Comparison
Birdie vs Playbypoint: A Straight Comparison for Simulator Owners
Playbypoint runs clubs of every sport. Birdie does one thing: golf simulator venues.
| Feature | Birdie | Playbypoint |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $197/mo flat | $199/mo (annual contract) |
| Contract | Month-to-month, cancel anytime | Published pricing is based on an annual contract |
| Top tier | One plan — every feature included | $599/mo Premium |
| Card processing markup | None — native payments at your own processor rate | 2.9% + $0.30, or 2.7% + $0.15 on higher tiers |
| Built specifically for simulator bays | ✓ | No — clubs across padel, tennis and other sports |
| Hour-bank memberships | ✓ | Club Account System (Advanced tier and above) |
| 24/7 smart-lock door access | Kisi, PDK, UniFi Access, Avigilon Alta, RemoteLock | Kiosk / smart locks |
| API / webhooks | Included | Data Access Plan from $99/mo extra |
| Live and taking bookings | In about 24 hours, done-for-you | Guided onboarding; concierge onboarding on higher tiers |
Birdie at a glance
- Best for
- Simulator venues focused on weekday utilization and revenue growth — Birdie pairs bay booking with a revenue layer that surfaces underused hours and lapsed customers.
- Works with
- Any simulator hardware or game software. Birdie is the booking layer that sits above TrackMan, GSPro, Foresight, Uneekor, E6 Connect and TruGolf — it does not replace them and does not require a specific brand. Bay Agent, a program on each simulator PC, detects GSPro, TrackMan, ProTee VX, Uneekor, Full Swing, Foresight, E6 Connect, TGC, Awesome Golf and Creative Golf 3D software, plus launch monitors including TrackMan, Uneekor, ProTee VX, Foresight, SkyTrak, Mevo+ and Bushnell Launch Pro.
- Integrations
- Stripe, Square, Clover and Helcim (beta) for payments; Kisi, PDK, UniFi Access, Avigilon Alta and RemoteLock for 24/7 smart-lock door access; Telnyx and Resend for automated SMS and email.
- Pricing
- From $197/month flat for the booking system. No per-booking fees, no percentage of revenue, month-to-month with no long-term contract.
- Setup
- White-glove onboarding (one-time fee), live in about 24 hours, no developers required.
- Scale
- 180+ active clients run their simulator venues on Birdie. As of September 2026.
Where the two genuinely differ
Specialist vs generalist
Playbypoint is a multi-sport club platform — its own customer stories feature padel courts and racquet clubs. Birdie only serves golf simulator venues, so bay scheduling, hour banks and door access are the product rather than a configuration of it.
Flat fee, and no cut of your card volume
Birdie is $197/mo flat with payments running natively through your own processor (Stripe, Square, Clover; Helcim in beta) at your own processing rate. Playbypoint publishes card fees of 2.9% + $0.30, falling to 2.7% + $0.15 on higher tiers. On meaningful volume that spread can exceed the software cost itself.
Month-to-month, not annual
Playbypoint’s published prices are based on an annual contract. Birdie is month-to-month with no long-term commitment, which matters most in year one when your utilisation assumptions are still unproven.
Most operators are live and taking bookings within 24 hours of signup.
Compare Birdie to other platforms
Birdie vs Playbypoint: common questions
How much does Birdie cost compared to Playbypoint?
Birdie is flat-rate from $197 per month for the booking system, published openly at birdiegrow.com/pricing. There are no per-booking fees, no per-bay charges, no percentage of revenue, and no long-term contract, so you can compare the real total cost before you talk to anyone.
Is Birdie a good Playbypoint alternative for a golf simulator venue?
Playbypoint runs clubs of every sport. Birdie does one thing: golf simulator venues. Birdie is purpose-built for simulator venues specifically — hourly bays rather than tee times, hour-bank memberships, automated texts and emails, 24/7 smart-lock door access, and a revenue layer that surfaces underused weekday hours and lapsed customers.
What simulator hardware does Birdie work with?
Any simulator hardware or game software. Birdie is the booking layer that sits above TrackMan, GSPro, Foresight, Uneekor, E6 Connect and TruGolf — it does not replace them and does not require a specific brand. Bay Agent, a program on each simulator PC, detects GSPro, TrackMan, ProTee VX, Uneekor, Full Swing, Foresight, E6 Connect, TGC, Awesome Golf and Creative Golf 3D software, plus launch monitors including TrackMan, Uneekor, ProTee VX, Foresight, SkyTrak, Mevo+ and Bushnell Launch Pro.
How long does it take to switch from Playbypoint to Birdie?
Most venues are live and taking bookings within about 24 hours of signing. Birdie configures your bays, pricing, memberships, and add-ons for you, and migration from an existing booking tool is handled as part of onboarding — no developers and no downtime.
Verdict: Birdie vs Playbypoint
Birdie is built for one business: fixed-location golf simulator venues in North America. Bay-by-bay scheduling, hour-bank memberships, automated texts and emails, reservation-linked door access across five named lock brands, and an owner revenue dashboard that surfaces dead weekday hours — on one flat $197/mo plan with no per-booking fee, no card markup and no contract.
Playbypoint is a club-management platform serving racquet and multi-sport facilities as well as golf, sold in three tiers with merchandise, a club account system and a white-label app on the higher plans. If you run a multi-sport club, that breadth is the point. If every bay you own is a golf simulator, you are paying for breadth you will not use — and, on the published rates, a percentage of every card transaction on top.
Run simulator bays, not a multi-sport club?
Book a free walkthrough and see how Birdie handles bay booking, hour-bank memberships, and 24/7 door access on one flat monthly fee.