# Spectaculator vs AsteRAEds

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Spectaculator at 63% against AsteRAEds's 0%. Spectaculator also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.0) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 22 months). AsteRAEds's advantage is price (Free vs $2.99) and in-app purchases (none vs 24). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

AsteRAEds is free to download; Spectaculator costs $2.99 up front. Spectaculator sells 21 one-off in-app purchases. AsteRAEds asks for nothing beyond the download.

Spectaculator holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Spectaculator has 39 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Spectaculator's written reviews are positive against 0% of AsteRAEds's.

Spectaculator ships an update every 2 months, AsteRAEds every 22 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and August 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Spectaculator | AsteRAEds |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.7 (39 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spectaculator/id421662150/reviews)** | [3.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/asteraeds/id6452471612/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **39** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **62.7% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 22 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 31 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jonathan Needle](https://appshunter.io/developer/421662153) | [Steve Rae](https://appshunter.io/developer/1587801631) |

## 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 (21)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wheelie | $0.99 | one-time |
| Realtime Games Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| The Lords Of Midnight | $0.99 | one-time |
| Skool Daze | $0.99 | one-time |
| Strike Force Cobra | $0.99 | one-time |
| Doomdark's Revenge | $0.99 | one-time |
| Splat! | $0.99 | one-time |
| Rex | $0.99 | one-time |
| Dynamite Dan 2 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Frank N. Stein | $0.99 | one-time |
| Design Design Anthology | $1.99 | one-time |
| Gremlin Pack 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Vortex Anthology | $1.99 | one-time |
| Odin Anthology | $1.99 | one-time |
| Alternative Software Pack 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Gremlin Pack 2 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Alternative Software Pack 3 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Gremlin Pack 3 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Zenobi Adventures Vol. 2 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Zenobi Adventures Vol. 3 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Zenobi Adventures Vol. 1 | $1.99 | one-time |


### AsteRAEds

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/asteraeds/id6452471612)

Pilot a retro spaceship, blasting asteroids and evading enemies. Master swipe and tap controls to rotate, thrust, and hyperspace to survive as long as possible. Watch out for flying saucers.

**Highlights:** Blast asteroids, Protect your ship, Swipe to rotate, Tap to shoot, Hyperspace escape, Evade flying saucers

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Spectaculator free?

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

### Is AsteRAEds free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Spectaculator or AsteRAEds?

Spectaculator is rated higher. Spectaculator averages 4.7 out of 5 from 39 ratings, while AsteRAEds averages 3.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Spectaculator or AsteRAEds have ads?

Neither Spectaculator nor AsteRAEds shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Spectaculator or AsteRAEds?

Spectaculator ships an update every 2 months, and AsteRAEds every 22 months. Most recently, Spectaculator was updated on September 24, 2026 and AsteRAEds on August 10, 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.*