The Best Arccos Alternative With No Sensors to Buy

If you have shopped for a way to track your strokes gained, you have probably run into Arccos. It is the most well-known shot-tracking system in golf, and it does its core job well. But there is a real catch: you have to buy sensors, screw them into every club, and keep paying a subscription on top of that.

This post is for golfers who want the data without the hardware. If you are searching for an Arccos alternative no sensors required, here is an honest look at how Arccos works, where it shines, and how Stroke Gained gives you strokes-gained insight using just the iPhone and Apple Watch you already own.

What Arccos actually does well

Let's be fair. Arccos is good at what it does.

• Automatic shot tracking. The grip sensors detect most of your shots without you touching your phone. You walk, you swing, it logs. That hands-free experience is genuinely nice.
• Big data set. Arccos has logged hundreds of millions of shots, so its strokes-gained benchmarking and club recommendations are well-tuned.
• Strokes gained by category. It breaks your game into driving, approach, short game, and putting so you can see where you actually lose strokes.

If fully automatic tracking is your single most important feature and you do not mind the cost, Arccos is a legitimate choice. We are not here to pretend otherwise.

The catch nobody mentions up front

The friction with Arccos is not the app. It is everything around it.

• You have to buy sensors. That is an up-front hardware cost before you track a single round, plus a sensor for every club including the putter.
• There is still a subscription. The sensors do not replace the membership. You pay for hardware and then keep paying monthly or yearly.
• Sensors can be lost or fail. They get knocked loose, batteries die, and a missing sensor means a club that no longer tracks.
• It is another thing to manage. Screwing sensors into new clubs, re-pairing, charging. It adds up.

None of this makes Arccos bad. It just means the "automatic" experience comes with real cost and maintenance that a lot of golfers do not want.

How an Arccos alternative with no sensors works

Here is the part that surprises people. You do not need grip sensors to get meaningful strokes-gained data.

Stroke Gained uses your iPhone and Apple Watch. The watch on your wrist already has the motion sensors and GPS to detect swings and locate you on the course. Your phone handles the rest. There is no extra hardware to buy, install, or babysit.

That means:

• Zero hardware cost. Nothing to screw into your clubs. No sensor for every iron, wedge, and the putter.
• Nothing to lose or recharge. Your watch is already charged and on your wrist.
• You still get strokes gained. Driving, approach, short game, and putting, broken out so you know where the strokes are actually going.

The trade-off is honest: you confirm a shot here and there instead of it being 100 percent hands-free. For most golfers, tapping a watch face beats paying for and managing a sensor in every club.

Plain-English stats instead of a data dump

A lot of golf apps, Arccos included, give you a wall of numbers. That is great if you are a data nerd. It is overwhelming if you just want to play better.

Stroke Gained translates your round into plain English. Instead of "you lost 2.3 strokes gained on approach," you get something a human can act on: which part of your game is bleeding shots, and what to do about it.

• AI coaching looks at your patterns and tells you what to practice, in language you understand.
• An AI caddie helps with club and target decisions on the course, not just after the round.
• Strokes-gained context shows you where you stack up and where the easy gains are.

The goal is not more data. It is the right insight, explained simply. If you want to understand the raw numbers behind all of this, our guide on understanding launch monitor data breaks it down without the jargon.

You don't have to lose your history

One real fear when switching apps is starting over from zero. Years of rounds, gone. We built around that.

Stroke Gained has an Add Past Round feature, so you can bring your history with you. If you have been tracking in Arccos, 18Birdies, or even a paper scorecard, you can enter past rounds and keep your trend lines intact. Your progress does not reset just because you changed apps.

Who each one is best for

Honest recommendation, no spin.

Arccos is best for you if:

• Fully automatic, hands-free tracking is your top priority
• You are comfortable buying sensors and paying a subscription on top
• You do not mind maintaining hardware across your bag

Stroke Gained is best for you if:

• You want strokes-gained data without buying sensors
• You want a lower monthly cost
• You want AI coaching and an AI caddie, not just charts
• You want plain-English insight you can actually act on
• You want to import your past rounds and keep your history

It comes down to what you value. If hands-free automation is everything, Arccos earns its price. If you want the insight without the hardware and the bigger bill, that is exactly the gap Stroke Gained fills.

At $7.99 a month or $59 a year, with no sensors to buy, the math gets simple fast. You can see the full breakdown on our pricing page.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an Arccos alternative with no sensors to buy?

Yes. Stroke Gained tracks your game using just your iPhone and Apple Watch, so you get strokes-gained stats and AI coaching with no grip sensors to purchase, install, or maintain. There is no extra hardware cost at all.

Do I lose accuracy without grip sensors?

You trade full hands-free automation for occasional shot confirmation. The strokes-gained categories, driving, approach, short game, and putting, are still tracked. For most golfers, confirming a shot here and there is a fair trade for skipping the hardware cost and maintenance.

Can I import my old Arccos or 18Birdies rounds?

Yes. The Add Past Round feature lets you enter previous rounds from any app or even paper scorecards, so your trend lines and history carry over. You do not start from zero when you switch.

How much does Stroke Gained cost compared to Arccos?

Stroke Gained is $7.99 a month or $59 a year, and you buy zero hardware. Arccos requires purchasing sensors up front and a subscription on top of that, so the total cost of ownership is meaningfully higher.

Ready to track your strokes gained without spending a dime on hardware? Start with Stroke Gained using the iPhone and Apple Watch you already own, and bring your history with you. See plans on our pricing page, or kick the tires first with our free gap fitting tool and other free golf fitting tools.