Comparison

SunnyPitch vs REF!

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

Head to head
About

SunnyPitch

Features
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SunnyPitch turns any iPad into a professional-looking scoreboard for your football ground — score, live clock, and penalty shootout, all in one. PERFECT FOR GRASSROOTS & NON-LEAGUE No expensive hardware. No complicated setup. Place your iPad on the touchline, in the clubhouse window, or behind the goal — anywhere supporters can see it. Then control everything from your iPhone. Both devices pair automatically via iCloud. No account or sign-in required. HOW IT WORKS Add a match and choose your format Place your iPad where supporters can see it Kick off from your iPhone — the iPad updates instantly WHAT'S INCLUDED A live, accurate clock A large minute counter fills the display, driven by the actual kickoff time — always accurate, readable from 30 metres away. Automatic side-swap at half-time At half-time the display switches home and away sides, so the team attacking your end is always on the correct side of the board. Full penalty shootout mode Track each kick — scored or missed — with a visual penalty grid that players and supporters can follow. The shootout ends automatically when a winner is mathematically certain. Controlled from the dugout The club secretary or a volunteer updates the score from their iPhone while the iPad stays on display. Enable read-only mode to lock the iPad display against accidental touches. Visibility that goes the distance The high-contrast display is optimised for outdoor use. The score is legible from 30 metres away — ideal for small grounds and 300-seat stands. Match formats for every competition • Standard 90 minutes (45 + 45) • Extra time + penalty shootout • Custom sessions for training GREAT FOR • Grassroots & amateur clubs — keep parents, players, and supporters in the picture • Non-league grounds — a proper scoreboard without the infrastructure • Cup finals — penalty shootout mode handles the drama • Training — run timed intervals or small-sided games with a visible clock

About

REF!

Features
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REF! is the ultimate app for football referees. Create the match, invite your trio, run it from your watch and fill in the match report on your federation's intranet without leaving the app. No paper, no hassle. BEFORE THE MATCH - Create the match with teams, category, pitch, date and time. - Save your teams with crest, colours and short name, and your usual pitches. - Match and travel fees by category, editable for each match. - Choose whether you're the referee or an assistant. - History for each team: how often you've refereed them and how it went. - Countdown to your next match in the widget, the Live Activity and on your watch face. - A calendar event, created automatically. ON THE PITCH, FROM YOUR APPLE WATCH - Timer by periods: set how many, how long and how long the break is. - Haptic alert when time is up and when the break runs over. - Added time: enter the minutes announced and the watch tells you when they run out. - Choose who kicks off at the start of each period. - Goals with one gesture and the scorer's number; stoppage time is logged like a match report: 45+2. - Yellow and red cards to players and team officials, with second yellows handled for you. - The reason for each card: reckless, promising attack, serious foul play, violent conduct… - Substitutions in the order you write them down, at half-time too. - Substitution windows: how many stoppages each team has used to make changes. - Events view for each team: you choose whether to see goals, cards or substitutions. - Match summary on your wrist at the final whistle. - Tournament mode: create and run matches on the watch itself, with their own times and fees. - If the app closes, the match picks up where you left it. AFTER THE MATCH - Fill in the match report: one tap takes you to your reports on the RFEF or regional federation intranet. - The full report in the app: goals, cards with their reason and substitutions, each with its minute. - Distance covered, per half too, sprints, top speed, heart rate, calories and steps. - Heat map of your position over the real image of the pitch, in satellite or pitch view. - Effort zones calculated from your real maximum heart rate, read from Apple Health. - The match is saved to Apple Health like any other workout. YOUR SEASON - Statistics by season or date range, as referee and as assistant. - History of teams, categories and pitches. FEES - Paid and pending for the season, by category and by month, with match and travel fees kept separate. - Annual PDF and CSV report, for your committee or your tax return. - Mark matches as paid one by one or all at once. WITH YOUR TRIO - Add other referees as friends by name or @alias and invite them to your matches. - The match syncs in real time between the three of you. - Combined heat map and statistics for the whole refereeing team. - Profile with avatar and alias, plus blocking and reporting. AND ALSO - Your federation's intranet one tap away from Home; your password never goes through REF!. - Everything synced with iCloud between iPhone and Apple Watch. - Exportable and importable backup. - Works without signal: whatever you record on the pitch is sent as soon as you're back online. - Match reminders, tutorials and a suggestion box. REF! PRO Refereeing with REF! is free, with no match limit: timer, goals, cards and substitutions from the watch, match metrics and effort zones. REF! PRO unlocks the heat map, statistics across all seasons and by date range, fee reports, friends and shared matches, tournament mode, substitution windows and card reasons. €2.99/month or €16.99/year, with the first month free on the annual plan. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. You can manage it in your Apple ID settings. Terms of use (EULA): https://therefapp.es/en/terms.html Privacy policy: https://therefapp.es/en/privacy.html

Screenshots

SunnyPitch3 screens
REF!4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SunnyPitch at none against REF!'s 2. REF!'s advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). On price, 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. REF! sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. SunnyPitch asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SunnyPitch ships an update fortnightly, REF! weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 3 level
SunnyPitch versus REF!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSunnyPitchREF!
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSoffritto Inc.Rodrigo Vicente Valmorisco

In-app purchases

None

SunnyPitch

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

REF!

Subscriptions2
  • REF! PRO Monthly$2.991 Month
  • REF! PRO Yearly$14.991 Year

Questions

Is SunnyPitch free?
SunnyPitch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is REF! free?
REF! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SunnyPitch or REF! have ads?
SunnyPitch shows ads; REF! does not.
Which is updated more often, SunnyPitch or REF!?
SunnyPitch ships an update fortnightly, and REF! weekly. Most recently, SunnyPitch was updated on October 16, 2026 and REF! on October 18, 2026.

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