# ZX81 — Sinclair ZX80 / ZX81 & TS1000

> Sinclair ZX80/ZX81 and TS1000 home computer emulator with example software. (iPhone/iPad app by Kevin Palser.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zx81/id1180117434 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Kevin Palser](https://appshunter.io/developer/1180117433)
- Category: Games, Education, Action, Simulation
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.90/5 from 91 App Store ratings · 61 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 9+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 82 MB
- Languages: American English, Catalan, Danish, Canadian French, German (Germany), Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, European Portuguese, Russian and 1 more
- Released: 2016-12-06
- Data updated: 2026-09-03
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zx81/id1180117434/reviews.md

## What is ZX81?

Welcome to a taste of early 1980s home computing.

This app focuses on the Sinclair ZX81 experience and is loaded with example software. A streamlined watchOS app is included, offering saved session syncing with the iOS app on the paired iPhone.

Background:

In 1980 the British company Science of Cambridge (later renamed Sinclair Research) released the Sinclair ZX80 home computer. The computer was developed with another technology company, Nine Tiles, and manufactured in a Timex Corporation factory in Dundee, Scotland. Followed in March 1981 by the even more popular successor, the Sinclair ZX81,  both models had a profound impact on home and hobbyist computing in the UK and many other countries. Timex Corporation and Sinclair Research continued their joint venture and released the Timex Sinclair 1000 (TS1000) and 1500 (TS1500) variants of the ZX81 for the US market in July 1982 and July 1983 respectively.

Meanwhile, another iconic British home computer, the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, was under development and hit the market in April 1982... but that's another story.


Special thanks to Nine Tiles for granting permission to include the ROM code, to which they retain the intellectual property rights after all these years.

Additionally, many thanks to all the developers of the loaded ZX81 software who have all granted permission to include their titles in the app. We hope this list of software will continue to grow in future updates.

## Key features

- Sinclair ZX80/ZX81 emulation
- Timex Sinclair 1000 support
- Includes example software
- Focuses on early 1980s computing
- ROM code included with permission

## Recent user reviews (10 of 61)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zx81/id1180117434/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Excellent emulator

*2026-07-16*

Clean, stable, well thought out, makes it worth spending your time with old ZX81 apps, games.

**Developer response:** Thank you! It is becoming a challenge deciding where to place new options in the UI. For example, the Z80 debugger option is often overlooked.

### 5/5 — Best ZX81 emulation available

*2026-07-16, version 2.0.3*

Unparalleled emulator to hit the nostalgia button!

### 5/5 — Tolle App!

*2025-12-22, version 1.13.5*

Eine App, der man die Liebe zum emuliertem System, den ZX81 anmerkt. Bin begeistert.
Toll auch die vielen Beispielprogramme und das man Speicherstände sichern und laden kann. Wie man allerdings .p Programme laden kann, habe ich noch nicht gefunden? Bei anderen Programmen wie z.B VLC gibt es unter Dateien einen Bereich pro App, wo man über den Finder Dateien rein und rauskopieren kann - hier leider nicht?
Bitte auch die Unterstützung älterer iOS Versionen beibehalten.
Danke für diese tolle App!

### 5/5 — Zurück zu den Anfängen…

*2024-06-06, version 1.13.5*

Als ich im zarten Alter von 12 Jahren mit zittrigen Händen meinen ZX81-Bausatz zusammenlötete, hätte ich die heutigen Entwicklungen im Bereich der Computertechnik und der AI in ferner Zukunft vermutet. Und genau da bin ich wohl auch jetzt angelangt, wenn ich auf mein Alter blicke…
Meinen ZX81, meinen ersten Computer,habe ich immer noch. Und selbstverständlich auch noch diverse Emulatoren auf dem PC und dem Mac. Über diesen hier freue ich mich, ehrlich gesagt, am meisten, endlich gibt es einen vernünftigen Emulator, der mich wieder in meine Vergangenheit versetzt. Das iPad und das iPhone sind nunmal meine täglichen Begleiter.
Eine Frage zu den Abbildungen habe ich allerdings: Mir ist noch nicht gelungen, in den Spectrum-Modus zu wechseln (in den Screenshots habt Ihr ein Iso-3D- Spiel aufgenommen… und das ist läuft offensichtlich auf einem Spectrum ;-))
Feature für eine zukünftige Version? Oder bin ich nur nicht in der Lage, die Einstellung zu finden, mit der ich den Modus umstelle?

