Booking Shortlist

For: Padel clubs

Playbypoint review 2026: pricing, contracts and the catches

By Booking Shortlist · Published · Updated · Prices checked on · Based on public documentation

Disclosure: Our #1 pick is MeetScarlet, and we are affiliated with them. We also cover competing tools and where they shine. We may earn commissions from links on this page. Details

The short answer: Playbypoint is club software for padel, pickleball and tennis, with split payments, open matches and public prices: Essential is $199 a month, Advanced $399 and Premium $599. The catches: every price is on an annual contract whose terms aren’t published, players can be charged a “technology fee”, and a branded app needs Premium. Our #1 pick, MeetScarlet, includes a branded app on its standard plan, and its terms say “Scarlet is live”, but its appointments help says “no live card payment has been run yet”. Checked November 5, 2026.

Key takeaways

  • Playbypoint publishes three plans: Essential $199, Advanced $399 and Premium $599 a month, and "All pricing shown is based on annual contract" (checked November 5, 2026).
  • The club contract itself, which would set renewal, cancellation and refund terms, isn't published.
  • Card fees are in the plan table: 2.9% + $0.30 on Essential, 2.7% + $0.15 on Advanced and Premium. The page doesn't say whether that's the processor's rate or Playbypoint's.
  • Clubs can charge players a "technology fee" at checkout or absorb it themselves. Playbypoint's own report calls it "The Playbypoint technology/service fee"; we found no page that says who keeps it.
  • Padel tools are strong: split payments, Game Match to find a fourth player, Smart Padel lights and doors, a WPR integration, and booking without an account.
  • An app under your club's name needs Premium ($599 a month), plus Apple's $99 a year and Google's $25 once. Texting and campaigns cost $149 a month extra, plus 3 cents per text segment.

What Playbypoint is (and isn’t)

Playbypoint’s homepage calls it “The all-in-one club management platform” for racquet and multi-sport clubs. Its product FAQ says it “was built for racquet sports — like pickleball, padel, and tennis”. It covers court booking, lessons and programs, memberships, a pro shop, payments, marketing, reports, access control and a player app. Its terms name the company as PBC LABS INC, doing business as Playbypoint, under Florida law.

Its padel page says it powers padel clubs “From single-location centers to growing franchises”, from social tournaments and doubles bookings to clinics and leagues. So it’s relevant to our padel clubs readers.

What it isn’t: studio, salon, spa or tanning software. Its FAQ says it “also supports gyms, hybrid clubs, and other facility models”, but we found no fitness-studio page, and we didn’t confirm group-class timetables.

How we reviewed Playbypoint

  • We read Playbypoint’s pricing page, including its plan comparison table and FAQ, on November 5, 2026. Its site blocks automated requests, so we read every page in a web browser.
  • We read its homepage, product, padel, players and get-started pages, its Terms of Use and its Open Booking announcement.
  • We read help-centre articles on payment rules, the technology fee, gateways, memberships, failed payments, marketing, Smart Padel, Open Booking, branded apps, reports and support, and its public status page.
  • We looked up third-party ratings on the App Store and Google Play, labelled as other people’s opinions. Trustpilot has no Playbypoint page, and G2 and Capterra blocked our requests.
  • We haven’t used Playbypoint hands-on, so we couldn’t count booking steps or time a setup. This review is documentation-based.

Our method explains how we put pages together.

Playbypoint pricing (checked November 5, 2026)

PlanPriceWhat it addsCard fees in the plan table
Essential$199/month*Reservation, program and lesson bookings, booking rules, the mobile app, basic reporting and limited announcements2.9% + $0.30
Advanced$399/month*Merchandise, a club account system, a custom domain, the Marketing Starter Kit and kiosk or smart locks2.7% + $0.15
Premium$599/month*A white-label app, concierge onboarding and priority support2.7% + $0.15
For comparison: MeetScarlet (our #1 pick)$349/month plus $999 one-time setup, or $3,490 a year with setup freeOne location with 5 staff logins, a branded iPhone, Android and web app, courts by the slot, padel open matches and memberships. Scarlet Pro (20 logins and, per its terms, up to 3 locations) is $499/month plus $999 setup, or $4,990 a yearStripe’s fees plus 1% (see below)

Source: Playbypoint’s pricing page, checked November 5, 2026. The footnote says “*All pricing shown is based on annual contract.” The page shows prices in ”$” without naming a currency, and doesn’t say what one subscription covers, such as one club or a number of courts.

