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If you’re even a little bit serious about your golf game, a launch monitor is one of the most valuable assets you can have at your disposal.
Most launch monitors can measure and display important ball data on their own, but many of them come with special companion apps that provide additional features. Some apps can even work without a launch monitor.
These apps can offer different features that allow you to simulate your shots and analyze your game on a deeper level, but which ones are the best? Which ones are the easiest to set up and use?
In this article, we’ll review and compare our picks for the best golf launch monitor apps for understanding your game.
Note: Golfstead has tested and/or conducted in-depth research into all of the apps featured in this guide. Our editorial process for these rankings takes into account a mix of many factors which may include performance, reliability, usability, value for money, cost, and the general consensus from other users. The list that follows may be reassessed or updated over time.
Our Top Picks For Golf Launch Monitor Apps
Based on our own research, testing and experience, here are our top app selections:
- Garmin Golf App
- GolfTrak App
- Full Swing KIT App
- Golfboy App
- FlightScope Golf App
- Shot Vision App
- Uneekor VIEW Air App
1. Garmin Golf App
The Garmin Golf app has been available for Garmin’s various golf GPS watch, band and handheld products for years, and it has been received amazingly well by users.
But with the release of the Approach R10 launch monitor, it has gotten a major facelift. It not only displays an array of data parameters to inform your game, but it also offers a driving range, weekly tournaments, and golf simulator software.
You’ll need a Garmin Approach R10 launch monitor to access these features. With it, you’ll be able to view readings for sixteen data parameters including ball and club head speed, launch angle and direction, club path, angle of attack, and more.
You can also purchase a Garmin Golf membership, which costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year. This gives you full access to the Home Tee Hero simulation software, cloud storage, and green contour data. A separate subscription can be purchased to use the E6 CONNECT software.
The Garmin Golf app is available on iOS and Android devices, but a smartphone should be used in order to get the best experience.
Other things you can do on the app are:
- set up your own tournaments and invite friends to compete
- live chat with other players
- sync your scorecard automatically
- track your scorecards
- view performance by course
- view shots on an interactive map
- share results
The Garmin Golf app works best with a compatible Garmin device, but if you don’t have one, you can still participate in weekly tournaments on over 40,000 courses by entering your scores manually.
With an Approach R10 launch monitor, the Garmin Golf app becomes one of the most powerful launch monitor apps on the market.
2. GolfTrak App
GolfTrak is quite a remarkable launch monitor app for a number of reasons:
- It doesn’t require any extra hardware (except for, perhaps, a phone tripod).
- Its accuracy is surprisingly close to expensive launch monitors like SkyTrak.
- It also integrates with golf simulator software.
GolfTrak was developed over the course of six years by IT expert and golfer Igor Vainshtein, who also runs a multinational golf simulator company.
The app provides ball tracking with the use of your phone’s rear cameras. Data parameters measured directly are ball speed, horizontal & vertical launch angle, and club path, while advanced algorithms are used to calculate club face angle, spin, spin axis and distance.
In addition to presenting a suite of data points after each shot, GolfTrak also integrates with the world-renowned E6 CONNECT, GSPro, and PGA TOUR 2K21 software, meaning that through the app, your phone can function as a full-fledged launch monitor for free.
GolfTrak has both an indoor and a driving range mode. The app can be installed and set up to read shots within a couple minutes with guided setup instructions. For visuals on how the app works, I suggest checking out the GolfTrak YouTube channel.
Generally, data readings with GolfTrak are within a few percentage points of high-end launch monitors.
In our experience, ball speed and spin readings can differ considerably from reality, but without any extra hardware needed, you can’t do much better. Plus, the app developers are continually improving the tracking and performance of the app through updates.
The app is currently available for iOS devices and has a new Apple Watch version as well. We were under the impression that an Android version was in development, but that may not be the case anymore.
3. Full Swing KIT App
This app requires the use of the Full Swing KIT launch monitor which is endorsed and used personally by Tiger Woods. The KIT was built at Woods’ request and according to his standards.
