Comparison

LAX Keeper vs zRef

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

Head to head
About

LAX Keeper

This app assists Lacrosse timekeepers by managing game clocks, scores, penalties, and timeouts. It offers customizable sound alerts, color schemes, and background tracking for a seamless game management experience.

Highlights
  • Game clock management
  • Score tracking
  • Penalty tracking with player association
  • Timeout tracking
  • Customizable sounds and colors
  • Background timer support
  • Record and share game details
Features
Read full description

This app is meant to be a comprehensive tool for timekeepers to manage time, score, penalties, and more for Lacrosse. The app has a simple main screen that allows all operations to be done without ever leaving the main screen. The app allows for the configuration of sounds, colors, and warnings to be used parallel with other tools. Depending on the game and setup, timekeepers may use an actual horn or other audio devices and may not want some of the sounds from this app. Here is a complete list of all features: * Large and bright Remain Time. * Remain Time changes to bright red color and sounds a warning for 30 seconds and 1 min (2 min during 4th period). * Adjustable time for periods. Click on the time remaining before starting the game to adjust. * Large and visible Stop and Start button. * Continuous 10-second warning when the clock is stopped during the game. * Auto tracking period numbers and Overtime. * Ability to track scores. * Ability to track timeouts.  * Ability to track up to 4 penalties per side. * Ability to associate player # with penalties. * Ability to release/delete penalties with a single click on the entry. * Warning sound & announcement when penalties expire. * Horn sound to announce the end of the period. * Support to disable screen lock to stay on during the game. * Track time in the background. * Settings to manage sounds and app behavior. * Record Mode to allow for tracking the details of the game and sharing the results. * Ability to track the running timers while in the background or interrupted by phone calls. * Ability to track teams and team players. * 2nd timer support to track timeouts and halftimes, etc. * Configurable # of periods. * Ability to customize colors for main screen background color, teams' colors (color for penalty buttons can be adjusted on iOS 15 and higher)

About

zRef

This app helps referees manage sports matches by tracking time, logging goals, cautions, and ejections. It provides a timer and stopwatch for game management and generates end-of-game reports with scores and event details.

Highlights
  • Match time tracking
  • Goal logging
  • Caution and ejection tracking
  • Timer and stopwatch
  • End-of-game reports
  • Simple match creation
Read full description

zRef is a refereeing app to help you keep track of your matches. The app can keep track of time, log goals, cautions, ejections, and more. The app is simple to use. Simply create a new match, and supply the time per half. Click the start button to start the timer and press it to stop. There is a timer and stopwatch, so you can know he time remaining and the elapsed time for filling out game cards. You can also click and hold start/stop the button to log things such as goals, cautions, and ejections. When the game is over, you will be given an end of game report. This will contain the final score and each event that occurred (including time).

Screenshots

LAX Keeper4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: zRef at Free against LAX Keeper's $1.99. zRef also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.6). LAX Keeper's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 4.3) and review sentiment (67% vs 50%). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

zRef is free to download; LAX Keeper costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

LAX Keeper holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 7 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of LAX Keeper's written reviews are positive against 50% of zRef's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
LAX Keeper versus zRef: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLAX KeeperzRef
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.6 (9 ratings) — better4.3 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings9 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJoe GhalamRami Sinno

Customer experience

LAX Keeper

All ratings9 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

zRef

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

LAX Keeper

No in-app purchases

None

zRef

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is LAX Keeper free?
LAX Keeper costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is zRef free?
zRef is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, LAX Keeper or zRef?
LAX Keeper is rated higher. LAX Keeper averages 4.6 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while zRef averages 4.3 from 7 ratings.
Do LAX Keeper or zRef have ads?
Neither LAX Keeper nor zRef shows ads.
Which is updated more often, LAX Keeper or zRef?
LAX Keeper ships an update every 2 months, and zRef every 2 months. Most recently, LAX Keeper was updated on November 3, 2026 and zRef on November 3, 2026.

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