# Ace Referee vs Bracket Builder

Ace Referee and Bracket Builder both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Ace Referee's written reviews are positive against 49% of Bracket Builder's. Ace Referee also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and device support (4 vs 2). Bracket Builder's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (2.5K vs 2). On price, rating and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bracket Builder sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Ace Referee asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Ace Referee against 4.4 for Bracket Builder. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bracket Builder has 2.5K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Ace Referee's written reviews are positive against 49% of Bracket Builder's.

Ace Referee ships an update every 6 weeks, Bracket Builder every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ace Referee | Bracket Builder |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ace-referee/id427115949/reviews)** | [4.4 (2.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bracket-builder/id1669378849/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **2.5K** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 49.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Subscription |
| Size | 12 MB | 17 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [SoftCP Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/427115952) | [Aberkane Software House FZ-LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1846780866) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Bracket Builder

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bracket-builder/id1669378849)

Create, track, and share custom tournament brackets for various sports and games. Supports multiple elimination formats and team sizes, with automatic seeding and BYE insertion. Progress can be monitored and winners easily updated within the app.

**Highlights:** Create single/double-elimination and round-robin brackets, Supports up to 128 teams, Generate random double round-robin tournaments, Share tournament brackets as images, Automatic team ordering and BYE insertion, Track tournament progress and remove winners

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full access for 1 year | $4.99 | per year |
| Full access for 1 year | $9.99 | per year |
| Full access for Lifetime | $14.99 | one-time |
| Full access for Lifetime | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 💡 Completely free to use
- 🚀 Efficient bracket creation
- 😊 Great for tournaments and competitions

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 💰 Paywall for advanced features
- 🔒 Lack of account/data sync
- 🔍 Limited customization options

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when creating large brackets
- Deleted brackets not recoverable
- Inability to edit created brackets

**Requested features**

- Add bulk/batch team entry
- Implement double-sided brackets
- Include scoreboard and scoring features
- Ability to rearrange/reorder teams


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ace Referee free?

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

### Is Bracket Builder free?

Bracket Builder is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Ace Referee or Bracket Builder?

Ace Referee is rated higher. Ace Referee averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Bracket Builder averages 4.4 from 2.5K ratings.

### Do Ace Referee or Bracket Builder have ads?

Neither Ace Referee nor Bracket Builder shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Ace Referee or Bracket Builder?

Ace Referee ships an update every 6 weeks, and Bracket Builder every 4 days. Most recently, Ace Referee was updated on September 10, 2026 and Bracket Builder on September 24, 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.*