# Griptonite vs Retro Flash

The clearest difference is rating: Retro Flash at 4.7 against Griptonite's 3.0. Retro Flash also leads on review sentiment (84% vs 45%) and ratings volume (226 vs 21). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Griptonite sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Retro Flash sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Retro Flash holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Retro Flash has 226 ratings behind it against 21, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of Griptonite's written reviews are positive against 84% of Retro Flash's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Griptonite | Retro Flash |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.0 (21 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/griptonite/id1462815353/reviews) | **[4.7 (226 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retro-flash-climbing/id1519582483/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 21 | **226** |
| Positive reviews | 45.3% of reviews | **84.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 91 MB | 162 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.5** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Cascom Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1462727314) | [Arcade Bouldering UG (haftungsbeschrnkt)](https://appshunter.io/developer/1519582485) |

## What reviewers say

### Griptonite

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/griptonite/id1462815353)

Enhance your climbing experience by discovering beta, routes, and inspiration from a community of climbers. Track your progress, identify areas for improvement, and compete with others through global and venue-specific rankings.

**Highlights:** Discover beta and routes, Learn from community experience, Track personal progress, Identify areas for improvement, Global and venue rankings, Filterable leaderboards

**Features:** Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Griptonite Pro | $4.99 | per month |
| Griptonite Pro | $4.99 | per month |
| Griptonite Pro | $39.99 | per year |
| Griptonite Pro | $49.99 | per year |
| Griptonite Pro | $49.99 | per year |
| Griptonite Pro | $49.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Tracks climbing progress effectively
- 💡 Motivates users to climb more
- 👍 Easy to log climbs
- 📈 Shows improvement over time
- 🤩 Makes climbing feel like a game

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Very buggy and glitchy
- 🐌 Slow performance
- 💥 Frequent crashes
- ❌ Poor UI/UX
- 💸 Filters behind paywall

**Reported bugs**

- App constantly erroring
- Filters won't reset or apply
- Projects not registered properly
- App freezes when uploading video
- App crashes frequently

**Requested features**

- Social sign-in (Apple/Google)
- Total grades/routes climbed count
- Sortable monthly gym results table
- Quick navigation between map and stats
- REST API for data access


### Retro Flash

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retro-flash-climbing/id1519582483)

This app helps climbers maximize their spray wall training with unique tools for setting various problems and supports multiple grading systems. It fosters a community for climbers to share and improve their training.

**Highlights:** Spray wall problem setting, Supports symmetrical, partly symmetrical, adjustable, and private walls, Circuit and competition boulder creation, Fontainebleau, Dankyu, and Hueco grading systems, Customizable grading systems, Wall upgrades for new possibilities

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock Rules for Circles | $4.99 | one-time |
| Home Wall Year Pass | $4.99 | one-time |
| 1 Month Upgrade Pass | $8.99 | one-time |
| Additional Wall | $9.99 | one-time |
| Gym Year Pass Tier 1 | $14.99 | one-time |
| Add Gym | $14.99 | one-time |
| Gym Year Pass Tier 2 | $29.99 | one-time |
| 6 Months Upgrade Pass | $44.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use and intuitive
- 💰 Free to use, affordable one-time fees
- 🏠 Perfect for home walls
- 👥 Great community feature
- 🚀 Fast and functional

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 Horrid UI
- 🐛 Massive bugs and data loss
- 🛠️ App is useless when buggy
- ❓ Unclear target audience
- 🧭 Navigation can be challenging

**Reported bugs**

- Cannot see sends anymore
- All boulders set to unclimbed for all users
- Statistics are gone
- Won't let me reset wall
- Won't let me delete walls

**Requested features**

- Add a tick list of all climbs done
- Show number and distribution of grades
- Copy route feature for minor adjustments
- Ability to edit names or grades of existing boulders


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Griptonite free?

Griptonite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Retro Flash free?

Retro Flash is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Griptonite or Retro Flash?

Retro Flash is rated higher. Griptonite averages 3.0 out of 5 from 21 ratings, while Retro Flash averages 4.7 from 226 ratings.

### Do Griptonite or Retro Flash have ads?

Neither Griptonite nor Retro Flash shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Griptonite or Retro Flash?

Griptonite ships an update every 3 weeks, and Retro Flash every 3 weeks. Most recently, Griptonite was updated on September 24, 2026 and Retro Flash on September 23, 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.*