The best launch monitor apps in 2026 for iPhone and Android

Updated October 2026. The DeepSwing launch monitor is in beta on iPhone and Android.

A launch monitor app turns your phone into the thing that used to cost as much as a set of irons. Put it on a tripod, hit a real ball, and a second later you read ball speed, launch angle, direction and carry. In 2026 there are finally enough of these apps to make a real choice, and they differ a lot more than their App Store screenshots suggest.

We went through every camera launch monitor app that shows up when you search the App Store or Google Play for "launch monitor app" in October 2026. Competitor facts come from each app's own store listing or website as of 23 October 2026. Prices are what the US App Store showed that day. They vary by country.

The short answer: if you want one app that measures the shot, plays it on a 3D range or a full course and also tells you what your swing did wrong, DeepSwing is the most complete package, and it is the only one with an Android version on the way. If you want the most established camera launch monitor on iPhone today, Golfboy is the safe pick. For wedges only, Strike Wedge Launch is hard to beat for free.

The picks at a glance

• Best all-in-one (launch monitor, simulator and swing analysis): DeepSwing. In beta on iPhone and Android, free to test.
• Most established camera launch monitor on iPhone: Golfboy.
• Numbers on your wrist, casual games on a second screen: ChipIn Shot Tracker (formerly GolfTrak).
• On-device privacy and AR putting: LiPAR Golf Monitor, if you own an iPhone 13 Pro or newer.
• Clubface and path from above: xShot.
• Free option for wedges: Strike Wedge Launch.
• Longest track record: ShotVision.

What a phone can measure, and what it cannot

Before comparing apps it helps to know what a single phone camera is good at. A camera launch monitor films the ball at 240 frames per second. At a driver ball speed of 150 mph the ball travels about 11 inches between two frames, so the camera only sees it for a handful of frames before it leaves the picture. From where the ball is in those frames and how big it looks, the app reconstructs speed, vertical launch and horizontal direction.

That works well for the three numbers that decide most of your carry. It works less well for spin. A plain white ball has nothing on it a camera can follow, so most phone apps estimate spin from club, speed and launch instead of measuring it. Some listings simply say "spin rate" without saying how they get it. Read that word carefully when you compare.

Carry, apex, curve, bounce and roll all come from a flight model. That is not a weakness in itself. Radar units like the Garmin Approach R10 also calculate carry indoors, because the ball hits a net after a few feet. How good the model is matters about as much as the measurement.

How we judged them

We looked at what is actually measured from the video and what is estimated or simulated. At setup: where the phone goes, how long it takes, and whether the app checks your setup for you. At what happens with the numbers afterwards, from a plain readout to real courses, games and a simulator link. At whether the app can tell you why the ball flew the way it did. And at platforms (iPad, Android, TV) and price, including what the free version really does.

Comparison table

1. DeepSwing: best all-in-one

DeepSwing started out as an AI swing analyzer and is adding a full camera launch monitor in its next big version. That combination is the whole point. Most launch monitor apps tell you the ball finished 12 yards right. DeepSwing can also show you the swing that sent it there.

Setup

The iPhone goes on a tripod opposite you, on the far side of the ball, about 1.5 meters (5 feet) away and 1 to 1.5 meters (3 to 5 feet) high, turned sideways and tilted down at the ball. You lay a club on the ground pointing at your target and turn the tripod until a yellow line on the screen runs along it. A checklist turns green once the phone is level and the ball sits still in the marked zone, the status says "Ready, hit it!", and from then on every shot is measured by itself. It works for right- and left-handed golfers, and the phone can be mounted either way round.

What it measures

The camera films at 240 frames per second with a very short shutter, so the ball shows up as a sharp circle instead of a streak. Ball speed, launch angle and launch direction are measured from the video. Club speed appears when the camera sees the club head. Carry, total distance, apex, bounce and roll come from a flight model fitted to published TrackMan tour averages and to shots compared side by side with a Rapsodo MLM2 PRO. Spin is estimated from club, speed and launch, and the app labels it that way. Reading spin from balls with an alignment stripe is being trained in the beta.

One detail we like: the scale of every measurement depends on the tripod height you type in, and one centimeter off is about one percent of ball speed. DeepSwing compares the height you entered with the size of the ball in the picture and warns you when the two disagree by more than 8 cm. That catches the most common setup mistake before it ruins a session.

