Golfshot Golf GPS Range Finder vs The Open
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Golfshot Golf GPS Range Finder
This app provides GPS distances to greens and hazards on over 47,000 golf courses worldwide. It offers automatic shot tracking, performance analysis, and club recommendations to help golfers improve their game and lower scores.
- GPS distances to greens and hazards
- Automatic shot tracking
- Performance analysis (Strokes Gained)
- Club recommendations
- 3D course previews
- Scoring for multiple players
- Apple Watch integration
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Get pinpoint GPS distances on 47,000+ golf courses worldwide, automatic shot tracking, scoring, handicap posting, and Strokes Gained analytics — whether you're a beginner or a scratch golfer chasing a course record. *Why Golfers Choose Golfshot* - Best golf app for Apple Watch — the original Apple Watch golf GPS since 2015. Play hands-free with distances, auto-advance, scoring, and shot tracking right on your wrist. - Best shot tracking app in golf — Auto Shot Tracking (AST) uses Apple Watch machine learning to capture every shot automatically. No tags, no buttons, no extra devices.. - Best golf GPS app worldwide — 47,000+ courses across 169 countries with front/center/back-of-green distances, hazards, targets, and 3D flyovers. - Best scoring and handicap tracking app — link your Handicap Index® and post World Handicap System scores hole-by-hole, directly from the app. - Best golf app for every skill level — beginners get easy scoring. Intermediates get Strokes Gained and Swing ID. Scratch golfers get tour-level shot data w/ auto shot tracking and Round Reviews. - Exclusive Golf Genius tournament integration — the only golf app that lets you play, score, and track Golf Genius tournament rounds with GPS & scoring. *Golf GPS & Course Management Intelligence* - Best-in-class GPS distances to greens, hazards, layups, and targets - 3D hole previews and flyovers — visualize and plan every shot before you hit - Auto-advance between holes plus voice hole information for hands-free play *Automatic Shot Tracking & Strokes Gained* - Auto Shot Tracking (AST) on Apple Watch — every shot captured automatically - Auto Strokes Gained — see exactly where you gain or lose strokes Off the Tee, On Approach, Around the Green, and Putting - Swing ID — automated swing analysis on every shot, so you learn your real club distances and dispersion - Smart Caddy — personalized club recommendations based on your shot history - 3D Flyover Round Review to view, edit, and share every shot *Scoring, Handicap & Friends* - Stroke Play, Stableford, Skins, Nassau, and Match Play scoring for you or your foursome - Link your USGA Handicap Index® and post scores directly through Golfshot - Share scores, swings, and tracked shots with friends - Pace of Play tracking and Apple Health and Fitness integration *Practice & Improvement* - Swing ID On Range — distances to driving range targets without a rangefinder - Save practice shots to see club dispersion and shot distribution over time - Statistics dashboard built from your real round and practice history *Tournament Play* - Exclusive Golf Genius integration — play GPS-enabled tournament rounds in Golfshot - Real-time scoring synced to your Golf Genius tournament leaderboard - GolfNow tee time deals plus $20 off Hot Deal tee times for Pro members *Free vs. Pro Membership - Try Pro out with a 7-day free trial* Free includes: GPS distances, shot tracking, scoring, statistics, 3D hole previews, Handicap Index® linking, Apple Watch GPS, and GolfNow tee times. Pro Membership unlocks: Front/center/back-of-green distances, hazard and target distances, Smart Caddy club recommendations, Auto Shot Tracking, Strokes Gained, Swing ID for Apple Watch, Club Recommendations, Apple Watch scoring, ad-free experience, and exclusive partner benefits. Some features require a subscription. Golfshot offers weekly, monthly, and yearly membership options purchased in-app and renewed automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage subscriptions through your iTunes account. Starting a paid subscription while a free trial is active will end the trial and activate the membership immediately. Golfshot GPS requires a GPS-enabled iPhone® or iPad®. Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. View our privacy policy and terms of service at https://golfshot.com/privacy-policy and https://golfshot.com/terms-of-service
The Open
Experience live coverage of golf's original Championship, including feature groups, range sessions, and unique par-3 channel footage. Stay updated with real-time scores, tee times, news, and highlights. Access year-round content like films, documentaries, coaching videos, and podcasts.
