Bam Good Time vs AMR Authority: Mahjong Club Management Compared

If you're looking for mahjong club software, Bam Good Time and AMR Authority are two names that come up frequently, but they approach the problem from completely different angles. One is built around scoring and competitive tracking. The other is built around running the full club operation.

Here's a straightforward comparison so you can figure out which one fits your club, or whether you need both.

Full disclosure: we built Bam Good Time. We'll be honest about what AMR Authority does well, it fills a real gap in the mahjong world, and a lot of clubs benefit from it.

What Is AMR Authority?

AMR Authority is a free app focused on the competitive side of American Mahjong. It's built for players and organizers who care about tracking scores, rankings, and performance over time.

Here's what AMR Authority offers:

• Score tracking: Record game scores, confirmed by every player before they count
• Real-time leaderboards: See standings update automatically as scores come in
• Tournament and event creation: Set up competitive events within the app
• Club communities: Join or start clubs, follow players, and keep a public player profile
• Player profiles and stats: Track match history, personal stats and win rates
• Multiple game formats: Casual, NMJL official rules, and AMR's own tournament format

AMR Authority is free to download and use, with ads (an optional AMR+ plan at $4.99/month removes them). It's available on iPhone, iPad and Android, and runs on Macs with Apple silicon as an iPad app. There's no web version.

What Is Bam Good Time?

Bam Good Time is a club management platform for mahjong clubs that meet in person. It handles the operational side of running a club, events, money, members, and communication.

Here's what Bam Good Time covers:

• Event creation and RSVPs: Create events with table capacity, collect RSVPs automatically
• Automatic waitlists: The system manages the queue and bumps players up when spots open
• Online payments: Accept payments through Stripe directly on event pages
• Roster management: Import your member list via CSV; everyone gets an account instantly
• Leagues and standings: Run structured leagues with seating rotations and tracked standings
• Series and punch cards: Sell multi-session passes or prepaid punch cards
• Club website: Every club gets a custom subdomain (like yourclub.bamgoodtime.com)
• Public directory: List your club in the club finder for discoverability
• QR check-in: Members check in at the door with their phone
• Email and SMS notifications: Automated reminders, confirmations, and updates
• Rating system: ELO-based player ratings powered by Mahjic.org

Bam Good Time has a free tier, with paid plans at $19/month (Starter) and $49/month (Pro). It's available on web, iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Android.

Feature Comparison: Bam Good Time vs AMR Authority

The pattern is clear: AMR Authority goes deep on scoring. Bam Good Time goes wide on club operations. There's some overlap in player tracking and event creation, but the core value propositions are different.

Where AMR Authority Wins

Detailed Scoring and Statistics

This is AMR Authority's home turf. If you want each player's match history, win rate, and rank against everyone else, with every player confirming a score before it counts, AMR Authority tracks all of it, and its master list ranks the top players.

For competitive clubs where bragging rights matter, this level of scoring detail is genuinely valuable. Players can see their performance trends, compare themselves against the field, and track improvement over time.

Real-Time Leaderboards

During a tournament or game session, AMR Authority's leaderboards update in real time. Everyone can see where they stand as the event progresses. This adds energy to competitive play, players know the stakes at every table.

Multiple Game Format Support

Not every club plays the same way. AMR Authority supports three game formats: Casual, NMJL official rules, and its own AMR tournament format. If your club plays more than one way, this flexibility matters.

It's Free

No subscription required and no per-player cost. AMR Authority is free to use, with ads, and an optional AMR+ plan at $4.99/month removes them. For clubs operating on a tight budget, that's hard to beat. You get real scoring infrastructure without spending a dollar.

For a deeper dive into scoring tools, see our guide on mahjong tournament software vs paper scoring.

Where Bam Good Time Wins

Event Management and RSVPs

Running a club means running events, and running events means answering the same questions every week: Who's coming? How many tables do we need? Who's on the waitlist? Is there a sub available?

Bam Good Time automates all of this. Create an event, set your capacity, share the link. Members RSVP on their own. When tables fill up, a waitlist forms automatically. If someone cancels, the next person gets notified and bumped up. No group texts, no phone calls, no spreadsheet tracking.

Read more about how to manage a mahjong club waitlist.

Payment Collection

This is the feature most organizers didn't know they needed until they had it. Bam Good Time integrates Stripe so members can pay when they RSVP, entry fees, league dues, series passes, whatever your club charges. The money goes directly to your connected bank account.