By our arithmetic, if the contract runs 12 months at the monthly figure, Essential costs $2,388 a year, Advanced $4,788 and Premium $7,188, before card fees and add-ons. Compare what other booking apps cost.

Three rows don’t agree. Advanced’s plan card lists “Custom Domain & Email”, but the table shows custom email on Premium only. The FAQ says “Advanced and Premium plans get concierge onboarding”, but the card and table put it on Premium only. And the table leaves the Marketing Starter Kit off Essential, while the help centre says Marketing Kit Basic is free for every facility. Ask which applies.

Add-ons and other fees:

ItemPrice or rule
Check-In Beacon“$25 one-time fee”
TV Display Module“$50 one-time fee”
Webhooks (data access)“$99/mo (single facility)”, “$250/mo (up to 10 facilities)”, custom for enterprise
Marketing Kit BasicFree for every facility: email, push and in-app announcements
Marketing Kit Pro“a flat $149/month” per club, adding texts, dynamic groups and campaigns
Marketing texts“$0.03 per message segment” with “no included allowance”; US and Canada only; “Plan on 3–4 weeks” for carrier registration
White-label app store feesApple’s $99 a year and Google’s one-time $25, paid to them from your own developer accounts
Clover card terminals (CardConnect)Rental or purchase; price not published
Player technology feeSet by the club as a flat amount or a percentage per purchase (see below)
For comparison: MeetScarlet (our #1 pick)Card payments in its app are Stripe’s fees plus 1%, through your own Stripe account, and turn on once Stripe finishes checking that account. Its appointments help still says “no live card payment has been run yet”, so check with MeetScarlet before counting on card payments (checked November 5, 2026). An owner can add an optional booking fee to online payments. We found no price for its email and text automation bundle

Sources: the pricing page and Playbypoint’s Marketing Kit billing, SMS and gateway articles, checked November 5, 2026.

The technology fee: Playbypoint’s payment rules article describes a technology fee, charged as a “Flat Rate” or “Percentual” amount per purchase. A switch decides who pays: “Enable this if you want players to pay the technology fee directly. Disable it if the club absorbs the cost.” Clubs can rename it “Credit Card Fee” or “Processing Fee”. Its payments report article defines it as “The Playbypoint technology/service fee on the transaction”. Since July 2026, US and Canadian clubs on Stripe or CardConnect don’t charge it on debit or prepaid cards. We found no page that says whether Playbypoint keeps any of it, so ask before you sign.

Contracts, cancelling and your data

The one public contract term is the pricing footnote: “All pricing shown is based on annual contract.” We found no monthly option. Playbypoint’s Terms of Use (effective January 1, 2023) cover players, and say clubs have a separate agreement with the company. That club agreement isn’t published, so renewal, notice, cancellation, refunds, price changes and data return aren’t public.

The pricing FAQ says you can “Upgrade at any time as your club grows—no penalties”. It says nothing about downgrades. The Marketing Kit Pro add-on is the one item with a written cancellation rule: “Cancellation is end-of-period.”

Your data: reports export to Excel or by email (export article), and webhooks cost $99 a month for a single facility ($250 for up to 10). How you get your full member and booking data out when you leave isn’t published. Ask for it in the contract.

Courts, padel and players

Booking covers reservations, programs, lessons and “Booking Rules” on every plan, with court rules, booking windows, surface types and waitlists (product page). Pros manage their own calendars through Book a Pro, and clubs run clinics, leagues and social tournaments.

