Every golf app on this page is better than SimplyStroke at something. Several are better at almost everything. That is not false modesty and it is not a negotiating tactic, it is the actual situation, and the point of this page is to help you work out whether the one thing SimplyStroke is better at is the thing you were looking for.
The comparison
Note what the columns are. Not features, because a feature count is a contest SimplyStroke loses to Arccos on purpose. What is measured here is friction: how much has to happen between you swinging a club and the number being right.
| App | What it's actually for | Taps to log a stroke | Account to start | Works offline | Ads | Typical annual cost | Hardware |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SimplyStroke | Counting strokes. Nothing else | 1 | No | Yes | None | Free | None |
| 18Birdies | Social GPS + scoring | Several (scorecard grid) | Yes | Partial | Yes, on the free tier | Free / premium tier | None |
| Arccos Caddie | Automatic shot tracking & strokes gained | 0 — sensors do it | Yes | No, needs sync | No | ~$100–$200 / yr | Sensors, ~$180–$300 |
| Golfshot | GPS + shot tracking | Several | Yes | Partial | Free tier | Free / ~$80 Pro | None |
| SwingU | GPS + game improvement | Several | Yes | Partial | Free tier | Free / ~$60–$100 | None |
| TheGrint | Official GHIN handicap tracking | Several | Yes | Partial | Free tier | Free / paid tiers | None |
| Golf Pad | Budget GPS + stats | Several | Yes | Partial | Free tier | Free / ~$30 / yr | Optional tags |
If you are here because you just looked at a renewal notice: SimplyStroke's core scoring is free, with no hardware to buy. If all you were getting for that money was a scorecard, you were being overcharged by roughly the entire amount.
If you want strokes gained analytics, buy Arccos. It is the best in the world at that and SimplyStroke does not try.
If you want yardages, get a GPS app or a rangefinder. SimplyStroke will never tell you the distance to the pin.
But if the only thing that keeps going wrong is the count — you get to the green and genuinely do not know whether that was your fourth or your fifth — that is the problem SimplyStroke was built for, and none of the apps above solve it, because they are all busy solving something bigger.
The subscription problem
Look at what golfers are actually doing about app pricing. They are buying $150 to $300 of hardware— sensors, watches, the lot — and accepting software they like less, specifically so they never have to see another renewal notice. That is not price sensitivity. That is a grudge, and it is well earned: the going rate for a golf app's useful tier has been climbing for years, and it climbs again every time the app adds something you did not ask for.
SimplyStroke sidesteps the whole argument by keeping core scoring free — no ads, no hardware bundle and no upsell holding your own scorecard hostage.
That is not generosity, it is arithmetic: counting to five is cheap to run. There are no course maps to license, no analytics to crunch, no sensors to manufacture. An app whose core job is just counting can afford to keep that part free, without the pressure to invent a reason for you to pay again next year.
Why golf apps get more complicated every year
A subscription app has to earn its renewal every twelve months, and the easiest way to look like you have earned it is to ship features. So every year the scorecard screen gets one more overlay, one more upsell, one more thing to dismiss before you can write down a four.
Complexity is not a bug in that model. It is the model. And it is why a free app that only counts can afford to do something none of them can: stay finished.
What “simple” costs you
Here is the honest list of what you give up by choosing SimplyStroke. Read it before you get started, not after.
- GPS yardages. No distance to the pin, no hazard distances, no green maps.
- Official handicap posting. No GHIN integration. If you carry an official index, you will still be posting scores yourself.
- Strokes gained and shot analytics. SimplyStroke does not know which club you hit, and never will.
- Side games and betting. No Wolf, no skins, no Nassau.
- A social feed. Nobody is going to like your round.
If two or more of those matter to you, one of the apps in the table is a better buy than we are, and you should go get it.
Who should not use SimplyStroke
- Golfers chasing a handicap. You need GHIN integration. TheGrint is built for exactly this.
- Golfers who want data. If you enjoy the analytics, you will find SimplyStroke boring, and you will be right to.
- Golfers who already love their app. If your scorecard workflow is not costing you anything, there is nothing here for you to fix.
Who SimplyStroke is for
- Golfers who still keep a paper scorecard and want a cleaner version of exactly that, with no account and no settings.
- Golfers who already own a rangefinder or ride a cart with GPS, and need an app for one job only.
- Casual groups who do not care about handicaps, analytics or betting engines and just want a shared card that adds itself up.
- Golfers who lose count for reasons that are not carelessness. If that is every round, every hole, and you have spent years being told to concentrate harder, read ADHD and golf — the count is a prospective memory task and it is measurably harder for some brains than others.
If you want the category explained rather than the products compared, start with what a golf stroke counter is and how to pick one.
Head-to-head
The two comparisons people actually search for, in full:
- SimplyStroke vs 18Birdies — the app that was the default, and is now described as bloated.
- SimplyStroke vs Arccos — the best analytics in golf, and the loudest subscription in golf.
Common questions
What is the simplest golf scorecard app?
The simplest golf scorecard apps are one-tap stroke counters, where you tap once per swing and the app keeps the running total and totals the card for you. SimplyStroke is built to be the simplest of these: one giant button, an undo, no account required to start a round, no ads and no GPS clutter.
Is there a golf app without a subscription?
Yes. Core scoring in SimplyStroke is free. Most GPS and analytics golf apps charge roughly $30 to $100 a year for their useful tiers, and hardware trackers like Arccos add $180 to $300 up front for sensors.
What is a simpler alternative to 18Birdies?
If you use 18Birdies mainly to keep score and ignore the GPS, green maps and social feed, a one-tap stroke counter does that one job with far less friction. SimplyStroke records a stroke in a single tap, needs no account to start a round, works offline for solo rounds and shows no ads. You lose GPS yardages, handicap tracking and the social feed, which is the trade.
Do I need a golf GPS app if I already have a rangefinder?
Probably not. If you already get your yardages from a laser rangefinder or a cart GPS, the only thing a golf app is still doing for you is holding your score, and a full GPS app is a heavy way to do that. A stroke counter covers it in one tap.
Does SimplyStroke have GPS, handicap posting or strokes gained?
No, and it will not. SimplyStroke has no GPS, no GHIN handicap posting, no strokes gained analytics, no side games and no social feed. It counts strokes and produces a finished scorecard. If you want analytics, Arccos is genuinely excellent and does that far better than we ever would.
Is SimplyStroke free?
Yes. Core scoring is free, with no ads and no hardware to buy.
Is SimplyStroke available yet?
Yes. SimplyStroke is free on the App Store for iPhone and Apple Watch, and it also plays in your browser at app.simplystroke.app. Android is coming soon to Google Play.
SimplyStroke is newly live, so this page carries no user ratings and makes none up. Competitor pricing and features are summarised from each company's own published material as of July 2026 and are their trademarks, not ours. Canonical: https://www.simplystroke.app/compare/