ZOT

6.5easy start · #17 of 21
in ZX Spectrum Emulators

Free to practise onnot on record
Free trialnot on record
Well documentedyes
Runs where you worknot on record

Runs on Linux.

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ZOT is ranked #17 of 21 in ZX spectrum emulators on The Geeks Club. It runs on Linux.

Compared on ZX spectrum emulators

Free plan: Yes
Supported Spectrum models: 48k
Host platforms: Raspberry Pi Pico RP2040; Pimoroni Tufty 2040; PicoCalc
Tape formats: TAP, TZX
Snapshot formats: Z80 versions 1, 2, and 3
Open source: Yes
Peripheral support: PC keyboard, Kempston joystick, tape input, beeper audio

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The record

What it does: ZOT is a Z80 CPU, ZX Spectrum 48K, and CP/M 2.2 emulator built on a shared Z80 core.
Implementation: The project is written in C and its core components have no dependencies beyond the C standard library.
Microcontroller target: The README says the Z80 core is small enough to run on microcontrollers such as the RP2040.
Z80 accuracy: The README says the core passes the documented and undocumented Z80 tests in ZEXALL.
Spectrum emulation: The Spectrum emulator includes 16KB of ROM, 48KB of RAM, ULA video, keyboard and beeper support, memory contention, and PAL frame timing.
Snapshots: The Spectrum emulator loads 48K .z80 snapshots in versions 1, 2, and 3.
CP/M compatibility: The CP/M 2.2 emulator implements 39 listed BDOS functions and includes a C-based command processor with DIR, ERA, TYPE, REN, USER, and SAVE commands.
CP/M storage: The README describes CP/M drives A: through P: mapped to host directories and an emulated disk capacity of 8MB.
Tested software: The README says WordStar, Turbo Pascal, MBASIC, Zork, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, BBC BASIC, and several CP/M utilities have been superficially verified to work.
Build and platform: The project provides Makefile targets for building everything, the Spectrum SDL frontend, or the CP/M terminal frontend; SDL2 is only required for the Spectrum frontend.
License: The README states that ZOT is MIT licensed and notes that files in z80-specs use a different license.
Development process: The maker says the implementation used a clean-room setup with Claude Code Opus 4.6, without access to other emulator source code, and with human feedback steering design decisions.
Purpose: ZOT is a Z80 CPU, ZX Spectrum 48K, and CP/M 2.2 emulator built on the same Z80 core.
Desktop interface: The SDL frontend maps a PC keyboard to the Spectrum keyboard and supports Kempston joystick input, snapshot loading, and tape playback through command-line arguments and drag-and-drop.

Where it ranks on The Geeks Club

Best ZX Spectrum Emulators in 2026#17 of 21

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Sources

github.com/antirez/ZOT· checked 7 Oct 2026
github.com/antirez· checked 8 Oct 2026