Moreover, the KIT app is one of the most well-designed, intuitive launch monitor apps on the market and is praised by critics.
This app, available for iPad, iPhone and Apple Watch (iOS only), allows you to:
- view 1080p swing clips captured by the KIT’s on-board camera
- share swing clips with friends, coaches and instructors
- see your ball flight on a 3D driving range
- customize and sort the data parameters that you see
- view interactive dispersion charts
- view trends and averages for different clubs
- do custom bag and club management
- get audio feedback after every shot
The KIT app is highly customizable. For example, you can customize the device display by going into the app settings and dragging the data metrics into the desired order with your finger. You can also customize the colour of each club in the bag for easier data visualization.
In addition, a premium version of the app (currently $99.99/year) unlocks the ability to view detailed historical shot data and store unlimited swing videos on the cloud.
What we’re most impressed by with the Full Swing KIT app is how easy it is to navigate through every shot and session compared to other launch monitor apps. The information is nicely presented and easily digestible.
Moreover, Full Swing has been adding new features to the app, improving performance, and fixing bugs since its release, so it continues to get better.
The KIT is a high-level launch monitor, but the good news is that it’s very affordable considering the accuracy, power, and number of data parameters measured.
4. Golfboy App
Golfboy, developed by Japanese company Qoncept, Inc., is another fantastic launch monitor app that does pretty much everything you could ever want, with no extra hardware required except for an Apple device and phone tripod.
Not only do you get instant feedback on every shot in the form of carry distance, apex height, ball speed, clubhead speed, smash factor, launch angle, and launch direction, but you also get:
- a 2D visual of your ball flight
- a dispersion estimate
- a composite image of your club through the impact zone
To use Golfboy, you mount your phone to a tripod so that the phone’s camera is facing down towards the hitting zone, allowing it to capture the impact. After some initial setup and calibration, which is described in text and video documentation, you’re ready to hit your shot.
Note that Golfboy will be able to measure greater distances if your phone’s camera has an ultra wide-angle lens.
This isn’t all the app does, though. It has six main modes:
- Shot: described above.
- Putt: similar to above, but for putting.
- Pairing: allows you to hook up a second phone via QR code pairing so that you can capture video of your shots from a different angle, with trajectory and data overlaid on top. Once set up, the second phone starts and stop recording automatically, and you can share the video clips on social media.
- Round: provides a golf simulation experience, providing top-down illustrations of holes with bunkers, water hazards, etc. and overlaying your simulated shots on top.
- Creator: allows you to create and share your own course with other users of the app.
- Form: allows you to save captured swing clips as movies, motion pictures, or panoramic images, and compare them.
There are some caveats. A subscription (currently $6.99/month) is required to access the measurement functions, course simulation, and other features, a minimum of iOS 15.0 is required, and the iPhone X and earlier models cannot use the Form mode.
The accuracy of the data parameters is very good. Moreover, Golfboy is one of the highest-rated apps we’ve seen, and the developers are committed to making it an even greater product through frequent updates.
Golfboy is also selling a special tripod designed for the app, which you can check out here.
5. FlightScope Golf App
The FlightScope Golf (FS Golf) app requires the use of a FlightScope Mevo+, X3, Xi Series, X2, or X2 Elite radar. It’s one of the highest-rated FlightScope apps at the time of writing.
This is the bread-and-butter app we recommend using with FlightScope launch monitors that are compatible with it. With it, you can take your game to the next level by reviewing your swing and various types of club, ball, and dispersion data.
The FS Golf app is available for iOS and Android devices, and it also has iPad and Apple Watch versions. Its main features are:
- 3D Trajectory: view simulated tracers of your ball flight in DTL (down-the-line), side, or top views, accompanied by custom data overlays
- Video: capture down-the-line video of your shots, either with your phone or the launch monitor’s built-in camera, and play it back with customized data overlaid on top
- Shot Grouping: group your shots by club and view those shot collections in top-down dispersion maps
- Data View: view the complete set of data for each shot in tile or tabular formats
- Club Analysis: get a 3D illustration of the club at impact with information such as H-plane, face-to-path, and club path (Pro Package upgrade required)
- Club Profiles: data analysis tools useful for club fitters
Session types within the FS Golf app include Full Swing, Swing Training, Chipping, Putting, and Challenges.
