# ESPN Tournament Challenge vs Ace Referee

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Ace Referee at 100% against ESPN Tournament Challenge's 34%. Ace Referee also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 11) and ads (none vs shown). ESPN Tournament Challenge's advantage is ratings volume (44K vs 2) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 6 weeks). On price there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ESPN Tournament Challenge sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $10.99 per month. Ace Referee asks for nothing beyond the download.

ESPN Tournament Challenge holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ESPN Tournament Challenge has 44K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 34% of ESPN Tournament Challenge's written reviews are positive against 100% of Ace Referee's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

ESPN Tournament Challenge ships an update every 9 days, Ace Referee every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ESPN Tournament Challenge | Ace Referee |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (44K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/espn-tournament-challenge/id359891723/reviews)** | [4.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ace-referee/id427115949/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **44K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 34.1% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 86 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Disney](https://appshunter.io/developer/284888248) | [SoftCP Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/427115952) |

## What reviewers say

### ESPN Tournament Challenge

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/espn-tournament-challenge/id359891723)

Create and manage brackets for college basketball tournaments. Compete with friends and experts for prizes, utilize prediction tools, and track your bracket's performance in real-time. Offers quick fill options and team insights to help you make informed picks.

**Highlights:** Create multiple brackets, Compete in groups, Predictor and Analyzer tools, Quick Bracket auto-fill, Finish My Bracket option, Real-time score tracking, Perfect Bracket Tracker

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ESPN+ 90 Day Trial (Monthly) | $10.99 | per month |
| ESPN+ Monthly | $13.99 | per month |
| ESPN+ 7 Day Trial (Monthly) | $13.99 | per month |
| ESPN+ (Monthly) | $13.99 | per month |
| Tournament ESPN+ Monthly 2024 | $13.99 | per month |
| ESPN+ (Yearly) | $139.99 | per year |
| ESPN 7 Day Trial (Yearly) | $139.99 | per year |
| ESPN+ 14 Day Trial (Yearly) | $139.99 | per year |
| ESPN+ 30 Day Trial (Yearly) | $139.99 | per year |
| ESPN+ 90 Day Trial (Yearly) | $139.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Fun and engaging
- 🚀 Efficient bracket management
- 🚀 Smooth app performance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🔍 Difficult navigation and UI
- 🔍 Lack of key features
- 🔍 Inaccessible for some users

**Reported bugs**

- Brackets getting wiped
- Compatibility issues with older devices
- Frequent app crashes
- Login and sign-up problems

**Requested features**

- Ability to save and resume brackets
- More customization options
- Improved group management tools
- Better analytics and scoring features


### Ace Referee

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ace-referee/id427115949)

This app assists referees in handball, racquetball, squash, and RoundNet by tracking scores, servers, and timeouts. It offers live score updates for spectators and integrates with tournament software for seamless data management.

**Highlights:** Score tracking, Server management, Timeout tracking, Live score updates for spectators, Integration with tournament software, Barcode scanning for match data

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ESPN Tournament Challenge free?

ESPN Tournament Challenge is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Ace Referee free?

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

### Which has better reviews, ESPN Tournament Challenge or Ace Referee?

ESPN Tournament Challenge is rated higher. ESPN Tournament Challenge averages 4.7 out of 5 from 44K ratings, while Ace Referee averages 4.5 from 2 ratings.

### Do ESPN Tournament Challenge or Ace Referee have ads?

ESPN Tournament Challenge shows ads; Ace Referee does not.

### Which is updated more often, ESPN Tournament Challenge or Ace Referee?

ESPN Tournament Challenge ships an update every 9 days, and Ace Referee every 6 weeks. Most recently, ESPN Tournament Challenge was updated on September 26, 2026 and Ace Referee on September 10, 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.*