Comparison

rakkup vs MTL SURF

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

Head to head
About

rakkup

Access a vast library of climbing and backcountry skiing guidebooks on your mobile device, even without an internet connection. Navigate trails to your destination with turn-by-turn directions and detailed maps. Explore climbs and descents with rich visuals and discover new routes.

Highlights
  • Offline guidebook access
  • Turn-by-turn trail navigation
  • GPS-enabled route finding
  • Map and list browsing
  • Search and filter capabilities
  • Color photos and topo drawings
Features
Read full description

rakkup allows you to access an entire bookshelf of climbing and backcountry skiing guidebooks on your iPhone, even beyond the reach of cell phone coverage. Once downloaded, guidebooks work offline with no Internet connection! It is also the first and only mobile climbing app that navigates you through the trail system to your climb, turn by turn. Produced in partnership with Outdoor Research, rakkup reinvents the guidebook for the smartphone era. We've partnered with Beacon Guidebooks, Wolverine Publishing ,and other publishers to bring you rich guidebooks complete with color photos and topo drawings. Free sample climbs and ski descents are included. Browse climbs and descents on a map or in the list format of your choice, filter and search in seconds, then navigate using your phone's GPS with a single tap. In climbing guidebooks, the app continuously calculates the easiest route through the trail system from your current location. Simply follow the arrow and moving map. Note: When actively navigating to a climb, rakkup uses GPS in background. Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

About

MTL SURF

Get real-time river conditions for surfing, including water temperature, level, and flow. Make informed decisions about when and how to surf, and track historical data with charts.

Highlights
  • Live river metrics (temperature, level, debit)
  • Wave quality prediction
  • Wetsuit recommendation
  • Historical data charts
  • Session planning tool
Features
Read full description

The MTL SURF app provides live data on river metrics like the water temperature, the level and the debit. According to those metrics, you now have a hint at your fingertips to know wether or not the wave is good. The app also tells you if you should put on your spring suit or your full hooded 6/5 winter wetsuit. You can also watch if those metrics are going up or down one month back with line charts. Make sure to check the app before your next session at Habitat 67 or at "Vague à Guy"!

Screenshots

rakkup4 screens
MTL SURF4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: MTL SURF at 100% against rakkup's 54%. MTL SURF also leads on rating (5.0 vs 2.2) and in-app purchases (none vs 16). rakkup's advantage is ratings volume (25 vs 3) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. rakkup sells 16 one-off in-app purchases. MTL SURF asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MTL SURF holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: rakkup has 25 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of rakkup's written reviews are positive against 100% of MTL SURF's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
rakkup versus MTL SURF: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterrakkupMTL SURF
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.2 (25 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews53.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings25 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size86 MB94 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOutdoor Geeks, LLCKayak Sans Frontieres

Customer experience

rakkup

All ratings25 ratings
Positive20.0%
Neutral16.0%
Negative64.0%
Written reviews102 reviews
Positive53.9%
Neutral5.9%
Negative40.2%

MTL SURF

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

rakkup

Reported bugs

13 issues
  • App crashes on login
  • App freezes when opening routes
  • Crashes every 30 seconds to few minutes
  • Splash screen appears repeatedly despite cached data
  • Collapse/expand toggles stop working
Show 8 more
  • Route selection auto-selects wrong area
  • Maps fail to load without internet connectivity
  • Bookshelf is buggy and inaccessible
  • Password field incompatible with password managers
  • Specific routes cause crashes (e.g., Sun Kissed)
  • iOS 15 compatibility issues
  • Frozen screens requiring app reinstall
  • GPS functionality unreliable (20% success rate)

Requested features

12 requests
  • Simplified and more intuitive UI redesign
  • Gear and rack information for routes
  • Pitch length specifications
  • User ratings and comments system
  • Personalization settings (filter preferences)
Show 7 more
  • PDF guidebook downloads
  • YouTube tutorial videos for app navigation
  • Climbing log with progress tracking
  • Route notes and personal annotations
  • Better offline map handling
  • Access codes for physical guidebook purchases
  • Improved map clustering for nearby crags

MTL SURF

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

16 purchases

rakkup

One-time16
  • Elizabeth Furnace$2.99
  • Long Branch and Guide Walls$3.99
  • Reed's Creek$4.99
Show 13 more
  • Exit 38 Rock Climbs$9.99
  • Staunton State Park Climbing$9.99
  • Silverton$9.99
  • Bridger Ridge$9.99
  • Powerlinez$11.99
  • Teton Pass Descents$14.99
  • Snoqualmie Pass$14.99
  • Index Town Walls$15.99
  • Red Rocks Climbs by SuperTopo$19.99
  • Mt. Erie$19.99
  • Potrero Chico$19.99
  • Backcountry Skiing California's Eastern Sierra$19.99
  • Vermont Tough Schist$19.99
None

MTL SURF

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is rakkup free?
rakkup is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MTL SURF free?
MTL SURF is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, rakkup or MTL SURF?
MTL SURF is rated higher. rakkup averages 2.2 out of 5 from 25 ratings, while MTL SURF averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do rakkup or MTL SURF have ads?
Neither rakkup nor MTL SURF shows ads.
Which is updated more often, rakkup or MTL SURF?
rakkup ships an update every 2 months, and MTL SURF every 2 months. Most recently, rakkup was updated on September 24, 2026 and MTL SURF on September 10, 2026.

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