Apple Watch basketball apps, compared
By Matthew Parrott, who makes Tally Hoops ·
There are now more than a handful of apps that track your shooting with an iPhone or Apple Watch, and they don't count shots the same way. Here's how nine of them work, what they run on and what they cost, so you can pick the one that fits how you train.
Free to download · iPhone and Apple Watch
Who's writing this: I make Tally Hoops, one of the apps below, so weigh this with that in mind. Everything about the other apps comes from their own App Store listings and websites, read on October 13, 2026, and I haven't tested them side by side. Prices are US prices.
Three ways to count a shot
A camera watches the hoop
Apps like Ball AI and HomeCourt use the iPhone's camera to see each shot, so they count makes and misses for you and can tell where you shot from. The cost is setup: a phone on a tripod, aimed at the rim, with you in frame for the whole workout, and a gym where that's practical.
The watch feels the shot
Several watch apps use the motion sensors to notice your shooting motion, or a deliberate wrist gesture. Nothing sits on the baseline. Because a watch can't see the rim, most of these still have you mark whether it went in, and how well the automatic parts work differs from app to app.
You log it, in about a second
The simplest method: after each shot, tell the app what happened, with a tap, the Digital Crown or your voice. It works anywhere, in any light, and it's never wrong about a make, at the cost of a small habit you have to keep. More on tracking without a camera.
The apps side by side
| App | How it counts shots | Runs on | Price (US) | Last update |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ball AI | iPhone camera counts makes, misses and dribbles | iPhone, iPad (Apple Watch listed) | Free download; Pro $9.99/month or $57.99/year | Oct 11, 2026 |
| HomeCourt | iPhone or iPad camera; the watch adds heart rate | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | Free tier with unlimited shot tracking; Plus $7.99/month or $69.99/year | Jan 20, 2022 |
| Hoops: Basketball Tracker | Watch detects each shot and you tap the makes; iPhone video analysis finds shots for you to confirm | iPhone, Apple Watch | First 5 sessions free, then from $9.99/month | Oct 13, 2026 |
| Hot Hand | Tap made or missed on the watch, worn on the non-shooting hand; also a gesture mode and Auto Detect | iPhone, Apple Watch | $4.99/month, $35.99/year or $99.99 lifetime | Oct 8, 2026 |
| Shoot a Hoop | Tap the watch for a make, tap and hold for a miss | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | $7.99/month or $67/year, 7-day trial | Jun 28, 2026 |
| Shotistics | Wrist gesture: turn in for a make, out for a miss; or enter shots on iPhone | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | Free, no in-app purchases | Sep 1, 2022 |
| Swish Counter | On the watch: Double Tap, and "Automatic Basketball" in its Pro tier | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch (19 sports) | Free for 23 shots, then Beginner or Pro tiers | Sep 4, 2026 |
| Tally Hoops | Digital Crown or Double Tap on the watch; Make/Miss buttons or your voice on iPhone | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch (works without the phone) | Free; Premium $4.99/month, $29.99/year or $99.99 once | Sep 28, 2026 |
| TruRep | Watch motion sensors score each rep's follow-through, with haptic feedback | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch (required) | Subscriptions from $4.99/month | Oct 7, 2026 |
"Apple Watch listed" means the App Store lists the app as working on Apple Watch, though the listing doesn't say what the watch app does. TruRep's listing describes scoring each rep rather than counting makes and misses.
How to choose
- Will you set up a phone every session? If yes, a camera app does the counting for you. If not, look at watch apps.
- Which watch do you have? Gesture and Double Tap features depend on the model. Double Tap, for example, needs an Apple Watch Series 9, Ultra 2 or later.
- Do you want automatic or exact? Automatic detection saves you a motion per shot; logging by hand guarantees the count is right. Some apps offer both.
- What do you want back? Form scores, shot charts by zone, heart rate, drills, video with your stats on it: each app leans a different way.
- How do you want to pay? The table shows free tiers, trials, subscriptions and one-time options. Most apps let you try before you pay.
Where Tally Hoops fits
Tally Hoops is a by-hand tracker built around Apple Watch. You log each shot with the Digital Crown or Double Tap, the watch app runs on its own as a basketball workout, and every shot you log on the watch is tagged with your heart rate, so you can see how your shooting holds up as you tire. On iPhone, Assist Mode takes Make and Miss taps or your voice. It doesn't detect shots automatically and doesn't use the camera to count; Video Mode records your session with your stats drawn over it instead.
Logging, your history, records and a week or month of stats are free. Premium adds longer stats, more watch faces, every drill and AI training plans; here's exactly what's in each.
Checked against Tally Hoops 3.11 on October 14, 2026.
Questions
What's the best basketball shot tracker for Apple Watch?
It depends on how you want your shots counted. If you want the app to count for you and don't mind setting up a phone, camera apps like Ball AI do that. If you'd rather nothing sits on the baseline, a watch app is simpler: some sense the shooting motion, others have you log each make with a tap, gesture or the Digital Crown. Pick the counting method first, then compare stats and price.
Can an Apple Watch detect basketball shots automatically?
Some apps say they can, using the watch's motion sensors: Hot Hand lists Auto Detect, and Swish Counter's Pro tier lists Automatic Basketball. A watch can feel your shooting motion but can't see the rim, so most watch apps still have you mark whether the shot went in. We haven't tested any of them for accuracy.
Do I need a camera to track my basketball shots?
No. Camera apps count for you, but they need a phone on a tripod aimed at the hoop with you in frame. Watch apps count from your wrist instead, and Tally Hoops can also take your shots by voice on an iPhone you leave in your bag.
Is HomeCourt still updated?
The App Store shows HomeCourt's last update on January 20, 2022. Its listing still describes a free tier with unlimited shot tracking.