Best Strokes Gained Apps (2026), Compared
Eight apps that calculate real strokes gained, compared on price, hardware, categories, platforms and the one thing that changes your numbers most: which benchmark you are measured against.
Eight apps calculate real strokes gained in 2026: golfity, Arccos, Shot Scope, DECADE, Golf Pad, PinFlag, UpGame and Shot Pattern. The best strokes gained app for you depends mostly on one question: which benchmark are you measured against? The PGA Tour, a target handicap, or golfers at your level?
That choice changes your numbers more than anything else. Lose 1.5 strokes on approach against the Tour and you might be gaining strokes against a 15 handicap. Neither number is wrong. They answer different questions.
Strokes Gained in Two Sentences
Every spot on the course has an expected number of strokes to hole out, and strokes gained measures how much each shot improved or hurt that number. From 150 yards in the fairway the average is 2.8 strokes; hit it to 10 feet, where the average is 1.6 putts, and you gained 0.2 on that shot.
Mark Broadie built the method from PGA Tour ShotLink data, and his story is worth reading. For the full explanation, start with what strokes gained is or the strokes gained overview.
Best Strokes Gained Apps, Side by Side
This page covers strokes gained only. For GPS, scorecards and general stats, see our honest comparison of the best golf stats apps in 2026.
| App | Price (free tier / paid) | Hardware needed | Strokes gained categories | Benchmark used | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| golfity | Free to start / Pro $5.99/mo or $49.99/yr, 7-day trial | None | Total (free); off the tee, approach, around the green, putting and by club (Pro) | PGA Tour; handicap benchmarks in Pro | iOS, Android |
| Arccos | No free tier / membership $199/yr, first year included with Arccos Air | Required: Smart Sensors $249.99 or Arccos Air | Driving, approach, short game, putting; by club with sensors | Selectable: goal handicap, tour pros, your level | iOS, Android, Apple Watch |
| Shot Scope | No subscription | Required: Shot Scope device, CONNEX tags or Apple Watch | Per shot; see vendor site for categories | Target handicap | iOS, Android, Apple Watch, web |
| DECADE | No free tier listed / memberships of 6 or 12 months, see vendor site | None | See vendor site (Elite membership only) | College and top-50 amateur (Elite) | iOS, Android |
| Golf Pad | Free tier without SG / Premium $29.99–$49.99/yr, 14-day trial | None (optional TAGS, $99 with 1 year of Premium) | Off the tee, layups, approach, around the green, putting | PGA Tour, scratch, 10 or 20 handicap | iOS, Android, Apple Watch, Wear OS, web |
| PinFlag | No free app tier / $14.99/mo or $99.99/yr, 14-day trial on annual | None | Off the tee, approach, short game, putting | Selectable: Tour, scratch or handicap level | iPhone (launching); Android waitlist |
| UpGame | Free to try / Basic and Pro plans, see vendor site | None | See vendor site | Selectable: current level, target level or tour | iPhone, iPad, Mac; see vendor site |
| Shot Pattern | Paid: $19.99/mo, $74.99 per 6 months or $99/yr, 14-day trial | None | Driving, approach, short game, putting | Target handicap | iOS, Mac, Apple Watch |
Prices checked October 2026 on each vendor’s site or App Store listing. Prices vary by region and change with promotions.
Tour Baseline or Handicap Baseline?
Broadie’s original numbers come from tour players, so “strokes gained vs the PGA Tour” is the closest thing to a standard. It is also brutal for amateurs. A 15 handicap loses strokes in every category against the Tour, which tells you that you are not a tour pro and not much else.
What helps is seeing where you lose the most. The categories still rank correctly against a Tour baseline: if you lose 4.1 on approach and 1.2 putting, approach is your problem. A handicap baseline shows the same ranking with smaller, friendlier numbers, and it answers a second question: what would a better golfer do from where I am?
golfity’s free total uses the Tour baseline. Shot Scope and Shot Pattern measure you against a target handicap, and DECADE against college players and top amateurs. golfity Pro, Arccos, Golf Pad, PinFlag and UpGame let you switch between the Tour and handicap levels, which is the setup we’d look for if you’re above a 10.
golfity: Strokes Gained on Your Phone
We build golfity, so weigh this section accordingly. It is professional-grade analytics, now on your phone, no sensors needed.
golfity is free to start. The free core covers round tracking, core stats, round history, CSV export and your total strokes gained against the PGA Tour. Pro costs $5.99 a month or $49.99 a year with a 7-day trial, and adds the breakdown by shot type and by club, handicap benchmarks, putting by distance and a coach’s note after each round.
