Comparison

Bowling XP vs Bowly

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

Head to head
About

Bowling XP

Track bowling scores, compete with friends in various game modes, and manage tournaments. Gamified features like leveling up and achievements help improve your game and track progress over time.

Highlights
  • Score tracking (Frame, Pin, Final Score)
  • Multiplayer challenges (6 game types)
  • Tournament creation and management
  • Leaderboards and friend comparisons
  • XP and achievement system
  • Deep statistical analysis
  • Calendar and streak tracking
Features
Read full description

Bowling XP is the bowling companion that turns every game into progress. Track your scores, dig into your stats, level up with XP and achievements, and compete with friends, whether you bowl casually or in leagues and tournaments. SCORE TRACKING Log a game in seconds with Frame Tracker, Pin Tracker or Quick Score. Mark league, practice or tournament games, and add your lane, oil pattern and notes. Track the ball you threw on every shot, not just every game. Splits are detected automatically, your game autosaves as you go, and you can edit any past game. YOUR ARSENAL Add balls from a catalog of 2,600+ bowling balls with official photos, or add your own. Every ball gets its own stats page, and you can compare up to 3 balls side by side to see which one really scores best for you. DEEP STATISTICS • Tap any stat to see its chart, its trend and the games behind it • Strike, spare and single-pin spare conversion • Split tracking and leave-by-leave spare analysis • Frame-by-frame performance and 10th frame breakdown • Filter by game type, league, tournament and time period • Stats pages for every ball and league • Export your games to CSV anytime LEAGUES & HANDICAP Set up your leagues and Bowling XP works out your handicap every week. Not sure of your league's formula? Enter your average and handicap from your league sheet and we'll find it. Get an automatic series recap after your last game of the night. TOURNAMENTS Track scratch, handicap or bracket tournaments, with qualifying rounds and head-to-head matches kept separate. Log opponents and scores, see win/loss records and qualifying averages at a glance. MULTIPLAYER CHALLENGES Challenge up to 16 friends across 6 types: High Score, Strike Count, Open Frames, Score Total, Target Score and Bowling Poker, where every strike deals you a playing card and the best 5-card hand wins (up to 8 players). Set game limits or date ranges, follow live scores from your home screen, and celebrate the win on the podium. FRIENDS & PROFILES Add friends with a simple friend code, see their games, series and milestones in your Social feed, and add a profile photo. Every bowler's profile shows their average, favorite balls and stats, and you can browse their friends list to add friends of friends. Compare stats side by side and see where you rank on the Global Ladder. LEVEL UP Every strike and spare earns XP. Climb the levels, unlock 50+ achievements from your first turkey to 10,000 career strikes, complete fresh weekly quests and keep your weekly streak alive. SHARE YOUR GAME Share your series with clean, branded share cards made for Instagram Stories and social media. BUILT FOR iPHONE Smooth, native design with dark mode. Works fully offline and syncs automatically across your devices when you're back online. You choose exactly what friends and other bowlers can see with detailed privacy controls. KEY FEATURES • 3 scoring methods with per-shot ball tracking • 2,600+ ball catalog and side-by-side ball comparison • Charts and trends for every stat • Automatic league handicap • Tournaments with qualifying and head-to-head play • Challenges for up to 16 bowlers, including Bowling Poker • Social feed, profiles, friends lists and profile photos • Global Ladder rankings • XP, levels, 50+ achievements and weekly quests • Full offline support with automatic cloud sync Download Bowling XP and start leveling up your game!

About

Bowly

This app tracks your bowling scores frame by frame, providing detailed statistics and real-time coaching insights to help you improve your game. It offers multiple input methods, including offline and live sync with supported centers, with a focus on usability in dim lighting and poor Wi-Fi conditions.

Highlights
  • Pin-by-pin score input
  • Quick score mode
  • Live sync with ComputerScore centers
  • Real-time coaching tips
  • Pin leave heatmap
  • Session recaps with insights
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

Your scores deserve more than a forgotten photo of the screen. Bowly tracks every frame, every spare leave, every pin, then shows you exactly where to improve. Whether you're chasing your first 200 game or grinding through league night, this is the companion app that actually makes you a better bowler. TRACK YOUR WAY - Pin-by-pin input: tap the pins left standing, confirm, done. Under 5 seconds per frame. - Quick score mode: just punch in the numbers if you're in a rush. - Live Sync: connect to your lane at supported ComputerScore centres and scores update automatically. No typing. No distractions. COACHING THAT WATCHES YOUR GAME Real-time tips adapt to what's actually happening on the lanes. Left the 10 pin three times? Bowly notices before you do, and tells you what to adjust. Fatigue creeping in during Game 3? You'll know. On a streak? It'll tell you to stay in rhythm and change nothing. STATS THAT ACTUALLY HELP - Average trend over time: see the trajectory, not just tonight's number - Pin leave heatmap: a visual map of exactly which pins you leave most often - Spare conversion by leave type: find out if it's the 10 pin or the 3-6-10 that's costing you - Game-by-game breakdown: spot fatigue patterns across Game 1, 2, and 3 - Strike percentage, clean games, 200+ count, season milestones SESSION RECAPS YOU'LL ACTUALLY READ After every session: your three game scores, series total vs. season average, first ball breakdown, spare conversion rates, and a plain-English insight like "Your 10-pin conversion cost you 12 pins tonight." BUILT FOR THE ALLEY Dark theme. Big buttons. Works offline. Bowling alleys have terrible WiFi and dim lighting: Bowly is designed for exactly that. Haptic feedback on every pin tap, strike, and spare makes scoring feel satisfying, not like data entry. LIVE SYNC WITH COMPUTERSCORE At supported centres, connect to your lane and Bowly pulls your scores live as you bowl. No manual input needed. Just bowl, glance at your phone between frames, and get coached in real time. Currently available at 60+ centres across QLD, NSW, VIC, SA, WA, and TAS. Free to use. Your data stays on your device. No account required.

Screenshots

Bowling XP4 screens
Bowly4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Bowly at 100% against Bowling XP's 75%. Bowly also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Bowling XP's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks) and ratings volume (32 vs 5). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Bowly holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bowling XP has 32 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Bowling XP's written reviews are positive against 100% of Bowly's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bowling XP ships an update every 4 days, Bowly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Bowling XP versus Bowly: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBowling XPBowly
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (32 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings32 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMatt NadolnyChad Fallotin

Customer experience

Bowling XP

All ratings32 ratings
Positive96.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

Bowly

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

In-app purchases

None

Bowling XP

No in-app purchases

None

Bowly

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Bowling XP free?
Bowling XP is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bowly free?
Bowly is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Bowling XP or Bowly?
Bowly is rated higher. Bowling XP averages 4.8 out of 5 from 32 ratings, while Bowly averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do Bowling XP or Bowly have ads?
Neither Bowling XP nor Bowly shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bowling XP or Bowly?
Bowling XP ships an update every 4 days, and Bowly every 2 weeks. Most recently, Bowling XP was updated on October 28, 2026 and Bowly on October 24, 2026.

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