Comparison

Expert Golf vs DECADE powered by BirdieFire

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

Head to head
About

Expert Golf

Instantly resolve on-course golf rules confusion with this interactive reference. Utilize virtual referee assistance to understand relief procedures and gain an advantage. Features 3D graphics, animations, and videos for clear, practical guidance.

Highlights
  • Instant rules resolution
  • 3D image rulings
  • Interactive relief finder
  • Animated illustrations and videos
  • Stroke play and match play rules
  • User-friendly interface
Features
Read full description

▸ GOLF DIGEST wrote: “Image rulings in 3-D on every possible on-course conundrum.” ▸ WALL STREET JOURNAL wrote: “An essential resource for solving any in-game confusion.” ▸ GOLF MAGAZINE wrote: “Simply choose where your ball lies and the object you want relief from, and iGolfrules instantly directs you to the correct ruling.” ▸ OFFICIALLY recommended by Apple; one of the world’s most popular sport apps (in the App Store top ten continually for many years). iGolfrules by Expert Golf provides the answers to your rules questions in a matter of seconds. You have a virtual referee constantly at your side who helps you to use the golf rules to your benefit and utilize all the relief procedures available. Why Expert Golf is better ▸ User-friendly and intuitive operation (a manual is superfluous). ▸ You find the right solution with a maximum of 3 clicks. ▸ More than 200 graphics, animated illustrations and videos. ▸ Focuses on practical situations and is easy-to-understand. ▸ Contains the rules for stroke play and match play. ▸ An interactive help tool tells you instantly whether you are entitled to free relief. ▸ Excellent customer ratings and top rankings in the App Store. ▸ Leading app for many years and improved with regular updates. The application is based on “Golf Rules Quick Reference”, a multi-award winning international bestseller, which has been translated into over 20 languages and has sold more than 2.5 million copies. Conforms to USGA/ R&A rules valid as of 2023 (including free updates until the next rules revision). If you are happy with our app we would be grateful if you would take a moment of your time to post a rating/ write a review in the App Store. If, for whatever reason, you are not happy with the app or have any questions about it please contact our support team at support@expertgolf.com.

About

DECADE powered by BirdieFire

Learn proven course management strategies used by top golfers to improve your game. Access tour-level insights, statistical profiling, and weekly video content. Optimize your strategy to reduce lost strokes and achieve better results on the course.

Highlights
  • DECADE Strategy access
  • Tour-level course management
  • Statistical profiling
  • Weekly video content
  • Course strategy optimization
  • Strokes lost reduction
Features
Read full description

You can't play the odds if you don't know the odds Stop Wasting Shots & Get The Results You Deserve Harness the DECADE strategy that is used by: -5 World #1's -PGA Tour Winners -Web.com Winners -NCAA Champions -USGA Champions Through the DECADE app, you get access to the proven and revolutionary DECADE Strategy. Tour Level Course Management and Statistical Profiling at your fingertips, anywhere. Learn how tournament winners manage their game by optimizing course strategy. Also, unlike other tools on the market, DECADE will constantly bring you fresh new video content on a weekly basis, due to work with our PGA Tour players and top college programs. Its not about Strokes Gained as much as it’s about reducing Strokes Lost. DECADE FOUNDATIONS SUBSCRIPTION Since launching the DECADE App three years ago we have learned many things, not the least of which is that it can quickly make virtually anyone a much better player, and it’s a lot for younger or less experienced players to consume. The Elite version of the DECADE App was designed to replace the live DECADE Seminar which is over four hours long and intended for elite players. We did not anticipate all the interest it would generate with junior golfers and mid-handicap players. I guess we should have. With that in mind we have created DECADE Foundations to replace our Lite product to better serve that audience. Junior will drastically slow down the avalanche of information within the App. This will more appropriately match the Golf IQ of our subscribers. Over the course of six months the content within the App will walk a player through the basics of course management and mindset slowly morphing into the Elite version of strategy over time. The statistics portal will also start slow and build into a robust and easy to use portal DECADE ELITE SUBSCRIPTION required for GPS Stats Entry, Peer Strokes Gained Comparison and Custom Tailored Yardage Books. **DECADE account required to access content 6 Month DECADE Foundations Subscription available through App Store for $99.99 which is charged to your iTunes account upon purchase. The subscription auto-renews unless turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current 6 month period. You can manage your payment details or cancel your membership in user's Account Settings. Terms of Use: https://www.birdiefire.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.birdiefire.com/privacy

