Comparison

rakkup vs Red

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

Red

Discover and navigate rock climbing routes with detailed 3D guides. Access climbing data for over 1300 walls globally, with offline download capabilities for remote areas. Quickly find climbs using a flexible search function.

Highlights
  • High-definition 3D climbing guides
  • Offline crag and wall downloads
  • Global climbing data (1300+ walls)
  • Fast and flexible search
  • Supports multiple continents
Features
Read full description

Red-Point is the ultimate rock climbing companion. Find climbs easily with our high-definition 3D climbing guides. Download crags and walls for offline use when you're out climbing. Climbing data for over 1300 walls in Europe, North America, South America and Australia. Lightning fast, highly flexible search to find climbs at the crag.

Screenshots

rakkup4 screens
Red4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Red at 3.4 against rakkup's 2.3. Red also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). rakkup's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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 and Red sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Red holds the better App Store score, 3.4 against 2.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 24 and 10 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 54% and 55% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

rakkup ships an update every 2 months, Red every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
rakkup versus Red: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterrakkupRed
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.3 (24 ratings)3.4 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews53.9% of reviews54.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings24 — better10
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size86 MB492 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOutdoor Geeks, LLCAlpha Outdoors Pty Ltd

Customer experience

rakkup

All ratings24 ratings
Positive20.8%
Neutral16.7%
Negative62.5%
Written reviews102 reviews
Positive53.9%
Neutral5.9%
Negative40.2%

Red

All ratings10 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative30.0%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive54.5%
Neutral18.2%
Negative27.3%

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

Red

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
2 purchases

Red

Subscriptions2
  • Red-Point+ Monthly3 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Red-Point+ Yearly3 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is rakkup free?
rakkup is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Red free?
Red is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, rakkup or Red?
Red is rated higher. rakkup averages 2.3 out of 5 from 24 ratings, while Red averages 3.4 from 10 ratings.
Do rakkup or Red have ads?
Neither rakkup nor Red shows ads.
Which is updated more often, rakkup or Red?
rakkup ships an update every 2 months, and Red every 3 weeks. Most recently, rakkup was updated on September 20, 2026 and Red on September 16, 2026.

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