The trade-off is manual entry. You log every shot on your phone, which takes a few minutes per round. If you won’t do that, a sensor-based app suits you better. Try the strokes gained calculator first to see how the numbers work on a single hole.
Arccos: Automatic Tracking, Hardware Required
Arccos tracks shots with sensors in your grips, or with its Arccos Air system, so you don’t log anything during the round. Its strokes gained splits into driving, approach, short game and putting, with club-by-club analysis from the sensors, and you can compare yourself with a goal handicap, tour pros or golfers at your level.
The cost is hardware plus membership. Arccos Air is $349.99 with the first year of membership included, after which it renews at $199 a year; Smart Sensors are $249.99. Automatic detection also means checking the round afterward for missed shots. Our Arccos vs Shot Scope vs golfity comparison goes deeper, and if the hardware is what puts you off, see the Arccos alternatives without sensors.
Shot Scope: Pay Once, No Subscription
Shot Scope’s pitch is the opposite of Arccos: buy the hardware, and the app and web dashboard are subscription-free. Tracking needs a Shot Scope GPS device, CONNEX tags with an NFC phone, or its Apple Watch app. Every shot gets a strokes gained value, and you can set a target handicap as the benchmark. Its strokes gained page doesn’t list named categories, so check the dashboard before buying.
DECADE: Strokes Gained Inside a Strategy System
DECADE is Scott Fawcett’s course management system, and strokes gained is one part of it. It comes with the Elite membership, measured against college players and top-50 amateurs. Memberships run 6 or 12 months. The site showed sale pricing when we checked, so we’ve left the price as “see vendor site”. DECADE fits competitive players who want the strategy content as much as the stats.
Golf Pad: GPS App With Strokes Gained in Premium
Golf Pad is a full GPS and scoring app with free shot tracking. Strokes gained is in Premium ($29.99 to $49.99 a year, 14-day trial) and covers off the tee, layups, approach, around the green and putting, against PGA Tour, scratch, 10 or 20 handicap baselines. Optional TAGS speed up club logging. Golf Pad has the widest platform coverage here, including Wear OS and a web dashboard.
PinFlag: Not Out Yet
PinFlag’s site shows its Golfer plan at $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year, with Tour, scratch and handicap-level baselines and the four standard categories. At the time of writing it says it is launching on the App Store, iPhone only, with an Android waitlist. Worth watching, but you can’t track a round with it yet.
UpGame: Built for Competitive Players
UpGame, now part of Trackman, needs no Trackman hardware and lets you compare against your current level, a target level or tour standards. Trackman aims it at tour players, college teams and federations. The App Store lists several Basic and Pro prices without saying which applies, so check the current price in the app.
Shot Pattern: iPhone and Mac, Target Handicap
Shot Pattern logs shots on a map, with optional Apple Watch and launch monitor uploads. Strokes gained covers driving, approach, short game and putting against target handicap benchmarks. It is paid only, with a 14-day trial, and runs on iOS and Mac with no Android version.
How to Pick a Strokes Gained App
- You want strokes gained without buying hardware, with a free total to start: golfity.
- You want automatic tracking and the budget is there: Arccos, or Shot Scope to pay once.
- You already want a GPS app and strokes gained is a bonus: Golf Pad.
- You play competitively and want strategy or coaching tools around the stats: DECADE or UpGame.
- You only use Apple devices and want a target-handicap baseline: Shot Pattern.
Whichever you pick, the benchmark decides what the numbers mean, so check it before comparing your results with a friend’s.
To see your own strokes gained without sensors, download golfity and log your next round. Your total against the PGA Tour is free, and the features page shows what Pro adds.