Screenshots

Expert Golf4 screens
DECADE powered by BirdieFire4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: DECADE powered by BirdieFire at Free against Expert Golf's $19.99. DECADE powered by BirdieFire also leads on rating (4.3 vs 2.5) and update cadence (weekly vs every 5 months). Expert Golf's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.1). On ads, in-app purchases 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

DECADE powered by BirdieFire is free to download; Expert Golf costs $19.99 up front. Expert Golf sells 7 one-off in-app purchases and DECADE powered by BirdieFire sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $49.99 per 6 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

DECADE powered by BirdieFire holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DECADE powered by BirdieFire has 189 ratings behind it against 32, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of Expert Golf's written reviews are positive against 64% of DECADE powered by BirdieFire's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Expert Golf ships an update every 5 months, DECADE powered by BirdieFire weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Expert Golf versus DECADE powered by BirdieFire: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterExpert GolfDECADE powered by BirdieFire
Price$19.99Free — better
Rating2.5 (32 ratings)4.3 (189 ratings) — better
Positive reviews55.4% of reviews63.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings32189 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPod, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size329 MB62 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGolf Rules Made EasyBirdieFire LLC

Customer experience

Expert Golf

All ratings32 ratings
Positive37.5%
Neutral3.1%
Negative59.4%
Written reviews260 reviews
Positive55.4%
Neutral6.5%
Negative38.1%

DECADE powered by BirdieFire

All ratings188 ratings
Positive78.2%
Neutral4.8%
Negative17.0%
Written reviews96 reviews
Positive63.5%
Neutral6.3%
Negative30.2%

Bugs and requests

Expert Golf

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

DECADE powered by BirdieFire

Reported bugs

15 issues
  • App crashes when entering rounds or using driving target tool
  • Video player freezes and won't load content
  • Yardage books fail to download
  • Login screen shows infinite loading wheel
  • Tee shot feature red dot misalignment with club selection
Show 10 more
  • Yardage calculation errors
  • App freezes on startup screen after updates
  • Driving targets tool crashes on specific courses
  • Cannot add strokes gained data
  • Rounds not saving without phone restart
  • Videos missing audio
  • Progress tracking shows incorrect completion status
  • Putting simulation fields disappearing
  • Embedded web pages display too small
  • Constant app crashes on iPad and iPhone

Requested features

12 requests
  • Unified single app (currently requires three separate apps for coaches)
  • Ability to edit or delete entered rounds
  • Better video organization and progress tracking
  • Support for nine-hole courses
  • Improved course database coverage
Show 7 more
  • Dark mode option
  • Background audio playback for videos
  • Better progress bar positioning in video player
  • Clearer FAQs and onboarding tutorials
  • GIR percentage tracking in base version
  • Side of green miss tracking
  • Improved driving tool functionality

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Expert Golf

One-time7
  • Expert Golf – Score card for one year$9.99
  • Expert Golf – Tips$9.99
  • Expert Golf – iGolfrules 2012–2015$9.99
Show 4 more
  • iGolfrules 2016–2018$9.99
  • iGolfrules 2019$14.99
  • Expert Golf – GPS for one year$19.99
  • iGolfrules 2023$19.99
3 purchases

DECADE powered by BirdieFire

Subscriptions3
  • DECADE$49.996 Months
  • DECADE Foundations7 Days trial$124.996 Months
  • DECADE Elite$229.996 Months

Questions

Is Expert Golf free?
Expert Golf costs $19.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is DECADE powered by BirdieFire free?
DECADE powered by BirdieFire is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Expert Golf or DECADE powered by BirdieFire?
DECADE powered by BirdieFire is rated higher. Expert Golf averages 2.5 out of 5 from 32 ratings, while DECADE powered by BirdieFire averages 4.3 from 189 ratings.
Do Expert Golf or DECADE powered by BirdieFire have ads?
Neither Expert Golf nor DECADE powered by BirdieFire shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Expert Golf or DECADE powered by BirdieFire?
Expert Golf ships an update every 5 months, and DECADE powered by BirdieFire weekly. Most recently, Expert Golf was updated on October 31, 2026 and DECADE powered by BirdieFire on November 2, 2026.

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