Comparison

ref vs Chesly

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

Head to head
About

ref

This app helps referees master the inner game through reflection, presence, and practice. It offers educational resources, game film breakdowns, and live events to sharpen skills and deepen understanding. Built by officials, for officials, it fosters a community for growth and networking.

Highlights
  • Training videos and game film analysis
  • Expert breakdowns
  • Live webinars and mentoring
  • On-demand sessions
  • Interactive space for confidence and awareness
  • Community for questions and feedback
Features
Read full description

Welcome to ref-ology —Through reflection, presence, and practice, ref-ology helps referees master the inner game so they can serve the outer game with excellence. Our mission is to create a movement of officials who prioritize integrity in performance and who view the game as a pathway for lifelong development. We are here to develop referees who call the game and embody the spirit of it: cultivating consistency, communication, and clarity in every moment. Inside the app, you’ll find a growing library of educational resources, game film breakdowns, live events, and vibrant conversations designed to help you sharpen your skills, deepen your understanding of the game, and thrive in your officiating journey. Built by officials, for officials, ref-ology offers an inclusive space where you can level up, ask questions, get feedback, become situationally competent and grow your network —all in one place. Key Features: + Training videos, game film analysis, and expert breakdowns. + Live webinars, mentoring opportunities and on-demand sessions from experienced officials and other key influencers inside the sports ecosystem. + A dedicated and interactive space to grow your confidence and mastery of on-court awareness. Whether you’re looking to get started or aiming to refine your approach at the highest level, ref-ology is where better officials are made.

About

Chesly

Features
Read full description

Your messages live in a dozen different apps. Chesly brings them into one. Chesly is a single inbox for everything you talk on. Connect your chat accounts and your email, then read and reply to all of it from one place instead of bouncing between apps all day. Behind the scenes, smart notifications learn what actually needs you, so the messages that matter come through and the rest waits quietly until you have time. CONNECT WHAT YOU ALREADY USE WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Instagram, Messenger, Discord, Slack, X, LinkedIn, Google Messages, and Google Chat all sit side by side in Chesly. Bring your email too, whether that's Gmail, Outlook, or any IMAP account, so your chats and your mail finally share one home. EVERYTHING YOU EXPECT FROM A MESSENGER Send and receive text, photos, videos, files, and voice messages. React, reply, edit, and unsend. See read receipts and typing indicators. Pin, mute, archive, and filter your conversations. Search across all of your accounts at once to dig up that link, address, or photo you know someone sent you. A CALMER KIND OF INBOX This is the part most apps get wrong. Chesly is built to interrupt you less, not more. Smart notifications decide what's worth your attention so group chat noise stops pulling you away. Translate any message into your language in a tap. Turn a voice note into text when you can't listen out loud. Less noise, more of the conversations you actually care about. CHESLY PLUS Upgrade when you want more out of it. Plus adds message translation, voice note transcription, Ghost Mode for reading without sending read receipts or last seen, Send Later for scheduling messages, custom AI notification rules, developer tokens, and up to ten connected accounts with three of the same app. Plus starts with a free seven day trial, and you're not charged until it ends. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Chesly runs on its own servers, built on the open Matrix protocol. Your traffic is encrypted in transit, and your account credentials are encrypted at rest with AES-256. Export all of your data or permanently delete your account at any time, right from the app. Block and report anyone in a couple of taps. There are no ads in Chesly, and there never will be. It's funded by Plus, not by advertising. EVERYWHERE YOU ARE Chesly works across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Even Realities G2 smart glasses. Start a conversation on one device and continue it on another. One inbox for every conversation, and a lot more quiet. Download Chesly and bring your messages home. Terms of Use: https://chesly.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://chesly.app/privacy

Screenshots

ref4 screens
Chesly4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ref at none against Chesly's 2. On price, 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

Both are free to download. Chesly sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. ref asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ref ships an update weekly, Chesly every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
ref versus Chesly: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterrefChesly
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (9 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings9 — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size126 MB86 MB
Age rating9++12
DeveloperRef-ologyTOMI MARKUS RIKHARD ANSAMAA

In-app purchases

None

ref

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Chesly

Subscriptions2
  • Chesly Plus7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Chesly Plus7 Days trial$99.991 Year

Questions

Is ref free?
ref is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chesly free?
Chesly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ref or Chesly have ads?
Neither ref nor Chesly shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ref or Chesly?
ref ships an update weekly, and Chesly every 4 days. Most recently, ref was updated on October 11, 2026 and Chesly on September 29, 2026.

Other comparisons