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Boardssey vs PlayingCards.io

Bring your PlayingCards.io rooms with you, then keep the design and the playtest notes in the same place.

The short answer

PlayingCards.io is free, fast and friendly, and a lot of designers run early card-game tests there. It is built for playing, though, not for developing a game: rooms are removed after two weeks without use (30 days with an account, never on Premium), and the feedback lives wherever you wrote it down. Boardssey imports your .pcio rooms straight into its virtual table, builds decks from your card data, and saves each session on the game.

Side by side

Boardssey
PlayingCards.io
Head to head
Browser table
Boardssey
PlayingCards.io
Testers join without an account
BoardsseyWith a code
PlayingCards.ioWith a link
Import PlayingCards.io rooms
BoardsseyImports .pcio files
PlayingCards.ioExports .pcio files
No-code automations
BoardsseyShuffle, deal, flip, roll, sort
PlayingCards.ioAutomation buttons
Decks built from your card data
Boardssey
PlayingCards.io
Rooms kept while you're away
BoardsseySaved in your workspace
PlayingCards.ioRemoved after 2 weeks idle, 30 days with an account, kept on Premium
Sessions logged as playtests
Boardssey
PlayingCards.io
Print-and-play and Tabletop Simulator export
Boardssey
PlayingCards.io
Game versions, rules and sell sheets
Boardssey
PlayingCards.io
Designing the components
Master pages that update every card
BoardsseyUnlink any element to edit it on one card. Pathfinder and up.
PlayingCards.ioNot listed on their site
Every kind of component
BoardsseyCards, tiles, tokens, boards, mats, rulebooks, boxes and sheets. Pathfinder and up.
PlayingCards.ioNot listed on their site
Import PDF, Illustrator and Photoshop files
BoardsseyPages become editable pages of the component. Pathfinder and up.
PlayingCards.ioNot listed on their site
Designer toolkit
3D mockups
BoardsseyFlat artwork to 3D box, card and component renders
PlayingCards.ioNot listed on their site
Dieline templates
BoardsseyBoxes, boards, punchboards and more
PlayingCards.ioNot listed on their site
Probability calculator
BoardsseyOdds for any dice expression
PlayingCards.ioNot listed on their site
Variables distribution
BoardsseySplit elements into balanced groups
PlayingCards.ioNot listed on their site
Color-blindness simulator
BoardsseyCheck your palette for every type of color blindness
PlayingCards.ioNot listed on their site
Size and scale reference
BoardsseyShow your game next to a person for scale
PlayingCards.ioNot listed on their site
Component spec sheets
BoardsseyFor wooden, plastic and other non-paper parts
PlayingCards.ioNot listed on their site
Carton marks
BoardsseyLabels for your manufacturing shipping cartons
PlayingCards.ioNot listed on their site
Invoices and purchase orders
BoardsseySaved and attached to your games
PlayingCards.ioNot listed on their site
Table helpers
BoardsseyCustom dice, score pad, timer, coin flip, starting player
PlayingCards.ioDice and counters on the table
MCP connector for AI assistants
BoardsseyConnect Claude, ChatGPT and other AI assistants to your games, playtests and components
PlayingCards.ioNot listed on their site
Pitching and running the project
Public game catalog for publishers
BoardsseyA live page per game that publishers can browse
PlayingCards.ioNot listed on their site
Publisher pitches and contacts
BoardsseyTrack who you pitched, when, and what happened next
PlayingCards.ioNot listed on their site
Tasks and project boards
BoardsseyKanban, calendar and task tables across your games
PlayingCards.ioNot listed on their site
Team chat and whiteboard
BoardsseyChannels per game, plus a shared whiteboard
PlayingCards.ioNot listed on their site
Unlimited teammates
BoardsseyOn every plan
PlayingCards.ioNot listed on their site
Plans
Free to use
Boardssey14-day trial
PlayingCards.ioFree to play and create
Price
Boardssey$15/month or $150/year (Pathfinder, where Prototypes starts)
PlayingCards.ioFree, Premium for ad-free, non-expiring rooms

Verified September 2026

Where PlayingCards.io is the better pick

  • You want a completely free table for quick, casual games.

  • Your test groups are large and informal, and you don't need design tools.

  • You like PlayingCards.io's library of ready-made classic games.

Why designers pick Boardssey

  • Bring your rooms. Import a .pcio file and the room lands on the Boardssey table, artwork included.

  • Change the data, not the cards. Edit a value in the spreadsheet and regenerate the whole deck.

  • Rooms that stay. Your tables live in your workspace instead of expiring when you take a break.

  • Every session counts. Log the session as a playtest on the game, tied to the version you tested.

  • More than the table. Rules, versions and sell sheets sit next to the prototype.

Switching

  1. In PlayingCards.io, export your room as a .pcio file.

  2. In Boardssey, open a virtual table room and choose Import .pcio.

  3. Invite testers with the join code and log the session when you're done.

Questions

Is PlayingCards.io free?

Yes. Playing and creating games is free. Premium adds an ad-free experience, rooms that never expire, and room controls like passwords.

Can I bring my PlayingCards.io rooms to Boardssey?

Yes. Export the room as a .pcio file and import it into a Boardssey virtual table room. Anything that can't come over as it was is listed in the import report.

Do testers need an account?

No. They join the Boardssey table with a code.

Which one is cheaper?

PlayingCards.io, which is free to use. Boardssey's price covers the component designer, playtest tracking, sell sheets and unlimited teammates as well as the table.

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