No more awkward "did you pay?" conversations. No more tracking cash in an envelope. No more Venmo request chasing.

Our guide on collecting payments for mahjong events covers the details.

Club Website and Public Directory

Every Bam Good Time club gets a public-facing page on a custom subdomain with your club info, upcoming events, and a way for new players to sign up. You can also list your club in the public directory so anyone searching for mahjong near them can discover your group.

AMR Authority has club communities within the app and a Find a Club page on its website.

Learn how to create your mahjong club website.

Cross-Platform Access

Bam Good Time works on iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac (native app), and any web browser. Your members don't need to download anything, they can RSVP and pay from a link on any device.

AMR Authority is an app for iPhone, iPad, and Android, and it runs on Macs with Apple silicon as an iPad app. There's no web version, so members on a Windows PC can't use it, and everyone has to install the app. For clubs with a mix of devices, this can be a real limitation.

Leagues, Series, and Punch Cards

Bam Good Time supports structured leagues with seating rotations and tracked standings, multi-session series where players pay once for a block of events, and punch cards for prepaid sessions. These features turn casual game nights into committed, recurring communities.

Check out our guides on running a multi-week mahjong series and setting up a mahjong league with online scoring.

Communication Tools

Bam Good Time sends automated email and SMS notifications, event reminders, RSVP confirmations, waitlist updates, and more. Your members stay informed without you having to send individual messages.

Read more about mahjong club communication with email and SMS.

Why a Club Might Use Both

A club can use Bam Good Time for operations and AMR Authority for scoring. And honestly, that makes a lot of sense.

The workflow looks like this:

1. Bam Good Time handles the before: event creation, RSVPs, waitlists, payment collection, reminders
2. AMR Authority handles the during: score tracking, real-time leaderboards, player-confirmed scores
3. Bam Good Time handles the after: league standings updates, member communication, next event setup

Each platform is strongest at a different job. They're complementary tools, not competing ones.

If your club has both competitive players who want scoring depth and an organizer who needs operational tools, using both platforms gives you the best of each world.

Pricing Comparison

AMR Authority: Free with ads. An optional AMR+ plan at $4.99/month removes the ads and adds priority access to events.

Bam Good Time:

• Free tier: Event creation, RSVPs, waitlists, roster, public club page
• Starter ($19/mo): Higher limits, card payments through Stripe
• Pro ($49/mo): Leagues, tournaments, unlimited events and players

View the full breakdown on our pricing page.

AMR Authority's free pricing is a genuine advantage if scoring is your primary need. Bam Good Time's cost is justified if you need the full club management toolkit, especially payment processing, which saves organizers significant time and removes the friction of collecting money manually.

Who Should Use Which?

Use AMR Authority if:

• Detailed scoring and statistics are your club's top priority
• You want real-time leaderboards during sessions
• Everyone in your club is happy to install an app on an iPhone, iPad, or Android phone
• You don't need to collect payments online
• You don't need waitlists or automated email and text reminders
• Budget is the primary concern

Use Bam Good Time if:

• You need to manage events, RSVPs, and waitlists
• You want to collect payments online
• You want a public club website and directory listing
• You have members on computers as well as phones
• You run leagues or series with multi-session passes
• You want automated email/SMS communication

Use Both if:

• Your club values both competitive scoring depth and operational efficiency
• You want AMR Authority's scoring detail alongside Bam Good Time's event management
• You're running tournaments that need both registration logistics and score tracking

Getting Started

If you're currently using AMR Authority and finding that you need more on the operations side, or if you're managing events through group texts and spreadsheets alongside AMR Authority, adding Bam Good Time to your toolkit is straightforward:

1. Create your free club: takes about two minutes
2. Import your roster via CSV, everyone gets an account automatically
3. Create your first event: set the date, table capacity, and price
4. Keep using AMR Authority for scoring during your sessions

There's no need to choose one over the other. Use each tool for what it does best.

The Bottom Line

AMR Authority and Bam Good Time are built for different parts of the mahjong club experience. AMR Authority is the best free tool for tracking scores and competitive standings. Bam Good Time is the best platform for running the full club operation, events, payments, members, and growth.

If you're spending too much time organizing and not enough time playing, create your free club on Bam Good Time and let the software handle the logistics. Then fire up AMR Authority when it's time to keep score.

For a full comparison of all mahjong club software options, check out our complete guide to the best mahjong club management software in 2026.