There are several bowling tracking apps out there. Here's an honest look at how Bow.ly stacks up against the biggest names — and why we think Australian bowlers deserve something built for them.
A detailed breakdown of what each app offers and where they differ.
| Feature | Bow.ly | Lanetalk | PinPal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pin-by-pin input | ✓ Free | ✓ Pro only | ✓ Paid |
| Quick score entry | ✓ Free | ✓ Pro only | ✓ Paid |
| Live score sync | ✓ Premium | ✓ Pro + centre licence | ✗ |
| Australian centre support | ✓ ComputerScore | ~ Limited | ✗ |
| Coaching tips | ✓ Free | ✗ | ✗ |
| Pin leave heatmaps | ✓ Free | ✗ | ✗ |
| Spare conversion by type | ✓ Free | ✓ Pro | ✓ Paid |
| Season averages & trends | ✓ Free | ✓ Pro | ✓ Paid |
| Game-by-game fatigue analysis | ✓ Free | ✗ | ✗ |
| Offline support | ✓ Full | ~ Partial | ✓ Full |
| Ball tracking | ✗ Coming soon | ✓ Pro | ✓ Paid |
| Social / leaderboards | ✗ Coming later | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pricing model | Free + one-time upgrade | Subscription | $8.99 one-time |
| Free game tracking | ✓ Unlimited | ✗ Pro only | ~ 4 weeks free |
| Dark UI for bowling alleys | ✓ | ~ Has dark mode | ✗ |
Bow.ly is built specifically for the Australian bowling scene. It integrates with ComputerScore (the scoring system used in most Australian centres), it's free to use for manual tracking with no session limits, and it includes features like coaching tips and pin leave heatmaps that neither Lanetalk nor PinPal offer.
The trade-off is that Bow.ly is newer — it doesn't have the massive user base or social features of Lanetalk. If you primarily care about comparing yourself to PBA pros or following international tournaments, Lanetalk is the better choice for that.
But if what you want is to understand your own game better and improve your average, Bow.ly gives you deeper insights for free than what you'd pay a subscription for elsewhere.
Absolutely. Some bowlers use Lanetalk for the social and league features, and Bow.ly for the detailed pin tracking and coaching. They solve different problems.
Bow.ly's core features (manual input, stats, coaching) run entirely on your phone with no server costs. The only premium feature is Live Sync, which requires ongoing server polling — and that's a one-time unlock, not a subscription.
The manual input and stats features work for any bowler, anywhere. Live Sync currently supports Australian centres running ComputerScore. International centre support may come later based on demand.
iOS first, Android to follow. Built with Expo/React Native so the Android version will share the same codebase — it's a matter of when, not if.
Join the free beta. Full stats, coaching tips, and pin tracking — no credit card, no subscription, no catch.
Free during beta. No spam — just bowling.