We make Golf Studio, one of the apps below. Everything about the other apps comes from their UK App Store pages and websites, checked on 29 September 2026. Prices change; check the App Store before you buy.
A shot tracer draws the ball's flight over your video, like the line on TV golf. Plenty of apps do it now, but "free" means very different things: some trace for free and charge for extras, some give you a few free videos, and the best-known one isn't free at all.
The short answer
| App | How it traces | What's free | To pay (UK) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golf Studio | You mark impact, peak and landing, or the phone watches the ball | Everything | Nothing |
| SmoothSwing | Live, while you film | The live tracer | SmoothSwing Pro, £7.99 once |
| Golf Tracer | You mark the flight | 5 videos | Unlimited renders, £4.99 once |
| Ace Trace | By hand, or automatic | Limited exports | Premium from £4.99 a week; export packs |
| ShaShot | Automatic, after filming | One video a day | Standard £49.99 or Premium £69.99 |
| GolfCam: Golf Video Editor | Live, while you film | The app, with a Pro upgrade | GolfCam Pro from £6.99 a week |
| Shot Tracer | By hand; automatic and live with the subscription | Not free | £5.99 to buy; Live Tracer £9.99 a month |
Golf Studio
Golf Studio is our app: a golf swing journal with a shot tracer built in, and free with nothing held back. You mark where the ball was struck, how high it went and where it landed, or let the phone watch the ball and draw the flight for you, then bend it into the shape you hit. There are 27 looks, from a clean line to a glowing comet, a yardage badge that rides beside the ball, and a club tracer for the path of the club head. It also times your swing tempo, keeps your scores and makes highlight reels. No account, no watermark, nothing uploaded.
Best for: a free tracer with the most looks, as part of a record of your whole game. Worth knowing: it traces after you film rather than live, and it's iPhone only for now, with Android on the way.
SmoothSwing
SmoothSwing's party trick is a tracer that works live: the line draws as you film, with no tracing afterwards. It's also a golf GPS with slope-adjusted distances. The app is free, and SmoothSwing Pro is a one-off £7.99 rather than a subscription. It asks you to use a white ball.
Best for: instant traces at the range. Worth knowing: live tracing means you get it right while filming; there's less to adjust afterwards.
Golf Tracer
Golf Tracer, from the makers of Shot Tracer, is the simple, cheap option: you mark the ball's flight and it renders a traced video, with camera stabilisation. The first five videos are free, and unlimited videos are a one-off £4.99. It needs no account or personal details.
Best for: trying a tracer on a few shots, or paying once and forgetting about it.
Ace Trace
Ace Trace traces golf, disc golf and baseball shots, by hand or automatically, and works handheld without a tripod. It adds distance labels and effects. Premium and export options range from weekly subscriptions to one-off export packs, so check what the free version lets you export before you rely on it. Its App Store privacy details list data used to track you.
Best for: automatic tracing with fun effects, and sports beyond golf.
ShaShot
ShaShot traces automatically after you film, stabilising the video and fitting a realistic curve to the ball. It also traces the club head and hands and measures swing tempo, with a round vlog and scoreboard. Free accounts can make one video a day; the Premium plan unlocks the club tracing and tempo.
Best for: automatic tracing with the club path and tempo, if you're happy to subscribe.
GolfCam: Golf Video Editor
GolfCam (from Hong Kong Golfing Creative, and nothing to do with us) traces the ball in real time while you film, at 4K and 60 frames a second, and is built around making golf vlogs: templates, auto scorecards, stroke indicators and sound effects. It's free to download with a GolfCam Pro subscription.
Best for: golf vloggers who want live tracing and an editor in one.
Shot Tracer
Shot Tracer is the name most golfers know, and it's the most complete: live tracing, automatic tracking, a 3D map tracer with hole flyovers, broadcast-style scoreboards and a pro video editor. But it isn't free. The app costs £5.99, which gets you the manual tracer, and the live and automatic tracers need a subscription from £9.99 a month.
Best for: the most broadcast-like results, if you'll pay for them.
Which should you choose?
- Free, with no limits: Golf Studio.
- Live tracing for a one-off price: SmoothSwing.
- A few traced shots, cheaply: Golf Tracer.
- Automatic tracing and the club path: ShaShot or Ace Trace, on a subscription.
- The full broadcast look: Shot Tracer, with its subscription.
Whichever you use, the tracer can only be as good as the clip. Film down the line, keep the phone still and leave plenty of sky: there's more in how to film your golf swing.