Auf jeden Fall habt Ihr mir mit diesem wunderschönen Programm eine echte Freude gemacht. Danke dafür!

### 5/5 — Love the app, but can I save programs?

*2024-04-25, version 1.13.5*

This app is fantastic. I got my ZX81 Christmas 1982 and absolutely loved the journey it took me on. It was very scary how my fingers automatically moved to the right keys on the app decades later! I’ve really enjoyed coding some of the 1k programs I wrote years ago again, but can’t work out a way to save them. Is this possible? (It turns out that yes, it is 😃) *edited thanks to Kevin’s very helpful response to my query - I’m so glad that you can save programs and that I just hadn’t worked out how*

### 5/5 — Parfait !

*2024-04-07, version 1.13.5*

Avec la restriction imposée par Apple désormais levée, l’émulateur a été rapidement actualisé et permet de lire des images de programmes non incluse dans l’app store.

Le programme est parfait et gratuit en plus. Parfait quoi. Toute ma reconnaissance à son auteur.

### 5/5 — Perfeito

*2024-04-06, version 1.13.5*

Excelente emulador. Alcançou a perfeição nessa liberação.

### 5/5 — Immer noch fantastisch

*2024-04-06, version 1.13.4*

Den ZX81 habe ich nun schon Jahre auf IPad und IPhone. Er wird immer noch aktualisiert. Es sind sehr viele Anwendungen dabei und die Bedienung ist einfach. Jeder, der sich nur annähernd für die Anfänge der Heimcomputerära interessiert, sollte sich diesem Emulator laden.

### 5/5 — Brilliant. Outstanding.

*2024-03-16, version 1.13.3*

There are apps and there are apps like this.
Whatever Kevin does, I hope he takes the time to make more.
The nostalgia element to one side for a second, this is probably one of best written simulations I’ve ever used.
8-bit gold!

### 5/5 — Che nostalgia 👍🏼

*2024-02-11, version 1.13.3*

Un emulatore bellissimo dove riporta alla memoria il mio piccolo zx81 collegato al tv, bravissimi !!! Ora potete creare anche altri come il vic20, c64, sempre gratuiti👍🏼👍🏼😊

## Frequently asked questions about ZX81

### What is this app about?

This app provides an emulation of the Sinclair ZX80 and ZX81 home computers, along with the Timex Sinclair 1000 variants. It aims to give users a taste of early 1980s home computing by including a variety of example software.

### What kind of software is included?

The app is loaded with example software that was popular or representative of the era for the Sinclair ZX81. Developers of this software have granted permission for their titles to be included, and the list is expected to grow in future updates.

### Is this app free to use?

Yes, the application is available for free. It does not have any in-app purchases or advertisements, offering a pure retro computing experience.

### What devices is this app compatible with?

While specific compatibility details are not provided, this is a mobile application designed for modern smartphones and tablets. Users should ensure their device meets the minimum operating system requirements for app installation.

### Who would enjoy using this app?

This app is perfect for anyone nostalgic for the early days of home computing, computer history enthusiasts, or those curious about the origins of personal computers. It's a great way to experience the Sinclair ZX80/ZX81 and its software library.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.0.8 — 2026-08-19

Apple Watch app:
• Reduced Apple Watch CPU usage by over 30% compared with the previous version.
• Added a press-and-hold magnifier for the CRT display. Press and hold anywhere on the display, then move your finger to pan.

### 2.0.7 — 2026-08-11

• Minor improvements to the text displayed in the app.
• Added a watch app for devices running watchOS 26.

### 2.0.6 — 2026-08-05

Various fixes for devices running versions of iOS and iPadOS earlier than 26.

### 2.0.5 — 2026-07-27

Fixed a bug with Chroma support introduced in the previous app update.

### 2.0.4 — 2026-07-26

• Optimized the sound and CRT emulation to further reduce CPU usage on the host device.
• Improved the accuracy of Z80 Interrupt Mode 0 and Chroma mode emulation.
• Added User Defined Graphics (UDG) management, allowing custom characters to be captured, imported, exported, edited and applied to the simulated RAM.
• Added new settings for selecting imported custom ROMs.

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-03.*