For padel doubles, players can “add your players, and pay. Cover the whole booking or just your own spot” (players page). Game Match lets a player post an open match with a skill range: “No group chat, no chasing a fourth.” The padel page names integrations with Patch, Swish, DUPR and WPR (World Padel Rating).

Smart Padel switches lights on when a court is booked and unlocks doors “right from their booking”, once Playbypoint enables it (Smart Padel article).

Open Booking, launched October 21, 2026, lets new players book and pay “with or without an account”. It’s “off by default”, and we found no fee for it (Open Booking article). Players can also find your club in the app’s free “Discover” tab; clubs opt in or out through support.

Memberships, payments and marketing

Memberships come with “Recurring billing, auto-renewals, freezes, and waivers”, alongside packages, passes, club credits, promo codes and gift cards in the pro shop. Admins can pause, cancel and refund memberships. We found no automatic retry for failed card payments; the failed payments article covers manual troubleshooting.

US clubs choose Stripe or CardConnect, and “Only Stripe supports ACH (bank transfer) payments”. With Stripe, you connect your own account and authorize Playbypoint.

Marketing Kit Basic is free: announcements by email, push and an in-app feed. Texts, dynamic groups and campaigns need Marketing Kit Pro at $149 a month, plus 3 cents per text segment.

Reports are detailed, with payments, bookings, court use, lessons, memberships, revenue recognition and marketing attribution, plus admin roles and audit logs. Its FAQ says you can “oversee multiple locations through a single dashboard”.

Switching to Playbypoint

The product FAQ says “Most clubs go live in days, not weeks. We guide you through setup, import your data”. Onboarding includes “Setup guidance, configuration support, and staff training”. We found no help article on what can be imported, such as memberships, credits, future bookings or saved cards. We found no free trial; you book a demo.

A branded app needs Premium. Your club opens its own Apple and Google developer accounts, with a D-U-N-S number, and gives Playbypoint access (Apple account article). Several club-named apps in the US App Store list PBC LABS LLC as the seller, so ask whose name your app will go out under.

What Playbypoint does well

  • Public plan prices and card rates, which many court apps don’t publish.
  • Built for padel doubles: split payments, Game Match to fill a fourth, Smart Padel lights and doors, and a WPR integration.
  • New players can book without an account through Open Booking, with no fee stated.
  • A choice of Stripe or CardConnect in the US, connected to your own account.
  • Deep reports with Excel export, admin roles and audit logs.
  • A public status page that showed “All Systems Operational” with no incidents reported from October 22 to November 5, 2026 (status page).

Where Playbypoint falls short

  • Annual contract, with the contract kept private. Every price is “based on annual contract”, and the club agreement isn’t published (pricing page).
  • A player fee with unclear ownership. Clubs can pass a technology fee to players or absorb it; its own report calls it “The Playbypoint technology/service fee”, and we found no page saying who keeps it (payment rules).
  • The entry plan pays more per card payment (2.9% + $0.30) and leaves out the pro shop, club accounts, kiosks and smart locks.
  • A branded app needs the $599 plan, plus Apple and Google fees.
  • Texts and campaigns cost extra: $149 a month plus 3 cents per text segment, with no texts included.
  • Support claims don’t match. Its padel page promises “24/7” support, but its support article gives phone and WhatsApp hours of “Monday–Friday, 9 AM–6 PM EST”, and chat starts with “our trained AI Support Assistant”.
  • No free trial found, only a demo.

Playbypoint reviews and complaints

Third-party opinion, not our own research: on November 5, 2026, the Playbypoint player app averaged 4.7 out of 5 from 4,281 ratings on the US App Store, but 2.6 out of 5 from 88 ratings on Google Play. These come from players who book, not from club owners. Trustpilot has no Playbypoint page (checked November 5, 2026), and G2 and Capterra blocked our requests. We didn’t sort individual reviews by topic, so we can’t say which complaints come up most. For comparison, we found no third-party ratings for our #1 pick, MeetScarlet (checked November 5, 2026).

