ShuffleKit vs Screentop.gg
Screentop is the community's default for free browser playtests, and it is very good at that one job. ShuffleKit is where the deck is designed and played in the same tab. If you are still changing cards between games, that saves you an export every round.
- What it is
ShuffleKitDesign tool with a playtable built in
Screentop.ggBrowser tabletop for playing what you built elsewhere
- Card design
ShuffleKitFull visual editor, layouts bound to card data
Screentop.ggNone, you upload finished images
- Paid pricing
ShuffleKitFrom $4/month billed yearly
Screentop.ggPro at $10/month for 20 games
Frictionless for testers, or instant between edits
Screentop.gg deserves its reputation. It is a 2D browser tabletop where testers need no account, no download and no payment: you send a link, they type a name, they are at the table. Protospiel Online runs most of its digital events on it, and its free plan covers 3 games. It is a playtest platform, though, not a design tool, so your deck is built somewhere else and uploaded. ShuffleKit's playtable is in the same project as the card editor, so when a session exposes a problem card you fix it in the editor and the next game deals the updated deck. Screentop is the right call for free, low-friction sessions with any group. Reach for ShuffleKit when the deck is still moving and the upload step between revisions is what slows you down.
Feature comparison
Side-by-side, no spin.
How we compared: Checked on 9 September 2026 against Screentop.gg's published plans. ShuffleKit's limits come from our published plan configuration. Check Screentop.gg directly, since software pricing changes.
Why designers switch
No upload step between revisions
With Screentop, changing a card means re-exporting the art and rebuilding the game. In ShuffleKit the playtable reads the same cards the editor writes.
Feedback lands on the card, not in a notebook
Flag a card mid-game and it becomes a note attached to that card, waiting for you when the session ends.
Storage is not the constraint
Screentop's free plan gives 32 MB per game, which high-resolution card scans eat quickly. ShuffleKit stores the source layout, not a folder of exported images.
The deck, the rulebook and the table in one project
Version history shows which wording a playtest broke, because the rules document lives beside the cards it governs.
The same project prints the deck
When a deck graduates from testing you are already in the tool that exports it for print or Tabletop Simulator.
AI helps you fix what the session exposed
Rebalance a set, rewrite a keyword across cards, or generate replacement art without leaving the project.
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know before getting started.
Still have questions? Contact us
Is Screentop.gg better than ShuffleKit for playtesting?
For pure low-friction group sessions, Screentop is excellent and free. It is a stronger pick if your deck is finished and you just want people around a table. ShuffleKit wins when the deck is still changing, because there is no export or upload step between an edit and the next hand, and flagged cards come back as notes on the card.
Do my playtesters need an account?
No. They join from a browser with your link, type a name and take a guest seat. There is nothing to install and no account to create, which matters when you are testing with strangers.
Can I use both?
Yes, and plenty of designers do. Build and iterate in ShuffleKit, export card images when you want a bigger or more casual session on Screentop, then come back to ShuffleKit to make the changes and print the deck.
Does ShuffleKit enforce my game's rules?
No. Like Screentop, the playtable is a sandbox: it deals, draws, flips, taps, shuffles and undoes, and you and your testers enforce the rules. That is a deliberate choice, since a prototype's rules change every session.
How many players can join a ShuffleKit playtest?
Up to 6 players, plus 10 spectators, in the browser. Sessions are unlimited on every plan, free included. A paid plan publishes more game setups for testers at once and keeps recordings longer, and Indie adds results across sessions.
Other comparisons
Still weighing the options? These are the closest calls to this one.
- ShuffleKit vs DextrousTwo no-code browser editors, closely matched on price. What separates them is AI, playtesting, rules docs and printing.
- ShuffleKit vs Component.StudioThe Game Crafter's own component automation tool, one $9.99 plan behind a three-day trial, against a free plan with AI and playtesting.
- ShuffleKit vs nanDeckThe script-driven desktop classic since 2006, against a browser editor with AI, playtesting and print fulfillment built in.
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