Comparison

Match Keeper vs Ref

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

Head to head
About

Match Keeper

This app simplifies soccer match management for coaches, referees, and parents. It offers a comprehensive timer, player tracking, custom format creation, and a penalty shootout tracker. Easily manage all aspects of a game from start to finish.

Highlights
  • Match timer with start, pause, rewind, and whistle
  • Player and team management with stats
  • Customizable match formats
  • Penalty shootout tracker
  • Birth year to age group calculator
  • Score tracking and adjustments
Features
Read full description

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 - 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 SHOOTOUT TRACKER - Track shootouts of any length, with a Decisive Shot indicator for the key moments BIRTH YEAR TO AGE GROUP CALCULATOR - Instantly convert birth years to age groups, from U4 to Over 60 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

About

Ref

Features
Read full description

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

Match Keeper4 screens
Ref4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ref at none against Match Keeper's 2. Match Keeper's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Match Keeper sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.00 per month. Ref asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Match Keeper ships an update every 3 days, Ref every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Match Keeper versus Ref: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMatch KeeperRef
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (15 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings15 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS16.4 — better26.4
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLucatoni, LLCSAMUEL LANE MADDOCK

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Match Keeper

Subscriptions2
  • Keeper Premium Monthly$1.001 Month
  • Keeper Premium Annual$6.001 Year
None

Ref

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Match Keeper free?
Match Keeper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ref free?
Ref is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Match Keeper or Ref have ads?
Neither Match Keeper nor Ref shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Match Keeper or Ref?
Match Keeper ships an update every 3 days, and Ref every 2 weeks. Most recently, Match Keeper was updated on October 10, 2026 and Ref on September 24, 2026.

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