Comparison

Boulder Trainer vs ClimbShade

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

Head to head
About

Boulder Trainer

Create personalized training routines for climbing and bouldering. Features voice instructions, training reminders, and the ability to save and share your workout plans. Supports over 70 preset fingerboards and allows custom exercise creation for efficient progress.

Highlights
  • Custom workout creation
  • Voice instructions for timing
  • Save and share training plans
  • Training reminders
  • Over 70 preset fingerboards
  • Manage multiple plans
Features
Read full description

Boulder Trainer is the training app for your hangboard: 90 boards are built in, you build your own plans in minutes, and a voice tells you when to hang and when to rest - on iPhone or straight from your Apple Watch. Get started right away: 90 common training boards are included with high-resolution artwork. Pick your board, download a ready-made plan or build your own. No account needed, everything works offline. Training + Custom training plans with sets, hang times and rest times + Download ready-made plans and shared community plans - free + Voice cues and signal tones so you never have to look at the screen + Exercise library with photos: hangboard, floor, gym (with weight), prehab + Training reminder every 2, 3, 5 or 7 days Apple Watch + Browse plans on your wrist and start the session from there + Haptic feedback on every change + Recorded as a workout in Apple Health incl. heart rate and activity rings Keep the habit + Habits (daily or with a counter), up to 3 reminders per day + Streaks with celebration moments when you keep the run alive + 31 achievements in four categories + Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, Control Center toggle, check off right in the widget Your board is missing? Just photograph it: cut it out, align it, number the holes - done. Or write me: support@boulder-trainer.com Your data + iCloud sync across your devices, no sign-up + Works fully offline + iPhone and iPad These 90 boards are built in: + Metolius: Project, Wood Grips Compact, Wood Grips II Compact, Wood Grips II Deluxe, Wood Grips Training, Contact, Simulator 3D, Rock Rings, Foundry, Campus Blocks, Campus Rungs, Lite Rail, Prime Rib + Beastmaker: 1000, 2000 + So iLL: Blister, Wood Blister, Reaper, Iron Palm, Mini Palm, SlopeyMon, Boost, Remedy, Hangers, All Chalk No Action + Antworks: Power Ant Mini, Strong Ant 1, Strong Ant 2, Strong Ant 2 (old version), Strong Ant 3, Strong Ant 4 Solo + Moon Climbing: Fingerboard, Phat Boy + Tension: Flash Board, Grindstone, Grindstone Pro, Grindstone Mk2 + Crusher Holds: Matrix, Faceon, Megarail, Mission Portable + Kraxl: Classic, Portable, Rock, Xtrem + ERZI: small, medium, large, campus + MAX CLIMBING: MAX CLIMBING, Spinch Solo Easy, Spinch Solo Hard, Spinchboard Easy, Spinchboard Hard + EPUSA / Entre Prises: Kineboard, Hang Time, Training Board + Trango: Rock Prodigy, Rock Prodigy Forge + Eva López: Progression, Transgression + Problemsolver: Hanzo, Trainingsboard + DRCC: V3 Hangboard, V5-12 Hangboard + Vola: Hangboard, Pinch / Sloper + ALPIDEX: PRO 2.0, Large + Nicros: Ultimate, Warrior + Dein Klettershop: EVOLUTION, BB Sport Pro + Single boards: Bergfreunde Flash, Core Fingerboard, OCUN Fingerboard, Ascender X8, Wataaah Transformer Starr, Sic Grips Pocket Rock, Crimpmonster, Captain Fingerfood, Griptonite smartrock, PUC II Domini, Decathlon Ballsy, Kraxel To Go, Danger BuddyBoard, Revolution Grillito, Clevo, Frictitious Megalith, OK Board Crag Developer statement: When I bought my first fingerboard there was no reasonable guide for training on it. That is why I built Boulder Trainer. Please keep in mind: there is no company behind this app, just a small private project. Like Boulder Trainer on Facebook: www.facebook.com/BoulderTrainer Boulder Trainer Pro (subscription / one-time purchase): Starting workouts, habit check-ins and the achievements page require Boulder Trainer Pro - as a weekly subscription, yearly subscription or lifetime one-time purchase. Creating plans, setting up boards and sharing stay free. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; manage and cancel anytime in your Apple ID settings. If you bought the app in the past, training stays free for you and you get exclusive loyalty pricing. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://app-bis-web.de/datenschutz/

About

ClimbShade

Features
Read full description

Know before you drive. ClimbShade shows whether your climbing area will be in sun or shade, whether the rock will be good, and whether wildfire smoke will spoil the day. Built for sending season: crisp mornings, cold shade, warm sun walls and smoky afternoons. Pick the right wall at the right time. SUN & SHADE MAP Real terrain shadow simulation on an interactive map. Scrub through the day and watch shade move across the wall. Chase shade in summer heat or sun on cold winter mornings. SEND CONDITIONS Temperature, humidity, wind and recent rain, combined with your rock type's friction profile, become a simple green / amber / red score. Granite on a crisp morning? Green. Sandstone after rain? Red. AIR QUALITY Hourly Air Quality Index during daylight, color-coded by EPA category. Your climbing recommendation accounts for smoke, so you'll know when to stay home. 7-DAY CLIMBING FORECAST Hourly temperature, humidity, wind, precipitation and AQI in a glanceable chart made for climbers. THOUSANDS OF AREAS & ROUTES Search areas and routes from OpenBeta, the open-source climbing database. Filter by grade for boulder, sport and trad, with V-Scale, YDS and French grades. APPROACH NAVIGATION Trail-following approach routes from the right trailhead and parking, with elevation-aware time estimates. WORKS OFFLINE Download areas by state. Saved areas, routes, maps and approaches work without signal. Less guessing, more time on rock.

Screenshots

Boulder Trainer4 screens
ClimbShade4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ClimbShade at none against Boulder Trainer's 6. ClimbShade also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.0). Boulder Trainer's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Boulder Trainer sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. ClimbShade asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Boulder Trainer ships an update every 3 days, ClimbShade fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Boulder Trainer versus ClimbShade: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBoulder TrainerClimbShade
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (860 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews70.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings860 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS26.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size189 MB35 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJan LutherSummitFlow, LLC

Bugs and requests

Boulder Trainer

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Cannot change hangboard selection
  • Preset workouts don't match selected hangboard
  • Registration/account creation issues
  • Frequent crashes and connectivity problems

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to log/track workout history
  • Integration with fitness apps (Apple Health, Strava)
  • Ability to upload custom hangboard profiles
  • More advanced training plans and recommendations
  • Option to play music in background during workouts

ClimbShade

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Boulder Trainer

Subscriptions4
  • Boulder Pro — Weekly$1.997 Days
  • Boulder Pro Loyalty — Week$1.997 Days
  • Boulder Pro Loyalty — Year$11.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Boulder Trainer Pro — Yearly3 Days trial$17.991 Year
One-time2
  • Boulder Pro Loyalty Lifetime$24.99
  • Boulder Pro — Lifetime$39.99
None

ClimbShade

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Boulder Trainer free?
Boulder Trainer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ClimbShade free?
ClimbShade is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Boulder Trainer or ClimbShade have ads?
Neither Boulder Trainer nor ClimbShade shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Boulder Trainer or ClimbShade?
Boulder Trainer ships an update every 3 days, and ClimbShade fortnightly. Most recently, Boulder Trainer was updated on October 13, 2026 and ClimbShade on October 14, 2026.

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