Soccer Pitch Timer vs SocRef
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Soccer Pitch Timer
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Pitch Timer is a hands-free game management tool for youth soccer/football. Track game time, score, cards, substitutions, injury time, and penalty shootouts — all from your wrist. MID-HALF SUBSTITUTION WINDOW ALERTS Never miss a sub window again. Set your substitution interval and Pitch Timer vibrates, sounds, or both when it's time. Perfect for youth and rec leagues where sub timing is critical. Even if you only use the game clock, this feature alone is worth it. THREE MODES FOR EVERY ROLE • Simple: Just a game clock with sub alerts. Great for coaches and refs who rely on paper game cards. • Medium: Clock + discipline card tracking • Advanced: Full game management — goals, discipline cards, injury time, extra time, shootouts, and post-game match detail FOR REFEREES • Game clock with count-up or count-down mode • Injury time tracking (red when active) • Goal recording with jersey number, penalty kick, and own goal support • Yellow and red card tracking with automatic 2nd-yellow-to-red detection • Extra time and penalty shootout management • Post-game Match Detail with full timeline for your game card FEATURES • Quick Start: reuse last game settings between matches — just pick new jersey colors • Team color swatches with patterns (solid, stripe, polka) for instant team recognition • FIFA-standard result notation including PK scores • Suspend and resume games across app restarts • Heart rate, distance, and step tracking via Apple Health workout session • Always-on display support • Digital Crown navigation Built for youth, rec, club, and tournament play. Languages: English and Spanish. More languages coming soon — contact us to help translate! Want to help? Contact us to suggest features or report bugs. We'd love to hear from you! Contact: pitchtimer@gmail.com User Guide: https://1drv.ms/b/c/f2e2d98fb7d89e48/IQDk1WaCaX-wQIRYRs0z1fqdAbAn8Wn7mc9x0gQWANb62yg?e=vQ36eV
SocRef
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**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.*
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Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Soccer Pitch Timer at none against SocRef's 4. SocRef's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). 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
Both are free to download. SocRef sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Soccer Pitch Timer asks for nothing beyond the download.
Soccer Pitch Timer ships an update every 2 months, SocRef every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Soccer Pitch Timer | SocRef |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, Apple Watch | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mike Silverman | Xiangdong Zhang |
In-app purchases
Soccer Pitch Timer
No in-app purchases
SocRef
- Tip$0.99
- Buy a Coffe$2.99
- Buy a Latte$4.99
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- Buy a Lunch$12.99
Questions
Is Soccer Pitch Timer free?
Is SocRef free?
Do Soccer Pitch Timer or SocRef have ads?
Which is updated more often, Soccer Pitch Timer or SocRef?
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