Side by side
Power64 vs Z64K
Both stand on commodore 64 emulators. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan Mac
Power64 offers detailed Commodore 64 emulation with broad media support and useful file-management tools. The session limit, Rosetta requirement, and unsupported cartridge types are important when choosing it.
Visit Power64 Free plan LinuxMacWindows
Z64K covers five systems and includes a range of keyboard, disk-image and analysis tools. Its Java requirement and experimental Virtual FS behavior are worth noting before use.
Visit Z64KThe facts
| Power64 | Z64K | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | No | Not published |
| Runs on | Mac | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Power64 registration: $30, paid once | Not published |
| Plans published | 2 | None |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | infinite-loop.at | z64k.com |
| On commodore 64 emulators | #17 of 31 | #21 of 31 |
Power64: what it does well
- Emulates MOS 6510 illegal opcodes
- Supports several C64 disk and tape formats
- Built-in monitor and debugger
- Runs multiple C64 instances
- Includes joystick, mouse, paddle, and lightpen input
What to know first
- Unregistered sessions stop after 10 minutes
- Intel Macs require Rosetta with version 4.9.5
- Does not work on OS X 10.7
- RAM cartridge images are unsupported
Z64K: what it does well
- Emulates five listed systems
- Includes a built-in debugger and SID Analyzer
- Supports D64, D71, G64, G71, IMD and CRT formats
- Offers C128-specific display controls
What to know first
- Requires JRE 8 or later
- Virtual FS is experimental
- Linux users might need to change JAR permissions