What They Have in Common
Both are photometric (camera-based) launch monitors that work indoors and outdoors. Both track the core ball and club data you'd expect at this price tier — ball speed, spin rate, launch angle, carry, smash factor. Both require club face stickers for club data, and neither needs special balls for spin tracking. Both have HDMI output and connect to E6 and GSPro.
Where They Differ
Hardware cost and total cost of ownership
The Launch Pro is $2,499. The R50 is $3,500. That's a $1,000 gap at purchase. But the ongoing costs don't track the same way.
For the Launch Pro, ball data is free with the built-in screen. Club data — swing plane, attack angle, face angle — is either $1,500 as a one-time add-on or included in the Silver ($199/yr) or Gold ($499/yr) subscription. If you want GSPro or E6, you need Gold at $499/year.
The R50 includes E6 Connect and GSPro access, plus Home Tee Hero with 43,000 courses, for $99.99/year.
Here's the math over three years for a full sim setup with GSPro access:
- Launch Pro: $2,499 hardware + ($499 × 3 subscriptions) = $3,996 total
- R50: $3,500 hardware + ($100 × 3 subscriptions) = $3,800 total
Over five years:
- Launch Pro: $2,499 + ($499 × 5) = $4,994
- R50: $3,500 + ($100 × 5) = $4,000
The R50 actually costs less over the long run if you're on annual sims software. If you pay month-to-month or cancel Bushnell's sub after a year, the math shifts back. Worth knowing before you assume the Launch Pro is the budget option.
Display and standalone capability
This one's not close. The R50 has a 10-inch color touchscreen — large enough to actually see course layouts, shot data, and video playback without squinting. The Launch Pro has a 3-inch touchscreen, which is fine for ball data at the range but cramped for anything else.
The R50 is more of a self-contained simulator unit. If you don't want to set up a laptop or projector, the R50 can run as a standalone system. The Launch Pro is better thought of as a launch monitor with display capability — useful for range sessions, but you'll want a screen for real sim use.
High-speed impact video
The R50 captures high-speed video of ball impact. The Launch Pro doesn't. This one's genuinely useful for coaching and self-diagnosis — seeing contact point and face at impact is different from reading it in a data metric. If you're working on your swing with video feedback, this matters.
Course library and software ecosystem
The R50's Home Tee Hero includes 43,000+ courses for $100/year. The Launch Pro on Gold gets you 25 courses through FSX Play, E6, and GSPro. If course variety matters to you — playing St. Andrews on a Tuesday in your garage — the R50's library is substantially larger.
Portability
The Launch Pro is battery-powered at 5–7 hours and weighs around 5 lbs. You can reasonably take it to the range. Battery life on the R50 isn't in the specs, which suggests it might be more designed for a fixed sim setup. From what I've seen with similar units at this size, I'd guess the R50 is primarily a plug-in device, but I don't work at Garmin and that's not confirmed.
Who Should Buy Which
Bushnell Launch Pro
- You want accurate launch monitor data at the range and a solid sim setup at home, but you don't want to spend $3,500 upfront.
- You're buying for data quality and accuracy and plan to supplement with GSPro on a PC setup you already own.
- You want a portable unit you can genuinely take to the course or range with a battery.
- You're not planning to use sim software regularly — the free ball data tier covers your main use case.
Garmin Approach R50
- You're building a dedicated sim room and want one device that handles display, courses, and sim software without a separate computer running things.
- You plan to pay annually for sim software and want that to cost as little as possible long-term — the $100/year subscription wins at year three and beyond.
- You want high-speed impact video for swing analysis.
- Course variety matters to you and 43,000 options sounds meaningfully better than 25.
The Bottom Line
If you're buying mostly for data quality and range sessions, the Launch Pro wins on upfront cost and portability. If you're building a real sim setup and thinking in years rather than months, the R50's lower annual subscription and larger screen start to make the higher sticker price look more reasonable. Run the three-year math for your actual usage pattern before deciding — this comparison is closer than it looks at first glance.
Get the Bushnell Launch Pro if you want the better starting price and plan to use it at the range. Get the Garmin Approach R50 if you're building a dedicated sim room and playing the long game on subscription costs.
See Also