ChipClock vs. The Tournament Director

Both products run poker tournaments well. The difference is where they live. The Tournament Director is a mature Windows desktop app with a rich rules engine and a one-time license. ChipClock is a browser-first, phone-aware SaaS built around season tracking and an agent-ready API.

Feature	ChipClock	The Tournament Director
Runs in a browser Tournament Director is a Windows desktop app.
Phone companion for every player
Real-time clock sync across devices Tournament Director supports networked clocks on a LAN; ChipClock syncs over the public internet.
Season leaderboard (points, best-of-N)
Configurable points formula
Public league website (standings URL)	League plan
REST API / agent-ready
OpenAPI 3.1 spec published
ICM + chip-chop deal maker
Table balancing + break suggestions
Bounty tracking (standard + progressive)
Self-serve rebuy / re-seat via phone
Minigames / side-game tracking
Cross-platform hosts (Mac/Linux/Phone) TD requires Windows (or Wine/VM on Mac).
One-time purchase price TD is a one-time license; ChipClock is subscription.
Free tier
Import from The Tournament Director files		N/A

Pick The Tournament Director if…

· You run on a dedicated Windows machine in the cardroom.
· You want a one-time purchase, no subscription.
· You need the depth of rule-scripting TD is famous for.
· Your players are fine without a phone companion.

Pick ChipClock if…

· You want the clock to work on whatever device is around.
· Your league wants a public standings page.
· Players expect a phone experience (real-time seat, self-serve rebuys).
· You want an agent / LLM to drive the tournament via REST API.
· You want a free tier that handles a casual home game end-to-end.

The Tournament Director is a trademark of Tournament Director Software. This mark is used here for nominative comparison only. ChipClock is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by The Tournament Director.