Comparison

PGA Tour vs GHIN

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

Head to head
About

PGA Tour

Follow live golf action, including real-time leaderboards, player scorecards, and shot trails. Access live video, highlights, podcasts, and course details. Get push notifications for your favorite players and tours.

Highlights
  • Real-time leaderboard
  • Live player scorecards
  • Live video and audio
  • Tournament highlights
  • Course details and hole layouts
  • Push notifications
  • Podcast access
Features
Read full description

Experience the PGA Tour like never before on your iOS device with the official PGA Tour App. Follow all of the action from a single app, available for free from the PGA Tour. - Real-time leaderboard with quick access to player scorecards, profiles, and videos - Live player scorecards now featuring shot trails, play by play, and live stats - Tee times and group location information - Follow all the action directly on your lock screen with PGA Tour Live Activities - Access to LIVE video and audio for PGA Tour events - VOD including tournament highlights, round recaps, player features, and more - All your favorite golf Podcasts - Course detail with hole layouts, descriptions, and live stats for each hole - All the latest news from PGATour.com - Push notifications for following your favorite Tour and players - Champions Tour, Korn Ferry Tour, PGA Tour Americas coverage - Location awareness for improved experiences while onsite at select PGA Tour events

About

GHIN

Track your golf scores, analyze your game statistics, and utilize GPS course maps with advanced features. This official app helps golfers manage their handicaps and compete with friends.

Highlights
  • Score Posting
  • Stat Tracking
  • Course Maps & GPS
  • Handicap Calculator
  • Group Score Keeping
  • Apple Watch Integration
Features
Read full description

GHIN is the app built for golfers by the USGA — post scores, track your Handicap Index®, play with GPS, and see the stats that show how your game is trending. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Post scores and track stats — Update your Handicap Index by posting total or hole-by-hole scores, with the option to track fairways, greens in regulation, and putts. • Play a round with GPS: simplified setup, richer course graphics, one-handed scoring, or switch to a simple digital Scorecard if you'd rather skip GPS • See your game in the new Stats section: recent trends, score history, hole-by-hole, advanced stats, and course-specific performance • Set up and play fair matches against other golfers with a Handicap Index — including front nine / back nine / overall results • Compete on virtual leaderboards through Challenges, at select courses through your Allied Golf Association • Play hands-free — track your whole round right from your Apple Watch GETTING STARTED & UPGRADES • Start with a Free Trial: post 3 scores to get an Estimated Handicap Range, and continue posting for 30 days after that • Enhanced GPS is available as a premium upgrade — Green Maps and front/back yardages on your phone, plus hazard and layup yardages on Apple Watch. • Membership through an Allied Golf Association is required for full app functionality Terms of Service - https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy - https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/Handicap-ghin/ghin-privacy-policy.html

Screenshots

PGA Tour4 screens
GHIN4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PGA Tour at none against GHIN's 1. PGA Tour also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). GHIN's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume 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

Both are free to download. GHIN sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $49.99 per year. PGA Tour asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

GHIN holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 45K and 21K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 18% of PGA Tour's written reviews are positive against 25% of GHIN's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PGA Tour ships an update weekly, GHIN every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
PGA Tour versus GHIN: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPGA TourGHIN
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (45K ratings)4.7 (21K ratings) — better
Positive reviews18.2% of reviews25.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings45K — better21K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#21 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size192 MB248 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPGATOUR.com LLCUnited States Golf Association

Customer experience

PGA Tour

All ratings45,485 ratings
Positive88.4%
Neutral3.5%
Negative8.1%
Written reviews577 reviews
Positive18.2%
Neutral13.7%
Negative68.1%

GHIN

All ratings20,679 ratings
Positive95.4%
Neutral1.8%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews276 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral16.7%
Negative58.3%

User reviews

PGA Tour

From 45K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Awesome!
  • 📊 Great app for iPhone
  • 🎧 Audio commentary option
  • 💻 Excellent source of information

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Leaderboard not updating
  • ⏱️ Slow to load and update
  • 🔍 Difficult to navigate
  • 🔋 Drains battery
  • 💰 Too many ads

GHIN

From 21K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Reliable GPS and course data
  • 👍 Handicap tracking and management
  • 💡 Green contour and heat maps
  • 🚀 Efficient score entry and posting

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes and disconnections
  • 🔌 Poor Apple Watch integration and performance
  • 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find desired features
  • 🔋 High battery drain when using GPS

Bugs and requests

PGA Tour

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes frequently
  • Stuck on old tournament leaderboards
  • Unable to update or download app
  • Incompatible with older iOS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Tee times shown in local time zone
  • Automatic start of live activities
  • Ability to turn off notifications
  • More detailed player stats
  • Improved shot tracking and details

GHIN

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Scorecard data not syncing properly between devices
  • Inability to end rounds early and post partial scores
  • GPS distances not updating correctly on Apple Watch
  • Course data not loading consistently

Requested features

4 requests
  • Allow customization of tracked stats
  • Implement landscape mode support
  • Integrate with Apple Health/Activity
  • Improve handicap calculation accuracy

In-app purchases

None

PGA Tour

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

GHIN

Subscriptions1
  • Upgrade to GHIN Enhanced GPS$49.991 Year

Questions

Is PGA Tour free?
PGA Tour is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is GHIN free?
GHIN is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PGA Tour or GHIN?
GHIN is rated higher. PGA Tour averages 4.5 out of 5 from 45K ratings, while GHIN averages 4.7 from 21K ratings.
Do PGA Tour or GHIN have ads?
PGA Tour shows ads; GHIN does not.
Which is updated more often, PGA Tour or GHIN?
PGA Tour ships an update weekly, and GHIN every 3 weeks. Most recently, PGA Tour was updated on November 11, 2026 and GHIN on November 12, 2026.

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