Comparison

Ref vs RefTick Referee Watch

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

RefTick Referee Watch

Features
Read full description

RefTick helps football referees prepare, record a match and review their work. Set up and review on iPhone, with football timing and event recording on Apple Watch. Futsal uses the iPhone timekeeper console. Prepare your match Enter teams, colours, match details and competition settings, then send them to your paired watch. Choose Simplified or Traditional Chinese, English, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean or Arabic. Change language on the sign-in screen or in your profile; Apple Watch follows your choice. Record on the pitch Record goals, penalty kicks, cautions and sending-offs for players or team officials, with selectable or custom disciplinary reasons. Manage half-time, additional time, extra time and penalties (penalty shoot-out). Review and export Review the match timeline and edit goalscorer or card recipient numbers and disciplinary reasons. Export distinctive black-and-green match PDF reports. With health and location permission, record heart rate, distance and route for a personal fitness report. Data depends on device support, permissions and available samples. Football access The free timer stops automatically at 10 minutes per match, with no additional time. Full football access remains a one-time lifetime purchase. Local prices and payment terms are shown in the App Store. Existing lifetime purchases remain valid, and saved local match and fitness records are retained. Futsal remains a separate purchase under its existing plan. Fitness data is not for medical diagnosis. RefTick is an independent refereeing aid and does not represent official association certification or match decisions. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://api.reftick.xyz/privacy

Screenshots

Ref4 screens
RefTick Referee Watch3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ref at none against RefTick Referee Watch's 2. RefTick Referee Watch's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (16.0 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. RefTick Referee Watch sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Ref asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ref ships an update every 3 weeks, RefTick Referee Watch every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 3 level
Ref versus RefTick Referee Watch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRefRefTick Referee Watch
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS26.416.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSAMUEL LANE MADDOCK至昊 田

In-app purchases

None

Ref

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

RefTick Referee Watch

One-time2
  • RefTick Futsal Lifetime$2.99
  • Football Lifetime$5.99

Questions

Is Ref free?
Ref is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is RefTick Referee Watch free?
RefTick Referee Watch is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Ref or RefTick Referee Watch have ads?
Neither Ref nor RefTick Referee Watch shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ref or RefTick Referee Watch?
Ref ships an update every 3 weeks, and RefTick Referee Watch every 5 days. Most recently, Ref was updated on October 25, 2026 and RefTick Referee Watch on October 31, 2026.

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