Playbypoint or our pick, MeetScarlet?

PlaybypointMeetScarlet
Price$199, $399 or $599 a month, all on an annual contract$349/month plus $999 setup, or $3,490/year with setup free, for one location. Its terms page offers founding studios on monthly billing $299 a month “instead of $349 for the first 24 months of its subscription”, with the $999 setup fee included; it plans 10 places (checked November 5, 2026)
Staff and courtsNot stated on its pricing page5 staff logins, counting the owner; 20 on Scarlet Pro ($499/month plus $999 setup, or $4,990/year with setup free). We found no court limit on its pages, so ask MeetScarlet how many courts a plan covers
Open matches and eventsGame Match, clinics, leagues and social tournaments“Open matches by level and Americano events” for padel; not the right fit for “leagues, ladders or tournament brackets beyond Americano”
Splitting the court costPlayers cover the whole booking or just their spot“2 to 12 shares, each paid by link”; shares are card payments (see card payments)
Booking without an accountOpen Booking, off by defaultPlayers book with an account; not the right fit for booking “a court without an account”
App under your own namePremium only ($599 a month), plus Apple and Google feesIncluded: iPhone, Android and web, published under your own Apple ($99 a year) and Google Play ($25 once) developer accounts
Fees on player paymentsAn optional technology fee the club sets, or absorbs itself; its report calls it “The Playbypoint technology/service fee”, and we found no page saying who keeps itAn optional booking fee an owner can add to online payments, shown to the client as its own line; we found no page saying who keeps it
Card paymentsLive now: Stripe or CardConnect, with Clover terminals through CardConnect; 2.9% + $0.30 on Essential, 2.7% + $0.15 aboveStripe’s fees plus 1% to MeetScarlet, through your own Stripe account; card payments turn on once Stripe has checked that account, but its appointments help still says “no live card payment has been run yet”, so check with MeetScarlet before counting on card payments or paid shares. We found no card reader or in-person card rate on its pages
Reminders and textsPush and email announcements free; texts and campaigns on Marketing Kit Pro ($149 a month plus 3 cents a segment)Text reminders (coming soon) on Scarlet Pro only. Its Jane comparison page says email reminders are “built but not sending yet”, and its appointments help says “Email sending isn’t switched on yet”. Automations come in a separate bundle with no published price
Finding new playersA free “Discover” listing in its player appNo marketplace. Its site says it isn’t the right fit for “Businesses that want new clients mainly from a marketplace app”
Switching“We guide you through setup, import your data”; no import details published“Scarlet imports clients, not booking or payment history”, with “no direct importer” for other apps
LocationsSeveral locations on one dashboardScarlet is “For one location”; its terms say Scarlet Pro “includes up to 3 locations”. Its class page says “Each Scarlet studio has one schedule”
Support and uptimePhone and WhatsApp on weekdays, 9 AM to 6 PM EST, plus email and a chat that starts with an AI assistant; a public status pageEmail (“A person reads every message”) and Instagram, with “Priority support” on Scarlet Pro. Its terms say “We aim to reply within one business day” and “there are no service credits”; we found no published hours or status page
Contract and termsAnnual contract; the club agreement isn’t publishedIts terms page says “Scarlet is live, and founding studios can join now” and “There is no free trial.” Cancelling “takes effect at the end of the period you’ve paid for”, and “We don’t refund part-used months”. Store apps take “about 4 to 6 weeks”, mostly for Apple’s enrollment; the web app is live sooner
Third-party reviewsPlayer app 4.7 out of 5 from 4,281 ratings (App Store) and 2.6 from 88 (Google Play), checked November 5, 2026No third-party ratings found (checked November 5, 2026)

Sources: MeetScarlet’s pricing and FAQ, terms, payments help, appointments help, court booking page, padel page, white-label page, class booking page, switching page, Jane comparison and support help, checked November 5, 2026.

