Comparison

ZX81 vs Lathe Master

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Sinclair ZX80/ZX81 emulation
  • Timex Sinclair 1000 support
  • Includes example software
  • Focuses on early 1980s computing
  • ROM code included with permission
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Lathe Master

Features
Read full description

Lathe Master is a lathe simulator: turn metal and wood parts to a drawing, keep the cutter inside the tolerance and earn three stars for a perfect part. The stock spins in the chuck. You steer the cutter with a finger or engage the power feed, take material off pass by pass and bring the profile down to the yellow line on the blueprint. Cut too deep and the metal does not grow back, the same as in a real workshop. Unless you reach for the welding torch. 150 LEVELS, EIGHT CHAPTERS Five materials, each with its own feel: wood, aluminium, brass, steel and hardened steel. Then three chapters of the trade: Boring: boring bars and their holder, bores and bushes, parts turned outside and in. Grooves: V and square grooving tools for pulleys and circlip grooves. Threads: set the pitch, depth and infeed yourself, close the half-nut and release it on time, as on a real lathe. Every chapter ends with a rank exam on a part of its own that you have not turned before. A WORKSHOP THAT TURNS ON ITS OWN The second tab of the game. Set up your first lathe, hire an apprentice, and they keep turning parts for sale even when the game is closed. Spend the cash you earn on new lathes for every material and better models: six generations, from a bench lathe to a mill-turn centre with a robot. Move from the garage to a workshop, then to a factory: only a factory has room for CNC machines. Apprentices grow into turners and masters, and lathes wear out, so keep up with repairs. Every star from the main levels adds reputation and income to the workshop. HOW A PART IS SCORED Match to the drawing, time against par and precision. Get all three right and the part earns three stars. The deviation is written down next to it, so you always know how close you came. ON THE BENCH Eight cutters, from the standard tool to diamond and needle, plus three boring bars of different reach. A drawing with every dimension before each level. Power feed with change gears. A loupe for the last hundredths and marking-out that shows where metal is left. Heat to watch: push too hard and the tool snaps. EVERY DAY A daily order and side jobs: parts you already know, for coins. A collection shelf: every finished part, exactly as you turned it, with a reward for each full chapter. Game Center leaderboards. Reminders you set up yourself. ON YOUR WRIST Lathe Master also runs on Apple Watch, for a quick part between other things. MASTER PLAN (OPTIONAL) The whole core game plays without it. Master adds: 25 PRO orders: hard parts in gold. Double coins for every part. +15 seconds on every order (exams stay the same for everyone). 2 marking-outs and 1 loupe every day. Master's coins: 500 for every paid week, or 1000 at once with Lifetime. Master comes as a weekly subscription that starts with 3 free days (new subscribers only), or as a one-time Lifetime purchase. Prices are shown in the app before you pay. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. The weekly subscription renews automatically unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. You can manage or cancel the subscription in your App Store account settings. Any unused part of the free trial is forfeited when you buy a subscription. The workshop has optional one-time purchases: Foreman's Pack, Piggy Bank, Double Cash and Night Shift. Prices are shown in the app before you pay. Terms of Use: https://kadapps.com/lathe-master/terms Privacy Policy: https://kadapps.com/lathe-master/privacy DETAILS Plays offline. In English and Ukrainian. One part takes from half a minute to a few minutes, so it fits a short break as well as a long evening. Chuck your first piece of stock and turn a part.

Screenshots

ZX814 screens
Lathe Master4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: ZX81 at every 10 days against Lathe Master's monthly. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ZX81 ships an update every 10 days, Lathe Master monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
ZX81 versus Lathe Master: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZX81Lathe Master
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (92 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews98.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings92 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size86 MB47 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperKevin PalserOlha Kadushkevych

In-app purchases

None

ZX81

No in-app purchases

None

Lathe Master

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ZX81 free?
ZX81 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Lathe Master free?
Lathe Master is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ZX81 or Lathe Master have ads?
Neither ZX81 nor Lathe Master shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ZX81 or Lathe Master?
ZX81 ships an update every 10 days, and Lathe Master monthly. Most recently, ZX81 was updated on November 6, 2026 and Lathe Master on November 10, 2026.

Other comparisons