# Mountain Project vs Vertical

The clearest difference is rating: Mountain Project at 4.6 against Vertical's 2.7. Mountain Project also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ads (none vs shown). Vertical's advantage is update cadence (every 8 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Vertical sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Mountain Project asks for nothing beyond the download.

Mountain Project holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mountain Project has 4.6K ratings behind it against 47, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of Mountain Project's written reviews are positive against 23% of Vertical's.

Mountain Project ships an update every 3 weeks, Vertical every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mountain Project | Vertical |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (4.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mountain-project/id452308783/reviews)** | [2.7 (47 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vertical-life-climbing/id710386774/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4.6K** | 47 |
| Positive reviews | **35.8% of reviews** | 23.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 79 MB | 150 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) | [Vertical-Life srl](https://appshunter.io/developer/694612751) |

## 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


### Vertical

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vertical-life-climbing/id710386774)

This app serves as a comprehensive guide for both outdoor and indoor climbing. Log your ascents, discover new routes and crags worldwide, and access gym topos. It also offers personalized training plans and community features to connect with other climbers.

**Highlights:** Outdoor and indoor climbing route discovery, Digital climbing guidebooks, Logbook for climbs and memories, Personalized training plans, Gym and global climbing challenges, Community features and friend connections

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Outdoor (1 Month) | $4.99 | per month |
| Training (1 Month) | $4.99 | per month |
| Premium (1 Month) | $8.99 | per month |
| Friends (1 Month) | $14.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mountain Project free?

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

### Is Vertical free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Mountain Project or Vertical?

Mountain Project is rated higher. Mountain Project averages 4.6 out of 5 from 4.6K ratings, while Vertical averages 2.7 from 47 ratings.

### Do Mountain Project or Vertical have ads?

Vertical shows ads; Mountain Project does not.

### Which is updated more often, Mountain Project or Vertical?

Mountain Project ships an update every 3 weeks, and Vertical every 8 days. Most recently, Mountain Project was updated on October 19, 2026 and Vertical on October 20, 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.*