Comparison

TENAR vs Ascend

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

Head to head
About

TENAR

Features
Read full description

TENAR is a climbing progress app for self-coached climbers who want their logbook, projects, workouts, and coaching context to work together. Log routes and boulders with grades, ascent type, attempts, stars, notes, and photos. Keep ascents organized by crag, sector, date, discipline, and grade system, then review trends from the climbing you actually record. Plan your trips and specifically train for your outdoor trips. Save the climbs you are working on, track attempts and notes, and keep outdoor goals connected to crag, sector, and route context. Record hangboard, edge lifts, strength, mobility, board climbing, routes, and other climbing sessions. Use timers and saved workout templates for repeatable sessions, then review training load, time under tension, RPE, history, and progress over time. Search climbing areas, crags, sectors, routes, and boulders. View route details, grades, style, safety notes, and community activity. Eligible paid plans can save supported crag guidebooks for offline access. Follow other climbers, see a focused climbing feed, like ascents, view profiles, and compare recent rankings across friends, country, and world scopes. TENAR includes optional Pro and Premium subscriptions. Pro unlocks unlimited saved projects, offline crag downloads, unlimited saved workout templates, and monthly training recap access. Premium includes everything in Pro plus AI Coach conversations. AI Coach guidance is informational and based on the climbing and training data available in your account. It is not medical advice. Use your own judgment, climb safely, and consult a qualified professional for injury, medical, or rehabilitation questions. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Ascend

Features
Read full description

Level up your climbing with **Ascend**, the ultimate digital logbook built specifically for climbers. Whether you are projecting a tough outdoor route or training at your local bouldering gym, Ascend gives you the tools to track your progress, dial in your beta, and become a stronger climber. TRACK, ANALYZE AND IMPROVE - Log Every Session: Create detailed journal entries for your climbing days. Keep a record of which routes and boulders you tried, the ones you finally sent, and your overall training volume. - Visualize Your Progress: Stay motivated with beautiful, insightful statistics. Ascend features a dynamic training heat map and detailed charts tracking your highest grades so you can see exactly how your performance is trending over time. MASTER YOUR PROJECTS - The Ultimate Beta Book: Create dedicated profiles for your hardest climbs. Jot down your sequence using the text editor, or upload a photo of the wall and **draw your beta directly over the image**. - Integrated Journaling: Your projects are deeply tied to your daily logs. Every time you register an attempt in your journal, your project history is automatically updated, giving you a clear timeline of your progression. - Share Your Beta: Did a friend ask how you got past the crux? Easily export and share your project notes, photos, and drawn betas directly with your climbing partners. BUILT FOR THE CRAG - 100% Offline Support: Deep in the canyon with no cell service? No problem. Ascend works entirely offline, allowing you to log your sends and review your notes exactly when and where you need them. - Seamless iCloud Sync: The moment you are back online, your climbing data is safely backed up and synced across all your Apple devices via iCloud. Download now and start improving!

Screenshots

TENAR4 screens
Ascend4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Ascend at every 5 days against TENAR's every 3 weeks. TENAR's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. TENAR sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Ascend sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TENAR ships an update every 3 weeks, Ascend every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
TENAR versus Ascend: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTENARAscend
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 โ€” better26.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size46 MB22 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperVelibor VasiljevicRodrigo Schio Wengenroth Silva

In-app purchases

4 purchases

TENAR

Subscriptions4
  • Pro Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Premium Monthly1 Month trial$8.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly7 Days trial$44.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Premium Yearly1 Month trial$69.991 Year
1 purchases

Ascend

One-time1
  • Unlimited$14.99

Questions

Is TENAR free?
TENAR is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ascend free?
Ascend is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do TENAR or Ascend have ads?
Neither TENAR nor Ascend shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TENAR or Ascend?
TENAR ships an update every 3 weeks, and Ascend every 5 days. Most recently, TENAR was updated on October 17, 2026 and Ascend on October 24, 2026.

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