- Live championship coverage
- Feature group coverage
- Live at the Range
- Up-to-date scoring and tee times
- Live blog
- News, video highlights, and features
- Films, documentaries, and podcasts
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Download the enhanced Open App to enjoy unrivalled coverage from Royal Birkdale. Whether you’ll be part of the captivated crowd or watching every shot from afar, we’ve got you covered. Here are some of the features that are just a tap away: • Free live streams, including Featured Groups • A new interactive Open fantasy game • Our most in-depth course guide to date • A leaderboard that you can add to your lock screen • See live ball positions and routes to the hole for every player • Daily weather updates • Stats Centre
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The Open at none against Golfshot Golf GPS Range Finder's 13. The Open also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly). Golfshot Golf GPS Range Finder's advantage is review sentiment (61% vs 28%) and ratings volume (79K vs 4.9K). On price, rating, monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Golfshot Golf GPS Range Finder sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. The Open asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Golfshot Golf GPS Range Finder against 4.6 for The Open. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Golfshot Golf GPS Range Finder has 79K ratings behind it against 4.9K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 61% of Golfshot Golf GPS Range Finder's written reviews are positive against 28% of The Open's.
Golfshot Golf GPS Range Finder ships an update fortnightly, The Open every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Golfshot Golf GPS Range Finder | The Open |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (79K ratings) — better | 4.6 (4.9K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 61.0% of reviews — better | 28.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 79K — better | 4.9K |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #19 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 17.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 210 MB | 79 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Golf Genius Mobile, LLC | The R&A |
Customer experience
Golfshot Golf GPS Range Finder
The Open
User reviews
Golfshot Golf GPS Range Finder
From 79K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Accurate GPS and distances
- 👍 Easy to use and navigate
- 📊 Helpful statistics and tracking
- 🌍 Works well on courses around the world
- 💯 Excellent customer support
Room to improve
- 🔋 Battery drain on Apple Watch
- 🐛 Inconsistent shot tracking
- 🤔 Confusing subscription tiers
- 📍 Inaccurate course maps and distances
- ⏱️ Slow GPS updates on Apple Watch
The Open
From 4.9K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Excellent coverage and commentary
- 🚀 Fantastic app for following the Open
- 💡 Great radio coverage
- 👍 Brilliant app with lots of great features
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes frequently
- 🐛 Connection issues and video not working
- 🐛 Difficult to navigate and poor layout
- 🐛 Requires sign-up/login to access features
- 🐛 Missing key features like shot tracking
Bugs and requests
Golfshot Golf GPS Range Finder
Reported bugs
4 issues- Randomly deleted scores during rounds
- Inability to edit tracked shots after the round
- Syncing issues between iPhone and Apple Watch
- Incorrect hole/course information not being updated
Requested features
5 requests- Putting statistics and analysis
- Ability to track shots on the driving range
- Handicap integration with local golf associations
- Real-time score sharing with playing partners
- More customization options for the Apple Watch app
The Open
Reported bugs
4 issues- Leaderboard scores not updating properly
- Favorites list keeps getting reset
- Login/sign-up process not working
- App crashing on launch or during use
Requested features
5 requests- Player bios and stats
- Ability to sort leaderboard
- Live shot tracking
- Improved video streaming quality
- Easier navigation and UI
In-app purchases
Golfshot Golf GPS Range Finder
- Pro Features for Classic Members$4.991 Month
- Pro Features Subscription7 Days trial$4.997 Days
- Pro7 Days trial$5.997 Days
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- Pro Features Subscription3 Days trial$6.991 Month
- Pro$14.991 Month
- Pro Features for Classic Members$49.991 Year
- Pro Features Subscription7 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Pro Features Subscription7 Days trial$59.991 Year
- Pro7 Days trial$79.991 Year
- Champions: Pro and Golfplan7 Days trial$99.991 Year
The Open
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Golfshot Golf GPS Range Finder free?
Is The Open free?
Which has better reviews, Golfshot Golf GPS Range Finder or The Open?
Do Golfshot Golf GPS Range Finder or The Open have ads?
Which is updated more often, Golfshot Golf GPS Range Finder or The Open?
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