# Whistle Time vs zRef

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Whistle Time at 100% against zRef's 50%. Whistle Time also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). zRef's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Whistle Time sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. zRef asks for nothing beyond the download.

Whistle Time ships an update fortnightly, zRef every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Whistle Time | zRef |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[4.0 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zref/id1619561284/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **6** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 72 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Robbert Brackel](https://appshunter.io/developer/1747007311) | [Rami Sinno](https://appshunter.io/developer/1535507955) |

## What reviewers say

### Whistle Time

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/whistle-time/id1593470779)

This sports timing app helps referees manage matches with customizable timers, card tracking, and real-time data syncing. It also offers post-match analysis and a unique heatmap feature to track on-field movement.

**Highlights:** Customizable match periods and warnings, Yellow/red card and penalty tracking, Cross-device syncing (watch, phone, TV), Live match data sharing, Post-match event overview, On-field movement heatmap analysis

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Without adds | $1.99 | per month |
| Without adds | $17.99 | per year |


### zRef

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zref/id1619561284)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Whistle Time free?

Whistle Time is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is zRef free?

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

### Do Whistle Time or zRef have ads?

Whistle Time shows ads; zRef does not.

### Which is updated more often, Whistle Time or zRef?

Whistle Time ships an update fortnightly, and zRef every 2 months. Most recently, Whistle Time was updated on September 22, 2026 and zRef on September 9, 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.*