SmoothOperator
Comparison

SmoothOperator vs CrewChief

CrewChief is the go-to free spotter and race engineer in PC sim racing, and it has been doing it well for years. SmoothOperator takes a different route: an AI engineer you can talk to, a corner-by-corner coach and Gran Turismo 7, which CrewChief doesn't cover.

Side by side

SmoothOperatorCrewChief
What it isAn AI race engineer that talks to you over the radio while you drive: callouts, strategy, spotter and coach.Voice spotter and race engineer, with actor-recorded voices and voice commands.
GamesGran Turismo 7, iRacing, Assetto Corsa, ACC, AC EVO, Le Mans Ultimate, RaceRoom and rFactor 2. What it does in each depends on what that game publishes, and each game's breakdown says so.Many PC sims: iRacing, Assetto Corsa, AMS2, Le Mans Ultimate, RaceRoom, rFactor 1 and 2, Project CARS, GTR 2, Richard Burns Rally and more; ACC with some limited features; F1 with the spotter only. It doesn't cover GT7.
Where it runsDesktop app for Windows. GT7 comes from the PlayStation over your home network. The mobile app is on the way.Windows.
VoiceCallouts from recorded clips that play instantly, offline too, and synthesised voice for anything with numbers.Actor-recorded voices, with phrases assembled around the numbers.
You can ask itYes, by voice: fuel, gaps, what to do. AI answers come with the paid plans.Voice commands with set phrases: fuel, gaps, pit plan and more.
Driving coachCorner by corner and over the radio, against your best lap; tested in Assetto Corsa, limited or not yet tested in other games.Not verified in this review: its documentation focuses on spotter and race engineer.
LanguagesEnglish, Spanish and Catalan.Not verified in this review.
PricePrivate beta with a waitlist; the plans we intend to offer are on the Pricing page.Free, with donations. Open source.

Reviewed on 28 October 2026. Data from their websites and store listings. Prices were checked on 24 October 2026 and change often: check them on their site. If you spot something out of date, tell us and we'll fix it.

What CrewChief does better

  • It's free and open source.
  • It covers many more PC sims, rally and classics included.
  • It has years of track time behind it: a mature spotter, voice pit management in several sims and a large community.

When to choose CrewChief

If you race on PC, don't need to talk to your engineer and want something free that works in almost any sim, CrewChief is an excellent choice.

When to choose SmoothOperator

If you play Gran Turismo 7, want to ask your engineer things in your own words, want a coach that tells you which corner you lose time in, or want the radio in Spanish or Catalan.

A note of thanks: SmoothOperator's spotter adapts CrewChief's geometry, which is open source under the MIT licence.

Frequently asked questions

Does CrewChief work with Gran Turismo 7?

No. CrewChief is for PC sims; GT7 runs on PlayStation. SmoothOperator does cover it, receiving the console's telemetry over the network.

Can I use both at once?

You can, but you'd have two spotters talking. SmoothOperator lets you switch off its spotter and other callout topics in the settings.

Sources

Sign up and we'll let you know.

Right now we are in private beta: we open seats in batches and let you know by email. Joining the waitlist is free; the plans we intend to offer are on the Pricing page.

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