Golf O'Clock and Alba are both booking platforms built for golf simulator venues, both price by the bay, and both lock the simulator between bookings. Converted to the same currency, Golf O'Clock costs less at every bay count. It also keeps payments in your own Stripe or Square account, connects to Lightspeed for food and drink, and goes deeper on pricing rules and remote bay control. Alba suits venues in Europe that want payments run through its own provider and an interface in their language.
We make Golf O'Clock, so read it with that in mind. Everything about Alba below comes from Alba's own website and pricing page, checked on October 14, 2026. Confirm what matters to you with Alba directly.
The short version
| Golf O'Clock | Alba | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $150 CAD/month for 4 bays, +$25 CAD per extra bay (about $105 USD, +$17.60) | €29, £29 or $29 per bay/month |
| Fee per booking | None | None |
| Contract | Month to month | Cancel any time, one month's notice |
| Based in | Montreal, Canada | Norway |
| Venues | 200+ active venues, North America, the UK and Europe | 250+ indoor golf venues in 20+ countries |
| Payments | Your own Stripe or Square account | Through Alba's Adyen setup; no merchant account of your own |
| In-person sales | Lightspeed K-Series or Square | Not listed |
| Door access | Kisi, Avigilon Alta, RemoteLock, Rhombus, HTTP and QR locks, SmartLock | Kisi, Zesec, Glutz, Avigilon, Unloc, TTLock, Seam, Entro, UniFi, Kulku, Keyfree |
| Simulator locking | Screen Marshal, with a Command Center for every bay | SimLock, included |
| Pricing rules | Peak, member, tier, package and utilization conditions | Smart pricing by hour, day and bay |
| Gift cards | Store credit; coded gift cards through your POS | Gift cards and value cards |
| AI and API | AI assistant that sets things up, read-write API, webhooks, MCP | AI assistant for questions, read-only partner API, MCP |
| Interface language | English | Several |
What it costs at your bay count
Golf O'Clock prices in Canadian dollars and Alba in your local currency, so the only fair comparison puts both in the same one. Here they are in US dollars, using the Bank of Canada rate for October 13, 2026.
| Bays | Golf O'Clock (USD/month) | Alba (USD/month) |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | About $105 | $116 |
| 6 | About $141 | $174 |
| 8 | About $176 | $232 |
| 10 | About $211 | $290 |
Golf O'Clock comes out lower at every size, and the gap widens with each bay, because an extra bay is $25 CAD (about $17.60 USD) against Alba's $29. The same holds in euros and pounds at that day's rates: 4 bays on Golf O'Clock is about €94 or £80, against €116 or £116 on Alba. Exchange rates move, so check on the day you decide. Processing fees sit on top of either: on Alba they're Adyen's rates through Alba, on Golf O'Clock whatever you already pay Stripe or Square. Ask both about one-time setup too. More on the pricing models in what golf simulator software costs.
Where the two are close
More than most comparisons. Both are built only for simulator venues, both price by the bay with no fee per booking, and both lock the simulator between bookings and let customers extend a session that's running. Both handle memberships, lessons, staff roles, discount codes and reporting. Both list an AI assistant and an MCP integration, so tools like ChatGPT and Claude can work with a venue's data.
Where Golf O'Clock goes further
Lower monthly cost. In the same currency, Golf O'Clock costs less at every bay count, and the gap grows with each extra bay (see the table above).
Your own payment account. Payments land in the venue's own Stripe or Square account, so you keep your processor, your payout schedule and any terminals you already use. For food, drink and retail at the counter, Lightspeed K-Series or Square handle the sale. See payments.
Pricing with more in it. Peak, off-peak, member, tier, package and promotional rates resolve in order on every booking, and current utilization can itself be a condition. That's 2+ million combinations on a basic setup. See pricing rules.
Running every bay from one screen. Screen Marshal does what SimLock does, and its Command Center lets staff lock, unlock, launch simulator titles and message every bay remotely.
An assistant that builds, and an API that writes. Golf O'Clock's AI assistant sets up memberships, pricing rules and automations from a description, with every action shown for approval. The API reads and writes, with inbound and outbound webhooks, where Alba lists a read-only partner API. See developers.
Multi-site sharing. Sites in a group can share pricing, memberships and credit balances while keeping their own hours, bays and branding.
Where Alba goes further
Everything in one price. Every feature and SimLock are included in the per-bay price, with no tiers to choose between.
No merchant account to open. Alba runs payments through its own Adyen setup, with cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay. The trade-off is that you can't keep your existing processor or terminals.
More lock brands. Eleven listed, including Zesec, Glutz, TTLock, UniFi and Seam, several of them common in Europe.
Gift cards and more languages. Coded gift cards and value cards are built in, and the platform runs in more than one language across 20+ countries. Golf O'Clock's interface is English, and coded gift cards go through your POS.
Which one fits your venue
Pick Alba if you're in Europe or need a language other than English, would rather not open a merchant account, or already use one of its European lock brands such as Zesec or Glutz.
Pick Golf O'Clock if you want the lower monthly cost, payments in your own Stripe or Square account, food and drink through Lightspeed, RemoteLock or Rhombus locks, pricing with members, tiers and packages in it, or staff running every bay from one screen.
Our comparison of nine booking platforms covers the rest of the field, with Golf O'Clock vs Birdie and Golf O'Clock vs Birrdi for the other two most common shortlists.
Alba, SimLock and other product names are trademarks of their respective owners, used here only to identify their products. Golf O'Clock is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. Details about other platforms come from its public website as of October 14, 2026 and may have changed since. If anything here is out of date or wrong, email info@golfoclock.com and we'll correct it.
Written by Mathieu Morin, CRO at Golf O'Clock. Based on operating data from 200+ indoor golf venues.
Frequently asked questions
Is Golf O'Clock or Alba cheaper?
Golf O'Clock, once both are in the same currency. Golf O'Clock is $150 CAD a month for the first 4 bays and $25 CAD per extra bay, about $105 USD and $17.60 USD at the Bank of Canada rate for October 13, 2026. Alba is $29, €29 or £29 per bay, so $116 USD for 4 bays and $290 for 10, against about $211 on Golf O'Clock. Processing fees are separate on both.
What is the difference between SimLock and Screen Marshal?
Both keep the simulator locked between bookings and open it for the customer who booked. Alba's SimLock shows a branded lock screen and opens the session when the booking starts, with reminders and extensions. Golf O'Clock's Screen Marshal runs on each bay's Windows PC and unlocks with a per-booking PIN or link; customers can extend from their phone and the bay unlocks again, and staff get one Command Center to lock, unlock, launch simulator titles and message every bay.
Which payment processors do Golf O'Clock and Alba use?
Alba processes payments through Adyen and sets it up for you, so you don't need your own merchant account. Golf O'Clock takes payments into the venue's own Stripe or Square account, and in-person sales run through Lightspeed K-Series or Square.
Do Golf O'Clock and Alba both have an AI assistant?
Yes, both list one, and both offer an MCP integration so AI tools can work with venue data. Golf O'Clock's assistant also sets the venue up from a description, such as memberships, pricing rules and automations, with each action shown for approval. Golf O'Clock's API is read and write with webhooks; Alba lists a read-only partner API.
Can I switch from Alba to Golf O'Clock?
Yes. Export a spreadsheet from Alba and Golf O'Clock imports your customers, tags, notes, marketing consent and active memberships with their renewal dates. Past bookings stay in the old system. More in switching booking systems.