Choose MeetScarlet, our pick, if you want an app under your club’s own name on its standard plan, with padel open matches and Americano events. Its store apps take about 4 to 6 weeks. It suits you if you can manage without email reminders, which are “built but not sending yet”, while text reminders on Scarlet Pro are “coming soon”. Choose Playbypoint if you need leagues and tournaments, booking without an account, Smart Padel lights and doors, several locations on one dashboard, a lower entry price without a branded app ($199 a month on an annual contract), or card payments and paid court shares working today (MeetScarlet’s appointments help says “no live card payment has been run yet”).

Who should pick Playbypoint, and who shouldn’t

If you are…Playbypoint?Why
A padel club that wants split payments and open matchesWorth a demoSplit payments, Game Match and a WPR integration, with prices you can see first
A club running leagues, clinics and tournamentsGood fitPrograms, clinics, leagues and social tournaments sit beside court booking
A club with smart lights and door locksAsk about Smart PadelLights and doors follow bookings once Playbypoint enables it
Several locationsWorth a lookOne dashboard across locations
Wanting month-to-month termsLook elsewhereEvery price is on an annual contract; see our CourtReserve review for monthly billing
Worried about fees on playersAsk firstGet the technology fee, and who keeps it, in writing
Choosing between court appsCompare firstSee Playtomic vs CourtReserve and our Playtomic review
A fitness studio, salon, spa or tanning salonLook elsewhereIt’s built for court sports; see our best booking software shortlist
Wanting an app under your club’s name without the top planSee our pick, MeetScarletPlaybypoint’s white-label app is Premium only. MeetScarlet includes a branded app for $349 a month plus $999 setup, or $3,490 a year. Its store apps take “about 4 to 6 weeks” (the web app is live sooner), and its appointments help says “no live card payment has been run yet”

The verdict

Playbypoint suits padel and racquet clubs that want split payments, open matches, programs and smart-court hardware, with published plan prices and card rates. The catches are an annual contract whose terms aren’t published, a player technology fee whose ownership isn’t explained, and a branded app only on the $599 plan. Get the contract, the exit terms and the fee rules in writing before you sign. Weighing court apps? See our CourtReserve review or our padel clubs guide. If Playbypoint works for you, see Playbypoint. It offered a demo, and no free trial, when we checked on November 5, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Playbypoint cost?
Essential is $199 a month, Advanced $399 and Premium $599, all "based on annual contract" (checked November 5, 2026). By our arithmetic, Essential costs $2,388 over a 12-month contract, before card fees and add-ons.
Does Playbypoint have a monthly plan or a free trial?
We found neither. Every published price is on an annual contract, and the "Get started" buttons lead to a demo request.
What are Playbypoint's card processing fees?
Its plan table lists "Credit Card Fees" of 2.9% + $0.30 on Essential and 2.7% + $0.15 on Advanced and Premium. US clubs connect Stripe or CardConnect, and the page doesn't say whether the listed rate is the processor's or Playbypoint's.
What is Playbypoint's technology fee?
It's a flat or percentage fee per purchase that a club can charge players at checkout, or absorb itself, and clubs can relabel it "Credit Card Fee" or "Processing Fee". Its payments report calls it "The Playbypoint technology/service fee on the transaction", but we found no page that says who keeps the money, so ask before you sign.
Does Playbypoint offer a branded app for clubs?
Yes, on Premium only ($599 a month on an annual contract). The club opens its own Apple and Google developer accounts and pays Apple's $99 a year and Google's one-time $25, and since several club apps in the App Store list PBC LABS LLC as the seller, ask whose name yours will go out under.
Can you cancel Playbypoint?
Its public pages don't say. Prices are on an annual contract, and the club subscription agreement that would set cancellation and refunds isn't published, so get those terms in writing before you sign.
Does Playbypoint work for padel clubs?
Yes, it has a padel page and padel tools: split payments, Game Match for open matches, a Smart Padel integration for lights and doors, and a WPR integration. It also covers pickleball, tennis and multi-sport facilities.

Sources

Found something out of date? Tell us at hello@bookingshortlist.com. See our corrections policy.

Compare apps