Comparison

18Birdies vs Shot Pattern

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

Head to head
About

18Birdies

This app provides advanced GPS technology and game improvement tools for golfers. It offers personalized training, AI swing analysis, and a community to connect with friends and compete. Improve your game with detailed stats and course insights.

Highlights
  • GPS Rangefinder
  • Digital Scorecard
  • Handicap Tracking
  • AI Swing Analyzer
  • Golf Community
  • Shot Tracking
  • 3D Green Maps
Features
Read full description

Play better golf from the first tee to the final putt. Featured by Apple as “The Best App for Golfers” and trusted by more than 10 million golfers, 18Birdies gives every player a smarter way to play, practice, compete, and improve. 18Birdies helps you know the distance, choose smarter shots, track every round, and understand where your game can improve. Get free GPS yardages on 45,000+ courses, keep score, follow your handicap, review your stats, and use Apple Watch tools to stay focused. Improve your swing with AI feedback, Instant Swing Playback, Golf School training, and expert coach reviews. FREE GOLF GPS, SCORECARD & STATS Know the distance before every shot. Get yardages to greens, hazards, layups, and carries on 45,000+ courses worldwide. Keep score, save round history, monitor your handicap, and use shot tracking and stats to improve your game. APPLE WATCH GOLF TOOLS Keep your phone in your bag. Use 18Birdies on Apple Watch for distances, scoring, shot tracking, and automatic swing detection. IMPROVE FASTER Improve your game faster with advanced swing tools built for real results. Upload swing videos to the AI Swing Analyzer for personalized feedback, fault detection, and drills to help you improve. Use Instant Swing Playback to review swings and understand what changed from swing to swing. Build better habits with Golf School drills and lessons designed to help you practice with purpose. For expert feedback, submit your swing to Pro Swing Analysis for a personalized review from a certified golf coach. PLAY WITH FRIENDS Golf is better with friends. Connect, share rounds, compare progress, and create competition with side games, team formats, leagues, tournaments, and live leaderboards. FREE FEATURES - GOLF GPS RANGEFINDER: Distances to greens, hazards, layups, carries, and more - DIGITAL SCORECARD: Track scores for every round - HANDICAP TRACKER: Follow your handicap trend - STATS & ROUND HISTORY: Track performance over time - SHOT TRACKING: Capture shots and learn more about your game - APPLE WATCH: Distances, scoring, and shot tracking - INSTANT SWING PLAYBACK: Review your swing during practice - GOLF COMMUNITY: Connect with friends, share rounds, and celebrate your best golf moments - TEAM MODE & SIDE GAMES: Play Scramble, Best Ball, Skins, Wolf, and more - TOURNAMENTS & LEAGUES: Create live leaderboards for group competition - COACH CONNECT: Share your game with your coach for feedback PREMIUM TOOLS Upgrade to 18Birdies Premium for advanced tools and deeper insights. Free trial available for eligible users after download. - PLAYS-LIKE DISTANCES: Account for conditions that affect true yardage - CLUB RECOMMENDATIONS: Get personalized club guidance - ADVANCED GPS TOOLS: Plan shots with more confidence - 3D GREEN & HEATMAPS: Read slopes, breaks, and green contours - ADVANCED STATS: Analyze your game with charts, filters, and comparisons - STROKES GAINED: See where you gain or lose strokes - SMART TRACKING & AUTO SWING DETECTION: Capture your round automatically with less manual input, with or without Apple Watch - AI SWING ANALYZER: Get personalized swing feedback from video - HD INSTANT SWING PLAYBACK: Review your swing with annotations and deeper analysis - GOLF SCHOOL: Unlimited training, drills, and lessons - SHOT TRACKING INSIGHTS: Understand distance, shape, and performance - PRO SWING ANALYSIS DISCOUNT: 25% off personalized swing reviews from certified coaches LEGAL 18Birdies Premium is an optional auto-renewable subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple ID. Subscription renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the current period ends. Manage or cancel in App Store account settings. By using 18Birdies, you agree to Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ and our Terms of Service https://18birdies.com/legal/terms/ and Privacy Policy https://18birdies.com/legal/privacy-policy/.

About

Shot Pattern

This app uses your actual shot data to create personalized shot dispersion maps on course imagery. It helps you strategize smarter, avoid trouble, and improve your game with advanced statistics and analytics.

Highlights
  • Personalized shot dispersion maps
  • Strokes gained predictor
  • Shot tracking and analytics
  • 40,000+ courses with GPS
  • Launch monitor data import
  • Apple Watch integration
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

The Golf GPS App That Helps You Turn Your Shot Data Into Lower Scores: • Attack Smarter with Personalized Targets • Improve Faster with Advanced Stats & Analytics Shot Pattern overlays your personal shot dispersion onto satellite imagery of every hole, so you can pick smarter targets, avoid trouble, and shoot lower scores. Trusted by players on PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA, and college teams worldwide. 4.8 stars from thousands of golfers. YOUR SHOT PATTERN ON EVERY HOLE Most golf GPS apps stop at giving you a number to the green. Shot Pattern goes further. It takes your actual shot data and shows you where your ball is likely to land based on your club and target selection. See your tee shot arc and approach shot circle overlaid right on the satellite image of the hole you’re standing on. Take the guesswork out of where to aim. STROKES GAINED PREDICTOR Compare different club and target combinations to see the expected strokes gained outcome for each option. Should you hit driver or lay up with an iron? How aggressive should you aim at a tucked pin? The Predictor runs the math using your personal dispersion so you can make confident decisions instead of guessing. SHOT TRACKING & STROKES GAINED STATS Track every shot with GPS precision. Get shot by shot strokes gained breakdowns for driving, approach, short game, and putting. Filter by distance, lie, club, or round. Advanced analytics including Drives in Play, Big Misses, and Big 5 Score Killers help you find the patterns that are costing you strokes. 40,000+ COURSES WITH GPS & GREEN MAPS Satellite imagery on every hole. Measure landing areas. Course preview tools to plan your strategy before the round. Elevation data. Green maps to read breaks and plan approaches. USGA and R&A compliant for tournament and handicap play. CONNECT YOUR DATA Upload launch monitor data to build your dispersion profile faster. Share your stats with your coach. Multiple tracking modes including live GPS on course, Apple Watch, or post round manual entry. WHAT GOLFERS ARE SAYING “You won’t need any other golf app” “Fantastic Shot Tracking and Course Management” “The uploading of launch monitor data is fantastic” “Switched from Decade” Start your free trial today. Terms of Use: https://shotpattern.app/terms-of-use Privacy Policy: https://shotpattern.app/privacy-policy/

