Comparison

18Birdies vs Better18 Golf

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

Better18 Golf

This app uses AI to analyze your golf swing, providing personalized drills and feedback. It also acts as a smart caddy, offering club recommendations and tracking your progress and scores. Connect with friends and compete in challenges.

Highlights
  • AI swing analysis with 10 biomechanics categories
  • Personalized drills based on swing weaknesses
  • AI coach chat for 24/7 golf advice
  • Smart club recommendations
  • Score logging and handicap tracking
  • Social features for crews and competitions
Features
Read full description

Better18 is your AI swing coach, smart caddy, and golf crew — all in one app. Record a swing with your phone. In 60–90 seconds, Better18's AI grades your motion across 10 biomechanics categories, shows you what's working, pinpoints the root cause of what isn't, and hands you drills built for your exact swing. No launch monitor. No lesson appointment. Just your phone. — AI SWING ANALYSIS — • Instant 0–100 score on every swing • 10-category breakdown: setup, takeaway, backswing, transition, downswing, impact, follow-through, tempo, balance, and rotation • "Doing Well" and "Areas of Concern" frame-by-frame feedback • Root-cause diagnosis so you fix the problem, not the symptom • Custom drills targeted to your biggest weakness • Compare your swing side-by-side with tour pros — AI COACH CHAT — • Ask your personal AI coach anything, 24/7 • Upload a swing or just type a question • Get clear, jargon-free answers in seconds — PROGRESS TRACKING — • Daily, weekly, and monthly trend charts • Category ratings over time so you can see what's improving • Weekly recap with focus areas for the week ahead • Streaks and XP to keep you coming back — SMART CLUB PICKER & BAG — • Smart Club Picker: distance-, lie-, wind-, and elevation-aware recommendations built from your real carry distances • Log every club to build the digital version of the bag you actually play • Full bag overview with averages and trends — SCORE LOG & HANDICAP — • Record rounds with course and tee data • Automatic handicap index updates • Course leaderboards and personal bests — CREWS, FRIENDS & BATTLES — • Add friends, form crews, and compete head-to-head • Crew battles, course leaderboards, and XP races • Golf is better with company — SUBSCRIPTIONS — • Better18 Lite — $7.99/month (25 swing analyses) • Better18 Pro Monthly — $16.99/month with a 3-day free trial (100 swing analyses) • Better18 Pro Annual — $139.99/year (save 31% vs monthly) • Cancel anytime Subscriptions are processed securely through Stripe in the system browser. Privacy: Your swings are yours. We never share your videos publicly without your action. Read our full policy at https://better18.app/legal/privacy and our terms at https://better18.app/legal/terms. Questions? Email better18golf@gmail.com — we read every message.

Screenshots

18Birdies4 screens
Better18 Golf4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: 18Birdies at 306K against Better18 Golf's 1. 18Birdies also leads on chart position (#5 vs unranked). Better18 Golf's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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 9 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and Better18 Golf sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 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 5.0 for Better18 Golf. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 18Birdies has 306K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

18Birdies ships an update weekly, Better18 Golf every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
18Birdies versus Better18 Golf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter18BirdiesBetter18 Golf
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (306K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings306K — better1
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#5 — better—
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size297 MB90 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer18Birdies LLCJAY DOMINIC BOCCI

Customer experience

18Birdies

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

Better18 Golf

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Better18 Golf

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

9 purchases

18Birdies

Subscriptions9
  • 18Birdies Premium7 Days trial$2.997 Days
  • Weekly Premium Subscription$7.997 Days
  • Weekly Premium Subscription WB$7.997 Days
Show 6 more
  • Monthly Premium Subscription7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • 18Birdies Premium7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Monthly Premium Subscription W7 Days trial$19.991 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
3 purchases

Better18 Golf

Subscriptions3
  • Lite$9.991 Month
  • Pro$19.991 Month
  • Pro Annual$164.991 Year

Questions

Is 18Birdies free?
18Birdies is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Better18 Golf free?
Better18 Golf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, 18Birdies or Better18 Golf?
Better18 Golf is rated higher. 18Birdies averages 4.9 out of 5 from 306K ratings, while Better18 Golf averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do 18Birdies or Better18 Golf have ads?
Neither 18Birdies nor Better18 Golf shows ads.
Which is updated more often, 18Birdies or Better18 Golf?
18Birdies ships an update weekly, and Better18 Golf every 2 days. Most recently, 18Birdies was updated on November 1, 2026 and Better18 Golf on October 18, 2026.

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