ESPectrum

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Freedom report

Two barsScore 6.3

Free tierA free tier is on its own pricing page
Runs widely0 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

ESPectrum is ranked #13 of 21 in ZX spectrum emulators on Freedom251. It runs on Self-hosted. There is a free plan.

ESPectrum plans and pricing

All plans

ESPectrum Free Emulator firmware for compatible ESP32 boards github.com · 8 Oct 2026

Compared on ZX spectrum emulators

Host platforms: Espressif ESP32-powered boards
Tape formats: TAP, TZX
Snapshot formats: SNA, Z80, SP, ESP, P
Open source: Yes
Peripheral support: PS/2 keyboards, PS/2 joysticks, DB9 joysticks, PS/2 mouse, Betadisk, SD card, VGA display, CRT display, audio input

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The record

What it does: ESPectrum emulates Sinclair ZX Spectrum computers on Espressif ESP32 boards.
Supported models: It emulates Spectrum 48K, 128K, +2A and Pentagon 128K, as well as Microdigital TK90X and TK95 models.
Hardware: The project lists Lilygo TTGo VGA32 and Olimex ESP32-SBC-FabGL among supported boards.
Display: Video output supports standard VGA, machine-rate VGA and 15 kHz CRT modes, with 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios.
Sound and emulation: Features include Z80 emulation, AY-3-8912 sound, beeper and microphone emulation, contended memory and floating-bus effects.
Input devices: It supports PS/2 keyboards, joystick emulation, two physical joysticks through a DB9-to-PS/2 converter, and a PS/2 mouse as a Kempston mouse.
Media formats: The emulator supports tape and snapshot files, including TAP, TZX, SNA, Z80 and SP, plus Betadisk TRD and SCL disk files.
Storage requirements: A micro SD card should be formatted as FAT16 or FAT32; the README lists it for program and disk files, snapshots and screen captures.
Installation: Users can install firmware with the online web flasher or flash release binaries directly to a compatible board.
Development platforms: The README describes compiling and flashing with PlatformIO on Windows, GNU/Linux and MacOS/X.
License: The GitHub repository identifies the project license as GPL-3.0.
Support: The project directs users to its README, release notes and public ESPectrum Telegram group for help.
Who it is for: The maker describes the project for retro-gaming enthusiasts who want to run classic Spectrum games on ESP32 hardware.
Price from: Free

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best ZX Spectrum Emulators in 2026#13 of 21

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Sources

github.com/EremusOne/ESPectrum· checked 8 Oct 2026
zxespectrum.speccy.org/soporte/· checked 8 Oct 2026
zxespectrum.speccy.org· checked 8 Oct 2026