An honest comparison · 1 November 2026
18Birdies alternatives
18Birdies is a GPS and scorecard app with a big free plan and a Premium that adds plays-like distances, club recommendations, strokes gained and an AI Swing Analyzer. People look elsewhere for the price of Premium, for a language other than English, Japanese or Korean, or for a coach who reads the whole game. Each row below is what the app's own listing or site says.
Why not try an AI golf coach on WhatsApp?
Ask MorrisBy Morris, by Badgie Golf · Updated
18Birdies and the alternatives at a glance
| App | What it does | Free | Paid | Devices and languages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18Birdies | GPS with distances to greens, hazards, layups and carries, scorecard and handicap tracking, stats, shot tracking, instant swing replay, games (Scramble, Best Ball, Skins, Wolf), leagues and Apple Watch. Premium adds plays-like distances, club recommendations, 3D greens, strokes gained and an AI Swing Analyzer. Over 45,000 courses, by its listing. | Rangefinder, scorecard, handicap, stats, basic shot tracking, Watch | Premium $9.99 or $19.99/month, $69.99 or $99.99/year, $7.99/week (several prices listed) | iPhone, Apple Watch and Android. English, Japanese and Korean |
| Hole19 | GPS to the front, centre and back of the green, a scorecard with putts, fairways and greens, Apple Watch distances without the phone and live leaderboards. Premium adds plays-like distances, shot tracking, club recommendations, an AR view and a handicap calculator; Intelligence adds an AI caddie («Otto»), AI round reports and strokes gained. Over 42,000 courses in 201 countries, by the company's count. | GPS, scorecard, hole preview, Watch distances, leaderboards | Premium Pro $6.99/week, $12.99/month, $49.99 for six months or $69.99/year; Intelligence $99.99/year | iPhone, Apple Watch and Android. 14 languages |
| Golfshot | GPS to the centre of the green, scorecard and stats, Handicap Index linking (GHIN) and tee times through GolfNow. Pro adds front, back and hazard distances, «Smart Caddy» club recommendations, automatic shot tracking and Swing ID swing analysis with the Apple Watch, strokes gained and games. Over 47,000 courses in 169 countries, by its listing. | GPS to the centre of the green, scorecard, stats | Pro, with a 7-day trial: $4.99/week, $14.99/month or $69.99/year by its description | iPhone, Apple Watch and Android. 11 languages |
| TheGrint | A scorecard with fairways, greens, putts and penalties and 18+ stats modules, GPS on over 40,000 courses (by the company's count), games (Skins, Stableford, Match Play, Wolf…), friends and leaderboards, and Apple Watch. In the US it links your USGA Handicap Index; elsewhere it uses its own GHAP network, which is not a federation handicap. | Scorecard, basic stats, GPS and a handicap estimate | Pro, with a 7-day trial: $3.99/month or $39.99/year | iPhone, Apple Watch and Android. English only |
| Morris (Badgie Golf) | An AI golf coach on WhatsApp, nothing to download, plus the Morris app for iPhone and Android. He reviews your swing from a video (one priority, one feel, one drill), looks the Rules up in the official text and gives you the rule number, tells you which club from your Garmin distances, reads your rounds and strokes gained, and brings the official RFEG handicap for players federated in Spain. He answers in your language. Same account, Badgie Golf: GPS on mapped courses, live scorecard, games with friends and Apple Watch. | Free to start and no message limit today; the web swing analyzer is free with no account | Nothing to start | WhatsApp, iPhone, Android and Apple Watch (Badgie Golf). Answers in 12 languages |
What 18Birdies does well
A lot for free: distances to greens, hazards, layups and carries, scorecard and handicap tracking, stats, shot tracking, instant swing replay, games and leagues, and Apple Watch. Premium adds the analysis layer: plays-like distances, club recommendations, 3D greens, strokes gained and the AI Swing Analyzer. It lists over 45,000 courses.
Why golfers look for another
The analysis is behind Premium, the listing shows several prices for the same plan, and the app speaks three languages. And an AI swing score is one input: it helps when someone ties it to your misses on the course. Read the best swing analysis apps and how AI swing analysis works before you pay.
Pick by the job
- 1
GPS and scorecard
Hole19 (14 languages) or Golfshot (11), free for the basics.
- 2
Handicap and stats in the US
TheGrint, with the USGA Handicap Index and 18+ stats modules.
- 3
Your swing, explained
Morris: send a video and get what is working, one priority, one feel and one drill with reps.
- 4
Your whole game in one chat
Morris reads your rounds (Badgie Golf, Garmin), your handicap and your swing, and answers on WhatsApp.
Try Morris
Upload one swing to the free swing analyzer (no account; videos deleted after 30 days) or get the app at morris.golf/download.
The other comparisons
Each one with the same rule: what every app says about itself, with its source and the date it was read.
Sources
- 18Birdies — App Store listing (US) — Free and Premium features, courses and prices. Read on 1 November 2026.
- 18Birdies — ficha de la App Store (España) — Prices in euros. Read on 1 November 2026.
- Hole19 — ficha de la App Store (España) — Prices in euros, courses and languages. Read on 1 November 2026.
- Hole19 — ficha de la App Store (EE. UU.) — Free, Premium and Intelligence features, and prices in dollars. Read on 1 November 2026.
- Golfshot — ficha de la App Store (EE. UU.) — Free and Pro features, courses and the prices in its description. Read on 1 November 2026.
- TheGrint — ficha de la App Store (España) — Prices in euros and language. Read on 1 November 2026.
- TheGrint — ficha de la App Store (EE. UU.) — Features, USGA and GHAP handicap, and prices in dollars. Read on 1 November 2026.
- TheGrint — web — GPS courses, free and Pro games, 7-day trial. Read on 1 November 2026.
- Morris — morris.golf — What Morris does and what it costs to start. Read on 1 November 2026.
Try it free: your swing reviewed from a video
Drop a video of one swing here
One swing, face-on or down the line, your whole body in the frame. Up to 20 seconds.
Your video is used only for this analysis and is deleted after 30 days. No name, no email, no account.
Questions about 18Birdies and its alternatives
How much is 18Birdies Premium?
The US App Store listing shows several prices for Premium: $9.99 or $19.99 a month, $69.99 or $99.99 a year and $7.99 a week, with a free trial for eligible users (1 November 2026).
Is the 18Birdies AI swing analyzer free?
No. By its listing the AI Swing Analyzer, strokes gained, plays-like distances and club recommendations are Premium. The free plan has the GPS rangefinder, scorecard, handicap tracking, stats and instant swing replay. Morris's web swing analyzer is free and needs no account.
What is a good alternative to 18Birdies in other languages?
18Birdies lists English, Japanese and Korean. Hole19 lists 14 languages and Golfshot 11. Morris answers on WhatsApp in the language you write in, among 12.
Which 18Birdies alternative has an official handicap?
TheGrint links the USGA Handicap Index in the US, and Golfshot links GHIN. For players federated in Spain, Morris brings the official RFEG handicap from the licence number. Elsewhere, the official handicap is your federation's.
A golf coach, not another app
No downloads, no passwords: you text him on WhatsApp and Morris helps with your game, using everything he knows about you.
Text Morris on WhatsApp