SwingU Golf GPS by Golf Genius vs PING
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SwingU Golf GPS by Golf Genius
This app provides a free, accurate golf GPS rangefinder and digital scorecard. It offers features like shot tracking, handicap estimation, and daily instruction tips. Premium upgrades unlock advanced analytics, club recommendations, and personalized training plans.
- Free GPS rangefinder with distances to greens and hazards
- Digital scorecard with auto hole advance
- Free handicap estimate
- Shot tracking and club distance insights
- Daily golf instruction tips
- Apple Watch integration for distances and scoring
- AI-powered digital caddie with club recommendations
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SwingU is the top-rated golf GPS rangefinder and scorecard app, trusted by more than 8 million golfers worldwide to play smarter, shoot lower scores, and get more out of every round. Rated 4.7 stars from 131,000+ reviews. GPS, scoring, and handicap tracking are always free, no subscription required. Upgrade when you're ready — it's always your call. WHAT DO I GET FOR FREE • GPS rangefinder that works on every course in the world, with distances to greens and hazards • Digital scorecard that tracks score and putts and auto-advances hole to hole • Golf Genius tournaments, live leaderboards, and scoring • Free handicap estimate after posting just 9 holes • Shot tracking that shows how far you really hit each club • Tap the flag on any hole for distances to 5+ tiers of the green • A daily instruction tip from our team of Top-100 teachers • Apple Watch app: distances and scoring for you and your group • HealthKit support on the Watch, including calories burned The only golfer community-verified course database in the world — 34,000+ courses and growing. CAN I PLAY REAL TOURNAMENTS IN SWINGU Yes. SwingU is part of the Golf Genius family, the tournament management platform used by thousands of clubs, courses, and golf associations worldwide. Golfers can join a Golf Genius event, post scores from the SwingU scorecard, and follow live leaderboards without leaving the app. WHAT IS SWINGU PLUS SwingU Plus is our AI-powered digital caddie subscription. It adds: • AI Digital Caddie with "Plays Like" yardages using live wind speed and elevation • Club recommendations based on your club distances, shot tracking, and conditions • StrackaLine Green Maps for 20,000+ courses — precise slopes and break lines on laser-mapped greens • Hole Insights — your hole stats vs. all SwingU golfers for strategic decision making • Hole notes you can reference the next time you play • Enhanced scorecard — putts, driver accuracy, bunker play, penalties, and detailed round summaries • On-the-course games with handicap-adjusted scoring: Stroke Play, Skins, Stableford, Match Play, and Nassau WHAT IS SWINGU PRO SwingU Pro is our elite game-improvement subscription, and includes everything in Plus: • SwingU strokes gained — the world's easiest-to-use strokes gained platform, used by 50+ active tour players and 100+ college golfers • Performance comparison vs. your target handicap (from +6 to 30) • Relative handicap for every facet: driving, approach, short game, bunker play, and putting • Post-round #1 improvement priority, plus a prescriptive drill from a Top-100 teacher • SwingU TV — 600+ lessons and drills from Top-100 teachers, anytime WHY DO MILLIONS OF GOLFERS USE SWINGU • Reliable and easy to use — one tap and you're playing • Helping golfers improve since 2008 • The only golfer community-verified course database in the world • Backed by Golf Genius, the technology behind competitive golf at thousands of clubs === OTHER INFO Monthly and yearly subscription upgrades are available. Payment for in-app subscriptions will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by you, and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to your iTunes Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. As a registered user, you'll be subscribed to the world's top golf daily newsletter which includes promotions from our partners. You can 1-click unsubscribe at any time. Despite years of optimizing the app, constant use of GPS running in the background can decrease battery life. Full terms and the EULA are available at: • swingu.com/terms-of-service/ • clubhouse.swingu.com/eula/
PING
This app provides authorized PING club fitters and retailers with a precise tool for tour-level putter fittings. It measures and analyzes five key putting stroke indicators to recommend optimal putter specifications.
