Mountain Project vs Ikon Pass
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Mountain Project
Discover and navigate to outdoor climbing areas, and find specific routes with detailed filters. Access route beta, photos, and topos offline, and view climbing area statistics. Connect with other climbers in the forum, track your progress, and create to-do lists.
- Find and navigate to climbing areas
- Sort routes by discipline, difficulty, and rating
- Search 155,000+ climbing routes offline
- Download route beta, photos, and topos for offline use
- View climbing area route statistics and critical info
- Connect with climbers in the forum
- Track attempts, sends, and create to-do lists
Read full descriptionHide full description
Beyond the Guidebook: The Definitive Rock Climbing Resource. • Find outdoor climbing areas near you, and navigate to them, using the map. This super-handy new feature is one of our personal faves. • The much requested route finder: Easily sort routes by discipline, difficulty, star ranking and more. If a 4-star M9 is your thing, we'll help you find it. • Search our entire database of 155,000+ climbing routes, even offline. • Download route beta, photos, and topos state by state for offline use — because the best crags often have the worst reception. • View a climbing area’s route stats (how many 5.11s are there?) and critical info (when is the raptor closure again?) in a single glance. • Chat, ask questions, or put out a call for partners in our forum. • Rate routes and photos, keep track of attempts & sends, or make a to-do list • It's free to download and free of advertising too. Everything you need, nothing you don't.
Ikon Pass
This app helps you maximize your mountain experience at over 70 destinations. It offers interactive maps for amenities, in-app payments, and real-time updates on parking and events. Connect with friends, track your stats, and manage your pass details all in one place.
- Interactive amenity maps
- In-app food and drink payment
- Real-time parking availability
- Pass management and tracking
- Friend group messaging and location sharing
- Mountain activity tracking
- Event browsing
Read full descriptionHide full description
The official Ikon Pass app is your tool to maximize fun at over 70 Ikon Pass destinations worldwide. Whether you're an Ikon Pass holder or using a local pass or day ticket, the Ikon Pass app helps you make the most of your mountain experience – all in one place. New Features for 25/26: - Find dining, retail, and rentals with interactive maps - Pay for food and drinks in-app - Track your mountain credits - Manage your family’s pass profile - Check parking availability in real time - Browse live events at participating destinations All Features: Manage your Pass - See your days remaining and blackout dates - Choose favorite destinations and set preferences - Keep track of exclusive deals and vouchers - Track your mountain credits - Manage your family’s pass profile, pass photos, and more Amplify Your Adventure - Track stats like vertical, run difficulty, and current altitude - Track activity on Apple Watch - View weather and condition reports before you go - Find dining, retail, and rentals with interactive maps - Pay for food and drinks in-app - Map you and your crew on the mountain - Check parking availability in real time - Browse live events at participating destinations Connect With Your Crew - Create daily friend groups to message, compare stats, and track each other's locations - Challenge the Ikon Pass community on the Leaderboard - Map you and your crew on the mountain Ikon Pass helps you navigate at 60+ destinations worldwide. In the 25/26 season, it will replace the local apps at the following mountain destinations: Arapahoe Basin, Big Bear Mountain Resort, Blue Mountain, Crystal Mountain, Deer Valley Resort, June Mountain, Mammoth Mountain, Palisades Tahoe, Schweitzer, Snow Valley, Snowshoe, Solitude, Steamboat, Stratton, Sugarbush, Tremblant, Winter Park Resort.
Screenshots
Verdict
Mountain Project and Ikon Pass both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 41% of Mountain Project's written reviews are positive against 13% of Ikon Pass's. Mountain Project also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Ikon Pass's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks) and ratings volume (28K vs 4.6K). On price, rating, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Mountain Project against 4.7 for Ikon Pass. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ikon Pass has 28K ratings behind it against 4.6K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 41% of Mountain Project's written reviews are positive against 13% of Ikon Pass's.
Mountain Project ships an update every 3 weeks, Ikon Pass every 9 days. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Mountain Project | Ikon Pass |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (4.6K ratings) | 4.7 (28K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 41.1% of reviews — better | 13.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4.6K | 28K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 16.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 79 MB | 334 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Adventure Projects Inc. | Alterra Mountain Company |
Customer experience
Mountain Project
Ikon Pass
User reviews
Mountain Project
From 4.6K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🗺️ Extensive database of climbing routes
- 📚 Detailed route information and beta
- 🗺️ Offline access to downloaded areas
- 👥 Helpful community contributions
- 📸 Useful photos and visuals
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🗺️ Inaccurate or outdated map information
- 🔍 Inefficient search and navigation
- 💰 Excessive advertising and promotion of other apps
- 📝 Inability to add comments or photos from the app
Ikon Pass
From 28K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Tracking features
- 👍 Buddy tracking and group functionality
- 🌄 Mountain information and maps
- 💰 Discounts and pass benefits
Room to improve
- 🐛 Tracking issues and inaccuracies
- 🔌 Connectivity problems and app crashes
- 🤯 Confusing login and reservation processes
- 🔍 Lack of offline functionality
Bugs and requests
Mountain Project
Reported bugs
5 issues- App crashes when opening routes or areas
- Map not showing all available climbs
- Incorrect date recording for ticks
- Inability to delete downloaded areas
- Login issues and account sync problems
Requested features
5 requests- Add ability to add/update routes and areas
- Implement better offline map functionality
- Improve search and filtering options
- Add user profile and route tracking features
- Enhance community engagement tools
Ikon Pass
Reported bugs
4 issues- Login screen not loading
- Tracking data being lost or reset
- Inability to view or manage reservations
- Incompatibility with newer iOS versions
Requested features
5 requests- Integrate pass barcode for discounts
- Automatic tracking without manual start/stop
- Offline maps and resort information
- Customizable metric units
- Leaderboards and speed tracking
In-app purchases
Mountain Project
No in-app purchases
Ikon Pass
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Mountain Project free?
Is Ikon Pass free?
Which has better reviews, Mountain Project or Ikon Pass?
Do Mountain Project or Ikon Pass have ads?
Which is updated more often, Mountain Project or Ikon Pass?
Other comparisons















