Comparison

Retro Flash vs Tidal Labs

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Retro Flash

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
Read full description

Welcome to Retro Flash and the Arcade Bouldering Community! Retro Flash is the Ultimate Spray Wall App, designed with every member of the climbing community in mind! We have created a lot of unique tools to ensure that everyone has everything they need to get the most out of their spray walls! For example, we support symmetrical, partly symmetrical, adjustable and private walls! Set all kinds of problems on your wall, like circuits or even competition boulders! With our wall upgrades, we upgrade your walls to the next level, opening up a lot of new possibilities! Now, you can even upgrade your walls by yourself!! Retro Flash supports the Fontainebleau, Dankyu and Hueco grading systems. You can also define your own grading systems or even deactivate grading! Download Retro Flash now and become a part of our growing community!

About

Tidal Labs

This app transforms your Apple Watch and iPhone into an automated surf filming system. Log wave rides with your watch and let the app automatically trim your footage into a highlight reel.

Highlights
  • Apple Watch wave timestamp logging
  • Automatic clip trimming
  • Surf spot detection
  • HealthKit workout tracking
  • Configurable clip length
  • Session library
Features
Read full description

Tidal Labs turns your watch and iPhone into a hands-free surf filming system. Works with Apple Watch or a compatible Garmin! Set up your iPhone on a beach tripod or mount pointed at the lineup, strap on your watch, and paddle out. When you catch a wave, log it from your wrist: scroll the Digital Crown up on Apple Watch, or press DOWN on Garmin. When your session ends, open Tidal Labs, import your iPhone footage from your camera roll, and sync your watch data. The app automatically matches your timestamps to the footage and trims each ride into its own clip. The result is a clean highlight reel of every wave, ready to share, without touching a single clip manually. HOW IT WORKS 1. Mount your iPhone on the beach pointed at the waves 2. Start a session on your watch before paddling out 3. Log each wave from your wrist as you ride it 4. After your session, open Tidal Labs and import your footage from your camera roll 5. Sync your watch data and the app automatically trims your highlight reel FEATURES • Wave timestamps from Apple Watch or Garmin • Import footage directly from your camera roll • Automatic clip trimming based on ride timestamps • Landscape clip editor with trim and non-destructive crop • Optional GPS and on-device vision auto-follow crop • Auto surf spot detection powered by Surfline • HealthKit workout tracking with live heart rate • Configurable clip length (30 seconds to 3 minutes) • Session library with favorites and clip management • Save highlights to your camera roll and share anywhere • Everything stays on your device. Your footage is never uploaded • Clean, surfer-focused interface All you need is your iPhone, your watch, and some good waves.

Screenshots

Retro Flash4 screens
Tidal Labs4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Retro Flash at 226 against Tidal Labs's 1. Retro Flash also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 26.0). Tidal Labs's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Retro Flash sells 8 one-off in-app purchases and Tidal Labs sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tidal Labs holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Retro Flash has 226 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Retro Flash ships an update every 3 weeks, Tidal Labs fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Retro Flash versus Tidal Labs: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetro FlashTidal Labs
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (226 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews82.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings226 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size162 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperArcade Bouldering UG (haftungsbeschrnkt)Micah Woodring

Customer experience

Retro Flash

All ratings226 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral3.5%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews35 reviews
Positive82.9%
Neutral8.6%
Negative8.6%

Tidal Labs

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Retro Flash

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • 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
Show 3 more
  • Won't let me add a new wall on a new account
  • Camera button to add a photo doesn't do anything
  • Can't change the angle of the wall

Requested features

4 requests
  • 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

Tidal Labs

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Retro Flash

One-time8
  • Unlock Rules for Circles$4.99
  • Home Wall Year Pass$4.99
  • 1 Month Upgrade Pass$8.99
Show 5 more
  • Additional Wall$9.99
  • Gym Year Pass Tier 1$14.99
  • Add Gym$14.99
  • Gym Year Pass Tier 2$29.99
  • 6 Months Upgrade Pass$44.99
3 purchases

Tidal Labs

One-time3
  • Small Wave Tip$4.99
  • Overhead tip$14.99
  • Double Overhead tip$29.99

Questions

Is Retro Flash free?
Retro Flash is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tidal Labs free?
Tidal Labs is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Retro Flash or Tidal Labs?
Tidal Labs is rated higher. Retro Flash averages 4.7 out of 5 from 226 ratings, while Tidal Labs averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Retro Flash or Tidal Labs have ads?
Neither Retro Flash nor Tidal Labs shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Retro Flash or Tidal Labs?
Retro Flash ships an update every 3 weeks, and Tidal Labs fortnightly. Most recently, Retro Flash was updated on October 24, 2026 and Tidal Labs on October 7, 2026.

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