Comparison

LaxRef vs RefMate

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

Head to head
About

LaxRef

This app helps lacrosse officials and table personnel manage live game statistics, including scores and penalties. It features an optional large-font timer and syncs with a companion watch app to keep everyone updated. Eliminate the need for separate game cards with this integrated solution.

Highlights
  • Live game statistics tracking
  • Penalty management
  • Optional large-font timer
  • Watch and iPhone app sync
  • Digital game card replacement
Features
Read full description

Watch App for Lacrosse Officials, Phone App for Table Personnel. Keep score, penalties, and other live game statistics. An optional timer is also available when needed (big font size!). No need to use a separate game card. An iPhone app that syncs with the watch, so the table and referee are always in sync with score, penalties and game timer. A labor of love for our dedicated group.

About

RefMate

Features
Read full description

The whole match on one screen: a clock that never stops, buttons big enough to hit without looking, and undo always where you left it. Built for referees who work real pitches — no signal, rain, gloves, and a report to hand in at the end. WHAT YOU GET • A clock that survives anything. It runs off timestamps, not a counter, so backgrounding the app, locking the screen or even a crash mid-half changes nothing. The time on your wrist is the time on the pitch. • One-tap registration. Goals, cautions, send-offs, substitutions, penalties — all one tap from the match screen. Nothing buried in a menu. • Second caution caught for you. Book a player who is already on a yellow and the app tells you before you show the card, not after. • Added time you can defend. Every stoppage is measured, and the suggestion at the end of the half is based on what actually happened. • A match report that looks official. A clean PDF with the timeline, the disciplinary record, the crew and your own signature, drawn once in Settings — shareable before you reach the dressing room. • Apple Watch that works on its own. Start the match, run the clock and register events from your wrist with the phone switched off in a locker. It reconciles with the phone later, and never drops an event. • Laws of the Game practice. Questions grounded in the official IFAB text, each one showing the Law, the section and the passage it comes from. Practice by Law, timed mock exams, and spaced repetition of what you got wrong. • Season statistics. Matches, cards per match, when in the game things happen, which clubs give you the most trouble. NO ACCOUNT, NO SERVER, NO SIGNAL NEEDED Everything lives on your device. There is no sign-up, no login and no analytics. Optional sync uses your own private iCloud — we have no server and never see your matches. Export everything to a single file whenever you want. FREE AND PRO Free: three matches, with the full clock, goals, cards and the live screen — plus 20 questions. Your matches stay yours; nothing is deleted. PRO: unlimited matches, unlimited history, PDF reports signed with your own signature, statistics, the Apple Watch app, the full question bank and iCloud sync. The paywall never appears during a match. Not once, under any circumstances. Laws content covers the 2026/27 edition. The IFAB updates the Laws each season, normally with effect from 1 July, and the app tells you which edition it covers. Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

LaxRef4 screens
RefMate4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: RefMate at Free against LaxRef's $1.99. RefMate also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). LaxRef's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

RefMate is free to download; LaxRef costs $1.99 up front. RefMate sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. LaxRef asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LaxRef ships an update every 9 days, RefMate every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
LaxRef versus RefMate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLaxRefRefMate
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB9 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperCraig PetersonLUIS ORLANDO LAZO GONZALEZ

In-app purchases

None

LaxRef

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

RefMate

Subscriptions2
  • PRO Monthly$2.991 Month
  • PRO Yearly3 Days trial$22.991 Year

Questions

Is LaxRef free?
LaxRef costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is RefMate free?
RefMate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do LaxRef or RefMate have ads?
Neither LaxRef nor RefMate shows ads.
Which is updated more often, LaxRef or RefMate?
LaxRef ships an update every 9 days, and RefMate every 5 days. Most recently, LaxRef was updated on October 16, 2026 and RefMate on October 8, 2026.

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