Breadbin vs POKE64
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Breadbin
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Breadbin is a Commodore 64 emulator for iPhone, iPad and Mac — written from scratch in Swift, every chip built from the original hardware documentation. Not a port, and not a wrapper around somebody else's emulator, original code from the first cycle to the last. YOU BRING THE ROMS Breadbin ships clean — no ROM images and no games, because they are not ours to give away. On first launch the app lists the three system files the machine needs (KERNAL, BASIC, character generator), shows which ones it has found, and imports them with a tap from the Files app. Dump them from hardware you own, or use freely licensed replacement ROMs — either way you are a minute from a READY prompt. Your files stay on your device. ACCURACY YOU CAN CHECK • Cycle-accurate 6510 processor — undocumented opcodes, NMOS decimal mode, per-cycle bus behaviour. Passes Klaus Dormann's 6502 functional test suite, the standard the emulator community measures against. • Cycle-based VIC-II video — bad lines, sprite DMA, the border unit, all eight graphics modes, raster interrupts. Raster-timing demos behave the way they should. • A real 1541 drive — its own processor, its own VIA chips, a rotating GCR bitstream with byte-ready wired exactly as the hardware does it. Fastloaders and copy-protected disks work here instead of hanging. • Both SID sound revisions, 6581 and 8580, built from the datasheet — including the mixer quirk that makes 4-bit sample playback audible on the 6581. DIAL A BULLETIN BOARD Breadbin carries an emulated SwiftLink modem bridged to the internet. Run a terminal program, pick a board from your phone book, and you are logged into a live BBS over TCP — telnet negotiation handled for you, PETSCII intact. The boards are still out there, and still busy. Your phone book is a plain text file you edit yourself. BUILT FOR THE DEVICE IN YOUR HAND • A touch keyboard laid out like the real machine, with national keycaps for Sweden/Finland, Denmark/Norway and Germany • On-screen joystick — analog stick or D-pad, placed where your thumb actually is, with autofire • 1351 proportional mouse — a trackpad on touch screens, a captured pointer on the Mac • Save states with thumbnails, so you can put the machine down mid-level • Display filters from razor-sharp pixels to a softened CRT look, with an adjustable border • Instant loading when you want it, true drive speed when the software demands it • Loads .prg, .d64, .g64, .t64, .p00, tap and .crt cartridge files • One purchase covers iPhone, iPad and Mac PAY ONCE, PLAY FOREVER No ads. No subscriptions. No in-app purchases. No account. And no data collection: no analytics, no tracking — nothing is collected, so there is nothing to sell, share or leak. The only network traffic Breadbin ever makes is the bulletin board you tell it to dial. Breadbin is not affiliated with, authorised by, or endorsed by the owners of the Commodore or Commodore 64 trademarks. It ships no Commodore software.
POKE64
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POKE64 is a Commodore 64 emulator designed specifically for iPad. It combines accurate C64 emulation with a modern, touch-friendly interface built around the way the original machine was actually used. Import your own compatible software and media, organize titles in the Library, configure controls per game, and resume quickly with save states. Features include: C64 emulation powered by the VICE core D64, D71, D81 and G64 disk image support PRG, T64, TAP and CRT support G64 disk structure inspection and protected-disk safe start Library with per-title settings Multiple save states and Quick Save / Quick Load Configurable virtual joystick and Quick Keys External keyboard support Physical game controller mapping Per-port Auto Fire Paddles and KoalaPad support Apple Pencil support for KoalaPad interaction CRT display filters Firmware and emulation profiles Virtual printer and virtual modem support iCloud backup support POKE64 does not include games, commercial disk images, cartridges or copyrighted Commodore software. Users provide their own compatible media and firmware where required. Some advanced features are available through the optional POKE64 Pro lifetime unlock.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: POKE64 at Free against Breadbin's $0.99. Breadbin's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
POKE64 is free to download; Breadbin costs $0.99 up front. POKE64 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Breadbin asks for nothing beyond the download.
Breadbin ships an update every 2 weeks, POKE64 every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Breadbin | POKE64 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | — | 4.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | LASZLO DOBROVOLSZKI | Alessandro Capano |
In-app purchases
Breadbin
No in-app purchases
POKE64
- POKE64 Pro$6.99





