Comparison

The Golf Tracer vs SmoothSwing

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

Head to head
About

The Golf Tracer

Easily trace your golf shots from captured or uploaded videos. Customize tracers with various styles, add yardage, and create engaging content for learning or entertainment. Visualize your game like never before.

Highlights
  • Manual tracer control
  • Customizable tracer styles
  • Add shot yardage
  • Easy video export and sharing
  • Swing sequence creation
  • Video looper functionality
  • Overlay options
Features
Read full description

Trace your golf shots! All you need is your phone. Used by top-ranked pros, social media influencers, and teaching professionals around the world. Golf Tracer is the most easy-to-use, flexible, and beautifully simple golf tracer app in the world! Capture or upload your golf videos and easily trace your shots! Customize your tracers, add yardage, and more! Visualize your shots like never before. Use it as a learning tool or for entertainment on the course or at the range. Features include: • MANUAL TRACER: full control over your tracers • TRACER STYLES: choose any color or style (fireball, USA, electric & more) • SHOT YARDAGE: add yardage like the pros • EASY EXPORT: save and share videos anywhere • SWING SEQUENCE: create a swing sequence with one tap • VIDEO LOOPER: mesmerizing back and forth videos • OVERLAYS: add crowds, scoreboards & more • GOLF EMOJIS: add custom golf emojis • VIDEO LIBRARY: save & edit your content in one place Are you ready to take your golf experience to the next level? Get started today with Golf Tracer! --- Tracer Usage Tips: Keep your phone stable, film until the ball lands, and follow our in-app guides for the best results. If you are having any trouble getting a good result, you can always reach out to our team for immediate feedback. --- Have an idea, question, or feedback? Drop us a line at contact@swingu.com --- • Terms of use: https://blog.gottagolf.com/2015/03/01/golf-tracer-app-terms/ • Privacy policy: https://blog.gottagolf.com/2015/03/01/golf-tracer-app-privacy-policy/

About

SmoothSwing

This app offers a real-time golf shot tracer that visually tracks your ball's flight path. It also provides advanced GPS features, including club distance assistance and slope-adjusted yardage, to help you play smarter on the course.

Highlights
  • Real-time shot tracer
  • 360 Golf GPS
  • Club Assistant
  • PLAYS LIKE Distance (Slope Adjusted Distance)
  • Elevation Change measurement
Read full description

SmoothSwing • The Only Golf Shot Tracer That Works Like Magic! • The Original 360 Golf GPS ™ ► GOLF SHOT TRACER • World's First Real-Time Golf Shot Tracer! • Must use white color golf balls. • Exposure to direct sunlight on a hot day for a long period of time can eventually cause device to become warm. UNSUPPORTED DEVICES *iPhone8, *iPhone 8 Plus, *iPhone X ► GOLF GPS • Club Assistant Set how far you hit each club in your bag. Every time you zoom in Club Assistant shows you where you should expect the ball to end up for each club (based on the PLAYS LIKE Distance). • PLAYS LIKE Distance PLAYS LIKE Distance provides a measurement which compensates for uphill and downhill shots. (PLAYS LIKE Distance is also known as Slope Adjusted Distance.) • ↑/↓ Elevation Change ↑/↓ Elevation Change provides a measurement of the vertical distance, up or down, from where you are standing to the target. Terms Of Service https://www.smoothswingapp.com/terms-of-service Privacy Policy https://www.smoothswingapp.com/privacy-policy

Screenshots

The Golf Tracer4 screens
SmoothSwing4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: SmoothSwing at 4.8 against The Golf Tracer's 3.8. SmoothSwing also leads on review sentiment (50% vs 33%) and ratings volume (12K vs 1.6K). The Golf Tracer's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. The Golf Tracer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and SmoothSwing sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SmoothSwing holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SmoothSwing has 12K ratings behind it against 1.6K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of The Golf Tracer's written reviews are positive against 50% of SmoothSwing's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Golf Tracer ships an update every 2 months, SmoothSwing monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
The Golf Tracer versus SmoothSwing: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Golf TracerSmoothSwing
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (1.6K ratings)4.8 (12K ratings) — better
Positive reviews32.6% of reviews50.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.6K12K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size114 MB106 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperSwing by Swing Golf, Inc.Thomas Turnbull

Customer experience

The Golf Tracer

All ratings1,612 ratings
Positive68.7%
Neutral4.8%
Negative26.4%
Written reviews221 reviews
Positive32.6%
Neutral6.3%
Negative61.1%

SmoothSwing

All ratings11,294 ratings
Positive96.6%
Neutral1.3%
Negative2.1%
Written reviews280 reviews
Positive50.4%
Neutral8.9%
Negative40.7%

User reviews

The Golf Tracer

From 1.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 👍 Customizable tracer options
  • 🚀 Quick processing
  • 👍 Accurate tracing
  • 💡 Ability to edit ball flight

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent ball contact frame selection
  • 🐛 Tracer not staying in place when camera moves
  • 🐛 Delayed tracer response after impact
  • 🐛 Difficulty getting precise impact point
  • 🐛 Inaccurate automatic tracing

SmoothSwing

From 12K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Accurate shot tracer
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 💡 One-time purchase for pro version
  • 🚀 Impressive performance for a free app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent ball tracking, especially for high-speed shots
  • 🔋 Overheating issues in hot weather
  • 🔒 Locked features behind paywall
  • 🐛 Buggy and unreliable performance for some users

Bugs and requests

The Golf Tracer

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes or won't open
  • Inability to save or upload videos
  • Glitches when trying to use manual tracing

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to preview video without downloading
  • Option to adjust tracer distance units
  • Improved UI for selecting ball contact frame
  • Automatic distance/trajectory detection
  • Ability to delete/organize saved videos

SmoothSwing

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Shot tracer not working after purchasing pro version
  • GPS and map features not functioning properly
  • App crashing or freezing during use
  • Inability to track certain ball colors

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to upload and trace pre-recorded videos
  • Landscape mode support
  • More customization options for the shot tracer
  • Improved range finder with clearer visuals

In-app purchases

3 purchases

The Golf Tracer

Subscriptions2
  • Golf Tracer Premium - Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Golf Tracer Premium - Yearly$5.991 Year
One-time1
  • Golf Tracer All Access$4.99
1 purchases

SmoothSwing

One-time1
  • SmoothSwing Pro$9.99

Questions

Is The Golf Tracer free?
The Golf Tracer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SmoothSwing free?
SmoothSwing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, The Golf Tracer or SmoothSwing?
SmoothSwing is rated higher. The Golf Tracer averages 3.8 out of 5 from 1.6K ratings, while SmoothSwing averages 4.8 from 12K ratings.
Do The Golf Tracer or SmoothSwing have ads?
Neither The Golf Tracer nor SmoothSwing shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Golf Tracer or SmoothSwing?
The Golf Tracer ships an update every 2 months, and SmoothSwing monthly. Most recently, The Golf Tracer was updated on November 6, 2026 and SmoothSwing on November 8, 2026.

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