What you do with the numbers

Every shot flies on a 3D driving range with target rings and greens, or on full 18-hole courses with seasons and weather. There are six worlds (the range, an autumn forest, links, storm, night and canyon), range games like closest to the pin, longest drive, target practice and the robot mower hunt, and daily challenges. Up to four people can play, or you take on the computer, in stroke play, match play or Stableford. Putting on greens with real slopes is part of course play.

For a bigger picture, pair an iPad: it shows the range and every number while the iPhone only measures. A Mac, a TV or a projector work too. And if GSPro already runs on your PC, DeepSwing sends every shot to it like any other launch monitor.

The part nobody else has

Use a second iPhone or an iPad as a swing camera, and every launch monitor shot arrives with its swing video and a full DeepSwing analysis: Swing Score, the most important fix, the clubhead trail and a replay in sync with the ball flight. Push a 7-iron 15 yards right and you see in the same moment whether the club came from the inside or your hips stalled. That loop from number to cause is what the AI golf swing analyzer does on its own, and here it sits right next to your ball data. If swing analysis is the part you care about most, our comparison of the best golf swing analyzer apps in 2026 goes deeper.

Android

No other app here has a camera launch monitor for Android in testing. DeepSwing's runs on phones with 240 fps high-speed video, which most recent Pixel and Galaxy S models have, and it can show the range on an Android tablet or directly on a Google TV. Android owners can sign up for the beta now; the Android swing analysis is already on Google Play.

What to keep in mind

• It is a beta. You sign up, get invited in small waves and test through TestFlight on iPhone or a Google Play test track on Android.
• It needs light. Daylight or a bright hitting bay is fine, a dim garage is not.
• Spin is estimated, not measured yet.

Try it: apply for the free beta at deepswing.io/beta. While you wait for the invite, install DeepSwing from the App Store or Google Play, film five 7-irons with 1 Swing and look at your most important fix. The launch monitor lands in the same app.

2. Golfboy: the most established camera launch monitor on iPhone

Golfboy comes from Qoncept in Japan and has been around since 2022. According to its App Store listing, it measures distance, ball speed, launch angle and club speed from an iPhone on a tripod, analyzes putts (distance, launch direction, face angle), records swings automatically and lets you play rounds in 2D for free or in 3D with a paid plan or add-on. It can pair a second iPhone to record swing videos with the shot data, show results on an iPad or an external display, connect to an Apple Watch and send shots to GSPro. On 23 October 2026 it had a 4.6 rating from 831 ratings in the US store.

Measuring shots needs a subscription: Basic at $6.99 a month, or Premium at $9.99 a month or $89.99 a year. The 3D courses are sold as add-ons between $14.99 and $49.99. Spin is not among the numbers the listing names, and there is no Golfboy app on Google Play.

If you are on iPhone, care about putting analysis and want an app with a long history, Golfboy is a sensible choice. It records your swing, but it does not analyze it for you, and Android users are out of luck.

3. ChipIn Shot Tracker: numbers on your wrist, games in the browser

GolfTrak renamed itself ChipIn Shot Tracker. The listing names carry and total distance, ball and club speed, launch angle and direction, spin rate and smash factor, all from the iPhone camera on a low tripod (it suggests one that goes down to 6 inches). Your numbers show up on an Apple Watch in real time, and three free games at chipin.golf play your real shots on an iPad, a laptop or a TV.

ChipIn PRO costs $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year after a 7-day trial, and the current version needs iOS 26. Some older reviews on the listing mention that it needs an internet connection and that tracking was patchy for them. The developer replied that both are being worked on. It had 4.4 from 378 ratings on 23 October 2026.

4. LiPAR Golf Monitor: on-device and private

LiPAR only arrived in July 2026 and leans on the Neural Engine of recent iPhones. Its listing says it estimates ball speed, launch angle, launch direction, spin and carry on the device, adds body kinematics from pose tracking, an on-device coach, games with server-checked leaderboards and AR putting on iPhones with LiDAR. Swing videos stay on the phone unless you share them. You need an iPhone 13 Pro or newer, and it costs $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year. With 19 ratings it is too early to say much about how reliable it is.

