Match Keeper vs Ref
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Match Keeper
Manage soccer matches from scheduling to final whistle. Track scores, player stats, and team performance. Includes a timer with whistle, custom formats, and penalty shootout tools. Offers training games and Apple Watch integration.
- Match scheduling and day-of management
- Real-time match timer with whistle
- Player and team statistics tracking
- Customizable match formats and rules
- Penalty shootout and extra time management
- Apple Watch integration for live control
- Training games and challenges
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Match Keeper is the soccer timer and match manager for coaches, referees, parents, and players. Simplifying the beautiful game, it runs every part of a match — from the fixture list to the final whistle. SCHEDULE & MATCH DAY - Schedule matches ahead and see what's coming in one place - Match Day puts today's fixtures on one screen, ready to kick off - Save the venue, field, and an address that opens in Maps - Set an arrival time, and choose each team's kit - Mark who's in and who's out for each match, and call up guest players to cover - Share a fixture, or the whole match day, as an image TEAM SCHEDULE - Every team has its own schedule — past results and what's coming, in one list - Share it as a printable sheet for the fridge, or a card for the team chat - Choose the matches to include, or pick a range of dates - Styled with your team's logo, emblem, and colors MATCH TIMER - Start, pause, rewind, and skip periods with ease - Automatic whistle at the end of each interval - Track additional time APPLE WATCH APP - Start a match from your wrist, with no phone needed - Tap to score, hold to correct - See the live timer and score on your watch face - Included free with the app MATCH & PLAYER MANAGEMENT - Create teams with names, colors, logos, rosters, and a default format - Sort your teams by name, birth year, gender, date added, or which ones have players - Track goals, substitutions, cards, and playing time - Handle ties with extra time, golden goal, or penalty shootout - Archive and restore teams and players — history and stats kept whole TEAM LOGOS & COLORS - Give every team its own logo — a shape, a pattern, and a monogram or emblem - Choose from 100+ emblems: animals, birds, shields, stars, and more - Set your team's exact colors, shown on the scoreboard and in formations MATCH HISTORY & SHARING - Review match history and notes after the game - Share matches and match stats with a QR code or link TEAM & PLAYER STATISTICS - Team record, goals, and clean sheets across your saved matches - Leaderboards for top scorers, assists, and most minutes played - Per-player minutes, starts, and share of playing time CUSTOM FORMATS - Pick a format and set age group, period length, OT rules, and ball size - Apply restrictions like no heading, offside, goalie, or slide tackles - Customize field and goal dimensions, and share formats by QR code or link PENALTY SHOOTOUTS - Record every penalty as a goal, save or miss, with the shooter and the goalkeeper, through sudden death - See each player's penalty record in their stats TRAINING GAMES - Free games for training: Shootout, Penalty King, Crossbar Challenge, and World Cup - Play with your own players, award medals, and share the result AGE GROUPS - See a player's age group this season and the next five, counted by your country's own rule - Set your club's own rule if it counts differently - Share the age chart as a page to print or a card for the team chat Whether you're running a tournament or timing your child's weekend game, Match Keeper gives you the tools to manage the match with confidence. Terms of service: https://lucatoni-labs.com/products/keeper/terms-of-service Privacy policy: https://lucatoni-labs.com/products/keeper/privacy-policy
Ref
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Ref-Vision captures a referee’s match on Apple Watch and iPhone: GPS, heart rate, speed, distance, match clock, event taps, and sideline video, all heading to one game on your Ref-Vision account. Start the watch at kick-off. Put the iPhone on a tripod if you want film. The watch is built to be glanced at, not stared at. Large buttons, haptics, and an always-on clock. APPLE WATCH • Start at kick-off: one workout records GPS and heart rate for the whole appointment, including half-time • Match clock with half-time, second half, and full-time • Live heart rate, speed, distance, and GPS lock • Four large event buttons by default: Foul, Yellow, Red, Goal • Extra buttons (Advantage, Stoppage, Injury, Sub, Penalty, and more) from a second page if you enable them on iPhone • Undo the last event with a swipe • Sessions are saved on the watch first, then sent to iPhone automatically. No network required during the match IPHONE • Live glance of clock, heart rate, distance, and last event while the watch is recording • Finished sessions arrive from the watch automatically • Review distance, heart rate, and events after the match; edit or delete a mis-tap • Attach the session to a game, or create one, then upload to your Ref-Vision account • Sign in once with the same email code you use on ref.vision • Customise which event buttons appear on the watch and push the layout across RECORD • New Record tab for sideline match film from a tripod-mounted iPhone • Checks before you start: phone on its side (landscape), on the tripod, and on a power bank • Ultra-wide (0.5x) so the pitch fills the frame; 1080p by default, 4K if you want it • Built for a full match — keep the app open and don’t lock the phone • Recordings stay on this iPhone first, even with no signal • Attach or create a game, then upload. We’ll start processing the film onto that game soon • Watch capture and phone film can run together: movement and events on the watch, video on the phone AFTER UPLOAD Watch sessions land on your game with GPS, heart rate, and event tags. Phone film is uploaded from the app; after we process it, it appears on the same game at ref.vision. Attach footage and set one sync offset so movement, heart rate, and watch events line up with the film together. Capture works without an account. Upload to Ref-Vision requires sign-in. Ref-Vision records referee performance (location, heart rate, and optional sideline video). It is not a medical device and does not provide medical advice. Requires a compatible Apple Watch for GPS, heart rate, and event capture. Video recording uses iPhone. Designed for referees at every level.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ref at none against Match Keeper's 2. Match Keeper's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (16.4 vs 26.4). On price, ads and device support 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. Match Keeper sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.00 per month. Ref asks for nothing beyond the download.
Match Keeper ships an update every 4 days, Ref every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Match Keeper | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (15 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 15 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 26.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 57 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Lucatoni, LLC | SAMUEL LANE MADDOCK |
In-app purchases
Match Keeper
- Keeper Premium Monthly$2.001 Month
- Keeper Premium Annual$12.001 Year
Ref
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Match Keeper free?
Is Ref free?
Do Match Keeper or Ref have ads?
Which is updated more often, Match Keeper or Ref?
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