Competitive Timing vs Ref
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Competitive Timing
Follow live race tracking for many events and receive updates on your competition. Access past and current year results, along with general event information.
- Live race tracking
- Event updates
- General event information
- Past and current results
- Official EventApp
Read full descriptionHide full description
Live tracking and event results for events timed by Competitive Timing
Ref
This app lets you rate referee calls in live pro and college sports games. Vote on calls, see how others voted, and learn about the rules and officials. Engage in discussions and rule-based challenges.
- Live game call tracking
- Vote on referee calls
- See fan voting results
- Referee profiles
- Rage Meter for game intensity
- Rule explanations
- Football rules challenges
Read full descriptionHide full description
Ref-U is the fan app for referee calls in pro football, college football and pro basketball. Every call, as it happens Follow live games and see each call: who was called, what for, and when. Vote on every call Open any call and vote BLEW IT or GOOD CALL. See how other fans voted and join the discussion. Know the officials Referee profiles show how many calls each official makes and what types. Feel the Rage The Rage Meter shows how heated a game is getting. Know the rules See what the rule says and the typical penalty for a call. Think like a ref Football rules challenges: True or False, Daily Ref, Call It Live and more. You stay in control Report or block any comment or user from the "..." menu next to their post. Ref-U is an independent fan app. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any league, conference, team or officiating body.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Ref at 5.0 against Competitive Timing's 4.0. Ref also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (100% vs 67%). Competitive Timing's advantage is ratings volume (21 vs 2). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Ref holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Competitive Timing has 21 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Competitive Timing's written reviews are positive against 100% of Ref's.
Competitive Timing ships an update every 3 weeks, Ref weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Competitive Timing | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (21 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 21 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 67 MB | 185 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Competitive Timing LLC | Alvin Kwak |
Customer experience
Competitive Timing
Ref
In-app purchases
Competitive Timing
No in-app purchases
Ref
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Competitive Timing free?
Is Ref free?
Which has better reviews, Competitive Timing or Ref?
Do Competitive Timing or Ref have ads?
Which is updated more often, Competitive Timing or Ref?
Other comparisons
