A simpler Arbiter alternative
Arbiter — ArbiterSports until its 2025 rebrand — is built for schools, state and officials associations, with eligibility, evaluations, pay and tax alongside assigning. If you run a league or club and mainly need games assigned, officials notified and replies tracked, Ref Grid is the smaller tool.
14-day free trial, then $129/year or $15/month.
About Arbiter
What Arbiter is built to do
Arbiter, which rebranded from ArbiterSports in February 2025, calls itself “the connected platform for K-12 sports and activities.” Its assigning software is used by assigning associations from local to statewide, by K-12 schools and by governing bodies. It matches officials to games on skills, availability and requirements, verifies eligibility automatically, supports testing, certification and background checks, and sends updates and reminders by SMS, email or app alert — officials accept or decline from any of the three. Calendar synchronization is listed, and post-game feedback tracks officials’ performance.
Assigning is one part of a wider line. Arbiter Pay pays officials, tied to their assignments, and processes W-2s and 1099s; alongside it sit registration, game and facility scheduling, and athletic websites for schools.
Where they overlap
Both put officials on games, notify them by text and email, take their accepts and declines, and send reminders.
Where they differ
Arbiter is a connected K-12 sports platform: assigning alongside eligibility, testing, evaluations, pay and tax, scheduling and registration. Ref Grid is a standalone tool a league or club assignor can sign up for and use the same day, and its price is published on this page; Arbiter does not publish assigning prices on its website. For a state association or a school district, Arbiter is built for the job. For a rec league or a club, much of it will not apply.
Side by side
Ref Grid and Arbiter, compared
Not a scorecard. Ref Grid is narrower on purpose, and several rows below are things it does not do.
| Capability | Ref Grid | Arbiter |
|---|---|---|
| Core assigning | Ref GridIncluded A board with one cell per position. Fill a weekend as drafts, review, then send once. Warns about double-booking; does not assign anyone for you. | ArbiterIncluded Match officials to games on skills, availability and requirements. |
| Official availability | Ref GridBasic Officials keep their usual days, times of day and divisions current from a link. A general picture, not a per-date calendar. | ArbiterIncluded Availability is part of how officials are matched to games. |
| Assignment notifications | Ref GridIncluded Text and email in one send, on the channel each official prefers. Delivery reported per assignment. | ArbiterIncluded Updates by SMS, email or app alert. |
| Accept and decline | Ref GridIncluded Officials accept or decline from a link, with no account, password or app. Replies given by phone can be recorded by hand. | ArbiterIncluded Officials accept or decline from email, text or the Arbiter app. |
| Reminders | Ref GridIncluded Up to three pre-game reminders to officials who have accepted, from 1 hour to 30 days out, by text, email or both. No automatic chase of officials who have not replied. | ArbiterIncluded Timely updates, reminders and post-event notifications. |
| Calendar support | Ref GridBasic An add-to-calendar (.ics) file for each accepted game. No subscribable calendar feed. | ArbiterIncluded Calendar synchronization listed; ask about formats. |
| Pay reports and export | Ref GridIncluded CSV of what each official is owed, per game or per official, plus a QuickBooks Online bills format. | ArbiterIncluded Pay tied to assignments, through Arbiter Pay. |
| Paying officials and tax forms | Ref GridNot offered Ref Grid prepares pay reports; it does not pay officials, collect W-9s or issue 1099s. | ArbiterAdd-on or separate product Arbiter Pay pays officials and processes W-2s and 1099s, with its own published fee schedule. |
| Evaluations, eligibility and self-assign | Ref GridNot offered No evaluations, certification or eligibility rules, and no self-assign. The assignor decides who works. | ArbiterIncluded Automatic eligibility checks; testing, certification and background checks; post-game performance feedback. |
| Intended scope | Ref Grid Deliberately narrow: games, officials, assignments, messages, replies and reminders. Not a league or officiating-management platform. | Arbiter Officiating and athletics operations for schools, assigners and associations, alongside registration, scheduling and websites. |
| Pricing structure | Ref Grid One plan: $129/year or $15/month after a 14-day free trial. 2,000 SMS segments a year included. | Arbiter Assigning prices are not published on its website; contact Arbiter. Arbiter Pay publishes its transaction fees. |
Features and pricing change. Verify current capabilities directly with each provider before deciding.
Based on: arbiter.io, Arbiter assigning software, Arbiter assigning solutions, Arbiter rebrand announcement, Arbiter assigning FAQ, ArbiterPay pricing.
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.
Choosing
Which one fits
Need straightforward assigning? Ref Grid may be a strong fit. Need a broader officiating-management system? Arbiter may be the better choice.
Ref Grid is probably a good fit if…
- You run a rec league, club or youth program, not a school athletics department or an association.
- You do not need eligibility, testing or certification enforced in software.
- You want to sign up and start assigning without a sales conversation.
- You pay officials yourself and need a report of what is owed, not a payroll system.
Arbiter may suit you better if…
- You are a state association, officials association or school district.
- Eligibility, testing, certification or background checks have to be enforced.
- You want officials paid — with W-2s or 1099s — from the system that assigns them.
- You also need registration, facility scheduling or athletic websites from one vendor.
- Your officials already work in Arbiter for other assignments.
Why people consider Ref Grid
The core workflow, and not much else.
Set up from the spreadsheet you have
Assign a weekend in one pass
Text and email in one send
Accept or decline from a link
Reminders you configure
See what still needs attention
A pay report, not a payments system
Straightforward pricing
How it works
Five steps, every week.
Import games, add officials, assign, officials respond, Ref Grid reminds.
- 01
Import games
Upload your schedule as a CSV, or add games one at a time.
- 02
Add officials
Import a roster, add them yourself, or invite them to fill in their own details.
- 03
Assign
Fill positions as drafts with double-booking warnings, then review and send.
- 04
Officials respond
Each gets a text or email and accepts or declines from a link.
- 05
Ref Grid reminds
Your configured reminders go out before each accepted game.
Pricing
One plan, one price.
One plan. Everything included.
- Unlimited games and assignments
- Roster and contact management
- Assignment management and scheduling
- Accept and decline workflows
- Email notifications
- 2,000 SMS segments/year
- Multiple assignors
No tiers, no per-game fees and no add-ons to price out.
Questions
Arbiter and Ref Grid: common questions
- Is Arbiter the same as ArbiterSports?
- Yes. ArbiterSports rebranded as Arbiter in February 2025, and arbitersports.com now redirects to arbiter.io.
- What is a simpler alternative to ArbiterSports?
- For a league or club that does not need eligibility rules, testing, evaluations or payroll in its assigning software, Ref Grid covers the core: assign games, send them by text or email, collect accepts and declines, and remind officials before the game.
- Is Ref Grid built for high school officiating?
- It can assign any game, but it is designed for leagues and clubs. It has none of the eligibility, testing or school-scheduling connections Arbiter provides for high school athletics and state associations.
- What does Ref Grid cost compared with Arbiter?
- Ref Grid is $129 a year or $15 a month, after a 14-day free trial. Arbiter does not publish assigning prices on its website, so a comparison needs a quote from Arbiter.
- Can an official work Arbiter games and Ref Grid games?
- Yes. Officials do not need an account in Ref Grid — they answer your assignments from a text or an email — so someone who takes school games through Arbiter can take your league’s games without another login.
Assign next weekend in one sitting.
Import your games and officials, send the assignments by text and email, and see who has confirmed. Start with a 14-day free trial.