Comparison

TheoryGolf vs PuttingAce

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

Head to head
About

TheoryGolf

This app uses AI to analyze your golf game, providing insights into where you lose strokes and offering personalized recommendations for improvement. It features GPS distances, detailed shot analytics, and practice tools to help you play smarter and get better faster.

Highlights
  • AI Caddie and game analysis
  • Strokes gained analytics
  • GPS rangefinder with course data
  • Personalized practice plans
  • Multi-round game breakdown
  • Multiplayer rounds with leaderboards
Features
Read full description

TheoryGolf — AI Caddie & Strokes Gained TheoryGolf makes you smarter on the course and untangles the complex patterns in your game — all without changing your swing. Meet Theory: your AI caddie, analyst, and coach. Theory studies every round, finds where your strokes actually go, and tells you what to do about it in plain English. Play smarter on every hole with GPS distances, elevation, wind, and green contours. Then see exactly where you're losing strokes with the same strokes-gained analytics the pros use — off the tee, approach, short game, and putting. Strokes gained doesn't tell the whole story, so Theory pieces it all together, chains the why behind your scores, and hands it to you in a format that actually makes sense. ON THE COURSE • GPS rangefinder with distances to front, center, and back • Elevation-adjusted "plays-like" yardages • Wind, hazard, and green-contour overlays • Smart shot and club recommendations from Theory • Easy shot-by-shot or one-tap scoring • 3D contour maps — green contours on every hole, full-hole maps where we have coverage STATS YOU WON'T FIND ANYWHERE ELSE • Reads deep patterns — how you score by pin position, how wind really affects you, and where your bogeys actually come from • Tracks how often you short-side yourself • Measures how often you actually pull off the shot you intended • Auto-reads your putts to find where your stroke is sharp or leaking KNOW YOUR GAME • Tour-style strokes gained for every part of your game • GIR, fairways, putts, scrambling, and proximity stats • Traceable bogey analysis — see the chain of shots behind every blow-up • Personal benchmarks and trends over time • Automatic WHS-style handicap tracking • Round-by-round and course-by-course breakdowns SINGLE & MULTI-ROUND ANALYSIS • Single-Round Analysis — strokes gained, GIR/putts/fairways, benchmarks, and correlations for any round • Multi-Round Analysis — wind impact, scoring patterns, club analytics, putting & short-game trends, and an AI diagnosis of your biggest leak • Both are powered by Theory, who knows exactly who you are as a player and reads your rounds to diagnose what's really going on GET BETTER, FASTER • Ask Theory anything about your round or your overall game • Personalized practice plans built from your real misses • A focused drill library for the range, short game, and green — from feel and contact to pressure and mental reps • Goals and training tools to track your progress PLAY WITH FRIENDS • Multiplayer rounds with live leaderboards • Add friends and share your results TheoryGolf is free to download. Premium unlocks Theory's full AI coaching, deep multi-round analytics, full-hole 3D contours, and the practice tools. — Premium subscription (auto-renewable): • Premium Monthly — $9.99/month • Premium Annual — $79.99/year Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID settings. Privacy Policy: https://theorygolf.app/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

PuttingAce

Improve your golf game by tracking putting stats on the course and during practice. Analyze your performance by distance to identify strengths and weaknesses, and focus your training effectively. Includes free practice games and optional lifetime access to advanced features.

Highlights
  • On-course putt tracking
  • Strokes Gained analysis
  • Structured putting practice games
  • Performance analysis by distance
  • Hole-by-hole round review
  • Customizable round cards and Scorebugs
Read full description

Know your putting. Practice with purpose, track your putting stats on the course, and see where you gain and lose strokes. Designed by a professional golfer, PuttingAce brings structured putting practice, on-course putt tracking, and Strokes Gained analysis together. Build a baseline, understand your performance by distance, and use your results to decide what to practice next. PRACTICE WITH PURPOSE Start with PuttingAce 9 and PuttingAce 18, included free. Play scored putting games, compare your results with Tour Par benchmarks, and make your next session measurable. Full Access adds practice games and tests for short putting, mid-range putting, lag putting, and scoring distances. Record scores with a tap and review your session results. TRACK YOUR PUTTING ON COURSE With Full Access, log putts during 9- or 18-hole rounds. Record distances, holed putts, and miss/result locations. Choose Casual, Tournament, or Qualifying rounds and start from the hole that matches your round. Review completed rounds, hole-by-hole results, and putting Strokes Gained to understand how you performed on the course. UNDERSTAND YOUR PUTTING PERFORMANCE Full Access includes Performance Analysis for a clearer view of your practice and on-course putting results. Explore Strokes Gained by distance, make rates, three-putt avoidance, performance trends, and strengths and weaknesses across short, mid-range, and long putts. Use recommended practice focus areas to give your next session a purpose. REVIEW AND SHARE YOUR RESULTS Revisit saved practice sessions and on-course rounds. Full Access unlocks complete practice and round history, deeper analysis, and premium sharing. Create branded round cards or transparent Scorebugs for your own golf photos and videos. FREE TO START. LIFETIME FULL ACCESS. Download free and start with PuttingAce 9 and PuttingAce 18. Full Access is an optional one-time lifetime purchase that includes all practice games and tests, Performance Analysis, complete history, On-Course Putting, premium sharing, and premium account features. No subscription. Existing Full Access and Founding Player users keep their access permanently. Built for competitive golfers, serious amateurs, and anyone who wants to understand their putting and practice with purpose.

Screenshots

TheoryGolf4 screens
PuttingAce4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PuttingAce at 5.0 against TheoryGolf's 4.3. On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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. TheoryGolf sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and PuttingAce sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PuttingAce holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 17 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
TheoryGolf versus PuttingAce: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTheoryGolfPuttingAce
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (6 ratings)5.0 (17 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings617 — better
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.2 — better17.5
Further details — not scored
Size136 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdam BlackJL Golf, LLC

Customer experience

TheoryGolf

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

PuttingAce

All ratings17 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

TheoryGolf

Subscriptions2
  • Theory Premium Monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Theory Premium Annual7 Days trial$79.991 Year
1 purchases

PuttingAce

One-time1
  • PuttingAce Full Access$12.99

Questions

Is TheoryGolf free?
TheoryGolf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PuttingAce free?
PuttingAce is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, TheoryGolf or PuttingAce?
PuttingAce is rated higher. TheoryGolf averages 4.3 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while PuttingAce averages 5.0 from 17 ratings.
Do TheoryGolf or PuttingAce have ads?
Neither TheoryGolf nor PuttingAce shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TheoryGolf or PuttingAce?
TheoryGolf ships an update weekly, and PuttingAce weekly. Most recently, TheoryGolf was updated on November 5, 2026 and PuttingAce on November 5, 2026.

Other comparisons