- Measures 5 key putting stroke indicators
- Proprietary fitting algorithm
- Guided Fit mode
- Single Putt mode
- Practice session mode
- Live Loft and Lie measurement
- Co-Pilot Mode integration
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The new iPING 2.0 putter app provides authorized PING club fitters and retailers a precise and easy-to-use a tool to ensure golfers experience a tour-level putter fitting from golf’s leader in custom fitting. The patented technology measures and analyzes five key performance indicators in the putting stroke; 1) closing angle; 2) impact angle; 3) tempo; 4) lie angle and 5) shaft lean. These stroke metrics, combined with detailed input from the golfer, are analyzed by a proprietary fitting algorithm which recommends the proper stroke type, length, loft, lie and weight for a PING putter. The iPING 2.0 app offers five modes: 1) Guided Fit: Club fitting professionals recommend putter specifications by considering a variety of metrics; wrist-to-floor measurements, posture, gripping style, miss tendencies, green speed and speed performance in conjunction with hitting five (5) 10 ft. putts. In this mode, putter comparisons can also be made and quantified. 2) Single Putt: Club fitting professionals recommend putter specifications by capturing three (3) 10 ft. putts. Ideal for golf shop settings and quickly classifying a player’s Stroke Type. 3) Practice session: Allows club fitting and teaching professionals to measure single-stroke metrics during a putting lesson. 4) Live Loft and Lie: Allows club fitting and teaching professionals to measure loft and lie in real-time. 5) Co-Pilot Mode: Using PING Co-Pilot on the computer, tablet, or mobile device, this mode will allow fitters to seamlessly pair iPING on iOS to PING Co-Pilot for a new and updated putter fitting experience. At this time, the iPING 2.0 app is intended for use by authorized PING retailers and club fitters only. All technical support and availability of accessories will only be available to authorized PING club fitters and retailers.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: SwingU Golf GPS by Golf Genius at 4.7 against PING's 2.1. SwingU Golf GPS by Golf Genius also leads on review sentiment (63% vs 31%) and ratings volume (136K vs 94). PING's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 12) and ads (none vs shown). On price 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
Both are free to download. SwingU Golf GPS by Golf Genius sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $13.99 per month. PING asks for nothing beyond the download.
SwingU Golf GPS by Golf Genius holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SwingU Golf GPS by Golf Genius has 136K ratings behind it against 94, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of SwingU Golf GPS by Golf Genius's written reviews are positive against 31% of PING's.
SwingU Golf GPS by Golf Genius ships an update monthly, PING every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SwingU Golf GPS by Golf Genius | PING |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (136K ratings) — better | 2.1 (94 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 63.2% of reviews — better | 31.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 136K — better | 94 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #44 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 165 MB | 66 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Swing by Swing Golf, Inc. | PING, Inc. |
Customer experience
SwingU Golf GPS by Golf Genius
PING
User reviews
SwingU Golf GPS by Golf Genius
From 136K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Accurate distances
- 📊 Great stat tracking
- ⌚ Apple Watch integration
- 📚 Helpful coaching/drills
- 🤝 Responsive customer support
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy Apple Watch app
- 🔋 High battery drain
- 🤔 Inconsistent GPS accuracy
- 📉 Declining quality after updates
- 💰 Expensive subscription
PING
From 94 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great tool for fitting putters
- 👍 Provides a lot of putting information
- 🚀 Excellent for improving putting consistency
- 👍 Nice app for putter fitters
Room to improve
- 🐛 Doesn't work with iPhone 4S/5
- 🐛 Doesn't register all putts
- 🔒 Now only available for Ping fitters
- 🔒 Locks out regular users
- 💸 Expensive cradle now useless
Bugs and requests
SwingU Golf GPS by Golf Genius
Reported bugs
4 issues- App freezes/crashes mid-round
- Scores not syncing between phone and watch
- Incorrect hole/course information
- Yardages not updating in real-time
Requested features
5 requests- Add Stableford scoring option
- Allow manual club distance entry
- Improve Apple Watch UI and functionality
- Integrate with GHIN handicap system
- Add green/hazard images to Apple Watch
PING
Reported bugs
4 issues- Doesn't register all putts
- Crashes and freezes frequently
- Incompatible with newer iPhones
- Deletes user data after updates
Requested features
5 requests- Allow non-fitters to use the app
- Bring back the old version for public use
- Add more data and analytics for users
- Improve putt registration accuracy
- Provide more guidance on interpreting data
In-app purchases
SwingU Golf GPS by Golf Genius
- SwingU Premium Monthly$13.991 Month
- SwingU Premium2 variants$14.991 Month
- SwingU Pro$14.991 Month
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- SwingU Pro$24.991 Month
- SwingU Plus$59.991 Year
- SwingU Plus7 Days trial$59.991 Year
- SwingU Premium2 variants$99.991 Year
- SwingU Premium Yearly7 Days trial$99.991 Year
- SwingU Pro7 Days trial$99.991 Year
PING
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is SwingU Golf GPS by Golf Genius free?
Is PING free?
Which has better reviews, SwingU Golf GPS by Golf Genius or PING?
Do SwingU Golf GPS by Golf Genius or PING have ads?
Which is updated more often, SwingU Golf GPS by Golf Genius or PING?
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