# PlayMaker Baseball vs Optimal 9

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PlayMaker Baseball at 58% against Optimal 9's 0%. PlayMaker Baseball also leads on rating (4.5 vs 2.0) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 10 months). Optimal 9's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PlayMaker Baseball sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Optimal 9 asks for nothing beyond the download.

PlayMaker Baseball holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PlayMaker Baseball has 191 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of PlayMaker Baseball's written reviews are positive against 0% of Optimal 9's.

PlayMaker Baseball ships an update every 5 days, Optimal 9 every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PlayMaker Baseball | Optimal 9 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (191 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/playmaker-baseball/id1585013998/reviews)** | [2.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/optimal-9/id6477047705/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **191** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **58.3% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 10 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 57 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.3** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [PrepBaseballRankings](https://appshunter.io/developer/1724461888) | [Stuart Zussman](https://appshunter.io/developer/1718584392) |

## What reviewers say

### PlayMaker Baseball

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/playmaker-baseball/id1585013998)

Effortlessly score baseball games, track player statistics, and stream live updates for coaches and parents. This intuitive app simplifies scorekeeping with a clean interface and automatically calculates advanced stats, making it ideal for all levels of play.

**Highlights:** Intuitive digital scorekeeping, Live game streaming for fans, Automatic stat calculation, Pitch metrics tracking, Lineup scanning and sharing, Support for all age levels

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium - Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Premium - Annual | $39.99 | per year |
| '22 Spring Kickoff | $10.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 👍 Well-designed and thought out
- 🚀 Efficient for scoring
- 💡 Innovative features
- 👍 Great for stat tracking

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Limited scoring options
- 🐛 Cannot edit or delete entries
- 🐛 Issues with adding teams
- 🐛 App crashing
- 🐛 Not user-friendly

**Reported bugs**

- Only allowed to record a strike swinging in demo
- Rest of demo features ask who is batting
- Cannot add a team
- Cannot correct lineup without deleting game
- App records an error on player every time a put out is recorded

**Requested features**

- More features needed
- Track pitches
- Add another outfielder for 8u softball
- Photo option for rosters
- Ability to delete teams


### Optimal 9

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/optimal-9/id6477047705)

This app simulates baseball batting orders using real player statistics from recent seasons. It allows users to test different lineup configurations to maximize run scoring potential over a series of games. Analyze performance based on actual data and roster information.

**Highlights:** Batting order optimization, Real statistical performance analysis, 2022-2023 season data, Roster integration, Multi-game simulation

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PlayMaker Baseball free?

PlayMaker Baseball is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Optimal 9 free?

Optimal 9 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, PlayMaker Baseball or Optimal 9?

PlayMaker Baseball is rated higher. PlayMaker Baseball averages 4.5 out of 5 from 191 ratings, while Optimal 9 averages 2.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do PlayMaker Baseball or Optimal 9 have ads?

Neither PlayMaker Baseball nor Optimal 9 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PlayMaker Baseball or Optimal 9?

PlayMaker Baseball ships an update every 5 days, and Optimal 9 every 10 months. Most recently, PlayMaker Baseball was updated on November 3, 2026 and Optimal 9 on November 4, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*