Buyer’s guide
Referee assigning software alternatives
Officiating organizations range from a rec league that just needs Saturday’s games covered to a state association that pays thousands of officials and enforces who may work what. The software ranges the same way. This guide sorts the main products by the job they are built for.
- 8 products
- Checked against each vendor’s own site
- Last reviewed September 2026
Start here
Two kinds of product, for two kinds of problem.
Decide first whether you need officials assigned and confirmed, or a system that also pays, certifies or evaluates them.
Need straightforward assigning?
You have games, officials and a spreadsheet, email or group text holding them together. You need games filled, officials told, answers collected and reminders sent. You pay officials some other way. A simple assigning tool is likely enough, and there is less of it to set up.
Need to run an officiating operation?
You pay officials and file their tax forms, enforce certifications or eligibility, evaluate performance, or let officials pick up open games. A comprehensive platform is built for that, and paying for its breadth makes sense because you will use it.
The products
Who makes what.
Summaries from each vendor’s own website. Each comparison page sets the product side by side with Ref Grid, including where the other product is the better choice.
Assigning tools
Assigning, notifying, confirming and reminding — without payments, eligibility rules or evaluations.
Ref Grid
OursImport games and officials, assign a weekend in one pass, send by text and email, collect accepts and declines, and send configured reminders. Exports a pay report; does not pay officials.
- Text and email
- No app for officials
- Reminders
- Pay report export
Pricing: $129/year or $15/month
How Ref Grid works
Officiating platforms
Assigning plus some combination of paying officials, tax forms, eligibility rules, evaluations and self-assign.
Assignr
Assigning with self-assign, ratings and mobile apps, plus a payments product that pays officials and handles W-9s and 1099s.
- Self-assign
- Ratings
- Mobile apps
- Direct deposit
- 1099s
Pricing: Annual tiers by number of officials; direct deposit and tax forms extra on higher tiers
Last reviewed: September 2026
Ref Grid vs AssignrRefr Sports
An app-based platform for scheduling, messaging and paying officials, with open-slot requests and certification tracking, and bulk-assigning built for tournaments.
- Mobile app
- Open-slot requests
- Payouts
- W-9 and 1099
- Certifications
Pricing: Per game, billed annually
Last reviewed: September 2026
Ref Grid vs Refr SportsHorizonWebRef
A configurable officiating operation, established in 2005: eligibility rules, auto-assign, evaluations, ACH payments, calendar sync and apps.
- Eligibility rules
- Auto-assign
- Evaluations
- ACH payments
- 13 languages
Pricing: Annual packages by license count
Last reviewed: September 2026
Ref Grid vs HorizonWebRefRefTown
Built for officials organizations since 2003: rules-based assigning, a directory with certifications and W-9s, payroll, direct deposit and 1099s.
- Custom rules
- Self-assign
- Payroll
- Direct deposit
- 1099s
Pricing: Base fee plus a rate per official
Last reviewed: September 2026
Ref Grid vs RefTownNotch
Assigning and paying officials in one plan: schedule import, eligibility tracking, game reports, a digital wallet with payouts, and 1099s.
- Payouts
- 1099s
- Eligibility tracking
- Game reports
- Mobile apps
Pricing: One annual plan; payment processing fees apply
Last reviewed: September 2026
Ref Grid vs Notch
Part of a wider suite
Officials management as one product among registration, league or school scheduling, and payments from the same vendor.
Arbiter
Formerly ArbiterSports. Assigning for schools, state and officials associations, with eligibility, evaluations, pay and tax, in a wider K-12 athletics suite.
- Eligibility checks
- Testing
- Evaluations
- Pay and tax forms
- K-12 suite
Pricing: Assigning prices not published
Last reviewed: September 2026
Ref Grid vs ArbiterStack Officials
Stack Sports’ officials product: assigning, alerts, payroll and payments, with schedules synced from Sports Connect and an app for officials.
- Sports Connect sync
- Officials app
- Payments
- Post-game reports
- Self-assign
Pricing: Not published
Last reviewed: September 2026
Ref Grid vs Stack Officials
Features and pricing change. Verify current capabilities directly with each provider before deciding.
Product names and trademarks belong to their respective owners. Comparison information is based on publicly available information and may change. Ref Grid is not affiliated with any product named on this page. Last reviewed: September 2026.
Before you choose
Six questions to ask any vendor — including us.
- Do officials need an app or an account?
- Every step you ask officials to take is one some of them will not. Find out how an official who never installs anything receives and answers an assignment.
- How do officials get paid, and who files the 1099s?
- If you pay through the software, check the fees per payout and who issues tax forms. If you pay another way, you only need a clean report of who is owed what.
- What is the price counted in?
- Per official, per license, per game or flat. Work it out for your real season, with growth, before comparing headline numbers.
- Are text messages included, and how many?
- Some officials answer texts faster than email. Ask whether SMS is included, capped or an add-on, and how the allowance is counted.
- How does the schedule get in, and back out?
- A CSV import, a league-platform sync or typing it in. And whether you can export your data if you leave.
- What has to be configured before the first send?
- Eligibility rules, pay rates, evaluation forms and permissions all take time to set up. Check which ones you would actually use.
If straightforward assigning is the job, try Ref Grid.
Import your games and officials, send assignments by text and email, and see who has confirmed. If you need more than that, one of the platforms above is the better call.