ranging from red to burgundy while Red Oaks are more of an orange to deep mahogany.  
 
     Red Oak may get a little taller and wider, up to 45 feet or more branch-tip to branch-tip. 
 
     A big difference is in soil preference.  While Red Oak prefers drier sites, Pin Oak, a native of bottomlands and floodplains, does well in moister areas.  Pin Oak also does not have the species' characteristically deep taproot and therefore is more amenable to being transplanted.
 
     Like all of the oaks, Pin Oak's value to biodiversity cannot be overstated.  Oaks feed nearly 500 caterpillar species, which in turn feed birds, reptiles and so on up the food chain.  It is a arval host to the Gray Hairstreak and hundreds of other butterfly and moth species, and birds use it for food and shelter.
 
     Pin Oak is a favorite among homeowners, and because it tolerates soil compaction and air pollution, it also has become a popular street tree.