Comparison

GHIN vs Arccos Golf

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

Head to head
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

This is the official mobile app of the Golf Handicap Information Network (GHIN), a service offered by the USGA to golf associations worldwide. Key features include: • Score Posting (Total Score, Hole-by-Hole Score and Hole-by-Hole Score with Stats) • Stat Tracking (Number of Putts, Approach Shot Accuracy and Driving Accuracy) • Course Maps & GPS • Enhanced GPS Features (Putt Break Map, Approach Shot Heat Map, Shot Tracking) • Games & Group Score Keeping • Apple Watch integration • Golfer Lookup • Handicap Calculator 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

About

Arccos Golf

This AI-powered golf app automatically tracks your shots and provides smart rangefinding. It analyzes your game to offer personalized strategies and detailed green maps, helping you improve your performance and lower your scores.

Highlights
  • AI-powered automatic shot tracking
  • Smart laser rangefinder with weather data
  • AI strategy for club and target recommendations
  • LiDAR-mapped green maps
  • Strokes Gained Analytics
  • Real club distance tracking
Features
Read full description

PLAY SMARTER GOLF Arccos is the Official Game Tracker of the PGA TOUR. AI-powered game tracking and Smart Laser Rangefinder trusted by pros including Matt Fitzpatrick, and golfers at every level. Now improved with greater depth, personalization, focus, and actionable recommendations. THE NEW ARCCOS APP — NOW ROLLING OUT ON iOS The biggest update we've ever made. Every tab rebuilt. New AI features throughout. The app now tells you exactly what to do — not just what happened. WHERE TO FOCUS — YOUR PERSONAL PRACTICE PLAN Your Player tab pinpoints exactly where your next stroke is hiding across all four facets — Driving, Approach, Short Game, and Putting — using Strokes Gained analysis. Lock in a focus area and get personalized drill recommendations built from your own data. A real plan, for your game. SHOT DISPERSION — SEE WHERE YOUR SHOTS ACTUALLY GO Visual dispersion charts for every club. See where your shots land relative to target — consistency, miss tendencies, weapons vs. liabilities. The clearest scope of your ball-striking you've ever had. AI ROUND SUMMARIES — YOUR ROUND, TOLD LIKE A STORY After every round: an AI-generated summary of what actually happened. Skill Score, Club MVP, PGA Tour Quality Shots, Round Arc, and a Practice Focus with specific drills to work on before your next tee time. COURSES — YOUR GOLF PASSPORT A global map of every course you've ever played. Tap any course for hole-by-hole Strokes Gained, AI Course Insights, and Hole Highlights showing exactly which holes have been costing you strokes. PRE-ROUND WARMUP — SHOW UP READY A personalized 15, 30, or 60-minute range routine, generated based on your recent data and current focus. Specific clubs, specific drills. Practice with purpose. ARCCOS AIR — FIRST YEAR FREE No sensors required. Slip the Air AI wearable into your pocket and play. AI trained on 1.5 billion shots automatically detects every shot with Tour-level accuracy. Or add Smart Sensors for definitive club-by-club analysis. Your choice, every round. Link Pro users upgrade automatically — no purchase required. SMART LASER RANGEFINDER — FIRST YEAR FREE Know it's 176 yards to carry the bunker. Slope-only rangefinders capture just 19% of distance adjustments. Smart Laser factors in slope, wind, temperature, humidity, and altitude to capture it all, often making a club’s difference. Auto pin-setting syncs the flag to your app automatically. AI STRATEGY & GREEN MAPS — ALL iOS SUBSCRIBERS Recommended club and optimal target every shot, based on your tendencies, course layout, hazards, and conditions. The same strategy Matt Fitzpatrick used to win his major. Green Maps: LiDAR-mapped to 1mm precision across 9,000+ courses in the US, 3,000+ worldwide. See slopes, breaks, and exact pin position. AUTOMATIC GAME TRACKING Every shot tracked across 18 holes on 40,000+ courses worldwide. Strokes Gained Analytics. Smart Club Distances — your real numbers, not your best guesses. RESULTS New Arccos members lower their handicaps by 25% on average in the first year. Hit approach shots 14.9 feet closer and sink more birdies. With lower scores, you’ll have more to celebrate and share at the 19th hole. - Official Game Tracker of the PGA TOUR - 1.5 billion shots, 4 trillion data points - Works with Arccos Air, Smart Sensors, Smart Laser, Link/Link Pro, Apple Watch - Fast Company World's Most Innovative Companies — #3 in Sports - Partners: PGA TOUR, PING, Cobra Golf, Club Champion, Golf Digest Stop guessing. Start knowing. Play better golf.

Screenshots

GHIN4 screens
Arccos Golf4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: GHIN at 4.8 against Arccos Golf's 4.6. GHIN also leads on chart position (#30 vs unranked) and device support (4 vs 2). Arccos Golf's advantage is review sentiment (40% vs 26%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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 and Arccos Golf sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $199.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

GHIN holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 21K and 33K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 26% of GHIN's written reviews are positive against 40% of Arccos Golf's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

GHIN ships an update every 3 weeks, Arccos Golf every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
GHIN versus Arccos Golf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGHINArccos Golf
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (21K ratings) — better4.6 (33K ratings)
Positive reviews26.1% of reviews39.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings21K33K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#30 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size359 MB311 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUnited States Golf AssociationArccos Golf LLC

Customer experience

GHIN

All ratings20,611 ratings
Positive95.6%
Neutral1.7%
Negative2.6%
Written reviews230 reviews
Positive26.1%
Neutral18.3%
Negative55.7%

Arccos Golf

All ratings32,613 ratings
Positive90.2%
Neutral7.3%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews440 reviews
Positive39.8%
Neutral15.2%
Negative45.0%

User reviews

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

Arccos Golf

From 33K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Helpful data and analytics
  • 🚀 Accurate club distance tracking
  • 💡 Useful caddie feature
  • 👍 Great customer support
  • 👍 Insightful for improving game

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent shot detection
  • 🔋 High battery drain
  • 👎 Difficult user interface
  • 🐛 Syncing issues with Apple Watch
  • 👎 Expensive subscription

Bugs and requests

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

Arccos Golf

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes and freezes during rounds
  • Incorrect hole and shot tracking
  • Unreliable sensor connectivity

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to view round stats on mobile app
  • Better course mapping and layout visualization
  • Improved handling of penalties and missed shots
  • Integration with other golf apps and platforms

In-app purchases

1 purchases

GHIN

Subscriptions1
  • Upgrade to GHIN Enhanced GPS$49.991 Year
2 purchases

Arccos Golf

Subscriptions2
  • AI Strategy1 Year trial$199.991 Year
  • Arccos 1-year Subscription14 Days trial$199.991 Year

Questions

Is GHIN free?
GHIN is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Arccos Golf free?
Arccos Golf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, GHIN or Arccos Golf?
GHIN is rated higher. GHIN averages 4.8 out of 5 from 21K ratings, while Arccos Golf averages 4.6 from 33K ratings.
Do GHIN or Arccos Golf have ads?
Neither GHIN nor Arccos Golf shows ads.
Which is updated more often, GHIN or Arccos Golf?
GHIN ships an update every 3 weeks, and Arccos Golf every 2 weeks. Most recently, GHIN was updated on September 24, 2026 and Arccos Golf on September 25, 2026.

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