ZX81 vs Anarchy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ZX81
Experience early 1980s home computing with this app dedicated to the Sinclair ZX80 and ZX81. It includes a wealth of example software, offering a nostalgic journey into the origins of personal computing.
- Sinclair ZX80/ZX81 emulation
- Timex Sinclair 1000 support
- Includes example software
- Focuses on early 1980s computing
- ROM code included with permission
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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.
Anarchy
Experience a retro 8-bit action game on your touch screen. Swipe to move and destroy all blocks to reveal the exit, while avoiding enemies and utilizing special bricks to unlock new areas.
- Classic 8-bit gameplay
- Touch screen controls
- Block destruction mechanics
- Enemy avoidance
- Special brick power-ups
- Level unlocking
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A tribute to the classic 1980s 8-bit action game, reimagined for touch screens. Swipe the screen to move and destroy all the blocks. Once the last block is destroyed the exit will appear. Make sure you avoid the blobs, and watch out for special bricks which can unlock sections of the map.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: ZX81 at 92 against Anarchy's 1. ZX81 also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 weeks) and device support (4 vs 1). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for ZX81 against 5.0 for Anarchy. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ZX81 has 92 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
ZX81 ships an update every 10 days, Anarchy every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ZX81 | Anarchy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (92 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 98.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 92 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 86 MB | 49 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Kevin Palser | Paul Brierley |
Customer experience
ZX81
Anarchy
In-app purchases
ZX81
No in-app purchases
Anarchy
No in-app purchases









