Comparison

LemonScore vs RefMate

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

Head to head
About

LemonScore

Features
Read full description

LemonScore Remote turns your iPhone or iPad into a powerful remote control for the LemonScore scoreboard software. Connect wirelessly via your local network to the scoreboard. GAME CONTROL - Adjust the score for both teams – with a single tap - Start, stop, and manually correct the match clock - Timer mode for countdowns and custom time sequences - Enable and disable stoppage time - Full penalty shootout control – including Sudden Death MEDIA & ANIMATIONS - Trigger goal, offside, yellow/red card, and substitution animations - Select player and team for each animation - Play and control playlists with images and videos - Show and hide banners MUSIC - Browse and play music playlists - Control playback: Play, Pause, Next, Previous - Adjust volume, enable shuffle and loop CUSTOM SHORTCUTS - Create your own shortcut cards with colors and icons - Assign multiple actions to a single button - Customize the layout of your remote control CONNECTION & SECURITY - Automatic discovery of LemonScore on the network via Bonjour - Manual connection via IP address also available - Secure authentication with a 6-digit PIN - Real-time synchronization across multiple devices simultaneously ADDITIONAL FEATURES - Blackout mode - Haptic feedback (adjustable) - Coex display monitoring (brightness, temperature, status) - Optimized for iPhone and iPad Requirement: LemonScore Desktop App (v1.5.0 or later) on the same network. Available at lemon-score.ch.

About

RefMate

Features
Read full description

The whole match on one screen: a clock that never stops, buttons big enough to hit without looking, and undo always where you left it. Built for referees who work real pitches — no signal, rain, gloves, and a report to hand in at the end. WHAT YOU GET • A clock that survives anything. It runs off timestamps, not a counter, so backgrounding the app, locking the screen or even a crash mid-half changes nothing. The time on your wrist is the time on the pitch. • One-tap registration. Goals, cautions, send-offs, substitutions, penalties — all one tap from the match screen. Nothing buried in a menu. • Second caution caught for you. Book a player who is already on a yellow and the app tells you before you show the card, not after. • Added time you can defend. Every stoppage is measured, and the suggestion at the end of the half is based on what actually happened. • A match report that looks official. A clean PDF with the timeline, the disciplinary record, the crew and your own signature, drawn once in Settings — shareable before you reach the dressing room. • Apple Watch that works on its own. Start the match, run the clock and register events from your wrist with the phone switched off in a locker. It reconciles with the phone later, and never drops an event. • Laws of the Game practice. Questions grounded in the official IFAB text, each one showing the Law, the section and the passage it comes from. Practice by Law, timed mock exams, and spaced repetition of what you got wrong. • Season statistics. Matches, cards per match, when in the game things happen, which clubs give you the most trouble. NO ACCOUNT, NO SERVER, NO SIGNAL NEEDED Everything lives on your device. There is no sign-up, no login and no analytics. Optional sync uses your own private iCloud — we have no server and never see your matches. Export everything to a single file whenever you want. FREE AND PRO Free: three matches, with the full clock, goals, cards and the live screen — plus 20 questions. Your matches stay yours; nothing is deleted. PRO: unlimited matches, unlimited history, PDF reports signed with your own signature, statistics, the Apple Watch app, the full question bank and iCloud sync. The paywall never appears during a match. Not once, under any circumstances. Laws content covers the 2026/27 edition. The IFAB updates the Laws each season, normally with effect from 1 July, and the app tells you which edition it covers. Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

LemonScore4 screens
RefMate4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: LemonScore at none against RefMate's 2. LemonScore also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). RefMate's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 4 months). 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. RefMate sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. LemonScore asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LemonScore ships an update every 4 months, RefMate every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 3 level
LemonScore versus RefMate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLemonScoreRefMate
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size47 MB9 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperDario TschannenLUIS ORLANDO LAZO GONZALEZ

In-app purchases

None

LemonScore

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

RefMate

Subscriptions2
  • PRO Monthly$2.991 Month
  • PRO Yearly3 Days trial$22.991 Year

Questions

Is LemonScore free?
LemonScore is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is RefMate free?
RefMate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do LemonScore or RefMate have ads?
Neither LemonScore nor RefMate shows ads.
Which is updated more often, LemonScore or RefMate?
LemonScore ships an update every 4 months, and RefMate every 9 days. Most recently, LemonScore was updated on October 31, 2026 and RefMate on November 6, 2026.

Other comparisons