ezReferee vs REF!
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ezReferee
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Keep track of score, play time and player punishments. Made for handball referees by handball referees. * The app has three views * 1) Match view containing timer, score, team colors, starting team (ball shown), timestamp for last two goals registered for each team. 2) Punishment log, with a list for each team including timestamp for punishment, player number and type og punishment. 3) Register punishment, player number, team color, punishment type (button), previous punishments for current player. The app will not prevent you from registering more punishments than allowed (1 x yellow card, 3 x 2 min suspension, 1 x disqualification). Punishments for the bench should be attributed to player #0. * Before the match starts * 1) Select team colors by clicking the team on the score. 2) Assign team starting with the ball using long press on score-board. The ball will automatically flip to the other team for each period. The ball will be displayed on the score-board for the first ten seconds of each period. * To start the match * 1) Click the timer. Clock starts running, and timer goes green. * During the match * 1) Register a goal by clicking a team score on the score-board to register goal. The last two timestamps for goal for each team is displayed under the score-board. Success-sound can be prevented by disabling sound on the watch. 2) Remove a goal by swiping down on score board to remove last goal for that team. Alert-sound can be prevented by disabling sound on the watch. 3) Register a punishment by swiping up on score board to on the fouling players team (warning, 2 min, disqualification). You select player using the crown, and an "X" will be displayed for each existing punishment to this player under each category. 4) Timeout / stop timer by clicking the timer. Timer goes red, and you can adjust the timer using the crown. 5) Go to the next period by long-pressing the timer, and confirm. The period number is upped, timer is reset to "00:00", and ball is shown on the team that will start the next period (if starting team has been specified before the match). * After the match * 1) Swipe left to view match logg of punisments. This can be done at any time during the match as well. 2) Long-press on score board to reset match and prepare for the next.
REF!
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REF! is the ultimate app for football referees. Create the match, invite your crew and run it from the watch. No paper, no fuss. BEFORE THE MATCH - Create the match with teams, competition, ground, date and time. - Save your teams and the grounds you visit most. - Competitions with their own refereeing and travel fees. - Choose whether you're the referee or an assistant. - History for every team: how many times you've officiated them and how those matches ended. - A countdown to your next match in the widget, the Live Activity and your watch face. - A calendar event, created automatically. ON THE PITCH, FROM YOUR APPLE WATCH - Period timer: set how many periods, how long each one lasts and how long the break is. - Haptic alert when time is up, with added time and a warning if the break runs over. - Choose which team kicks off at the start of each period. - Goals with the scorer's shirt number. - Yellow and red cards, for players and for team staff - Substitutions with the numbers coming on and off. - A match summary on your wrist the moment you blow the final whistle. - Tournament mode to chain matches with their own timings and fees without leaving the watch. - Create a match on the watch itself if your appointment changes at the last minute. - Leave the app or let the screen sleep — the match picks up where you left it. AFTER THE MATCH - Distance covered, sprints, top speed, heart rate, calories and steps. - A heat map of your position over real imagery of the pitch, in satellite or pitch view. - Effort zones calculated from your maximum heart rate. - A full match report: goals, cards, minutes and substitutions across every period. YOUR SEASON - Stats across every season and any date range. - A complete history of teams, competitions and grounds. - Matches as referee and as assistant, counted separately. PAYMENTS - Total paid and total outstanding for the season, always in view. - Breakdown by competition and by month, with a per-match average. - Refereeing and travel fees kept separate. - A one-page annual PDF report and a CSV with one row per match, for your association or your tax return. - Mark matches as paid one by one or all at once. WITH YOUR CREW - Find other referees by name or @nickname and add them as friends. - Invite them to a match: they get a notification and accept it from their inbox. - The match syncs between all three of you in real time. - A combined heat map and stats for the whole refereeing team. - Your own profile with an avatar and nickname. AND ALSO - Everything synced through iCloud between iPhone and Apple Watch. - Backups you can export and import. - Works without a signal: whatever you record on the pitch is sent as soon as you're back online. - Tutorials for the app and the watch, plus a quick-start guide. - Match alerts and reminders. REF! PRO Core features are free. REF! PRO unlocks physical performance, full stats, payment reports, shared matches and tournament mode. €2.99/month or €16.99/year, with the first month free on the annual plan. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. You can manage yours in your Apple ID settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://therefapp.es/en/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://therefapp.es/en/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: REF! at Free against ezReferee's $3.99. REF! also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 7 months). ezReferee's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). On 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
REF! is free to download; ezReferee costs $3.99 up front. REF! sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. ezReferee asks for nothing beyond the download.
ezReferee ships an update every 7 months, REF! weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ezReferee | REF! |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | Free — better |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 0 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Imaker AS | Rodrigo Vicente Valmorisco |
In-app purchases
ezReferee
No in-app purchases
REF!
- REF! PRO Monthly$2.991 Month
- REF! PRO Yearly$14.991 Year









