Golf stats tracker comparison
TM Stats vs 18Birdies
18Birdies is one of the most downloaded golf apps in the world. It started as a free GPS and scorecard and has grown into a social app with games, leagues and a Premium tier. It is very good at what most golfers use it for, which is distances and keeping score with mates.
How each one tracks your shots
Them
You keep score on your phone and can add fairways, greens and putts per hole. There is no automatic shot detection. Premium adds more detailed stats and an AI coach.
TM Stats
You enter each shot on your phone as you play: distance left and the lie. No sensors, no watch, no tags. A hole takes about a minute to log, and you can do it walking to the next tee.
What it costs
Them
The basic app is free. Premium is priced in US dollars at about $99.99 a year or $19.99 a month at the time of writing, with UK pricing set by the app stores. Some features move between the free and paid tiers from time to time, so check the app itself.
TM Stats
Free for your first five rounds, with full stats and one round of Strokes Gained. Pro is £4.99 a month or £50 a year for unlimited rounds, Strokes Gained on every round, AI coaching and the mental game coach.
Strokes Gained
Them
A simplified Strokes Gained figure exists and 18Birdies has at times made it free to all users. It is based on the basic stats you tap in rather than every shot, so it is less precise than a shot by shot system.
TM Stats
Strokes Gained is the whole point of TM Stats. Every shot is compared with what a golfer at your handicap would expect from that distance and lie, split into off the tee, approach, around the green and putting.
Where 18Birdies wins
- +Free tier is genuinely useful
- +GPS, scorecard, games and leagues in one app
- +Huge user base, so your mates are probably on it
Where it falls short
- −Strokes Gained is approximate because it works from summary stats, not shots
- −Premium costs more per year than TM Stats Pro
- −Built for socialising and GPS first, improvement second
Who 18Birdies is best for
Golfers who mainly want GPS distances, a scorecard and the social side, with stats as a bonus.
My verdict
18Birdies is a great app for playing golf. TM Stats is built for getting better at it. If you want to know, to the shot, where your 84 came from and what to practise on Tuesday night, that is what TM Stats does and 18Birdies does not.
Prices checked 28 October 2026 from the manufacturer's own site or UK retailers. They change, so confirm before you buy. I have no commercial link with 18Birdies.
See your own Strokes Gained this week
Nothing to buy. Log your next round on your phone and find out where the shots went.
Start freeMore comparisons