Disclosure: the third column is our app, Golf Scorecard. Everything else is from each company's own site and app store listings, checked October 21, 2026.
18Birdies
4/7 rows
Premium $99.99/yr or $19.99/mo
Choose it if you want coaching, swing analysis and the most active golf community.
Golfshot
4/7 rows
Pro $79.99/yr; Champions $99.99/yr
Choose it if you want a solid GPS app that posts scores to GHIN, on Apple Watch or Wear OS.
Golf Scorecard
1/7 rows
Free (2 players); Pro unlocks handicap and stats
Choose it if you only want a quick, offline scorecard for your group.
Side by side
| 18Birdies | Golfshot | Golf Scorecard | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPS distances | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | No |
| Post scores to GHIN | Not stated | ✓ Yes | No |
| Watch apps | ✓ Yes | ✓ Apple Watch and Wear OS | No |
| AI coaching and swing analysis | ✓ Yes | Not its focus | No |
| Premium price | $99.99/yr; $19.99/mo | ✓ $79.99/yr (Pro); $99.99/yr (Champions) | Pro subscription |
| App Store rating | ✓ 4.9 (306k) | 4.8 (78.5k) | 5.0 (4) |
| Works offline, no account | Account needed | Account needed | ✓ Yes |
Prices from 18birdies.com and golfshot.com, ratings from the US App Store, checked October 21, 2026. Some third-party pages still list Golfshot Pro at $69.99; its own site says $79.99.
Where 18Birdies wins
Coaching and community. Beyond GPS and scoring, 18Birdies adds a swing analyzer, an AI coach and a large social side, with over 300,000 App Store ratings. Premium is $99.99 a year or $19.99 a month.
Where Golfshot wins
On-course tools and GHIN. Golfshot, now part of Golf Genius, has apps for Apple Watch and Wear OS, posts scores to GHIN and is a little cheaper: Pro is $79.99 a year and Champions $99.99.
Just want to keep score?
Golf Scorecard is a fast scorecard for your group: offline, no account, your rounds on your phone.
Where Golf Scorecard fits
Golf Scorecard is ours, so weigh this section accordingly. It is a scorecard and nothing else: enter strokes hole by hole for your group, see totals and averages, and keep your round history. It works offline, needs no account and keeps everything on your phone.
It has no GPS distances and it does not calculate an official Handicap Index. On Pro you enter your index and it works out your Course Handicap from the slope and rating, scores net, and adds 9-hole rounds, up to 4 players and detailed stats. The free version covers 2 players on 18 holes. It is on iPhone and Android, and it is new: a handful of ratings against hundreds of thousands for the apps above.