Comparison

Golf Genius vs MatchPlay

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

Head to head
About

Golf Genius

This app enhances the golf experience by allowing live score entry, access to member portals with stats, and easy photo uploads for events. It also provides mobile access for club pros and league managers to event details and offers sponsorship branding opportunities.

Highlights
  • Live score entry
  • Real-time leaderboards
  • Member portal access
  • Photo gallery uploads
  • Event management for pros
  • Sponsorship branding
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Registered Golf Genius players will find the free Golf Genius mobile app an exciting and useful addition to their golf experience. The app is also designed to reduce effort and save valuable time for the pro shop staff and league managers. Here are a few of the most important app functions: (1) Live score entry out on the course (scores can be entered by players or pro staff) that immediately updates full field leaderboards on large TV displays in the clubhouse and on the app itself; (2) access to the custom member portal where players can view tee sheets, results, statistics, etc.; (3) an easy and fast way to upload photos, creating photo galleries that add to the fun for any event; (4) mobile access for club pros and league managers to all events on the golf calendar, with dates, registrants, tee sheets, hole-by-hole scorecards, final results, etc.; (5) mobile, contextual branding exposure and messaging customized for corporate and charity outings sponsors, which translates into an attractive and differentiated “outings offer” and the opportunity for clubs hosting outings to maximize revenue. The Golf Genius mobile app is designed for both iPhone and iPad.

About

MatchPlay

This app simplifies golf betting by tracking various match types in real-time. It handles handicaps, live standings, and instant payout calculations, eliminating manual math and disputes for groups.

Highlights
  • Real-time match tracking
  • Automatic handicap calculations
  • Live standings and payout calculations
  • Supports multiple game types (Match Play, Nassau, Skins, etc.)
  • Customizable game options
  • Global course search
  • Instant net-settled payouts
Features
Read full description

MatchPlay. Play more. Math less. MatchPlay is the ultimate betting scorekeeper for your golf group. Track Match Play, Nassau, Skins, Wolf, Vegas, Nines, and Sixes matches in real time with automatic handicap strokes, live standings, and instant payout calculations the moment your round ends. No more mental math. No more disputes. Just play. MATCH PLAY Head-to-head or 2v2 — MatchPlay tracks who's up on each hole with net scores applied automatically. Press when you're down, win when you're ahead. The match takes care of itself. NASSAU Three bets in one — Front 9, Back 9, and Overall, all running at once. Press a nine when you're down and MatchPlay runs it as its own sub-bet, handicaps and all. You always know who's up, who's dormie, and what it'll cost. SKINS Every hole is its own battle. Ties carry the pot forward until someone takes it clean. MatchPlay tracks the live pot and settles the whole skin ledger at the end. WOLF The rotation changes every hole. Pick a partner after the tee shots, go Lone for double, or call Blind Lone before anyone hits for triple — MatchPlay tracks the team, the multiplier, and the money. VEGAS Two-man teams combine scores into a number (4 and 5 → 45). Lowest number wins the difference in points — and a birdie flips the other team's number against them. MatchPlay does the flip and the math. NINES (5-3-1) Three players, nine points per hole split by net score. MatchPlay handles the splits (5-3-1, 4-4-1, 3-3-3), applies pops, and keeps a live running tally. SIXES (6-6-6) Partners rotate every six holes — you play a match with everyone in the foursome. MatchPlay regroups the teams on 7 and 13 and settles each segment. CUSTOM Running a junk game, dots, or something you invented in the parking lot? Set a value per point and assign points by hand each hole — MatchPlay tracks the ledger and handles the payout. THE PRO SCORECARD A live hole-by-hole scorecard with standard golf notation (circles for birdies, squares for bogeys) so you read the round at a glance, plus handicap strokes shown right where you get them. YOUR PROFILE Claim your @username, set your display name and handicap index, and add a photo. Your profile lives with your account — sign in on any device and you're set up instantly. PLAY WITH YOUR CREW Find your regular partners by @username, send a request, and build your friends list. Add them straight to a match lineup and their handicaps pre-fill automatically. LIVE MULTIPLAYER Invite friends into a match and everyone scores on their own phone — MatchPlay syncs the round across all devices in real time. Accept an invite right from a push notification. SET UP IN SECONDS Search 40,000+ golf courses worldwide. Add up to 4 players with handicaps. Set your stakes. Tap Start. INSTANT PAYOUT When the round ends, MatchPlay shows exactly who owes who — net-settled to the fewest transfers. Tap Pay on Venmo to open Venmo pre-filled with the person, amount, and a note, or save the payout as an image for the group chat. BUILT FOR THE COURSE Live Activity and Dynamic Island keep your match status on screen without opening the app. Scoring works offline during your round — no signal needed at the turn. MatchPlay uses a free account so your profile, friends, and history sync across your devices. DISCLAIMER: MatchPlay is strictly a scorekeeping and math utility. It does not facilitate real-money gambling, connect to bank accounts, hold funds, or process or guarantee any transfer. All wagers tracked are for personal scorekeeping and entertainment among friends. "Pay on Venmo" is a convenience deep link that opens the Venmo app pre-filled with a payee, amount, and note — you review and complete any payment inside Venmo. MatchPlay is not affiliated with Venmo, Inc.

Screenshots

Golf Genius4 screens
MatchPlay4 screens

Verdict

The call

Golf Genius and MatchPlay both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of MatchPlay's written reviews are positive against 26% of Golf Genius's. MatchPlay also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). Golf Genius's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (76K vs 4). On price, rating 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. MatchPlay sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Golf Genius asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MatchPlay holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Golf Genius has 76K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 26% of Golf Genius's written reviews are positive against 100% of MatchPlay's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Golf Genius ships an update every 3 weeks, MatchPlay weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Golf Genius versus MatchPlay: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGolf GeniusMatchPlay
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (76K ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews26.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings76K — better4
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#109 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size59 MB19 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperGolf Genius Software, Inc.Justin Taddeo

Customer experience

Golf Genius

All ratings75,951 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral1.5%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews198 reviews
Positive26.3%
Neutral11.6%
Negative62.1%

MatchPlay

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Golf Genius

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Compatibility issues with newer devices
  • Syncing problems between app and website
  • Incorrect handicap calculations
  • Scores not saving properly

Requested features

5 requests
  • Allow reorganizing player names
  • Increase font size
  • Add Apple Watch functionality
  • Ability to cancel registrations
  • Putt tracking feature

MatchPlay

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Golf Genius

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

MatchPlay

One-time1
  • MatchPlay Pro$2.99

Questions

Is Golf Genius free?
Golf Genius is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MatchPlay free?
MatchPlay is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Golf Genius or MatchPlay?
MatchPlay is rated higher. Golf Genius averages 4.8 out of 5 from 76K ratings, while MatchPlay averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Golf Genius or MatchPlay have ads?
Neither Golf Genius nor MatchPlay shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Golf Genius or MatchPlay?
Golf Genius ships an update every 3 weeks, and MatchPlay weekly. Most recently, Golf Genius was updated on November 9, 2026 and MatchPlay on November 5, 2026.

Other comparisons