SpotLab vs Dobble: what is the difference?
Both are built on the same “find the one shared picture” idea. The difference is what you start with: a finished game, or a tool to make your own. Here is an honest comparison.
SpotLab is not affiliated with Asmodee Group. DOBBLE and SPOT IT! are trademarks of Asmodee Group.
The short answer
Dobble (Spot It! in North America) is a finished party game by Asmodee Group: a tin of cards with fixed cartoon symbols and a few mini-games in the rules. Open it and play.
SpotLab is a free tool for making your own deck. You upload photos, drawings or letters, or pick ready-made sets, and SpotLab builds cards where any two share exactly one picture. Then you print them at home or at a print shop.
Side by side
| SpotLab | Dobble / Spot It! | |
|---|---|---|
| Pictures | Your own photos, drawings, emoji, shapes, letters or words | A fixed set of cartoon symbols |
| Customisation | Complete: every picture and every card | None |
| Deck size | 7 to 91 cards, or any number in between | One 55-card deck |
| Difficulty | 3 to 10 pictures per card | 8 pictures per card |
| Card shape | Round or square, 40–100 mm | Round, about 85 mm |
| What you get | A printable PDF or SVG | Finished cards in a tin |
| Price | Free (you pay for paper and printing) | The shop price of the game |
| The maths | Projective plane: exactly one shared picture | Projective plane: exactly one shared picture |
| Play online | Yes, with your own deck too | Separate apps |
What is the same
The core is identical, because it is maths, not branding: any two cards share exactly one picture. It comes from a finite projective plane, which is why both decks have “odd” sizes like 55 or 57. The feel of the game is the same too: flip, scan, shout.
What is different
Your pictures
Family faces, the letters your child is learning, company logos or English words instead of fixed cartoons.
Your difficulty
A 7-card deck with 3 pictures suits a toddler; 91 cards with 10 pictures challenge adults.
You print it
The boxed game arrives professionally printed. Yours is printed at home, at a copy shop or a print shop.
The rules
The boxed game lists several mini-games. With your own deck you play the same variants; our guide describes them.
Which one should you choose?
Buy Dobble if you want a finished, durable game for tonight with its original artwork and no cutting.
Make your own with SpotLab if you want a game about something specific: for learning, as a gift, for a party or a classroom, or simply with your family’s photos.
Make your own gameFrequently asked questions
›Is SpotLab the same as Dobble?
No. SpotLab is a tool for making and printing your own game; Dobble is a finished game by Asmodee Group with its own artwork and brand. They only share the “any two cards have exactly one picture in common” idea, which is maths and belongs to nobody.
›Is a homemade game a legal alternative to Dobble?
Yes. Neither the game mechanic nor the maths is protected. The DOBBLE and SPOT IT! names, logos and original artwork are. Use your own pictures and don’t call your deck Dobble, and you are fine.
›Can SpotLab replace the boxed game?
Your own deck plays the same way. If you want the original artwork, the tin and the mini-game rules, buy the original. SpotLab is for people who want a game made to measure, instead of it or alongside it.
›How is it guaranteed the cards always work?
Cards are dealt out following a finite projective plane, just like the original game. In the editor you can also check your deck at any time with the “Check the deck” button.
›How much does SpotLab cost?
Nothing. Every deck size, background removal and export is free and needs no sign-up. The site is supported by ads.