# Mountain Project vs Retro Flash

Mountain Project and Retro Flash both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 83% of Retro Flash's written reviews are positive against 41% of Mountain Project's. Mountain Project's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and ratings volume (4.6K vs 226). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Retro Flash sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Mountain Project asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Mountain Project against 4.7 for Retro Flash. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mountain Project has 4.6K ratings behind it against 226, 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 83% of Retro Flash's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mountain Project | Retro Flash |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (4.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mountain-project/id452308783/reviews) | **[4.7 (226 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retro-flash-climbing/id1519582483/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **4.6K** | 226 |
| Positive reviews | 41.1% of reviews | **82.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 79 MB | 162 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adventure Projects Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/452308787) | [Arcade Bouldering UG (haftungsbeschrnkt)](https://appshunter.io/developer/1519582485) |

## What reviewers say

### Mountain Project

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mountain-project/id452308783)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🗺️ Extensive database of climbing routes
- 📚 Detailed route information and beta
- 🗺️ Offline access to downloaded areas
- 👥 Helpful community contributions
- 📸 Useful photos and visuals

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### 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 Mountain Project free?

Mountain Project is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Retro Flash free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Mountain Project or Retro Flash?

Retro Flash is rated higher. Mountain Project averages 4.6 out of 5 from 4.6K ratings, while Retro Flash averages 4.7 from 226 ratings.

### Do Mountain Project or Retro Flash have ads?

Neither Mountain Project nor Retro Flash shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mountain Project or Retro Flash?

Mountain Project ships an update every 3 weeks, and Retro Flash every 3 weeks. Most recently, Mountain Project was updated on September 26, 2026 and Retro Flash on September 27, 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.*