5. xShot: the club from above

xShot takes a different angle, literally. The iPhone looks down on the hitting area, which lets it show club path, face angle, face to path and impact offset next to club speed, ball speed, smash factor, launch angle and side angle. It also measures practice swings without a ball. You need an iPhone that records 1080p at 240 fps and a stable stand above the ball. It is very new and has almost no ratings yet.

6. Strike Wedge Launch: the free option for wedges

Strike Wedge does one thing. Its app films wedge shots at 240 fps and reads ball speed, launch angle and carry, with carry from a model fitted to radar data at wedge distances, as the listing plainly says. Unlimited range shots with replay are free, and a daily challenge with a global leaderboard makes practice feel a bit like a round. If the 50 to 100 yard shot is your weak spot, start here.

7. ShotVision: the veteran

ShotVision has been on the App Store since 2018 and has more ratings than any other camera launch monitor (1.3K, average 3.5 on 23 October 2026). The listing names ball speed, club speed, carry, total distance, launch angle and spin rate, supports iPhone 11 and newer and does not support iPads. Pro costs $12.99 a month or $69.99 a year, and it is the only camera app here with a one-time purchase (Pro Access, $149.99). Several older reviews complain about missed shots indoors.

Apps that need hardware

Some apps that rank for "launch monitor app" only work with a device. Bay Zero is a companion for a launch monitor you already own. Rapsodo MLM2PRO, Garmin Golf, FS Golf (FlightScope Mevo) and Full Swing need their radar or camera unit. Those units still beat any phone on measured spin, and some of them on club data, but they start at around $500 and several add a yearly membership for the full feature set.

Not sure whether a phone is enough for you? For ball speed, launch, direction and believable carry on the range or into a net, a good camera app does the job. For measured spin, spin axis and fitting decisions down to a few hundred rpm, buy hardware.

Next step: if the all-in-one route sounds right, apply for the DeepSwing beta and get DeepSwing from the App Store or Google Play today. The swing analysis works right away, and the yearly Pro plan starts with a 7-day free trial.

How to get good numbers from any phone launch monitor

1. Light first. 240 fps needs a short shutter, and a short shutter needs light. Daylight or a bright bay beats a dim garage every time.
2. A tripod that does not move. If the phone wobbles after setup, your target line and your scale are gone.
3. Measure the height properly, from the center of the lens to the surface the ball sits on. Small errors here turn into speed errors.
4. Align with a club on the ground. Aim 2 degrees off and every shot is 6 to 7 yards off at 180 yards.
5. One ball in the zone. No other balls or tees nearby, no hard shadow over the ball.
6. Compare clubs, not single shots. Hit ten 7-irons and look at the average and the spread. If the spread points at one fault, our golf swing drills sorted by fault are a good place to go next.

Which one should you get?

On Android, the choice today is a beta or hardware: DeepSwing's beta is the only camera launch monitor for Android phones we found. If you want a simulator at home on a TV or projector with courses included, compare DeepSwing and Golfboy, and keep in mind that DeepSwing adds the swing analysis. If you mostly want your carry numbers on the range and like seeing them on your watch, ChipIn fits. For wedges, Strike Wedge Launch costs nothing to try.

And if your real goal is a longer drive rather than a number on a screen, start with our guide to the driver swing. The launch monitor then tells you whether it worked.

FAQ

Is there a free launch monitor app?

Partly. Strike Wedge Launch measures unlimited wedge shots for free. Golfboy's 2D rounds are free, but measuring shots needs a plan, and ShotVision and ChipIn let you try before you pay. The DeepSwing launch monitor is free to test during its beta.

Can an iPhone really work as a launch monitor?

Yes, for ball speed, launch angle and direction, as long as it films at 240 fps, stands on a steady tripod and has enough light. Carry and roll then come from a flight model, like on most radar units indoors.

Can a phone measure spin?

Not from a plain white ball with one camera at 240 fps. Most apps estimate spin from club, speed and launch. Measuring it needs a ball with a marking the camera can follow, or a photometric or radar device.

Is there a launch monitor app for Android?

Camera launch monitor apps are almost all iPhone only. DeepSwing has an Android version in closed beta. Hardware launch monitors like the Garmin R10, Rapsodo MLM2PRO and FlightScope Mevo come with Android apps.

Does a launch monitor app work with GSPro?

Some do. DeepSwing and Golfboy both send shots to GSPro on a PC, according to their own descriptions.