Comparison

Golf Scout vs Swing Calc

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

Head to head
About

Golf Scout

Features
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Golf Scout is a golf GPS range finder, shot tracker and caddie for iPhone and Apple Watch. Get the yardage to the front, middle and back of the green. Mark each shot with one tap and your Bag fills in how far you really hit every club. HOLE MAPS AND YARDAGES Play hole by hole on a satellite map, tee at the bottom and green at the top. It moves to the hole you're on as you walk. • Front, middle and back of the green • Reach and carry for bunkers and water • Tap anywhere for the number to that spot, like a layup or the corner of a dogleg • Yards or meters Courses worldwide come from OpenStreetMap. Not every course has hole maps yet, and coverage varies by country. SHOT TRACKING At your ball, tap Mark shot on iPhone, on Apple Watch, or from the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island without unlocking. The next mark shows where that shot finished, and putts come from the scorecard. Review shots puts every shot on the hole map after the round. Add one you missed, move one, or set the club, lie and penalty. SCORECARD AND STATS Enter strokes, putts, fairway and penalties for each hole, and follow your scoring average, fairways, greens in regulation and putts. Rated rounds give you a handicap estimate, which isn't an official Handicap Index. APPLE WATCH AND LOCK SCREEN The Watch app has green and hazard distances, your score, Mark shot with the club and the next target from your hole plan. A Live Activity keeps hole and green distances on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, with a Mark shot button. TOURNAMENT MODE For competitions and handicap rounds. It turns off plays-like distances and club suggestions, which the Rules of Golf don't allow, and keeps GPS yardages, hazards and your own hole plans. NO ACCOUNT NEEDED Your rounds and shots stay on your devices and in your iCloud, which keeps them in sync. GOLF SCOUT PRO Pro is a subscription. It tells you what to hit and where you're losing shots. Plays-like distances Adjusted for wind, temperature and altitude, so into the wind, on a cold morning or up in the mountains you get the number the shot is really playing, and see what's changing it. Club selection Your caddie picks the club from your real distances, with the odds of finishing on the green, on the fairway or in trouble (bunker, water, trees), a safer line when there is one, and how the next clubs compare. Shot patterns Where each club's shots actually finish, drawn on the hole around your target, with your average miss and the spread. Hole plans Plan every hole before you tee off, with targets, clubs and notes. The plan shows on the map and on your Watch during the round. Where your strokes go Strokes gained off the tee, approach, around the green and putting, per round and for every shot, against scratch or golfers of your handicap, so a 15-handicapper is measured against other 15s. You'll also see drives in play, greens hit from each distance, up-and-downs, what's behind your doubles and what to practice. Trends and strengths In Insights, see each club's distance trend, how you stack up against golfers of your handicap, and anything else that stands out. Unlimited shot logging Log as many shots as you like outside a round, at the range for example. The free version logs 5 by hand, and marking shots during a round is free. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage them in your App Store account settings. Course data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Weather data from Apple Weather. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://golfscoutapp.com/privacy

About

Swing Calc

Features
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Swing Calculator is a quick and easy speed and distance converter for golfers. Input smash factor by club Convert head speed (swing/club speed) to ball speed Convert m/s to MPH Estimate carry/total distance Light/dark theme and language selection

Screenshots

Golf Scout4 screens
Swing Calc4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Swing Calc at none against Golf Scout's 3. Swing Calc also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.0). Golf Scout's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 8 months). On price, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Golf Scout sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Swing Calc asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Golf Scout ships an update every 10 days, Swing Calc every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 3 level
Golf Scout versus Swing Calc: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGolf ScoutSwing Calc
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB70 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGruffydd Johnstonyongbo shim

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Golf Scout

Subscriptions2
  • Golf Scout Pro7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Golf Scout Pro7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Pro$59.99
None

Swing Calc

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Golf Scout free?
Golf Scout is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Swing Calc free?
Swing Calc is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Golf Scout or Swing Calc have ads?
Neither Golf Scout nor Swing Calc shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Golf Scout or Swing Calc?
Golf Scout ships an update every 10 days, and Swing Calc every 8 months. Most recently, Golf Scout was updated on October 25, 2026 and Swing Calc on October 28, 2026.

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