Comparison

SFRef Soccer Referee Watch vs Referee Watch PRO

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

SFRef Soccer Referee Watch

This app helps referees manage soccer and futsal matches directly from their smartwatch or iPhone. It tracks game time, scores, substitutions, fouls, and player statistics. Rosters can be imported via Airdrop or OCR, and game reports can be generated instantly.

Highlights
  • Independent watch operation
  • GPS location tracking
  • Preconfigured match setup
  • Substitution tracking
  • Roster import (Airdrop, OCR)
  • Instant game reports
  • Workout statistics
Features
Read full description

Run the app independently on the watch - don't need the phone at all, even for configuration. You can also setup a match on the phone and transfer it to your watch, if you prefer. Run the app independently on the iPhone if you don't have a watch. Use GPS to track referee locations on the field. Preconfigure matches for the next week/month/season and load it up whenever you need it. Your matches can be saved on the phone and/or the watch. Doing tournaments? Save current match results on the watch and move on to the next match. Your results can be accessed at a later time when you want to file a report. Track substitutions by enabling them in your match setup. Tracking is not enabled when you do a quick game setup on phone or watch. Getting rosters late? Ask coach to install app and Airdrop (or send it as an email attachment). You can also scan and use OCR to fill in rosters. No more manual entry. Setup your match and Airdrop it to your Assistant Refs, so the match is configured on their app also. Send a game report from your device after the game with the press of a button. Reports include goal/card details as well as player game time. Look at your workout stats (distance, calories burned heart rate). More statistics will come soon! See how to set it up on the watch: https://youtu.be/nv2hU8S2OWI Tip: Remember to: - Put your watch in Airplane mode during the game. It ensures you are not interrupted by other events. Your watch will also not constantly search for the phone across the field and lose charge. Free app can track games with up to 10 minute halves. Purchase in app to track longer duration. Users who purchased the app from 1.0 to 6.5 will have no restrictions. Now the details: The app has three timers - game clock, stoppage clock and elapsed time. Elapsed time starts at zero and runs uninterrupted during the game. Game clock and stoppage clock are tied together - either game clock is running during the game or stoppage clock is running. They are controlled by a tap on screen. From Game clock screen, swipe left to go to the game record screen. Here all elements are editable with a tap. You can change home and away team names. You can record scores or record yellow and red cards. The app automatically records the time at which the event took place. In case, you added a goal event or card event in error, you can delete the incorrect entry. On the watch, do a force touch and go to event logs. Tap and delete whichever event you entered incorrectly. Displays will update automatically. On the phone, go to events, then hit Edit and then delete. From the game record scene, swipe left to go to Futsal DFK accumulated fouls tracker scene. Swipe up on the numbers to increment. If you made a mistake, swipe down to decrement. Displays turn yellow after 5 fouls and on the watch, a haptic is sent. After the sixth accumulated foul, the display turns red and watch also plays a haptic. On the game clock screen, force touch takes you to a menu where you can set game duration, enable GPS (for referee location tracking), reset clocks, discard the entire game or load game settings from watch filesystem or the paired iPhone. If you select reset clocks, you can select which period to start to set elapsed time appropriately. You can also generate a game report to the paired iPhone running the app and send it out from iPhone app to Notes, iMessage, email or other eligible apps. From Futsal DFK screen, swipe left to look at referee workout statistics. If you run the app on the phone, it also maps the referee location during the course of the match. To view your map after the game, go to menu on the game clock scene -> Load/Save -> View Map. The map will show on the paired iPhone. Privacy Policy: On the Apple Watch, the app uses HealthKit to get distance walked and energy burned while a game is in session. On the iPhone, the app collects referee location while a game is in session.

About

Referee Watch PRO

Track match time and analyze player performance with this sports referee timer. Features include customizable presets for various sports, detailed run analysis, and integration with Apple Health. Requires an Apple Watch and a subscription for full functionality.