This is a very useful, feature-rich app, but some people have experienced issues with crashes and connecting it to their radar. If you experience any issues, we suggest contacting FlightScope support directly.
6. Shot Vision App
Shot Vision is described as “the first true golf launch monitor on a mobile device”. It doesn’t require any other hardware and is free to install.
JETBLACK, the creator of Shot Vision, set out with the goal of making standard launch monitor features available to the average golfer. They tested the app against some of the leading products in the industry and came up with something that offers pretty amazing value.
The app is only available to iOS users, but those who have used it have reported great results. It can be used both indoors and outdoors.
Shot Vision uses state-of-the-art technology to detect launch conditions and accurately measure up to eight different parameters, including carry distance, ball speed, club speed, spin rate, total distance, and launch angle.
What’s more, the app has recently been updated to the 2.0 version which adds a new setup, improved analysis, and better accuracy.
With the Shot Vision app, you can also:
- compare clubs and distances
- access your data in the cloud from anywhere
- compete in challenges, rank on leaderboards, and win prizes
With Shot Vision, there is a Pro Subscription that unlocks additional features and enables more detailed analytics for your golf shots. It comes with a 7 or 14 day free trial, after which you’ll pay around $9.99/month or $69.99/year depending on the billing period you choose.
Shot Vision has good ratings (relatively speaking), and if you’re at all interested, we recommend installing the app for free and seeing for yourself how it performs.
7. Uneekor VIEW Air App
The VIEW Air App requires the Uneekor EYE MINI launch monitor.
While it’s restricted to just one specific launch monitor and mobile device (iPad), we feel it’s worthy of making this list because of its powerful analysis features and the fact that it has the same feature set as VIEW for PC, which is a tried and tested software.
VIEW provides a full 3D driving range environment that projects your shots and traces your ball flight while displaying the full array of data points that the EYE MINI measures. Sections include:
- Side-Top: see the positions and shapes of your shots from the top and side.
- Group: get an overhead look of where your shots ended up with their dispersion patterns.
- Club: view all your club data in visual form with slow-motion video of the club impacting the ball and the impact location on the club face.
- Shot: get a breakdown of the session, displaying the measured data for each shot in tabular form.
Through this app, you can see the EYE MINI’s unique Club Optix slow-motion view of the club impacting the ball. In the Club section, you get an up-close visual of how your clubface was oriented at impact, informed by data parameters like club path, launch angle, and spin.
In addition to the EYE MINI, you’ll also need an iPad with iPadOS 14.0 or later to use the VIEW Air app.
There are no paid or premium plans associated with the app, so you can enjoy its full power for free. The app has a high average rating and is actively being supported by Uneekor.
Final Thoughts
Some of the launch monitor apps reviewed on this page are free and don’t require any external hardware to use.
However, you should keep in mind that if you want a high-quality, reliable analysis of your club and ball data, you really need a separate radar or launch monitor unit that is designed for such a purpose. Companion apps are available to augment many of these units.
Also note that most launch monitor apps are only available on iOS devices.
You can try out independent apps like GolfTrak and Shot Vision, but don’t expect earthshattering accuracy. Check out our article on portable launch monitors for some excellent, affordable options.
Thanks for reading this guide. Which launch monitor app are you planning to use? Do you have any questions? Feel free to drop a comment down below.
So nothing for android that doesn’t require extra equipment?
If something does exist for it, I’m sure it’s not very good. The B-Fit is supposed to be coming to Android soon, but it seems like it has been stalled for some reason. iOS devices are, in fact, more popular for golf simulator technology because they can apparently handle it better.
My exact question… more than a year later lol