rakkup vs PIEPS
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
PIEPS
Configure, check, and update your PIEPS or Black Diamond avalanche transceiver. Train your rescue skills with your phone as a remote control and register your device for additional services.
- Device configuration
- Functionality check
- Firmware updates
- Rescue skills training
- Remote control functionality
- Device registration
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- Configure your PIEPS or Black Diamond device according to your preferences. - Check the functionality of your PIEPS or Black Diamond device - Update your PIEPS or Black Diamond device to the latest firmware. - Train your emergency rescue skills. Use your phone as a remote control. - Register your PIEPS or Black Diamond device to get additional services
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: PIEPS at 4.9 against rakkup's 2.2. PIEPS also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 16) and ratings volume (1K vs 25). rakkup's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, 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
Both are free to download. rakkup sells 16 one-off in-app purchases. PIEPS asks for nothing beyond the download.
PIEPS holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 2.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PIEPS has 1K ratings behind it against 25, 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 63% of PIEPS's.
rakkup ships an update every 2 months, PIEPS monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | rakkup | PIEPS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.2 (25 ratings) | 4.9 (1K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 53.9% of reviews | 63.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 25 | 1K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 86 MB | 46 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Outdoor Geeks, LLC | Pieps GmbH |
Customer experience
rakkup
PIEPS
User reviews
rakkup
From 25 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🗺️ GPS navigation to crags and trails
- 📸 High-quality photos with route overlays
- 🔍 Powerful filtering and search capabilities
- 📱 Offline functionality without internet
- ✍️ Curated content from professional authors
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing
- 🧭 Unintuitive and confusing navigation UI
- 🔋 Requires background location services
- 📉 Inconsistent guidebook quality by author
- ❌ Missing major climbing areas and routes
PIEPS
From 1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Convenient app updates
- 🚀 Quick Bluetooth connection
- 👍 Functional, well-designed app
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bluetooth connection issues
- 🐛 App login/registration problems
- 🐛 App not working on certain devices
- 🔋 Battery compartment design issues
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 moreShow fewer
- 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 moreShow fewer
- 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
PIEPS
Reported bugs
2 issues- App home screen going blank
- Incompatibility with certain beacon models
Requested features
2 requests- Support for more languages (e.g. Russian, Japanese)
- Improved security for app login/registration
In-app purchases
rakkup
- Elizabeth Furnace$2.99
- Long Branch and Guide Walls$3.99
- Reed's Creek$4.99
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- 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
PIEPS
No in-app purchases