Highlights
  • Apple Watch integration for real-time timing
  • Customizable match presets for different sports
  • Detailed run analysis with satellite maps
  • Performance metrics including speed and intensity
  • Apple Health and Fitness app integration
  • No account or tracking required
Features
Read full description

The referee timer for your Apple Watch. Stay on top of playing time, additional time and breaks without constantly checking your wrist. After the final whistle, your iPhone shows you your runs. ON APPLE WATCH • One tap when play stops, another when it restarts. Press and hold to open the match menu • Additional Time on: the clock keeps running and the lost time is counted separately. Off: the clock stops • Vibrations signal the end of playing time, additional time and breaks • Extra time and abandoning a match are built in • Use the Digital Crown to match the official clock • If the app closes during a match, the match continues where it left off the next time you open it FOR EVERY LEVEL Create presets on your iPhone for men's, women's, youth or indoor matches: length and number of periods, break length, additional time and extra time. Presets transfer to your watch automatically. Made for football (soccer), handball, hockey, rugby, American football, Australian football, cricket and other sports. Indoors, Indoor Mode turns GPS off. AFTER THE MATCH • Runs: a satellite map showing your runs as arrows, as main routes, sprints or all runs • Analysis: running performance, speed, movement area and switches, compared across periods • Heatmap for the full match or individual periods • Distance, sprints, steps, active energy and heart rate • Intensity: time spent at low, moderate and high intensity, based on your maximum heart rate • Season overview: playing time, distance and sprints in total, per match and per month, compared with the previous season Heatmap, runs and sprints need GPS, so they're only available with Indoor Mode off. YOUR DATA Your matches are saved as workouts in Apple Health and also appear in the Fitness app. No account needed, and the app contains no tracking. REQUIREMENTS AND SUBSCRIPTION An Apple Watch is required: timekeeping and recording happen on the watch, and on your iPhone you create presets and review your matches. Recording matches requires a subscription (monthly or annual). It renews automatically and you can cancel at any time. New users can try the subscription free for 7 days. After your subscription ends, you can still view your previous matches but can't record new ones. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.refereewatch.app/privacy-policy

Screenshots

SFRef Soccer Referee Watch4 screens
Referee Watch PRO4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: SFRef Soccer Referee Watch at free with in-app purchases against Referee Watch PRO's subscription. SFRef Soccer Referee Watch also leads on ratings volume (161 vs 38) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. SFRef Soccer Referee Watch sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Referee Watch PRO sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for SFRef Soccer Referee Watch against 4.4 for Referee Watch PRO. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 161 and 38 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 59% of SFRef Soccer Referee Watch's written reviews are positive against 55% of Referee Watch PRO's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SFRef Soccer Referee Watch ships an update every 3 weeks, Referee Watch PRO fortnightly. Both last shipped on November 11, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
SFRef Soccer Referee Watch versus Referee Watch PRO: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSFRef Soccer Referee WatchReferee Watch PRO
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (161 ratings) — better4.4 (38 ratings)
Positive reviews59.3% of reviews — better55.1% of reviews
Number of ratings161 — better38
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPeramanayagam MarimuthuKevin Hartmann

Customer experience

SFRef Soccer Referee Watch

All ratings153 ratings
Positive85.0%
Neutral7.2%
Negative7.8%
Written reviews59 reviews
Positive59.3%
Neutral13.6%
Negative27.1%

Referee Watch PRO

All ratings38 ratings
Positive84.2%
Neutral7.9%
Negative7.9%
Written reviews78 reviews
Positive55.1%
Neutral11.5%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

SFRef Soccer Referee Watch

One-time2
  • Limited Access$3.99
  • Full Access$6.99
2 purchases

Referee Watch PRO

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Annual7 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is SFRef Soccer Referee Watch free?
SFRef Soccer Referee Watch is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Referee Watch PRO free?
Referee Watch PRO is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SFRef Soccer Referee Watch or Referee Watch PRO?
SFRef Soccer Referee Watch is rated higher. SFRef Soccer Referee Watch averages 4.4 out of 5 from 161 ratings, while Referee Watch PRO averages 4.4 from 38 ratings.
Do SFRef Soccer Referee Watch or Referee Watch PRO have ads?
Neither SFRef Soccer Referee Watch nor Referee Watch PRO shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SFRef Soccer Referee Watch or Referee Watch PRO?
SFRef Soccer Referee Watch ships an update every 3 weeks, and Referee Watch PRO fortnightly. Most recently, SFRef Soccer Referee Watch was updated on November 11, 2026 and Referee Watch PRO on November 11, 2026.

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