A simpler RefTown alternative

RefTown has served officials organizations since 2003, with assigning rules, payroll, direct deposit and 1099s. If you are a league or club assignor who needs games covered rather than an association to run, Ref Grid does the assigning and stops there.

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14-day free trial, then $129/year or $15/month.

About RefTown

What RefTown is built to do

RefTown — “Manage Officials. It Just Works.” — has served officials organizations since 2003, and is built for the people who run one: assignors, treasurers, officials and schools. Its assigning weighs availability, conflicts, travel and qualifications, supports custom rules, and can let officials self-assign. Its directory holds each official’s certifications, W-9 status and direct-deposit details.

Its payroll side pays officials by direct deposit and generates 1099s, each priced as an extra. Officials use the RefTown Mobile app to view, accept and decline games and to change their availability, and schedules can be subscribed to as an iCal feed. Email and text are both built in, with texts included as an allowance per official.

Where they overlap

Both assign officials to games with conflict checks, reach them by text and email, let them accept or decline, and track availability.

Where they differ

RefTown is shaped around an officials organization: a roster of officials, a treasurer who pays them, tax forms at year end, and rules about who can work what. Ref Grid is shaped around one assignor filling a league’s games. It has no treasurer role, no direct deposit and no qualification rules — and correspondingly less to set up and maintain.

Side by side

Ref Grid and RefTown, compared

Not a scorecard. Ref Grid is narrower on purpose, and several rows below are things it does not do.

Ref Grid and RefTown compared, by capability
Capability	Ref Grid	RefTown
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.	RefTownIncluded Assigning that weighs availability, conflicts, travel and qualifications, with custom rules.
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.	RefTownIncluded Officials view and change their availability, including from the app.
Assignment notifications	Ref GridIncluded Text and email in one send, on the channel each official prefers. Delivery reported per assignment.	RefTownIncluded Email and text; texts included as an allowance of 40 units per official.
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.	RefTownIncluded Officials view, accept and decline games, including in the RefTown Mobile 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.	RefTownVerify with provider Not described on the pages we reviewed.
Calendar support	Ref GridBasic An add-to-calendar (.ics) file for each accepted game. No subscribable calendar feed.	RefTownIncluded A subscribable iCal feed.
Pay reports and export	Ref GridIncluded CSV of what each official is owed, per game or per official, plus a QuickBooks Online bills format.	RefTownIncluded Automated payroll for officials organizations.
Paying officials and tax forms	Ref GridNot offered Ref Grid prepares pay reports; it does not pay officials, collect W-9s or issue 1099s.	RefTownAdd-on or separate product Direct deposit and 1099 generation, each priced as an extra.
Evaluations, eligibility and self-assign	Ref GridNot offered No evaluations, certification or eligibility rules, and no self-assign. The assignor decides who works.	RefTownIncluded Qualifications and certifications tracked; custom rules; self-assignment. Ask about evaluations.
Intended scope	Ref Grid Deliberately narrow: games, officials, assignments, messages, replies and reminders. Not a league or officiating-management platform.	RefTown Running an officials organization: assignors, treasurers, officials and schools.
Pricing structure	Ref Grid One plan: $129/year or $15/month after a 14-day free trial. 2,000 SMS segments a year included.	RefTown Published in its knowledge base as $75 plus $5 per official, in blocks of 10, up to 300 officials. Direct deposit and 1099s extra.

Features and pricing change. Verify current capabilities directly with each provider before deciding.

Based on: reftown.com, RefTown pricing (knowledge base), RefTown calendar feed, RefTown email and text, RefTown Mobile on the App Store.

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? RefTown may be the better choice.

Ref Grid is probably a good fit if…

You are assigning for a league or club, not running an officials organization.
Payroll, direct deposit and 1099s do not need to live in your assigning software.
You would rather not set up custom assigning rules.
You want one flat price rather than a base fee plus a rate per official.

RefTown may suit you better if…

You run an officials organization with a treasurer who pays its members.
You want direct deposit and 1099s handled.
Assigning should account for travel and qualifications, or follow custom rules.
You want officials self-assigning, or a calendar feed they can subscribe to.

Why people consider Ref Grid

The core workflow, and not much else.

Set up from the spreadsheet you have

Import officials and games from CSV files, with a preview before anything is saved, or add them by hand. A short checklist gets the first assignment out.

Assign a weekend in one pass

Fill positions as drafts, see double-bookings flagged as you go, then review the batch and send it once.

Text and email in one send

Each official gets their games on the channel they prefer, and delivery is reported per assignment, so a failure is named.

Accept or decline from a link

No account, password or app for officials. Accepted games come with an add-to-calendar file.

Reminders you configure

Up to three reminders before each game — an hour to 30 days out — by text, email or both, to the officials who accepted it.

See what still needs attention

The dashboard counts unfilled positions, assignments awaiting a reply, and declines, and each links straight to those games.

A pay report, not a payments system

Export what each official is owed from accepted games — per game, per official, or as QuickBooks Online bills — and pay them your usual way.

Straightforward pricing

One plan with everything in it, several assignors included. Nothing to size, tier or add on.

The Ref Grid dashboard: counts of unfilled positions, assignments awaiting a reply, accepted and declined, each linking to the games behind it.

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.

$129/year

or $15/month

Try Ref Grid free

14-day free trial

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

RefTown and Ref Grid: common questions

What is a good alternative to RefTown?: If you run an officials organization and use RefTown’s payroll and rules, look at other full platforms. If you are a league or club assignor who mostly needs games assigned and confirmed, a narrower tool like Ref Grid is a closer match to the job.
Is Ref Grid built for officials associations?: Not primarily. It suits an association that only needs to assign and confirm games, but it has no treasurer role, member payroll, direct deposit or 1099s. An association that runs those through its software is RefTown’s core audience.
Can Ref Grid run payroll the way RefTown does?: It can prepare it. Ref Grid exports what each official is owed from accepted games — per game, per official, or as QuickBooks Online bills. It does not pay anyone or generate 1099s.
How is Ref Grid priced compared with RefTown?: RefTown publishes a base fee plus a rate per official, with direct deposit and 1099s as extras. Ref Grid is one price — $129 a year or $15 a month. Check RefTown’s current rates for your roster size.
Do officials need an app for Ref Grid?: No. They get their assignments by text or email and answer from a link. RefTown offers a mobile app; with Ref Grid there is nothing to install.

Compare other referee assigning software

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.

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