Hitify vs Beatster: Apple Music App or Your Own Cards?
Beatster is a $1.99 iPhone app that turns an Apple Music playlist into a Hitster-style game and also scans an existing Hitster deck. Hitify is a website that turns your playlist into real cards: the first 100 are free as a PDF, with no account and no app for your guests. Both read Apple Music playlists now, so the real difference is what comes next: Beatster plays full tracks inside Apple Music on an iPhone, Hitify hands you cards that work on any phone. Here is the full picture, including where we come off worse.
Try Hitify FreeHitify vs Beatster at a glance
The facts laid out, including the ones that go against us. What matters to you decides the winner.
| Hitify | Beatster | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to start | Free up to 100 cards | $1.99, one-off |
| Devices | Any phone with a browser, Android included | iPhone only, iOS 18.2 or later |
| Apple Music playlists | Yes, catalogue and shared links | |
| Plays full tracks in Apple Music | ||
| Playlist import | Spotify, YouTube Music, Tidal, Deezer, Apple Music | Apple Music |
| App needed to play along | No, the plain camera reads the QR | Yes, the app on an iPhone |
| Print at home (PDF) | ||
| Order printed cards | Yes, professionally printed | Print your own |
| Verified years (MusicBrainz/ISRC) | Not stated | |
| Scans an original Hitster deck | Yes, 50+ editions | |
| Languages | 16 languages | 5 languages |
On Apple Music? Here is exactly what each of us does
Hitify now imports Apple Music playlists, alongside Spotify, YouTube Music, Tidal and Deezer. Two limits come with that, and you should know them before you start. We read Apple Music catalogue playlists and playlists you have shared with a public link, not a private playlist that only lives in your own library. And importing is not playing: the card carries the title, the artist and a verified year, and scanning it plays the song through Spotify.
Beatster still does the other half better. It is built on your own Apple Music subscription inside a native iPhone app, so it plays full tracks in Apple Music and reaches the library playlists we cannot see.
If your playlist is private, sharing it takes a moment:
- In Apple Music, open the playlist, tap Share and copy the link. That link is public.
- Paste the link into Hitify and build your cards.
If what you want is the game itself playing full songs inside Apple Music, Beatster is the better tool for that, and we would rather say so than pretend otherwise.
Where Hitify stands out
Start free, no account
Your first 100 cards come out as a PDF without signing up or paying anything. Beatster is a one-off $1.99 purchase in the App Store.
Everyone can join in
Your guests point their normal phone camera at the QR code. Nobody has to install anything, and an Android phone plays along just fine.
Verified release years
We verify every release year via MusicBrainz and ISRC, so the timeline holds up while you play. A wrong year ruins a round.
Real printed cards
Print at home for free or order sturdy, professionally printed 65 mm cards: the same size as boxed Hitster, so they slot into the same timeline.
Start free, pay only as you grow
Your first 100 cards are free. Larger packs or professionally printed cards cost just a few euros.
What players say
based on 34 reviews
This was an awesome idea. We love having game nights with our friends. We 10/10 recommend especially if you love music games as much as we do.
It works! Nice game for music lovers.
This site is awesome. So much fun to create your own cards and play them with friends. If I could give 6 stars I would.
I really useful for upgrade this game the official song card is a bit less
Amazing project. With just a few clicks your own Spotify playlist is turned into a Hitster game. Keep it up. The pricing is also really very fair
Easy to use, and the result is exactly what I expected!
Easy to use. Happy with my own cards.
Super simple process, works like a charm!
Great for creating your own cards and QR codes. Plus you play with the same app
Beautiful idea and a beautiful app, fast and easy to use
Worked perfectly! Thank you so much!
Best app for creating cards for a music game!
It was really great. I made a birthday playlist for a friend, and with Hitify she could play her own personal Hitster. 🥰
Works great and nicely priced.
Really nice and easy!
So incredibly easy to do, and so much fun for adding a personal touch to a party, a special event or any other occasion. Really recommended. You can let your creativity run wild, or just go for convenience and let it do the work for you.
Nice to be able to turn your own playlist into a Hitster-like game. The only downside is that you hear the songs without the intro.
Being able to create new card packs for Hitster is a real treat. A great app.
Quick and smooth. Easy to create your own playing cards. There are no limits. I recommend it
Very easy-to-use app. I especially like that you can submit a correction for the year, and if it's right it gets applied straight away. The different ways to vary the printout are great too. Highly recommended!
Great service. It was super fast, it works without any problems and looks really great.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use an Apple Music playlist with Hitify?
Yes. Hitify imports Apple Music alongside Spotify, YouTube Music, Tidal and Deezer. Two things to know: we read catalogue playlists and playlists you have shared with a public link, not a private one that only lives in your library, and scanning the finished card plays the song through Spotify. If you want the game to play full tracks inside Apple Music, Beatster does that better.
What does Beatster do well?
Beatster is the tidy way to play Hitster inside Apple Music: one payment of $1.99, and full tracks play through your own Apple Music subscription, including the playlists that only live in your library. You also get scanning of 50+ Hitster editions from more than 15 countries, a cardless mode, Beatster-exclusive sets, a First Note mode and the option to print your own cards. If everyone at your party has an iPhone and Apple Music, it works well.
Does Beatster run on Android?
No. Beatster is App Store only and needs iOS 18.2 or later, so an iPhone. Hitify runs in the browser on any phone, Android included, and scanning a card needs no app at all.
Do my guests have to install anything?
Not with Hitify. They point their normal camera at the QR code and the song opens. With Beatster the game runs inside the app, so it has to be on an iPhone.
Can I get printed cards from either one?
Beatster lets you print your own cards from a playlist or a Beatster set. With Hitify you print at home for free from the PDF, or you order professionally printed cards and we ship them to you.
Do both read an original Hitster deck?
Yes. Beatster says it recognises more than 50 Hitster editions and plays the track in Apple Music. The Hitify scanner reads original Hitster cards too, and our own cards are the same size, so you can shuffle them into the deck you already own.
More to explore
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Your first 100 cards are free, with no account and no app. Print at home or order printed cards.
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