Comparison

Soccer Ref Watch vs SocRef

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

Head to head
About

Soccer Ref Watch

Features
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Designed by referees for referees, this app replaces the traditional pen and paper with a streamlined, wrist-based experience. KEY FEATURES: Professional Match Timing: Precision countdown and count-up timers. Smart stoppage time tracking. New: Customize half duration (e.g., 45, 40, or 30 minutes) directly on your watch before kick-off. Seamless Event Recording: Quick Input: Log Goals, Yellow/Red Cards, and Substitutions with just a few taps. Smart Keypad: Our new, bubble-style numeric keypad makes entering player numbers fast and accurate, even with sweaty fingers. Team Customization: Set team names and jersey colors to match the teams on the pitch. Fitness & Health Integration: RefereeWatch integrates with HealthKit to track your movement during the match. Record your distance run, heart rate, and calories burned, saving the match as a workout session. Data Sync: Securely sync your match reports to the cloud. Review match logs and event timelines on the companion iPhone app after the final whistle. Whether you are officiating a local Sunday league or a competitive tournament, RefereeWatch ensures you never miss a moment. Note: This app requires an Apple Watch to function.

About

SocRef

Features
Read full description

**The digital match companion built for soccer referees. Track every goal, card, and substitution in real time—on your iPhone or Apple Watch.** ## MATCH MANAGEMENT Create games in seconds. Set team names, jersey colors, half durations (15–45 min), halftime break, extra time, and penalty shootout options. Import assignments directly from Assignr by pasting from the clipboard—SocRef reads the format automatically and fills in the details, including age-appropriate half durations (7v7, 9v9, 11v11). Browse your upcoming and past games in one list, sorted by closest kickoff. Tap any game to jump back into a live match or review the final record. --- ## LIVE MATCH TRACKING Start the timer and let SocRef handle the rest. The match clock runs through 1st Half → Halftime → 2nd Half → Extra Time → Penalties. Add stoppage time on the fly. Pause, resume, and manually advance periods whenever you need to. Log events as they happen: - Goals — with optional player name - Yellow cards — with reason and player - Red cards — with reason and player - Substitutions — player on, player off Every event is timestamped to the minute and saved instantly. Your data survives app backgrounding and device restarts. **1-Minute Alert** — SocRef sends a haptic notification 1 minute before each period ends, whether the Watch screen is on or off. Never lose track of time during a match. --- ## APPLE WATCH COMPANION Control the match from your wrist. The Watch app stays in sync with your iPhone in real time—score, period, timer, card counts. Record goals, cards, and substitutions without taking your phone out. Perfect for when you're on the pitch and your hands are full. **Two-way sync** — Changes made on the Watch (score, cards, team names, match config) are automatically pushed back to the iPhone. The watch is always the source of truth for an active match. Edit a game on the watch, and the iPhone game list updates the moment they reconnect. --- ## EVENT LOG & EXPORT Review the full event timeline after the whistle. Export the complete match record as JSON—ready for your records, your organization, or your own analysis. --- ## SUPPORTER FEATURES — GPS & MOTION TRACKING Support development and unlock advanced referee fitness tools: - **Motion Tracking** — Steps, distance, cadence, and heart rate via Apple Watch. Runs as a live workout in Apple Health (soccer activity type). - **GPS Tracking** — Records your movement across the pitch at configurable intervals (every 10, 30, or 60 seconds). - **Movement Heatmap** — Calibrate the field corners with GPS, and SocRef generates a color-coded heatmap showing where you spent the most time. Identify positioning patterns and improve your coverage. - **Per-Period Breakdown** — Distance, steps, and heart rate stats for each match period, exportable in full. Supporter purchases are voluntary. Any tier—Tip, Coffee, Latte, or Lunch—unlocks all of the above. HealthKit and Core Motion usage is disclosed in the GPS & Motion Tracking section footer on the Game Setup screen. --- BUILT FOR THE PITCH - Dark theme throughout—readable in any light - Works fully offline - Automatic two-way sync between iPhone and Watch - Large, high-contrast controls for fast input mid-match - Haptic alerts at key moments (1-minute warning, period transitions) --- *SocRef is made by referees, for referees.*

Screenshots

Soccer Ref Watch4 screens
SocRef4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Soccer Ref Watch at none against SocRef's 4. Soccer Ref Watch also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. SocRef sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Soccer Ref Watch asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Soccer Ref Watch ships an update every 9 days, SocRef every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 7, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
Soccer Ref Watch versus SocRef: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSoccer Ref WatchSocRef
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer星南 朱Xiangdong Zhang

In-app purchases

None

Soccer Ref Watch

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

SocRef

One-time4
  • Tip$0.99
  • Buy a Coffe$2.99
  • Buy a Latte$4.99
Show 1 more
  • Buy a Lunch$12.99

Questions

Is Soccer Ref Watch free?
Soccer Ref Watch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SocRef free?
SocRef is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Soccer Ref Watch or SocRef have ads?
Neither Soccer Ref Watch nor SocRef shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Soccer Ref Watch or SocRef?
Soccer Ref Watch ships an update every 9 days, and SocRef every 3 weeks. Most recently, Soccer Ref Watch was updated on September 7, 2026 and SocRef on September 15, 2026.

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