Comparison

Hoop Ref vs SocRef

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

Head to head
About

Hoop Ref

This app assists youth basketball referees by tracking alternating possession and time-outs. It offers intuitive controls, haptic feedback, and fitness tracking features, with optional Apple Health integration.

Highlights
  • Alternating possession tracking
  • Time-out management
  • Haptic feedback
  • Fitness tracking
  • Apple Health integration
Features
Read full description

Hoop Ref provides reliable officiating assistance for youth basketball games with unreliable scorer’s tables. Key features: • Alternating possession • Time-outs • Fitness tracking Fast and easy to use: • Intuitive for basketball referees • No setup on phone or watch required • Just tap the teams’ colors and start officiating Tracks alternating possession: • Tap a button or use double tap to alternate possession • Haptics (wrist taps) confirm each change Tracks time-outs: • Times 30- and 60-second time-outs • Provides haptic feedback for first and second horn • Notes inbound possession following time-out • Counts time-outs used Fitness & assists: • Workout tracking (calories, distance, steps, heart rate) • Reminders to turn on Do Not Disturb or a Focus • Haptic feedback for accurate 3-, 5-, and 10-second counts Apple Health integration (with Hoop Ref Pro in-app purchase): • Automatically saves workouts to Apple Health after each game End User License Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

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

SocRef4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Hoop Ref at 13.0 against SocRef's 16.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Hoop Ref sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and SocRef sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Hoop Ref versus SocRef: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHoop RefSocRef
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequency—Every 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperToolsayXiangdong Zhang

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Hoop Ref

One-time1
  • Hoop Ref Pro$10.00
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 Hoop Ref free?
Hoop Ref is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SocRef free?
SocRef is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Hoop Ref or SocRef have ads?
Neither Hoop Ref nor SocRef shows ads.

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