Comparison

Golf Journal vs Fairway Journal

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

Head to head
About

Golf Journal

Track your golf performance with this app, logging rounds, practice sessions, scores, and media. Analyze your game with performance graphs and iCloud syncing. Ideal for golfers of all levels aiming to improve.

Highlights
  • Round diary and score tracking
  • Practice session documentation
  • Photo and video gallery
  • Performance graphs
  • iCloud syncing
Features
Read full description

Golf Journal is a golf diary for your rounds, your practice and your handicap. Log a round from its total in about 20 seconds, or hole by hole, and watch your handicap estimate move as you play. ROUNDS • Log the total, or score hole by hole: strokes, putts, fairways, greens in regulation and penalties. • Out and In totals, and a scorecard with your birdies, bogeys and doubles marked. • Notes, a feel rating, photos and videos for every round. • Scan a paper scorecard: take a photo and the hole scores are read on your iPhone for you to check. • Golf workouts recorded with the Workout app on Apple Watch show up ready to become rounds, with the date filled in. HANDICAP ESTIMATE • Uses the World Handicap System formula: the best 8 of your last 20 rounds, with nine-hole rounds paired. • See your trend, which rounds count, which one drops out next and what score would bring your estimate down. • Course handicap for each set of tees, net score and Stableford points. • Have an official Handicap Index from your club? Enter it and Golf Journal uses it for course handicap, net and Stableford. It's an estimate to follow your game, not an official Handicap Index. COURSES • Tees with course rating, slope, par and yardage, and a scorecard with par and stroke index for every hole. • Look up courses near you or by name. Course data comes from OpenStreetMap. • Your average and best score at each course. PRACTICE • Log practice sessions: range, putting, chipping, bunker, on course, lessons and more, with time, balls and notes. • Keep your swing cues and drills from one session to the next. • Start the practice timer and fill in the rest when you finish. • Turn a round's notes into a plan for your next session. INSIGHTS • How often you make birdie, par, bogey and worse, and how you score on par 3s, 4s and 5s. • Your hardest holes, your scoring by course and by month, and where your practice time goes. • Set a goal, such as breaking 90 or getting down to 15, and see how far off it you are. ON ALL YOUR DEVICES • iCloud sync between your devices. No account to create; your diary stays on your devices and in your iCloud. • Widgets for your handicap estimate and your last round. • Siri and Shortcuts: "Log round", "Log practice", "What's my handicap". • A reminder when you haven't logged a round for a while. • Yards or meters. GOLF JOURNAL PRO Golf Journal is free for up to 3 rounds, 3 practice sessions and 2 courses. Golf Journal Pro removes the limits and adds export: your rounds as a spreadsheet (CSV) and a printable season report (PDF). Pro is available as a subscription or a one-time purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Payment is charged to your Apple Account. Manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.mygolfjournal.app/posts/privacy

About

Fairway Journal

Track your golf rounds, visualize your playing history on an interactive map, and collect digital representations of courses played. Compare your performance with friends and global leaderboards, and create wishlists of dream courses.

Highlights
  • Digital ball collection for played courses
  • Interactive map of played courses
  • Bucket list and top-10 course features
  • Global and friends leaderboards
  • Effortless round entry and trend charts
  • Course import and creation
  • Tournament trophy tracking
Features
Read full description

Fairway Journal Your personal golf collection, all in one place. Golf is more than a score. It’s the courses you’ve played, the rounds you remember, and the collection you build over time. Collect. Track. Relive. • Collect Digital Golf Balls Every course you play becomes a golf ball in your personal digital collection. • Build Your Course Gallery Turn every played round into a growing gallery of places, memories, and milestones. • Interactive Map See where you’ve played and discover new courses around you. • Rounds & Performance Track scores, follow trends, and understand your game. • Friends & Leaderboards Compare your stats and share your journey with others. • Bucket List & Favorites Plan your next rounds and highlight your best experiences. • Photos & Memories Capture every moment with photos and notes. Designed for golfers who want to remember more than just a score. Fairway Journal helps you build your personal digital golf story. Terms of Use (Apple Standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Golf Journal4 screens
Fairway Journal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Golf Journal at 4.8 against Fairway Journal's 3.0. Golf Journal also leads on ratings volume (12 vs 2). Fairway Journal's advantage is iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Golf Journal sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Fairway Journal sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Golf Journal holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Golf Journal has 12 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Golf Journal ships an update weekly, Fairway Journal every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Golf Journal versus Fairway Journal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGolf JournalFairway Journal
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (12 ratings) — better3.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews—94.1% of reviews
Number of ratings12 — better2
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.018.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB130 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGruffydd JohnstonLucas Rapp

Customer experience

Golf Journal

All ratings12 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral8.3%
Negative0.0%

Fairway Journal

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive94.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.9%

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Golf Journal

Subscriptions4
  • Pro7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Pro7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Pro7 Days trial$9.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Pro7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$49.99
8 purchases

Fairway Journal

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription$1.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription$9.991 Year
One-time6
  • Championship 2026 – Aronimink$0.99
  • Rydercup 2025 Team Europe$0.99
  • Rydercup 2025 Team USA$0.99
Show 3 more
  • Golfball US Open 2025$0.99
  • 2. Major 2025 – Ball$0.99
  • Pro Version$19.99

Questions

Is Golf Journal free?
Golf Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Fairway Journal free?
Fairway Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Golf Journal or Fairway Journal?
Golf Journal is rated higher. Golf Journal averages 4.8 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while Fairway Journal averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Golf Journal or Fairway Journal have ads?
Neither Golf Journal nor Fairway Journal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Golf Journal or Fairway Journal?
Golf Journal ships an update weekly, and Fairway Journal every 2 weeks. Most recently, Golf Journal was updated on October 30, 2026 and Fairway Journal on October 30, 2026.

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