# Spectaculator vs De Hortus

The clearest difference is price: De Hortus at Free against Spectaculator's $2.99. De Hortus also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10). Spectaculator's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

De Hortus is free to download; Spectaculator costs $2.99 up front. Spectaculator sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. De Hortus asks for nothing beyond the download.

Spectaculator ships an update every 2 months, De Hortus every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Spectaculator | De Hortus |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.7 (39 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spectaculator/id421662150/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **39** | — |
| Positive reviews | 63.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 31 MB | 44 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jonathan Needle](https://appshunter.io/developer/421662153) | [Geralt Ploegstra](https://appshunter.io/developer/1511157512) |

## What reviewers say

### Spectaculator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spectaculator/id421662150)

Relive the golden era of 8-bit gaming with this emulator. Play over 150 licensed classic ZX Spectrum games, with more available through in-app purchases. Features include save states, cheat codes, game hints, and authentic 1980s visual simulations.

**Highlights:** Play over 150 licensed ZX Spectrum games, Save game progress with multiple slots, Enter cheats and lookup game hints, Authentic 1980s TV screen simulation, Virtual and external keyboard support, iCloud save syncing across devices, Program in Sinclair BASIC

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Game Controller support, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Realtime Games Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| The Lords Of Midnight | $0.99 | one-time |
| Skool Daze | $0.99 | one-time |
| Frank N. Stein | $0.99 | one-time |
| Design Design Anthology | $1.99 | one-time |
| Vortex Anthology | $1.99 | one-time |
| Odin Anthology | $1.99 | one-time |
| Alternative Software Pack 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Zenobi Adventures Vol. 2 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Zenobi Adventures Vol. 1 | $1.99 | one-time |


### De Hortus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/de-hortus/id1512111711)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Spectaculator free?

Spectaculator costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is De Hortus free?

De Hortus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Spectaculator or De Hortus have ads?

Neither Spectaculator nor De Hortus shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Spectaculator or De Hortus?

Spectaculator ships an update every 2 months, and De Hortus every 5 months. Most recently, Spectaculator was updated on November 10, 2026 and De Hortus on November 7, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*