Screenshots

18Birdies4 screens
Shot Pattern4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: 18Birdies at 306K against Shot Pattern's 2.1K. 18Birdies also leads on chart position (#5 vs #125) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). Shot Pattern's advantage is device support (4 vs 2). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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. 18Birdies sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and Shot Pattern sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for 18Birdies against 4.8 for Shot Pattern. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 18Birdies has 306K ratings behind it against 2.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 74% of 18Birdies's written reviews are positive against 67% of Shot Pattern's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

18Birdies ships an update weekly, Shot Pattern every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
18Birdies versus Shot Pattern: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter18BirdiesShot Pattern
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (306K ratings) — better4.8 (2.1K ratings)
Positive reviews73.7% of reviews — better67.3% of reviews
Number of ratings306K — better2.1K
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#5 — better#125
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size297 MB111 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer18Birdies LLCUndaunted Athlete LLC

Customer experience

18Birdies

All ratings306,033 ratings
Positive98.9%
Neutral0.5%
Negative0.5%
Written reviews1,352 reviews
Positive73.7%
Neutral8.6%
Negative17.7%

Shot Pattern

All ratings2,104 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral2.0%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews153 reviews
Positive67.3%
Neutral8.5%
Negative24.2%

User reviews

18Birdies

From 306K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Accurate GPS
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Helpful features
  • 👍 Great app
  • 👍 Useful for improving game

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🐛 Yardages inaccurate on Apple Watch
  • 🐛 Buggy after updates
  • 🐛 Difficult to use
  • 🐛 Annoying referral prompts

Shot Pattern

From 2.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent course preview and strategy planning
  • 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
  • 💡 Ability to import launch monitor data
  • 🚀 Constant app improvements and new features
  • 👍 Helpful for course management and lowering scores

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Issues with GPS tracking and shot entry during rounds
  • 💰 Many features locked behind paywall
  • 🐛 Bugs causing loss of shot data
  • 🤔 Manual shot entry too time-consuming for some users
  • 🤔 Lack of on-course shot tracking

Bugs and requests

18Birdies

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Yardages not syncing correctly between watch and phone
  • Inability to save rounds or enter scores
  • Incorrect course information and tee box layouts
  • Frequent crashes and performance issues

Requested features

7 requests
  • Automatic handicap calculation
  • Customizable home course stats
  • Dark mode option
  • Ability to record scores for non-app users
  • Layup yardages and hazard distances
Show 2 more
  • Improved Apple Watch integration
  • Better social features and leaderboards

Shot Pattern

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • GPS not accurately showing hole orientation
  • Course boundaries not saving properly
  • Subscription issues and difficulty cancelling
  • Lack of UK golf course support

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to toggle between carry and total distances
  • Option to see optimal target lines
  • Scorecard view with strokes gained data
  • Personal bests tracking
  • Web/desktop version of the app

In-app purchases

8 purchases

18Birdies

Subscriptions8
  • 18Birdies Premium7 Days trial$2.997 Days
  • Weekly Premium Subscription$7.997 Days
  • Weekly Premium Subscription WB$7.997 Days
Show 5 more
  • Monthly Premium Subscription7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • 18Birdies Premium7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Monthly Premium Subscription7 Days trial2 variants$19.991 Month
  • Yearly Premium Subscription WB7 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • Yearly Premium Subscription7 Days trial2 variants$99.991 Year
7 purchases

Shot Pattern

Subscriptions6
  • One Month Subscription7 Days trial$11.991 Month
  • One Month Subscription7 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • One Month Subscription7 Days trial$19.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Six Month Subscription7 Days trial$74.996 Months
  • One Year Subscription7 Days trial2 variants$99.001 Year
  • One Year Subscription1 Month trial$99.001 Year
One-time1
  • Green Maps Add On - Single Course$4.99

Questions

Is 18Birdies free?
18Birdies is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shot Pattern free?
Shot Pattern is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, 18Birdies or Shot Pattern?
18Birdies is rated higher. 18Birdies averages 4.9 out of 5 from 306K ratings, while Shot Pattern averages 4.8 from 2.1K ratings.
Do 18Birdies or Shot Pattern have ads?
Neither 18Birdies nor Shot Pattern shows ads.
Which is updated more often, 18Birdies or Shot Pattern?
18Birdies ships an update weekly, and Shot Pattern every 3 days. Most recently, 18Birdies was updated on November 8, 2026 and Shot Pattern on November 7, 2026.
Which is more popular, 18Birdies or Shot Pattern?
18Birdies currently peaks at #5 in the App Store charts, and Shot Pattern at #125. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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