Comparison

Ref vs Count Rugby

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

Head to head
About

Ref

Features
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Ref-Vision captures a referee’s match on Apple Watch and iPhone: GPS, heart rate, speed, distance, match clock, event taps, and sideline video, all heading to one game on your Ref-Vision account. Start the watch at kick-off. Put the iPhone on a tripod if you want film. The watch is built to be glanced at, not stared at. Large buttons, haptics, and an always-on clock. APPLE WATCH • Start at kick-off: one workout records GPS and heart rate for the whole appointment, including half-time • Match clock with half-time, second half, and full-time • Live heart rate, speed, distance, and GPS lock • Four large event buttons by default: Foul, Yellow, Red, Goal • Extra buttons (Advantage, Stoppage, Injury, Sub, Penalty, and more) from a second page if you enable them on iPhone • Undo the last event with a swipe • Sessions are saved on the watch first, then sent to iPhone automatically. No network required during the match IPHONE • Live glance of clock, heart rate, distance, and last event while the watch is recording • Finished sessions arrive from the watch automatically • Review distance, heart rate, and events after the match; edit or delete a mis-tap • Attach the session to a game, or create one, then upload to your Ref-Vision account • Sign in once with the same email code you use on ref.vision • Customise which event buttons appear on the watch and push the layout across RECORD • New Record tab for sideline match film from a tripod-mounted iPhone • Checks before you start: phone on its side (landscape), on the tripod, and on a power bank • Ultra-wide (0.5x) so the pitch fills the frame; 1080p by default, 4K if you want it • Built for a full match — keep the app open and don’t lock the phone • Recordings stay on this iPhone first, even with no signal • Attach or create a game, then upload. We’ll start processing the film onto that game soon • Watch capture and phone film can run together: movement and events on the watch, video on the phone AFTER UPLOAD Watch sessions land on your game with GPS, heart rate, and event tags. Phone film is uploaded from the app; after we process it, it appears on the same game at ref.vision. Attach footage and set one sync offset so movement, heart rate, and watch events line up with the film together. Capture works without an account. Upload to Ref-Vision requires sign-in. Ref-Vision records referee performance (location, heart rate, and optional sideline video). It is not a medical device and does not provide medical advice. Requires a compatible Apple Watch for GPS, heart rate, and event capture. Video recording uses iPhone. Designed for referees at every level.

About

Count Rugby

Features
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A touchline scorebook for rugby union. Log each try, conversion and penalty against the player who made it, and the match total builds itself. ON THE TOUCHLINE Tap a player, then the action. A try adds 5, a successful conversion 2, a penalty goal or drop goal 3, a penalty try 7. Missed conversions and missed penalty kicks are logged too, so kicks made and kicks missed are both on the sheet. Assists and line breaks sit next to the points. DISCIPLINE Yellow and red cards go against the player's name. A yellow card brings up a ten-minute sin-bin reminder; a red card is noted as sent off. Referee calls are one tap each: penalty, offside, not rolling away, off feet, collapsing, high tackle, obstruction, early push, not releasing. Knock-ons, forward passes, lineout not straight and turnovers are recorded under Errors. SET PIECE, KICKING AND DEFENCE Scrums and lineouts, backline moves (cross, loop, nine- and ten-shape, backdoor), high punts, ground kicks, kick passes, catches, fair catches and catch misses, tackles made and missed, carries. HALVES AND THE CLOCK Each match runs as 1st half and 2nd half with a countdown clock, forty minutes by default and editable for age-grade or sevens-length games. Pause and adjust it whenever the referee stops play. REPLACEMENTS Mark who started and who is on the bench, and switch a player on or off when a replacement comes on. Squad numbers 1 to 23 with positions: prop, hooker, lock, flanker, number eight, scrum-half, fly-half, centre, wing, fullback. For training matches, drag a player from one side to the other. SEVERAL SCORERS, ONE MATCH Put a parent on each wing, a coach in the stand. Everyone records on their own phone, then one device scans the others' QR codes and the entries merge into a single match sheet. The same QR code copies a squad list onto a new phone. AFTER THE FINAL WHISTLE Pick the fixtures you want - one festival, a month of Saturday games - and see totals per player: tries, kicks made and missed, cards, tackles. Export a match sheet as PDF or CSV, or share a picture of it to the club chat. Undo fixes a mis-tap. Works with no signal at the ground and no account. Free trial: every feature is free for 30 days after you install the app. After that, recording and saving new matches needs an auto-renewing monthly or yearly subscription; saved matches, stats, QR sharing and PDF/CSV export stay free. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://qconp.com/privacy

Screenshots

Ref4 screens
Count Rugby4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ref at none against Count Rugby's 4. Count Rugby's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.4). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Count Rugby sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. Ref asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ref ships an update every 3 weeks, Count Rugby every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 3 level
Ref versus Count Rugby: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRefCount Rugby
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS26.415.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSAMUEL LANE MADDOCKQAEE CONPUUTENG

In-app purchases

None

Ref

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Count Rugby

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly Plan1 Month trial$14.991 Month
  • month$15.001 Month
  • Yearly Plan1 Month trial$150.001 Year
Show 1 more
  • year$150.001 Year

Questions

Is Ref free?
Ref is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Count Rugby free?
Count Rugby is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Ref or Count Rugby have ads?
Neither Ref nor Count Rugby shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ref or Count Rugby?
Ref ships an update every 3 weeks, and Count Rugby every 5 days. Most recently, Ref was updated on October 25, 2026 and Count Rugby on October 28, 2026.

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