Comparison

Playoffs Time vs Pickem Central

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

Head to head
About

Playoffs Time

Follow the NBA Playoffs with live updates and a complete tournament bracket. Explore the structure of every round with interactive, easy-to-read layouts. This app is not affiliated with the NBA.

Highlights
  • Live NBA Playoffs updates
  • Complete tournament bracket
  • Interactive bracket exploration
  • Easy-to-read layout
  • Track every round
Features
Read full description

• View the complete NBA and MLB Playoffs tournament structure • Follow every event with live updates • Zoom and pan to explore clean, easy-to-read bracket layout • Push notification before every event with TV channel • Final scores and results • Live countdown to game time in your timezone Disclaimer: This application is in no way affiliated with the NBA or MLB. This application, nor its developer, are responsible for any legalities that may arise in the use of this application.

About

Pickem Central

Features
Read full description

PickemCentral is the free, social way to run pick'em pools with your friends — now for both the NFL and the NBA Playoffs. Got an invite from a friend? Tap the link, sign in, and your pool is waiting. Two games, one app. No spreadsheets, no group-text chaos. — NFL SURVIVOR — Pick one team to win each week. Win and you advance; lose and you're out. Last one standing wins the season. • Make your weekly pick from a clean board — team logos, records, win %, and how popular each pick is. • Your dashboard shows this week's pick at a glance: logo, record, opponent, and kickoff time. • Pool Status — a live leaderboard of who's still alive, weeks survived, redemption rounds, and comebacks. • See the whole league's picks once the deadline passes. • Reminders before your pick locks. — NBA PLAYOFF PICK'EM — Pick the winner of every series and lock in your bonus picks each round. • Dashboard — the current round at a glance, with your picks and your standing. • All Picks — every entry side by side once a round locks. • Bump Chart — round-by-round rankings to see who's climbing and who's slipping. • Ask Picky — an AI sidekick that breaks down matchups and your picks. — FOR EVERY POOL — • Odds Lab — win probabilities and game numbers, for reference. • Achievements and streaks so the bragging rights last all season. • Push notifications when picks lock, scores update, and rounds wrap. • Profile with your history across every game. — WHAT'S FREE — Everything. Make picks, climb the leaderboard, win the season. No subscription, no paywalls, no ads. NO PAYMENTS, NO BETTING PickemCentral does not process payments, accept entry contributions, or facilitate betting of any kind. Any friend-group arrangements happen entirely outside the app. Odds Lab is informational reference, not an interface for placing wagers. ABOUT YOUR DATA Your email and profile photo identify you in your friend groups. Your picks and standings are visible to others in the same pool. The app sends crash and performance diagnostics through Sentry. Full details: pickemcentral.com/privacy. Free. iPhone. iOS 18+.

Screenshots

Playoffs Time4 screens
Pickem Central4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Pickem Central at none against Playoffs Time's shown. Playoffs Time's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Playoffs Time ships an update every 5 days, Pickem Central weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Playoffs Time versus Pickem Central: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlayoffs TimePickem Central
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterWeekly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supported—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBigBlue AppsSPENCER HOFFMAN

In-app purchases

None

Playoffs Time

No in-app purchases

None

Pickem Central

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Playoffs Time free?
Playoffs Time is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pickem Central free?
Pickem Central is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Playoffs Time or Pickem Central have ads?
Playoffs Time shows ads; Pickem Central does not.
Which is updated more often, Playoffs Time or Pickem Central?
Playoffs Time ships an update every 5 days, and Pickem Central weekly. Most recently, Playoffs Time was updated on October 31, 2026 and Pickem Central on October 28, 2026.

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