ScoreLM vs LeagueRepublic
LeagueRepublic is a familiar name in grassroots league management — it's been around a long time and it's free to start, in exchange for ads on your public site and a percentage on your registration revenue. ScoreLM is a modern league platform with no ads, a flat per-league price, and live scoring, broadcast overlays, and ticketing built in — not extras or paid add-ons.
At a glance
| Capability | ScoreLM | LeagueRepublic |
|---|---|---|
| Category focus | League operations, live scoring, broadcast | Fixtures, standings, registration for grassroots leagues |
| Ads on your public league site | Never | Yes on Free; removed on Gold |
| Registration fees | Flat per league — no percentage on top | Percentage on registration + processing fees on Free |
| Branded league site on its own domain | Included, set up automatically | Custom domain on Gold only |
| Live scoring | iPad-first with real-time box scores | Results entry, not live scoring |
| Broadcast overlays (OBS/vMix) | Ready-made scorebug templates | Not included |
| Real-time stats | Every stat rolls up from box scores as games happen | Standings and stats update on results submission |
| Ticketing | Sales online + at the door; payouts direct to the league via Stripe | Not a core capability |
| Tournament brackets | Native single/double elimination + play-in | Available via cup competitions |
| Mobile-first admin | iPad on the sideline, phone at the gate | Web admin |
| Pricing model | Flat per league | Free (with ads and percentage on registration) or Gold subscription |
| Best fit for | Leagues that want everything in one place with a clean public site | Grassroots leagues comfortable with ads on the site in exchange for a free tier |
Why leagues pick ScoreLM
- Your public site is your public site. No ads, no third-party banners, nothing selling to your visitors. LeagueRepublic's Free plan runs ads on the site your fans see; that ad-free experience is a paid upgrade.
- Your registration revenue is yours. On LeagueRepublic Free, a percentage of your registration payments goes to the platform on top of processing fees. On ScoreLM, revenue lands directly in your league's own bank via Stripe with no percentage on top from us.
- Live scoring on an iPad. Score courtside, watch the public site update in real time, and drop a scorebug onto your broadcast at the same time. LeagueRepublic is built around post-game results submission, not live scoring.
- Broadcast overlays in the box. If you stream your games, a proper scorebug on the broadcast makes a real difference. This exists in ScoreLM. It doesn't exist in LeagueRepublic.
- Ticketing at the gate. Sell online, take cash and card at the door, scan at the gate from a phone. All inside the same admin that runs the league.
- Custom domain from day one. Every ScoreLM league runs on its own custom domain, set up automatically. On LeagueRepublic, custom domain is a Gold-tier feature.
What ScoreLM doesn't try to be
If your league lives in one of these places, we're probably not the fit:
- A truly zero-dollar tool. If your budget is genuinely $0 forever and you're okay with ads on your site, a free-with-ads tier is a valid choice for hobby-scale operations. That's not what ScoreLM is optimized for.
- A pure fixtures + standings site. If all you want is fixtures and a league table with no live scoring, no broadcast, no ticketing, and no per-player stats, that's a much smaller product than ScoreLM.
Feature-by-feature
The free tier trade-off
"Free" almost never means free for the platform to run. LeagueRepublic covers costs on their Free tier with ads on your public site and a percentage on your registration revenue. Both are real costs — one is paid by your visitors' attention, one comes out of your revenue. ScoreLM's model is straightforward: a flat per-league price, nothing runs on your site that you didn't put there, no percentage of registration goes to us.
Live scoring vs results submission
LeagueRepublic's model is: game happens, results get submitted, standings update. That's fine for grassroots amateur football where the site is a scoreboard for the following week. ScoreLM's model is: game is scored live on an iPad courtside, the public site updates as it happens, a scorebug on the broadcast reflects the current score, and stats roll up the moment the game ends. Different problem.
Broadcast integration
ScoreLM ships scorebug overlays that drop into your streaming software as a live source, plus a courtside controller for score, clock, period, team logos, and sponsor pop-ins. LeagueRepublic does not offer this. If you stream your games, this alone is often the biggest reason leagues switch.
Ticketing at the gate
ScoreLM ticketing sells online, takes cash and card at the door, and scans at the gate from a phone. Revenue lands in your league's own bank via Stripe. LeagueRepublic doesn't operate in this category.
FAQ
Does ScoreLM run ads on my league's public site?
No. Never have, never will. LeagueRepublic's Free plan runs ads on your public site — the ad-free experience is gated behind their paid Gold plan. On ScoreLM the site is yours; nothing else appears on it.
Can LeagueRepublic do broadcast overlays or streaming scorebugs?
No. If you want a scorebug on your broadcast, ScoreLM is the only option in this comparison.
Does ScoreLM handle registration and payments?
Yes. Payments land directly in your league's own Stripe account, so revenue and refunds go through you — not through a platform middleman. Registration forms support waivers, per-team pricing, and custom questions.
Can I move from LeagueRepublic to ScoreLM mid-season?
Yes. Most operators import teams, players, and fixtures, keep the season going, and switch registration over at the end of the current cycle.
Which one is cheaper?
LeagueRepublic's free tier looks cheap until you factor in ads on the public site and their percentage on registrations. Their paid Gold plan removes ads. ScoreLM is one flat per-league price with everything included and no percentage on top.