Looking for a Kilter Board app alternative?
CruxCoach is a free, open-source Android app for the Kilter Board — and for the MoonBoard, Tension Board and four more systems. It needs no account, no Google services, and it can import the logbook you thought you'd lost.
Install CruxCoach
Free, no strings attached. The recommended route is Zapstore, a privacy-respecting Android store that verifies developer signatures and auto-updates; the signed APK from Codeberg works just as well, with the in-app updater handling future releases. One APK button uses a first-party selector to choose the currently available verified Codeberg copy or its identical, content-addressed Zapstore mirror.
Free. No account. Verifiable signed builds. Android 8.0+.
What happened to the old Kilter app
On 26 March 2026, Aurora's previous Kilter app was removed from the app stores, temporarily cutting climbers off from playlists, logbooks and draft climbs. A current official Kilter Board app is available again. CruxCoach is not that first-party replacement; it is an independent option for Android users who prefer local, encrypted data, open-source code and no required account. The interruption remains a useful reminder that training history kept only on someone else's server can become unavailable without notice.
How CruxCoach differs
- No account, no signup. Your identity is a Nostr keypair generated on your phone — nothing anyone can revoke.
- Your logbook lives on your device, in an encrypted SQLCipher database. It can't be taken down, because nobody else has it.
- Open source under the GPL-3.0. Anyone can audit, fork and build it. The code is on Codeberg.
- Works offline after sync. Choose the board catalogues you need and keep them on your device. The seven supported board families contain 650,000+ listed climbs in total.
- Not just Kilter. One app drives the Kilter Board, MoonBoard, Tension, Grasshopper, Decoy, So iLL and Touchstone boards over Bluetooth LE.
- No Google required. Runs on de-Googled phones — GrapheneOS, /e/OS, LineageOS without GApps.
And the honest part: CruxCoach is Android-only (8.0 or later, with Bluetooth LE), and it is a community project not affiliated with Kilter, LLC or Aurora Climbing. If you need an iOS app, this isn't it.
Import your Kilter logbook: old app or new app?
There are two different migration routes. For history from the old, Aurora-operated app before its shutdown on 26 March 2026, request and import a JSON export. For history in the current official Kilter app since the March 2026 switch, sign in to Kilter directly inside CruxCoach — no JSON export is needed.
Old Aurora app, before 26 March 2026: import a JSON export
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Request the old-app export from Aurora
Ask Aurora for a personal data export from the account you used with the old Aurora-operated Kilter app before the shutdown. Save the JSON file you receive; it can contain your ascents, attempts, circuits and bid history.
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Install CruxCoach
Install CruxCoach on any Android 8.0+ phone — from Zapstore, or through the one-click signed APK selector backed by Codeberg and its verified Zapstore mirror. No account is created at any point.
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Import the export file
In CruxCoach, open Settings → Migrate from Aurora / old Kilter app and pick the JSON file. Your history lands in your local, encrypted logbook. Re-importing the same file is safe — nothing is duplicated.
Current official Kilter app, since March 2026: sign in directly
Do not request an Aurora export for this route. In CruxCoach, open Settings → Kilter Board Account → Connect Kilter Account, sign in with the credentials for the current app, then choose Import once or Sync continuously. CruxCoach imports your ascents and projects directly; your password is not stored.
More on CruxCoach
- Everything the app does — features, screenshots, privacy architecture
- Board locations map — 2,700+ Kilter, MoonBoard and Tension venues worldwide
- Using a MoonBoard too? — what CruxCoach does with it
- Training on a Tension Board? — the same, without an account or subscription
- Frequently asked questions — de-Googled phones, supported boards, MoonBoard specifics