- Social matches
- Regulars
Padel match with no referee: who keeps the score?
PadelRef is a padel referee app for the score: after every point it calls the score out loud, server's score first, marks who serves and from which side, and applies the tie-break and star point rules for you. Faults and lets stay your call.
Free to score, voice free to try. No accounts, no cloud.
Thirty - Fifteen Team A serves from the left.
- The score is called after every point, server's score first, the way a chair umpire does it.
- Who serves and from which side is on screen every point, tie-break rotation included.
- Golden point, advantage or star point: the app applies the format you chose.
Grows with you
Every announcement has its own switch and a preview that says it out loud. Keep the full umpire call while you need it, then trim it down. Here's a game win at each stage:
- Full umpire call
Game Team A. 2-1. Team B serves from the right.
- Score only
2-1
- Callout only
Game Team A
What a referee does in padel, and what PadelRef takes over
In a professional match the chair umpire calls the score after every point, keeps track of who serves and from which side, manages the tie-break rotation and rules on faults and lets. In your Tuesday match there is nobody in the chair, so all of that falls on four players who are also trying to win the point.
PadelRef takes over the part that starts arguments - the score and the serve:
- The score call. After every point the app says the score out loud, server’s score first: “Thirty - Fifteen”. At deuce and advantage it says so, and in a tie-break it calls the points: “5 - 4”. Turn it on in the voice settings.
- Who serves, and from which side. A gold dot marks the serving team and a letter the side, R or L. With “Announce who is serving” on, the voice adds it after the score. More on that in who serves.
- The tie-break and super tie-break. When the set reaches the tie-break the board shows it and follows the rotation: one serve, then two and two. After the set, it knows which pair opens the next one.
- Golden point, advantage or star point. You pick the format when you set up the match. On the deciding point the voice says “Star point.” after the deuce call, and the board leaves the side open - the receiving pair chooses it.
What stays your call
PadelRef does not see the ball. Service faults, lets, a ball off the fence or a double bounce are still called by the players, as in any match without an umpire. The usual etiquette applies: each pair calls the balls on its own side, and if you can’t agree, replay the point. The serve calls are in our padel serve rules guide.
Scoring without stopping play
Nobody wants to walk to the phone after every point. Score from a Bluetooth remote or from your Apple Watch: one press, and the app calls the new score for the whole court. Tapped the wrong team? Undo the last point and the board, serve included, goes back to where it was.
Free to score
Scoring every match is free, with no accounts and nothing stored in the cloud. Voice announcements and the Bluetooth remote are free to try; Premium lifts the limits.
The rule, explained
Frequently asked questions
Can an app replace a padel referee?
For the score, yes. PadelRef calls the score, tracks who serves and from which side, and applies the tie-break, super tie-break and star point rules. It does not see the ball, so faults, lets and double bounces are still called by the players, as in any match without an umpire.
Do amateur padel matches have a referee?
Almost never. Club, league and friendly padel is self-refereed: the four players call the score and their own balls. Chair umpires are for professional and some tournament matches.
What happens if we score the wrong point?
Undo the last point and PadelRef puts the board back exactly as it was, serve and side included.
Is the PadelRef referee app free?
Scoring matches in PadelRef is free. Voice announcements and the Bluetooth remote are free to try, and Premium lifts the usage limits.
How do we score without touching the phone between points?
Use a Bluetooth remote or an Apple Watch: one press per point, and PadelRef calls the new score.