Comparison

Soccer Pitch Timer vs Soccer Ref

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

Head to head
About

Soccer Pitch Timer

Features
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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

About

Soccer Ref

Features
Read full description

The referee's stopwatch and notebook, on your Apple Watch. Set up the match on your iPhone, send it to your wrist, and keep your eyes on the game. No watch with you? Run the match from your iPhone: big clock, goals, cards and subs in a few taps, alerts and a live clock on your Lock Screen. On your wrist • Big, glanceable match clock with stoppage time • Stop and restart the clock in one tap • Goals, cautions, send-offs and substitutions, with player numbers on the Digital Crown • Card reasons with U.S. Soccer codes (UB, DT, PI…) or FA codes (C1–C7, S1–S7) • A second yellow is recorded as a send-off automatically • Optional sin bins with a countdown that only runs while the ball is in play • Haptic alerts at full time, when stoppage time is up, and every 5 minutes if you want • Undo for any mistake • Keeps running with your wrist down, and restores the match if the app is closed On your iPhone • Today's matches sent to your watch in advance, next one first • Match reports with a minute-by-minute timeline, shared as text or PDF • League misconduct reports written for every card: add the player's name and what happened, then copy the statement • A heatmap of where you ran, with sprints, top speed and time in each third • Fee, mileage and parking for every match, with what you're still owed and your mileage allowance for the tax year • Season totals: matches, minutes, goals, cards and distance • Your own fitness for each half: distance and heart rate, saved to Apple Health Reliable sync Reports go from your watch to your iPhone and are resent until they arrive, so you never retype a score. Accessible Works with VoiceOver, Larger Text, Dark Mode, Reduce Motion and Differentiate Without Color. Try 3 matches free. Soccer Ref Pro unlocks unlimited matches, misconduct reports, the heatmap and your season's earnings and tax export, as a monthly or yearly subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; manage or cancel them in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://dhrumil09.github.io/soccer-ref/privacy.html

Screenshots

Soccer Ref4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Soccer Pitch Timer at none against Soccer Ref's 2. Soccer Pitch Timer also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). Soccer Ref's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 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. Soccer Ref sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Soccer Pitch Timer asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Soccer Pitch Timer ships an update every 2 months, Soccer Ref every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 3 level
Soccer Pitch Timer versus Soccer Ref: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSoccer Pitch TimerSoccer Ref
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS16.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMike SilvermanDhrumil Shah

In-app purchases

None

Soccer Pitch Timer

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Soccer Ref

Subscriptions2
  • Soccer Ref Pro (Monthly)$2.991 Month
  • Soccer Ref Pro (Yearly)$24.991 Year

Questions

Is Soccer Pitch Timer free?
Soccer Pitch Timer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Soccer Ref free?
Soccer Ref is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Soccer Pitch Timer or Soccer Ref have ads?
Neither Soccer Pitch Timer nor Soccer Ref shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Soccer Pitch Timer or Soccer Ref?
Soccer Pitch Timer ships an update every 2 months, and Soccer Ref every 4 days. Most recently, Soccer Pitch Timer was updated on November 9, 2026 and Soccer Ref on November 6, 2026.

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