App guide · iPhone
Most golf GPS apps are free to download. This comparison looks at what each one includes on iPhone before any paywall.
A golf GPS app needs to do three things well: give accurate yardages, show the distance to hazards and layup targets, and record how far each club actually goes.
"Free" means different things across the App Store. Some apps include a full rangefinder at no cost. Others show a single distance to the center of the green and charge for everything else. This guide compares six popular iPhone golf GPS apps on what the free version includes, with no subscription or trial.
Prices below were checked on each company's own website in October 2026. App Store prices can vary by country, so confirm in the app before you subscribe.
| App | Free yardages | Hazard / tap distances | Free shot tracking | Premium price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golf Pad | Front, middle, back | Yes, tap any point | Yes, shots and clubs | $39.99/yr |
| 18Birdies | Front, center, back | Yes (hazards, targets, layups) | Yes (manual) | $99.99/yr |
| TheGrint | Pin, hazards, landing zones | Yes | Yes | $59.99/yr |
| Hole19 | GPS yardages | Hazards are Premium | No, Premium | €69.99/yr (EU site) |
| Golfshot | Center of green only | No, Pro | Yes (shots and clubs) | $79.99/yr |
| SwingU | GPS rangefinder | Basic | Basic stats | Plus $59.99/yr; Pro $99.99/yr |
Verdict
The most complete free app, and the cheapest upgrade if you ever want one.
Golf Pad gives you the full rangefinder for free: front, middle and back of every green, plus a tap-anywhere aerial map so you can check the carry over a bunker or the distance to a layup spot. It covers 43,000+ courses, with course maps updated daily.
Shot and club tracking is free too. One tap after each shot records where you hit it from and which club you used, and over a few rounds you get real club distances instead of the numbers you remember from your best day. Scoring handles up to four players, and live leaderboards and tournament mode are included.
Course maps download to your phone before the round, so the app works with no cell signal, which helps on courses with weak coverage.
If you do upgrade, Premium is $39.99 a year and adds Plays Like distances (adjusted for elevation, altitude, temperature and wind), club recommendations based on your own shot history, green contour maps and Strokes Gained. That is well below most competitors in this comparison, and there's a free 14-day Premium trial when you download.
Golf Pad is also the only golf GPS app that works with both Golf Pad Click (a Bluetooth button for hands-free distance callouts in your earbuds) and Golf Pad TAGS (chips on your grips that log the shot and club when you tap your phone). Both are optional. The free app stands on its own.
Pros
Cons
Verdict
A strong free app with lots of social features. Premium costs the most.
18Birdies' free tier includes GPS yardages, targets, manual shot tracking, multi-player scoring, side games and tournaments. It suits groups that play side games and want everyone in one app.
The upgrade is expensive. On its own site, 18Birdies Premium is $99.99 a year, $19.99 a month or $7.99 a week. Premium adds Plays Like distances, club recommendations, 3D green maps, Strokes Gained and Smart Tracking, which detects shots automatically.
Pros
Cons
Verdict
Good free maps and hazard distances; advanced stats sit behind Pro.
TheGrint offers free GPS maps for 40,000+ courses with distances to the pin, hazards and landing zones, and its shot tracker is free.
TheGrint Pro is $59.99 a year on its website and adds advanced stats, unlimited green maps (free users get three trials) and more game formats.
Pros
Cons
Verdict
Easy to use, but tracking your game costs extra.
Hole19's free tier covers GPS yardages on 42,000+ courses, a digital scorecard and course previews. According to Hole19's own help center, the Shot Tracker and distances to hazards are Premium features.
Hole19's website lists Premium at €69.99 a year or €14.99 a month. US pricing is set in the App Store, so check it in the app.
Pros
Cons
Verdict
Good free flyovers, but free yardages are limited to the center of the green.
Golfshot's free edition gives you distance to the center of the green with basic hole information (with ads), shot and club tracking, statistics, 3D flyovers and Stroke Play or Stableford scoring.
Distances to hazards, layups and targets are part of Golfshot Pro at $79.99 a year, and so are club recommendations. The Champions tier, which adds swing analysis on the range and a video coaching library, is $99.99 a year.
Pros
Cons
Verdict
A basic free rangefinder; most extras are paid.
SwingU's help center describes its free app as a GPS rangefinder, a basic digital scorecard and basic stats, with no expiration. Plus ($59.99 a year) adds green maps, Plays Like distances, club recommendations and advanced stats. Pro is $99.99 a year or $24.99 a month and adds instruction and Strokes Gained.
Pros
Cons
Club tracking. Logging each shot builds a record of real carry distances for every club, which is more reliable than remembered numbers. Golf Pad, 18Birdies, TheGrint and Golfshot include shot tracking for free; Hole19 does not.
Hazard and layup distances. The distance needed to carry a bunker or water often decides club selection more than the distance to the green. Golf Pad, 18Birdies and TheGrint include hazard distances for free; Golfshot and Hole19 charge for them.
What is the best free golf GPS app for iPhone?
Golf Pad is the best free golf GPS app for iPhone in 2026. Its free version includes front, middle and back yardages, tap-anywhere distances on aerial maps, shot and club tracking, scoring for up to four players and offline maps, with no time limit.
Is Golf Pad really free on iPhone?
Yes. Golf Pad is free to download and use with no time limit. Golf Pad Premium is optional and costs $39.99 a year, with a free 14-day trial.
Which free golf apps include shot tracking?
Golf Pad, 18Birdies (manual), TheGrint and Golfshot all include shot tracking in their free versions. Hole19's Shot Tracker is a Premium feature.
Do I need cell service to use a golf GPS app?
Not with Golf Pad. Course maps download to your phone before the round, so distances and aerial maps keep working with no cell signal or Wi-Fi.
What is the cheapest golf GPS app subscription?
Of the apps compared here, Golf Pad Premium is the cheapest at $39.99 a year. TheGrint Pro and SwingU Plus are $59.99, Golfshot Pro is $79.99, and 18Birdies Premium and SwingU Pro are $99.99, based on each company's website in October 2026.
How accurate is a free golf GPS app?
Golf Pad's distances are accurate to within 1 to 3 yards on most courses, depending on your phone's GPS hardware and open-sky conditions. Accuracy is the same in the free and Premium versions.
Subscribe for early access to promotions, feature announcements & more.
