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Boardssey vs Component Studio

Both turn a spreadsheet into a full deck. Only one of them lets you play it tonight and keep the notes.

The short answer

If all you need is data-driven layout and a direct line to The Game Crafter's printing, Component Studio is a proven choice. It has been at it since 2017 and The Game Crafter points its own designers to it. If you also playtest, iterate on versions or pitch to publishers, Boardssey keeps all of that in the same place as your cards.

Side by side

Boardssey
Component Studio
Head to head
Card data from a spreadsheet
BoardsseyCSV import or paste
Component StudioGoogle Sheets
Live Google Sheets sync
BoardsseyCSV import or paste instead
Component Studio
Master pages and templates
BoardsseyCards follow the master until you unlink one
Component StudioConditional layouts
Boards, tiles, tokens, mats and boxes
Boardssey
Component Studio
Print-and-play with bleed and crop marks
BoardsseyDielines drawn on every piece
Component StudioProduction PDF
Tabletop Simulator export
Boardssey
Component Studio
Built-in virtual table
BoardsseyTesters join with a code, no account
Component StudioExports to other tables
Playtests logged against the game
Boardssey
Component Studio
Game versions and sell sheets
Boardssey
Component Studio
Print-on-demand
BoardsseySend cards, tiles, tokens, boards and mats to The Game Crafter
Component StudioThe Game Crafter
Designing the components
Import PDF, Illustrator and Photoshop files
BoardsseyPages become editable pages of the component. Pathfinder and up.
Component StudioNot listed on their site
Testing and iterating
Rules and notes kept with the game
Boardssey
Component StudioNot listed on their site
Designer toolkit
3D mockups
BoardsseyFlat artwork to 3D box, card and component renders
Component StudioNot listed on their site
Dieline templates
BoardsseyBoxes, boards, punchboards and more
Component StudioNot listed on their site
Probability calculator
BoardsseyOdds for any dice expression
Component StudioNot listed on their site
Variables distribution
BoardsseySplit elements into balanced groups
Component StudioNot listed on their site
Color-blindness simulator
BoardsseyCheck your palette for every type of color blindness
Component StudioNot listed on their site
Size and scale reference
BoardsseyShow your game next to a person for scale
Component StudioNot listed on their site
Component spec sheets
BoardsseyFor wooden, plastic and other non-paper parts
Component StudioNot listed on their site
Carton marks
BoardsseyLabels for your manufacturing shipping cartons
Component StudioNot listed on their site
Invoices and purchase orders
BoardsseySaved and attached to your games
Component StudioNot listed on their site
Table helpers
BoardsseyCustom dice, score pad, timer, coin flip, starting player
Component StudioNot listed on their site
MCP connector for AI assistants
BoardsseyConnect Claude, ChatGPT and other AI assistants to your games, playtests and components
Component StudioNot listed on their site
Pitching and running the project
Public game catalog for publishers
BoardsseyA live page per game that publishers can browse
Component StudioNot listed on their site
Publisher pitches and contacts
BoardsseyTrack who you pitched, when, and what happened next
Component StudioNot listed on their site
Tasks and project boards
BoardsseyKanban, calendar and task tables across your games
Component StudioNot listed on their site
Team chat and whiteboard
BoardsseyChannels per game, plus a shared whiteboard
Component StudioNot listed on their site
Unlimited teammates
BoardsseyOn every plan
Component StudioNot listed on their site
Plans
Free trial
Boardssey14 days
Component Studio3 days
Price
Boardssey$15/month or $150/year (Pathfinder, where Prototypes starts)
Component Studio$9.99/month

Verified September 2026

Where Component Studio is the better pick

  • You live in Google Sheets and want live sync. Boardssey imports a CSV or a paste today.

  • You only need layout, and the lower monthly price matters more than anything else.

Why designers pick Boardssey

  • Edit, play, repeat without exporting. Change a card's value, send the deck to the table, and play it that evening.

  • Playtests that remember the version. Log a table session straight onto the game, so session 14 can be compared with session 4.

  • One home for the game. Rules, components, playtests, contacts and sell sheets sit next to each other, not in seven tabs.

  • Your whole team, one price. Co-designers and artists don't add seats.

  • Pitch-ready. The playtest record and the sell sheet come from the same place publishers will ask about.

Switching

  1. Export your Component Studio data to CSV, or copy the rows from your Google Sheet.

  2. In Boardssey, create a component, add {{field}} placeholders on the master page, and paste or import the rows.

  3. Generate the cards, then Export, Virtual table to play them.

Questions

Is Component Studio good?

Yes. It is a well-established, data-driven layout tool with a direct line to The Game Crafter. If layout and printing are all you need, it does the job.

Can I bring my Component Studio data over?

Your card data, yes: it is a spreadsheet, and Boardssey imports CSV or a paste. Templates don't transfer, so rebuild each master page once.

Does Boardssey print my game?

Not directly. Export print-ready PDFs with bleed and crop marks and send them to the printer you use.

Which one is cheaper?

Component Studio, at $9.99 a month against Boardssey's $15 for Prototypes. Boardssey's price includes the virtual table, playtest tracking, sell sheets and unlimited teammates.

Do my playtesters need an account?

No. They join the table with a code.

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