The Lineup Is vs theScore
theScore, from Score Media and Gaming, is a free scores-and-news app with a long track record: real-time scores, breaking news, alerts, box scores and a personalized favorites feed across the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, college sports, soccer, tennis, golf and motorsport. It shows odds and lines on matchup pages; real-money betting lives in a separate app, theScore Bet, available only in licensed jurisdictions.
The Lineup Is does not do news, and it does not do betting. It does one thing: it scores every game on the slate on how much it deserves your attention, and explains each pick in two sentences.
Side by side
| The Lineup Is | theScore | |
|---|---|---|
| Every game scored | Yes, about 60 leagues | No |
| Explains why a game matters | A two-sentence read per game | News and analysis |
| Live scores and alerts | Yes. Alerts for your teams free, every game above your bar with Pro; Hide Scores optional | Yes |
| Breaking news | No | Yes |
| Betting odds | No | Odds and lines shown; wagering in a separate app |
| Price | Free, optional Pro | Free |
theScore details verified October 12, 2026 against its App Store listing. Product names are the property of their owners; The Lineup Is is not affiliated with theScore.
Which to use when
- Reach for theScore when you want news, alerts and odds alongside your scores.
- Reach for The Lineup Is when you want a ranked answer to “what should I watch tonight?” with the reasoning shown.
Most people keep both. They are complements, not replacements.
What makes The Lineup Is different
Every game gets a Lineup score built from eleven factors: team quality, the playoff race, how close the game is, rivalry, national TV, championship, momentum, history, star power, elimination and tournament. The base is team quality times closeness times stakes; the rest are capped bonuses on top, so a rivalry lifts a big game more than it rescues a dull one. Every game shows its top three factors (all eleven with Pro), and the score keeps moving while the game is on. You set your own bar and we tell you when a game clears it, with a notification and a Live Activity that starts itself on the lock screen; weight the leagues and teams however you watch. Then each game gets a two-sentence read written from the real state of the season, so you know why it matters before you commit an evening to it. Watching later? Hide Scores keeps results off the app, the lock screen, notifications and widgets.
Get The Lineup Is on iOS — free — or see tonight's best games ranked right now.
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