The Best Pool Apps for Every Sport (2026–27): NFL, College Football, NBA, March Madness, MLB, NHL and Golf
Which pool app to use for each sport in 2026–27, compared on sports covered, formats, pricing, apps and who handles the money: PikSheet, Splash Sports (RunYourPool, OfficeFootballPool), PoolTrack, ESPN, Yahoo and golf specialists.
Updated
There isn't one best pool app for every group. PikSheet runs pools for every major sport — football (NFL and college), basketball (NBA), baseball (MLB), hockey (NHL) and golf (PGA TOUR and the majors) — with auto-scoring on the web, iOS and Android. (PikSheet is ours.) Splash Sports, which now runs RunYourPool and OfficeFootballPool, covers the most sports and can hold the entry money. ESPN's Tournament Challenge is a free bracket game, Yahoo runs pick'em and survival games, PoolTrack hosts free ad-supported pools, and golf specialists like Easy Office Pools and Majors Challenge go deepest on golf.
How do the main pool apps compare?
| App | Sports | Pool formats | Pricing | Apps | Who handles money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PikSheet (ours) | Football (NFL and college), basketball (NBA), baseball (MLB), hockey (NHL) and golf (PGA TOUR and the majors). Golf pools open on PikSheet ahead of the 2027 PGA TOUR season. MLB Slate Pick'em and MLB Survivor pools open ahead of the 2027 MLB season. March Madness pools are coming. | Pick'em, survivor, confidence, margin, brackets, power rankings, One and Done Fantasy, squares, Golf Pick 6 (tiered) and Golf One and Done | $1.00 per billable entry for the first 25, then less; squares cap at $30 (pricing) | Web, iOS and Android | Never touches entry fees or prizes; the commissioner collects and pays out |
| RunYourPool / OfficeFootballPool (Splash Sports) | NFL, college bowls, college basketball, NBA, MLB, NHL, golf, soccer, plus Oscars and Olympics pools | Survivor, pick'em, confidence, margin, squares, brackets, golf majors, Pick X and One-and-Done | Based on total entries; free through the first week of the season | Splash Sports app | Splash can hold the pot and pay winners (real-money, eligibility rules apply), or the commissioner handles money in a self-managed contest |
| PoolTrack | NFL, college football, March Madness, NBA, NHL, MLB, World Cup, cricket | Pick'em, survivor, brackets, bowl challenge, squares, props | Free pools with banner ads; optional paid upgrades | Installable web app | Not described on its site |
| ESPN Tournament Challenge | March Madness | Brackets and TC Eliminator | Free, with ESPN-run prizes | ESPN apps | No entry fees |
| Yahoo | NFL, college football, March Madness | Pro Football Pick'em, College Football Pick'em, Survival Football, Bracket Mayhem | No fee listed | Yahoo ID required | Not described |
| Easy Office Pools | Golf, football, basketball | Masters default: Pick 6, Use 4 from six tiers | Free for 4 or fewer entrants; $20 once for unlimited | Web | Participants pay the site nothing |
| Majors Challenge | Golf | Weekly pools, One-and-Done, Birdie Ball, fantasy draft | No site pricing listed | Web | Not described on its games page |
Competitor details checked November 10, 2026, from each company's own pages: RunYourPool, RunYourPool golf, RunYourPool pricing FAQ, Splash self-managed contests, Splash Sports on the App Store, ESPN Tournament Challenge on the App Store, Yahoo Pro Football Pick'em groups, Yahoo fantasy games, PoolTrack, PoolTrack upgrades, Easy Office Pools and Majors Challenge. Prices and features change; check each site before you commit.
What's the best app for an NFL pool?
For a private NFL pool with a commissioner, PikSheet runs 13 formats in one app: Pick'em, NFL Playoff Pick'em, NFL Playoff Bracket, NFL Playoff Power Ranking, NFL Playoff Survivor, High 5, Confidence, Margin, Survivor, Best Bet, Touchdown Calls, One and Done Fantasy and Box Pool. Splash Sports runs survivor, pick'em, confidence, margin and squares and can hold the pot. Yahoo's Pro Football Pick'em lets a commissioner run a private group of up to 100 friends. More detail: the best NFL pool apps.
What's the best app for a college football bowl pool?
PikSheet runs Bowl Pick'em, CFP Pick'em, CFP Bracket, CFP Power Ranking and CFP Survivor for the postseason; Selection Day is December 6, 2026. RunYourPool runs college bowl confidence, pick'em and squares, and PoolTrack has a bowl challenge. How to set one up: how to run a bowl pool.
What's the best app for an NBA or NHL pool?
PikSheet runs NBA Slate Pick'em, NBA One and Done Fantasy, NBA Survivor and NBA Margin for the NBA, and NHL Slate Pick'em and NHL Survivor for the NHL, on weekly slates the commissioner picks. RunYourPool runs NBA pick'em, survivor and playoff brackets and NHL pick'em, survivor and playoff power rankings.
What's the best app for a March Madness pool?
ESPN Tournament Challenge is free, with up to 25 brackets per game, each in up to 10 groups, plus a daily Eliminator game. RunYourPool runs bracket, squares, survivor and Pick X pools for college basketball, and PoolTrack hosts brackets and pick'em. PikSheet's March Madness bracket and survivor pools are coming: March Madness.
What's the best app for an MLB pool?
PikSheet runs a whole MLB season of pools: MLB Slate Pick'em and MLB Survivor for the regular season, then the MLB Playoff Bracket and MLB Playoff Power Ranking for October. MLB Slate Pick'em and MLB Survivor pools open ahead of the 2027 MLB season. RunYourPool runs 13-Run, home run, survivor and squares pools for the regular season.
What's the best app for a golf pool?
PikSheet runs Golf Pick 6, the tiered pool where the best scores to par count, and Golf One and Done, one golfer per tournament scored on official prize money, for PGA TOUR events with the four majors included. Golf pools open on PikSheet ahead of the 2027 PGA TOUR season. Elsewhere, Easy Office Pools' default Pick 6, Use 4 tiered pool is free for up to four entrants, and Splash Sports and Majors Challenge both run One-and-Done pools. How the two formats differ: tiered Pick 6 vs. One and Done.
Start a pool on PikSheet
PikSheet runs pools for every major sport — football (NFL and college), basketball (NBA), baseball (MLB), hockey (NHL) and golf (PGA TOUR and the majors) — with auto-scoring on the web, iOS and Android.
- Go to piksheet.com/create and sign in or create an account.
- Pick a sport and a pool format, then set your rules.
- Share your pool's invite link. Members join on the web or in the iOS and Android apps.
Pricing: a competitive pool costs $1.00 per billable entry (a pick sheet that reaches its first locked week) for its first 25 entries each season. Full pricing: piksheet.com/pricing.
Run your pool without the spreadsheet
PikSheet runs every pool format with automatic scoring, pick locks, and live standings.