18Birdies was the default golf app for a long time, and the reason is straightforward: the free tier is genuinely good and it gives you GPS distances at over 40,000 courses without asking for money. Any comparison that pretends otherwise is not worth reading.
The complaint that has caught up with it is equally straightforward. Golfers describe it as bloated, or “too much going on,” and the scorecard, the thing most people actually opened it for, is now one screen among many, competing with overlays, upsells and a social feed.
Side by side
| SimplyStroke | 18Birdies | |
|---|---|---|
| What it's for | Counting strokes. Nothing else | Social GPS platform + scoring |
| Taps to log a stroke | 1 | Several (scorecard grid) |
| Account to start | No | Yes |
| Cost | Core scoring free | Free tier + $99.99/yr premium |
| Ads | None | Yes, on the free tier |
| GPS yardages | No | Yes (40,000+ courses) |
| 3D green maps | No | Premium only (Strackaline) |
| Strokes gained stats | No | Premium only |
| GHIN handicap posting | No | No (own handicap, doesn't sync) |
| Social feed | No | Yes |
| Apple Watch | Yes (one-tap counter) | Yes (GPS + scoring) |
| Solo rounds work offline | Yes | Partial |
If you use 18Birdies for the GPS, keep 18Birdies. Distance to the green on a good free tier is a real thing and SimplyStroke has no answer to it.
If you open 18Birdies to keep score and everything else is noise, the feed, the upsells and the grid you have to find the right cell in make you pay attention to features you never asked for. SimplyStroke is a single tap and core scoring costs nothing.
What you give up by switching
- GPS yardages. The big one. 18Birdies covers over 40,000 courses on the free tier. If you do not carry a rangefinder, this matters.
- 3D green maps and Strackaline data (premium).
- Strokes gained and advanced stats (premium).
- The social feed, side games and leagues.
- AI swing analyzer and club recommendations (premium).
Note what is not on that list: an official handicap. Neither app posts to GHIN, and the 18Birdies handicap is not accepted for USGA events, so if that is what you thought you were getting, you are already doing it by hand.
What you gain by switching
- One tap per stroke instead of a grid. The single biggest difference in daily use. You tap after each swing instead of opening a scorecard, finding the hole, and incrementing a cell.
- No account to start. Pick up your phone on the first tee and start a round. No email, no password, no profile.
- No ads, no upsells. The screen shows your count and nothing else.
- Works offline for solo rounds. Your round is saved on your device and needs no course signal.
- A finished scorecard. SimplyStroke totals the round and calculates your score to par. You never add it up yourself.
When to use both
Some golfers keep both on their phone. 18Birdies for the GPS on unfamiliar courses where distance matters, and SimplyStroke on the home course where they already know every yardage and just want the count to stick. They are not competing for the same job, and installing one does not break the other.
Common questions
Is there a simpler alternative to 18Birdies?
Yes. If you use 18Birdies mainly to keep score and ignore the GPS, green maps and social feed, a one-tap stroke counter does that 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 give up GPS yardages, handicap tracking and the social feed, which is the trade.
Is 18Birdies free?
18Birdies has a free tier that includes GPS at over 40,000 courses, shot tracking, scoring, stats tracking, multi-player scoring, side games, and a watch app. Premium features such as 3D green maps, strokes gained, plays-like distances and the AI coach sit behind a subscription at $99.99 per year, $19.99 per month, or $7.99 per week. SimplyStroke keeps its core scoring free and shows no ads, but it also does far less.
Does 18Birdies post to GHIN?
No. 18Birdies maintains its own handicap, which does not sync with GHIN, and per their own documentation the 18Birdies handicap is not accepted for USGA-sanctioned tournaments. If you need an official index you will be posting scores separately. SimplyStroke does not post to GHIN either, and does not pretend to.
Which is better for just keeping score?
SimplyStroke, by design. In 18Birdies, entering a score means opening a scorecard grid, finding the right hole and incrementing a cell, while GPS overlays and the feed compete for attention. In SimplyStroke, entering a score means tapping the screen once. If keeping score is the only job you need done, the second one is a shorter path.
Which is better overall?
It depends entirely on whether you want a golf platform or a scorecard. 18Birdies is more capable at almost everything: GPS, stats, social rounds, green maps. SimplyStroke is better at exactly one thing, which is recording a stroke without breaking your round. Pick based on which of those you actually open the app to do.
Does 18Birdies work on Apple Watch?
Yes, both apps have an Apple Watch version. The difference is what happens on the watch. 18Birdies shows GPS distances, hole layout and scoring on your wrist. SimplyStroke shows one giant button you tap after each swing. If you want yardages on your wrist, 18Birdies. If you want the count on your wrist, SimplyStroke.