ShuffleKit vs Squib

Squib is a Ruby library where your deck is a script, your cards diff in git, and one command regenerates all 200 of them. ShuffleKit gets you the same data-driven result without the Ruby, and adds playtesting and printing.

Pricing and features verified September 9, 2026

Try ShuffleKit free See the comparison

A split illustration: a terminal window with a single command prompt on the left, a visual canvas with a card being arranged by hand on the right.

How you build cards

ShuffleKitVisual editor plus a spreadsheet table view

SquibRuby code describing each element

Prerequisites

ShuffleKitA browser

SquibRuby 3.0 or later installed

Pricing

ShuffleKitFree plan; paid from $4/month billed yearly

SquibFree, MIT licensed

Keep the game in git, or get the rest of the pipeline

Squib is free, MIT licensed, and runs anywhere Ruby 3.0 runs. If you are a developer, the appeal is real: everything is a text file, so everything diffs, branches and reverts, and rerendering the deck after a balance change is one command. Be clear-eyed about its state, though. Version 0.19.0 landed in April 2023 and the repo only ticks over now, so treat it as stable rather than actively growing. It also stops at rendering: there is no canvas, and nothing in it helps with the rulebook, playtesting or printing. ShuffleKit gives you the same spreadsheet-driven deck through a visual editor, and covers the three things Squib leaves to you.

Feature comparison

Side-by-side, no spin.

Feature

ShuffleKit

Squib

Visual editor plus a spreadsheet table view

Ruby code describing each element

A browser

Ruby 3.0 or later installed

Free plan; paid from $4/month billed yearly

Free, MIT licensed

Built-in table, CSV and Excel import

CSV or XLSX pointed at from a script

Snapshots with per-card rollback in the app

Git, because everything is a text file

Automatic, the layout is bound to the data

One command

Yes, drag, snap, align

None, positions are written in code

Built-in, project-aware AI

None

Built-in image generation per card

None

Built-in multiplayer playtable, up to 6 players

None

Versioned docs beside the cards they govern

None

PNG, SVG, PDF, Tabletop Simulator, Roll20

PNG, PDF, print-and-play sheets

Direct integration with The Game Crafter

None, export and arrange printing yourself

Actively developed

v0.19.0 in April 2023, ticking over since

Browser, any OS

Windows, macOS, Linux

Cloud project, share via link

Whatever your git host provides

How we compared: Checked on 9 September 2026 against the Squib repository's release history and commit activity on GitHub. ShuffleKit's limits come from our published plan configuration. Check Squib directly, since software pricing changes.

Why designers switch

Non-developers on your team can edit cards

A Squib deck is a codebase, so a co-designer or artist needs Ruby to change a card. In ShuffleKit the deck is a spreadsheet in the browser, so they open a link and see every card with nothing to install.

You still get data-driven cards

The thing that makes Squib good is that layout and data are separate. ShuffleKit keeps that: one layout, bound to properties, applied across the deck.

See the card while you position it

No render-and-check loop. The canvas shows the real card with real data as you move elements.

Playtesting and rules are covered

Squib deliberately stops at rendering. ShuffleKit adds an online playtable and versioned rules documents in the same project.

A maintained print path

Print-ready PDFs with crop marks, bleed and safe-zone guides, or publish straight to The Game Crafter and have the deck manufactured. Both check the cards for text near the cut and low-resolution images first.

Nothing to install or keep working

No Ruby version to manage, no gem to pin, no environment to rebuild when you come back to the project in a year.

Frequently asked questions

Everything you need to know before getting started.

Still have questions? Contact us

Is Squib still maintained?

It is stable rather than lively. Version 0.19.0 landed in April 2023 and the repository has only ticked over since, with a commit in April 2026. For a rendering library that is not fatal, since the API is settled and it does what it does. It does mean you should not expect new features.

Can I keep using git if I switch?

Not in the same way. ShuffleKit stores your project in the cloud with its own snapshot and rollback system rather than as text files you commit. You can export card data as CSV and commit that if you want an external record, but the line-by-line diffing that makes Squib appealing to developers is something you would be giving up.

How do I move a Squib project across?

Squib already keeps card data in a CSV or XLSX, which is exactly what ShuffleKit imports. Bring the spreadsheet over with smart column mapping, then rebuild the layout once on the canvas and it applies to the whole deck.

Is ShuffleKit scriptable?

No. There is no scripting language, and that is a deliberate trade. Layouts are built visually and card data lives as structured properties, which is what lets non-developers edit the deck. If scripting your deck is the part you enjoy, Squib and nanDeck are better homes for that.

Do I need to know Ruby to use ShuffleKit?

No. You need a browser. Everything is a visual editor, a spreadsheet view, and an AI assistant if you want one.