The Grint vs. GolfN (2026): Which Free Golf App Is Better?

I've been using golf apps for nearly a decade now, and it's hard to imagine what golf was like before them:

• Entering your score into a dedicated handicap computer in the clubhouse
• Keeping fairways and greens stats on a paper scorecard
• Logging your courses played and ratings in a spreadsheet

These days, even though I try to be as passive as possible with my tech while playing, golf apps are pretty much essential. It just depends on how much or how little you use the app when you're actually on the course.

Before I joined the GolfN team, I was a managing editor at GolfPass (also Golf Advisor and Golf Channel), and reviewed a lot of tech, from hardware to mobile apps and launch monitors. It was one of my favorite things to do because each app has to make small decisions and trade-offs in its user experience.

I found that each of the major apps typically did one thing better than the others, which made it stand out. For example, Golfshot's Augmented Reality is awesome (but can be a battery drain). Garmin, which makes great hardware, had a feature in its app I loved: scoring averages by hole at each course I play. Then, weirdly, one day, it was gone.

Then there is Arccos, which is the leader in shot tracking and strokes gained metrics, but it's attention-consuming and not intended for casual and social players.

There is no shortage of online evidence of me praising The Grint, despite the fact my own company at the time had a comparable GPS app. The Grint has been around for a while and continues to grow and build, and even has its own national amateur tour.

So should you use GolfN or The Grint on the course? My answer, even as a GolfN team member these days, may be surprising.

The Grint: A Digital Caddie OG

I've been using The Grint since 2016 and have logged hundreds of rounds. I have several real-life golf buddies who also use it, so we can see each other's scores. I've had a Pro membership more years than not, bundled with their GHIN handicap integration. Pro gets you advanced stats and analytics, full watch functionality, and some additional social and games features.

Bundling my official USGA handicap plus getting all the advanced Pro features is $92.99.

Over the years, I've always found The Grint's Apple Watch app to be the best-looking and performing amongst its peers. Apple Watch apps that work well and don't drain the battery are harder to develop than you think.

These Pro features, combined with any social connections you've made, make it tough to want to switch if you're happy to pay.

From a free perspective, one of my favorite features as a buddies trip captain is looking at recent course reviews on The Grint to get a sense of how conditions are that season, then also examining the hole-by-hole previews to see what type of course it is.

GolfN: Earn rewards using free advanced features

GolfN, on the other hand, has been out for less than a year, so its digital caddie feature set is still catching up with some of the apps that have been out for nearly a decade or longer. But there are a few features GolfN already has that are on par with The Grint and others:

• Social feeds and notifications and live scoring so you can smack-talk your friends
• Advanced stats like putts, fairways, and how they compare to your handicap level
• Color 3D GPS maps of courses worldwide with real-time "Plays-Like" yardages (free)

Several items I like on The Grint that are on the GolfN roadmap:

• Match types and side games
• GHIN integration
• Full Apple Watch functionality (currently front middle-back yardages)
• Desktop course guide and profile dashboard

Features GolfN provides for free that The Grint requires Pro for:

• Advanced stats
• Insights vs. handicap
• Relative pin position
• GolfN's Apple Watch functionality will also be fully free when launched

As GolfN rolls out more caddie features, virtually all of them will be free with no paywall, because GolfN has a different business model.

Grint vs. GolfN Key Difference: Caddie App or Rewards App?

The Grint is a digital caddie app. GolfN is a rewards app with a free digital caddie. Over the course of 10 years on The Grint, I've paid annual dues but have received one free year through referrals. With GolfN, in my first year of using the app, I redeemed for thousands of dollars' worth of high-end products, ranging from an L.A.B. Oz. 1 to a Jones golf bag to a Hyperice massage gun.

Simply put, no other golf app offers the partnerships and rewards program GolfN has. That's been a key priority on the product roadmap over some of the more advanced digital caddie features.

The fact that there are golfers who have used the app a handful of times and won incredible prizes, like Richard Taylor on a 9-day trip to Northern Ireland, or Tyler Fields, who is going to Cobra HQ for a full-bag fitting, is something no other app in golf has ever been able to offer its user base.

The Verdict: GolfN as a Free Golf App vs. The Grint in 2026

The Grint is farther along on its caddie app feature set than GolfN, but to access most of it, you need to pay.

With GolfN, those features are free (or coming soon if they're not live yet), but you can opt for a membership that offers points multipliers. If you play a lot of golf, get a Silver or Gold membership, and make your value back and then some in redemptions and more. | How GolfN Memberships work

While GolfN doesn't yet have GHIN integration or a full Apple Watch app (both coming in 2026), the app gives you points when you play, and you can turn those points into anything from Srixon balls to Cobra gear to L.A.B. putters, even Hyperice wellness gear. And unlike most golf apps that charge a subscription for their best features, GolfN's full caddie suite, including GPS, scoring, and advanced stats, is free.

One of the hardest things about switching to a new app is rebuilding your social connections and losing your round history, scorecards, and advanced statistics. For now, you have to start over from scratch. Personally, as an 8-handicap dad of three little kids, it doesn't really bother me, as I am more of a casual player these days than actively trying to improve.

Are you a Grint user? Here's how to use GolfN too:

What I'm doing right now is using GolfN when I play and then submitting my round to GHIN through The Grint afterward. If you're benefitting from Grint Pro features, you can also run them side-by-side if you'd like. Your phone won't fry, promise. This is something many in the GolfN community already do with shot-tracking apps like Arccos, GolfPad. Continue keeping all your advanced data in one app and earn rewards with GolfN.

I always love talking about golf and tech, so let me know what golf apps and features you love on X. If you're ready to give GolfN a try, download it with my promo code BTUCK and get a free month of Silver membership to get a sense of how quickly you can earn some awesome gear in 2026.