Square Golf vs Rapsodo MLM2PRO: which is better for a home simulator?

The Square Golf Home Edition and the Rapsodo MLM2PRO cost about the same to buy. The difference is what comes after. Square charges no subscription and includes 1,000 credits for its own course play, and GSPro support costs nothing extra on Square’s side. The MLM2PRO needs Rapsodo’s Premium Membership every year for spin, club path, angle of attack and simulation. If you are building an indoor bay on a budget, Square is cheaper to run and needs less depth. If you also want to practise outdoors, or you want a maker’s written claim that spin is measured, look at the MLM2PRO.

How each one measures

Square Golf says its unit uses “machine vision technology with high-speed camera”. PlayBetter describes it as a floor-standing camera unit beside the ball, with two cameras and no radar. Spin needs Square’s marked balls (three come in the box). Square reports back spin and side spin rather than a spin axis. Club data needs a marker on the shaft, the included Swing Stick. Retailer Shop Indoor Golf lists swing path, face angle, dynamic loft and angle of attack. PlayBetter says the Home Edition does not give club head speed, smash factor or impact location on the face; the pricier Square Golf Omni adds those. No source says which Square numbers are measured and which are calculated.

The MLM2PRO sits behind the golfer. Rapsodo names “Impact Vision and dual camera” among its features, and whether it also uses radar is not confirmed. Rapsodo tags ball speed, club speed, launch angle, launch direction, spin rate, spin axis, club path and angle of attack as measured. Spin needs Rapsodo’s RPT balls, and face angle is not in its metric list.

So each has a gap the other fills. The Square’s listed data includes face angle but not club speed. The MLM2PRO’s includes club speed but not face angle.

What you pay over three years

• Square Golf Home: $699, with no subscription. Course play in Square’s own software uses credits. 1,000 are included. PlayBetter gives an estimate for extra credits, but Square has not published an official credit price.
• MLM2PRO: $699.99 list (on sale below that when checked), plus Premium at $199.99 a year.

Over three years, the MLM2PRO costs its purchase price plus three years of Premium. The Square costs its purchase price plus any credits you buy beyond the included 1,000. If you play GSPro, add $250 per year to either. On the MLM2PRO you still need Premium for GSPro, so you pay both. The Square and MLM2PRO pages have the details.

Room space

The Square sits beside the ball, so nothing has to go behind you except your own swing. Square calls it “compact” and “built for indoor environments”, but it publishes no room dimensions or ball-to-screen distance. Retailer guidance fills some of the gap. PlayBetter says a 10 ft ceiling is ideal for Square, and 9 ft or 8.5 ft may work. Shop Indoor Golf suggests 12 to 13 ft of width and 15 to 16 ft of depth for beside-the-ball camera units like Square. Room guides also leave space behind the tee for the backswing, from 4 ft in Carl’s Place’s minimum room to about 7 ft in several recommended layouts.

The MLM2PRO sits 6′6″ or more behind the ball, with at least 8′ from ball to net. Rapsodo’s total is 14′6″ from net to unit, before space behind the unit, and taller players may need more. Shop Indoor Golf groups the MLM2PRO with behind-the-golfer radar units and suggests 16 to 19 ft of depth for them.

Left-handed players can use the Square by moving it to the other side of the ball. Rapsodo does not state left-handed support. Try both layouts in the Bay Sizer.

Simulator software

GSPro (details) works directly with both. GSPro lists “Square (Home)” as officially supported, and PlayBetter says Square charges no extra fee, but GSPro’s pages do not describe how it connects. The MLM2PRO connects through GSPro Connect over Bluetooth, needs Premium, and the Rapsodo phone app must re-authenticate it every 24 hours. GSPro runs only on Windows.

E6 Connect (details) works directly with Square, per Shop Indoor Golf, and PlayBetter says no fee goes to Square. Rapsodo lists it for the MLM2PRO, but TruGolf names Rapsodo only as a brand. TruGolf’s E6 APEX page lists Square Golf launch monitors. Supported E6 platforms are not confirmed for either.

Awesome Golf (details) lists both models. Supported platforms are not confirmed for either.

Own software: Square has its own simulator, credit-based, which PlayBetter says got a 2.0 refresh. Rapsodo’s Rapsodo Courses (30,000+ courses) run in its iOS and Android app with Premium.

Shop Indoor Golf says the Square connects over Bluetooth to iOS, Android and Windows devices. Mac is not mentioned for either unit. See the compatibility table for more.

Who should pick which

Pick Square Golf if your bay is indoors, your room is short front to back, you want to avoid subscriptions, or you want putting practice (Shop Indoor Golf lists a putting mode). The battery lasts about 8 hours. It is indoor-only, per Shop Indoor Golf and PlayBetter.

Pick the MLM2PRO if you also want to hit balls outdoors, care about measured spin and club speed, and accept the yearly Premium cost. Compare it with the Garmin R10 in R10 vs MLM2PRO.

Not confirmed yet

• Which Square metrics are measured and which are calculated, its official credit price and its release date.
• Official room dimensions for Square.
• Whether the MLM2PRO uses radar, its battery life, putting support and left-handed support.
• Mac support for either, and which platforms each supports in E6 Connect and Awesome Golf.
• Official UK prices for both.