Comparison

OnBall vs Rec

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

Head to head
About

OnBall

Organize and track pickup basketball games with intelligent team generation, dynamic player ratings, and comprehensive statistics. Earn awards and create tournaments for a more structured recreational sports experience.

Highlights
  • Smart team generation
  • Dynamic player ratings
  • Awards and Championship Belts
  • Tournament creator
  • Multi-sport support
  • Comprehensive statistics
  • Offline-capable
Features
Read full description

Transform your pickup basketball games into organized and tracked experiences with OnBall - the ultimate recreational basketball management platform. Why OnBall? Tired of unbalanced teams? Arguing about who's actually the best? No way to track your performance? OnBall solves all of this with intelligent team generation, dynamic player ratings, and comprehensive statistics tracking. SMART TEAM GENERATION Create perfectly balanced teams in seconds: - Balanced algorithm: Uses player ratings to create even match ups - Team randomizer: Easily add player to create squads quickly - Custom teams: Drag-and-drop players to retain your squad - Multi-size mode: Simultaneously generate teams of various sizes - Support for 1v1 - 5v5 games DYNAMIC PLAYER RATINGS + OVR OnBall's Rating system is the most sophisticated in recreational sports: - Peer ratings: See what everyone thinks of your skills - 7 skill categories: Scoring, Defense, Rebounding, Play making, Stamina, Physicality, X-Factor - OVR: Performance-based adjustments from actual game results - Transparent calculations everyone can understand AWARDS SYSTEM Earn recognition through 5 badge categories: - Winner Badge: Total victories - MVP Badge: Most Valuable Player awards - Streak Badge: Consecutive wins - Blowout Badge: Dominant victories - Giant Slayer Badge: Underdog victories Earn Championship Belts through 6 categories - community-voted Belts for special recognition - Belt list: Sharp Shooter, General, Warrior, Clutch, Motor, Has It All - 5 votes minimum, dynamic - belts switch to players with more votes TOURNAMENT CREATOR Take your league to the next level with full bracket tournaments: - Single elimination, double elimination, and round robin formats - Round robin seeding phase that feeds directly into a bracket - Strength-based auto-seeding and drag-and-drop team builder - Play-by-play scoring with real-time split scoring for two admins - Tournament awards: Champion, MVP, Best Defender, Best Bench - Multiple tournaments per league, each with its own bracket and history MULTI-SPORT SUPPORT OnBall works across multiple sports, each with its own skill ratings, belts, and badge rules: - Basketball: Full rec leagues and bracket tournaments - Pickleball: Rec leagues and tournaments with rally-based live scoring - Ultimate Flying Disc: Rec league support COMPREHENSIVE STATISTICS Track everything that matters: - Win/loss records by game type - MVP rates and counts - Performance trends over time - Historical data preservation MOBILE-FIRST EXPERIENCE - Native iOS app optimized for performance - Touch-optimized drag-and-drop interfaces - Push notifications for game invites and results - Offline-capable with automatic sync - Camera integration for player photos - Share your achievements with friends LEAGUE MANAGEMENT Perfect for organizers: - Activity logging for accountability - Admin ability to negate erroneous player ratings and match results - Create unlimited leagues - Invite members via deep link - Multi-admin support for team management - Customizable league settings - Bulk player import from spreadsheets KEY FEATURES - Instant team balancing algorithms - Real-time statistics updates - Peer-to-peer player rating system - Progressive achievement system with badges & belts - Match history with full details - Customizable team creation - Push notifications for game invites - Multiple league management - Admin permission controls - Tournament bracket creator with play-by-play scoring BUILT BY BASKETBALL PLAYERS, FOR BASKETBALL PLAYERS OnBall was created by people who love the game and experienced the frustrations of organizing fair pickup games. We combined our passion for basketball and data to create the best recreational sports management platform available. Special thanks to Hatim Sabir for the inspiration and support.

About

Rec

Features
Read full description

Stop guessing who won. Start tracking like a pro. Whether it’s a high-stakes pickup basketball game, a Sunday morning tennis match, or a casual round of golf with friends, Rec is the ultimate scoring companion for the recreational athlete. Designed with a stunning, modern dark-mode interface and deep Apple Watch integration, Rec turns your "just for fun" weekend games into a professional-grade season. Settle the debate of who the best player in your friend group actually is, once and for all. Multi-Sport Mastery - No more fumbling with mental math or arguing over the score. PickupLog features specialized scoring logic built specifically for your favorite sports: - Basketball: Accurately track 1pt free throws, 2pt field goals, and 3pt daggers. - Tennis: Full logic for points, games, and sets—including the crucial 2-game margin rule. - Pickleball: Fast-paced rally scoring built for the court. - Golf: Hole-by-hole stroke tracking relative to par across all 18 holes. Score from your Wrist - Leave your iPhone in your gym bag. Our fully independent Apple Watch companion app lets you stay in the zone: - Bi-directional Sync: Live-sync scores between your watch and your phone. - Haptic Feedback: Feel heavy, satisfying haptics with every point logged so you never have to take your eyes off the game. - Full Control: Increment scores, track golf holes, and save completed games directly from your wrist. Build Your Local League - Manage your crew with comprehensive player profiles. - Custom Avatars: Create profiles with custom initials and vibrant colors. - Lifetime Stats: Track all-time statistics, and game histories. - Dual Scoring Modes: Use Player Mode to let athletes log their own scores during the game, or switch to Ref Mode and let a dedicated person on the sidelines track the action for everyone. Instant Replays & Stat Sheets - Relive the glory (or the heartbreak) of past matchups. - Detailed Stat Sheets: Dive deep into the numbers after the game ends. - Timeline Replays: Scroll through a chronological "Replay" timeline of events to see exactly who scored what, and when the momentum shifted. Download Rec today and make every point count!

Screenshots

OnBall4 screens
Rec4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: OnBall at none against Rec's 1. OnBall also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 6 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). 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. Rec sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. OnBall asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

OnBall ships an update every 6 days, Rec every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
OnBall versus Rec: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOnBallRec
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB5 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperDIGITALALIMaverick Brazill

In-app purchases

None

OnBall

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Rec

One-time1
  • Rec Pro$4.99

Questions

Is OnBall free?
OnBall is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Rec free?
Rec is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do OnBall or Rec have ads?
Neither OnBall nor Rec shows ads.
Which is updated more often, OnBall or Rec?
OnBall ships an update every 6 days, and Rec every 6 weeks. Most recently, OnBall was updated on September 10, 2026 and Rec on September 19, 2026.

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