Comparison

PlayMaker Pro vs PlayBook

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

PlayMaker Pro

Create, display, and print playbooks for American Football, Canadian Football, or Basketball on your mobile device. Share playbooks via email or present them with animated visuals and embedded media. An in-app purchase unlocks full editing capabilities.

Highlights
  • Create and print playbooks
  • Display play cards with animation
  • Email playbooks to coaches/players
  • Team presentations with projector
  • Edit documents with in-app purchase
  • Transfer documents via cloud/email
Read full description

PlayMaker Pro for iOS enables you to display and print PlayMaker Pro documents for American Football, Canadian Football or Basketball on an iPad or iPhone. PlayMaker Pro documents can be created using the desktop versions of PlayMaker Pro. Transfer documents to your device with Macintosh Finder, iTunes File Sharing, iCloud Drive or E-Mail. iPad users can purchase the ability to edit PlayMaker Pro documents from within this App. After purchasing Document Editing, you can create and edit PlayMaker Pro documents, pages, players, lines, boxes and text. Email playbooks to coaches or players. Show play cards in color with animation on your iPad. Give team presentations with your projector including animation, player notes, scribbles, attached images and attached video. Don't take a pile of paper to practice, take your iPad. PlayMaker Pro is used by thousands of football teams worldwide to produce playbooks, handouts and presentations at all levels from the Pros down to youth leagues. PlayMaker Pro has been produced by BW Software in Ann Arbor Michigan since 1990.

About

PlayBook

This app allows coaches to create, customize, and share strategic plays for various sports. It offers drawing tools, player customization, and the ability to record and export plays for team communication and practice drills.

Highlights
  • Draw and customize plays
  • Choose offensive and defensive players
  • Customize themes and player colors
  • Record plays with voice
  • Share plays and generate playbooks
  • Export plays as JPEG and PDF
  • Apple Pencil compatible
Features
Read full description

PlayBook is a coaching board app that allows you to draw and share plays with your team quickly. Major features of the app include: • Choose offensive and defensive players • Half and full courts available • Customize the entire app theme with your team colors • Ability to choose custom player colors • Easily view and manage your team • Tap on players to pass the ball • Add orange cones for practice drills • Change player size (small, medium, and large) • Change ball size (small, medium, and large) • Rotate board horizontally or vertically • Draw different line styles (move, pass, screen, dribble, and more) • Add shapes (square, circle, and line of sight) • Customize board textures from our collection of wood, grass, water, and more • Choose your team logo and customize your play the way you like • Apple Pencil compatible on iPad • Clear board with a single tap • Save your plays with notes • Record your plays and voice with a single tap • Share your plays with your team, colleagues, and other coaches • Present plays quickly during timeouts and team meetings • Generate and share your playbooks • Export plays as JPEG and PDF formats • Choose different basketball court styles (High School, College, NBA) • Explore our blog • No ads Sports: • Basketball • Football • Soccer • Volleyball • Field Hockey • Ice Hockey • Tennis • Water Polo • Men's and Women's Lacrosse • Handball • Floorball • Cricket • Badminton • Futsal • Netball • Rugby • Ultimate • Pickleball • Baseball • Pro Wrestling • Freestyle Wrestling • Cheerleading • Teqball • Australian Football • Gaelic Football Here's what coaches have to say about the PlayBook app: "Tech has improved our game in so many ways. The PlayBook app is just another example of it. Gone are the days of magnet and dry erase boards. The best app for drawing plays, no matter the sport!" - Coach Adam Bauman, The University of Alabama "Great things are meant to be shared so others can also enjoy the benefits. Loving the PlayBook app - have been using it to make huddles more efficient and it has been a game-changer, literally! Totally recommend for sports coaches." - Coach Jamie Quarles, University of South Florida PlayBook is loved by coaches, athletic teams, and sports fans worldwide, and we hope you'd love it too! Take your game to the next level with PlayBook Pro: PlayBook Pro is an auto-renewing subscription or lifetime purchase that unlocks all the features in the app, including different court styles, fully customizable theme and player colors, custom team logo, unlimited players, saved plays, line styles, shapes, export as PDF, screen and voice recording, and more. Payment will be charged to the account associated with your Apple ID when you confirm your purchase. Your subscription will automatically renew unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage your subscription anytime by going to your account settings in the App Store after purchase. Privacy Policy - https://playbookteams.com/privacy Terms of Service - https://playbookteams.com/terms

Screenshots

PlayMaker Pro4 screens
PlayBook4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PlayBook at 4.2 against PlayMaker Pro's 2.7. PlayBook also leads on ratings volume (361 vs 15) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). PlayMaker Pro's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PlayMaker Pro sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and PlayBook sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PlayBook holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PlayBook has 361 ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 32% of PlayMaker Pro's written reviews are positive against 26% of PlayBook's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PlayMaker Pro ships an update every 3 months, PlayBook every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 7, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
PlayMaker Pro versus PlayBook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlayMaker ProPlayBook
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.7 (15 ratings)4.2 (361 ratings) — better
Positive reviews31.8% of reviews — better26.3% of reviews
Number of ratings15361 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB69 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBruce WilliamsAnant Patni

Customer experience

PlayMaker Pro

All ratings15 ratings
Positive40.0%
Neutral6.7%
Negative53.3%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive31.8%
Neutral9.1%
Negative59.1%

PlayBook

All ratings361 ratings
Positive78.1%
Neutral5.3%
Negative16.6%
Written reviews19 reviews
Positive26.3%
Neutral21.1%
Negative52.6%

Bugs and requests

PlayMaker Pro

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

PlayBook

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 🐛 Repeatedly called for screen rotation but never saved
  • 🐛 Cannot restore previous/life-time purchase
  • 🐛 Cannot screen record after switching devices
  • 🐛 Cannot write on court after update

Requested features

5 requests
  • Live Play action option to animate plays
  • Add erase option for editing
  • Smoother operating interface needed
  • Allow writing on court again
  • Month free trial to test app

In-app purchases

1 purchases

PlayMaker Pro

One-time1
  • Document Editing2 variants$49.99
3 purchases

PlayBook

Subscriptions2
  • PlayBook Pro$9.991 Month
  • PlayBook Pro$69.991 Year
One-time1
  • PlayBook Pro$299.99

Questions

Is PlayMaker Pro free?
PlayMaker Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PlayBook free?
PlayBook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PlayMaker Pro or PlayBook?
PlayBook is rated higher. PlayMaker Pro averages 2.7 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while PlayBook averages 4.2 from 361 ratings.
Do PlayMaker Pro or PlayBook have ads?
Neither PlayMaker Pro nor PlayBook shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PlayMaker Pro or PlayBook?
PlayMaker Pro ships an update every 3 months, and PlayBook every 5 weeks. Most recently, PlayMaker Pro was updated on June 7, 2026 and PlayBook on September 23, 2026.

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