Comparison

18Birdies vs ShotsToHole

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

ShotsToHole

Features
Read full description

ShotsToHole is a high-performance golf analytics app built for golfers and coaches who want to optimize performance for lower scores. Whether you're a professional, elite amateur, committed player focused on improvement, or coach supporting player development, ShotsToHole gives you the tools to track rounds, analyze performance, and identify what matters most. Key Features: * What-If Analysis: See how improvements in different parts of your game can lower your score, and identify which skills matter most with predictive analytics. * Goals: Turn What-If Analysis results into trackable targets, monitor progress over time, and see whether your goals are on track. * Coach Features: Coaches can link accounts with players, review player performance across rounds and stats, organize players into groups, and manage player subscriptions. * Notes for Players and Coaches: Record categorized notes, share notes between players and coaches, and keep coach review notes connected to player development. * SG Stats by Distance: Analyze strokes gained performance across actionable distance ranges to help target practice more effectively. * Shot and Putt Stats by Distance: Review Shots to Hole, Putts to Hole, Proximity, and Frequency by distance for more detailed performance insights. * In-Depth Statistics: View detailed statistics across Putting, Short Game, Approach, Driving, Wastage, Scoring, Hole Score, and Section To-Par. * Performance Equals Rating (PER): Instantly see the benchmark score range your statistics fit into so every number has clear meaning. * Benchmarking: Compare your performance to score ranges, handicaps, player categories, or your own historical results. * Fast Shot Recording: Quickly log every shot with a streamlined and intuitive shot entry system. * Detailed Shot Info: Optionally record detailed shot information including distance to hole, club used, penalties, dead, lay up, difficulty, finish position, putt break, and putt slope. * Detailed Round Info: Capture essential round details and optionally include round notes, swing thoughts, course conditions, and weather conditions. * Interactive Scorecard: View scores and shot details, with the ability to add or edit shots directly from the scorecard. * Practice Log: Track practice activity, duration, and repetitions over time to monitor work rate and build more effective preparation habits. * Seamless Integration with ShotsToHole.com: Use the same account and subscription across both the app and website, with data synchronized between platforms and access to the broader ShotsToHole performance ecosystem. End User License Agreement (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

18Birdies4 screens
ShotsToHole4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: 18Birdies at weekly against ShotsToHole's every 3 weeks. 18Birdies also leads on chart position (#5 vs unranked). ShotsToHole's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. 18Birdies sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and ShotsToHole sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

18Birdies ships an update weekly, ShotsToHole every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
18Birdies versus ShotsToHole: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter18BirdiesShotsToHole
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (307K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews73.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings307K — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
Best chart rank#5 — better—
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size297 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer18Birdies LLCShots to Hole Pty Ltd

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

ShotsToHole

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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
4 purchases

ShotsToHole

One-time4
  • Player 1-Month$9.99
  • Player 3-Month$34.90
  • Player 6-Month$59.90
Show 1 more
  • Player 12-Month$119.99

Questions

Is 18Birdies free?
18Birdies is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ShotsToHole free?
ShotsToHole is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do 18Birdies or ShotsToHole have ads?
Neither 18Birdies nor ShotsToHole shows ads.
Which is updated more often, 18Birdies or ShotsToHole?
18Birdies ships an update weekly, and ShotsToHole every 3 weeks. Most recently, 18Birdies was updated on November 12, 2026 and ShotsToHole on November 8, 2026.

Other comparisons