Comparison

The Open vs Hole19

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

About

Hole19

This app provides golfers with accurate GPS distances, digital scorecards, and advanced performance tracking. It helps users strategize shots, monitor handicaps, and connect with a global golfing community. Premium features offer enhanced course mapping, club recommendations, and augmented reality views.

Highlights
  • Accurate GPS distances
  • Digital scorecard
  • Performance tracking
  • Handicap calculator
  • Club recommendations
  • Augmented reality views
  • Golf social network
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

The #1 golf GPS app and rangefinder trusted by 5M+ golfers worldwide. Hole19 delivers pinpoint accurate yardages, AI-powered shot tracking, a digital scorecard, and a handicap tracker, all on your iPhone and Apple Watch. Whether you're chasing your first sub-90 or defending single digits, Hole19 has the tools to lower your score. Coverage of 42,000+ courses in 201 countries, a full-featured Apple Watch integration, and features built with 10+ years of real golfer feedback. Golfers who track their shots with Hole19 Premium save an average of 3 shots per round. Try Premium free for 14 days. FREE FEATURES: - Golf GPS Rangefinder: Pinpoint distances to the front, center, and back of the green plus every hazard and target across 42,000+ courses. - Digital Scorecard: Scores, putts, fairways hit, and GIR tracked on your phone or Apple Watch. - Course Preview: Explore every hole layout and hazard before you tee off. - Apple Watch GPS: Front, center, back distances on your wrist. Phone-free play. - LivePlay: Organize rounds, track live leaderboards, and share the round in real time. - Golf Social Network: Connect with golfers worldwide, share scores and course photos. - Siri Voice Commands (iOS): Start a round hands-free. - Monthly Challenges: Compete for prizes. PREMIUM FEATURES: - Plays Like Distances: Real yardages adjusted for elevation. - Shot Tracker: Track every shot and see exactly where it landed. - Club Recommendation: Personalized club suggestions based on your actual distances. - Augmented Reality (iOS): Distances and directions overlaid on your camera view. - Handicap Calculator: Global-standard handicap index with improvement tracking. - Club & Overall Stats: Driving accuracy, greens in regulation, short game, putting. - Apple Watch Scoring & Maps: Full score input and flyover maps on your wrist. - Game Modes: Stroke Play, Stableford and Side Games free; Match Play and team formats Premium. - Shot Dispersion Tool: See where your shots are likely to land and pick smarter aim points. - Auto-Change Hole: The app advances automatically as you move. - Distance Arcs: Free in Course Preview only; Premium in-round. - Notes & Highlights: Course strategy notes plus your career highlights. - Ad-free experience. INTELLIGENCE (Hole19's AI tier): - Otto AI: Your personal AI caddie. Unlimited AI round reports that tell you exactly where you're losing strokes and what to work on. - Auto Shot Detection: Track every shot with one tap after the round. - Strokes Gained Analysis: Pro-level stats that reveal which part of your game is costing you the most. - Handicap Benchmark: Compare your game to golfers at your exact handicap level. - CORE Golf included (iOS Only): 100+ drills and 15+ practice plans to structure your practice. Payment will be charged to your Apple Account upon confirmation of purchase. Your subscription will automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by you and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to your Account Settings. If you upgrade to Premium or Intelligence during your free trial any remaining time left on your trial will be forfeited. NOTES: - help@hole19golf.com - Technical support - mapping@hole19golf.com - Mapping requests - partners@hole19golf.com - Partnerships - Premium and Intelligence features are available via in-app purchase - The app is optimized for iOS 18.0+ on iPhone SE (2nd generation) and newer - Hole19 for Apple Watch requires watchOS 10 or later - Hole19 is not optimized for iPad - Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life - Family Sharing is not supported - Privacy Policy - https://www.hole19golf.com/terms/privacy-policy - Terms of Use - https://www.hole19golf.com/terms

Screenshots

The Open4 screens
Hole194 screens

Verdict

The call

The Open and Hole19 both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 72% of Hole19's written reviews are positive against 28% of The Open's. Hole19 also leads on chart position (#73 vs unranked) and ratings volume (23K vs 4.9K). The Open's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and ads (none vs shown). On price, rating, update cadence and monetization model 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. Hole19 sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. The Open asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for The Open against 4.7 for Hole19. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4.9K and 23K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 28% of The Open's written reviews are positive against 72% of Hole19's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Open ships an update every 4 days, Hole19 every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
The Open versus Hole19: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe OpenHole19
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (4.9K ratings)4.7 (23K ratings) — better
Positive reviews28.0% of reviews72.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4.9K23K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 6 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank—#73 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.5 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size79 MB235 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperThe R&AStat Track Technologies Lda.

Customer experience

The Open

All ratings4,904 ratings
Positive90.6%
Neutral2.3%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews246 reviews
Positive28.0%
Neutral10.2%
Negative61.8%

Hole19

All ratings22,471 ratings
Positive95.4%
Neutral2.2%
Negative2.4%
Written reviews1,085 reviews
Positive72.4%
Neutral8.8%
Negative18.7%

User reviews

The Open

From 4.9K App Store ratings

What 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

Hole19

From 23K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Accurate GPS and distances
  • 👍 Easy to use interface
  • 💡 Useful features like shot tracking and statistics
  • 🤝 Responsive customer support
  • 🌟 Great app overall

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
  • 🔋 High battery drain on Apple Watch
  • 💰 Paywall for advanced features
  • 🤔 Confusing scoring and shot tracking on Apple Watch

Bugs and requests

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

Hole19

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Hole numbers not displaying correctly on some courses
  • Apple Watch app freezing or losing sync with phone
  • Inconsistent GPS distances compared to other devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to manually adjust pin locations
  • More customization options for scoring and statistics
  • Standalone Apple Watch app with full functionality
  • Support for 9-hole courses and shotgun starts

In-app purchases

None

The Open

No in-app purchases

11 purchases

Hole19

Subscriptions11
  • Premium Pro Weekly7 Days trial$6.997 Days
  • Premium Pro Monthly7 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • Premium Pro Monthly - Legacy$20.001 Month
Show 8 more
  • Intelligence 1 Month7 Days trial$24.991 Month
  • Lite Basic - Legacy$29.991 Month
  • Lite for Wearables - Legacy$29.991 Month
  • Lite Birdie - Legacy$29.991 Month
  • Premium Pro 6 Months7 Days trial$49.996 Months
  • Premium Pro Yearly14 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • Premium Pro Yearly1 Month trial$69.991 Year
  • Intelligence 1 Year14 Days trial$99.991 Year

Questions

Is The Open free?
The Open is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hole19 free?
Hole19 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, The Open or Hole19?
Hole19 is rated higher. The Open averages 4.6 out of 5 from 4.9K ratings, while Hole19 averages 4.7 from 23K ratings.
Do The Open or Hole19 have ads?
Hole19 shows ads; The Open does not.
Which is updated more often, The Open or Hole19?
The Open ships an update every 4 days, and Hole19 every 6 days. Most recently, The Open was updated on October 29, 2026 and Hole19 on November 1, 2026.

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