Comparison

Marvin's Magic vs LEGO® Play

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Marvin's Magic

Enhance your magic tricks with augmented reality and interactive elements. This app brings your magic set to life, offering video instructions and bonus features when you register your product. Experience magic in a new, engaging way.

Highlights
  • Augmented Reality enhancements
  • Interactive magic tricks
  • Video instructions
  • Product registration
  • Bonus features access
Features
Read full description

Bring your Marvin's Magic set to life with this amazing magic app. Many of the props in your set can be enhanced with Augmented Reality, interactive magic tricks and even video instructions. Register your product by using this app to scan the QR code (found in the instructions booklet) and gain access to bonus features such as video instructions and augmented reality illusions. For 30 Years Marvin's Magic has been Number One for Magic Worldwide. This innovative application works in conjunction with most Marvin's Magic sets keeping you up to date with the wonderful World of Marvin's Magic. Privacy Policy: https://www.marvinsmagic.com/privacy-policy/ Terms of Use: https://www.marvinsmagic.com/terms-conditions/

About

LEGO® Play

This app offers a safe digital space for creative building, drawing, storytelling, and game playing. Users can design avatars, build digital homes, and explore content from popular LEGO themes. It provides tools for stop-motion animation, 3D brick building, and pattern design.

Highlights
  • Creative Canvas for drawing and art
  • Stop-Motion Studio for filmmaking
  • Brick Builder for 3D LEGO creations
  • Pattern Designer for custom art
  • Avatar and digital home customization
  • Explore LEGO stories and characters
  • Collection of creative games for kids
Read full description

LEGO® Play is the safe creative app for all brick lovers, builders, and creators! Step into a world of digital creativity tools where you can create, experiment, and explore your imagination. Play your way! Explore creative ideas Got a passion? Express your creativity with fun tools designed for kids. From drawing and storytelling, to making videos and building with LEGO® bricks, there's no limit to what you can imagine. • Whether you're into building, art, drawing, photography or comics, the Creative Canvas tool is where your ideas come to life. • Want to make a film? Use the Stop-Motion Studio and be your own director! • Master builder? The Brick Builder tool lets you make your own fun 3D LEGO® creations. • Love art and design? The Pattern Designer tool lets you create everything from colorful patterns to characters and creatures. Make it yours A creative app that you can make your own. Style your avatar, your space, your vibe. It’s your world to express yourself in. • Design your own LEGO® avatar and choose fun outfits and accessories. • Create a custom username. • Showcase all your creative builds on your profile. • Get ready for home design! Create and personalize your dream digital home with brick-built furniture and decorations. • Build multiple homes and create your very own LEGO® neighborhood! Search for inspiration with LEGO® Play Discover a safe and creative space to find inspiration for your next build. • Explore new ideas and skills for your own builds. • See unique digital art, stop-motion animations and LEGO® builds. • Search and discover creations related to your interests. Enjoy creative games for kids Explore a growing collection of safe games for kids. Race awesome vehicles, blast off into space, take on sports challenges, and meet amazing animals in fun games designed for creativity and play. Discover LEGO® stories and characters Explore adventures, challenges and creative content from your favorite LEGO® themes and characters. • Follow adventures featuring your favorite LEGO® characters and heroes. • Explore content inspired by LEGO® City, LEGO® Friends, LEGO® NINJAGO®, LEGO® Star Wars™ and other popular themes. • Complete fun challenges, watch videos and unlock new ideas for building and play. Play & explore safely LEGO® Play is a secure, moderated app for kids to explore creative ideas and LEGO® content safely. • Verified Parental Consent is required to unlock the full LEGO® Play creative building experience. • All content is moderated before appearing in the app. Unlock the full experience with LEGO® Insiders Club Get full access to all LEGO® Play content, with a LEGO® Insiders Club membership — it’s free and easy to sign up! Ask a parent or guardian to help you sign up. Important information: • The app is FREE and there are no in-app purchases or third-party advertising. • To help create a safe and creative space for kids, verification is required to access some functionality. Verification needs to be given by an adult. Verified Parental Consent is free, and we will not store your personal details. We use your personal information to manage your account and (with parental consent) to improve your experience. We review anonymized data to provide a safe, contextualized, and excellent LEGO® building and learning experience for kids. • You can learn more here: https://www.lego.com/privacy-policy and here: https://www.lego.com/legal/notices-and-policies/terms-of-use-for-lego-apps/. • For app support, please contact LEGO® Customer Service: www.lego.com/service. • Check if your device is compatible at: https://www.lego.com/service/device-guide. LEGO®, the LEGO® logo, the Brick and Knob configurations, and the Minifigure are trademarks of the LEGO® Group. ©2026 The LEGO® Group.

Screenshots

Marvin's Magic4 screens
LEGO® Play4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: LEGO® Play at 4.5 against Marvin's Magic's 3.0. LEGO® Play also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). Marvin's Magic's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.4). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Marvin's Magic sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. LEGO® Play asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

LEGO® Play holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: LEGO® Play has 13K ratings behind it against 139, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 34% of Marvin's Magic's written reviews are positive against 43% of LEGO® Play's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Marvin's Magic ships an update every 3 months, LEGO® Play weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Marvin's Magic versus LEGO® Play: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarvin's MagicLEGO® Play
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (139 ratings)4.5 (13K ratings) — better
Positive reviews34.1% of reviews43.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings13913K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsWeekly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS11.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size278 MB165 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStarz-UK LtdLEGO

Customer experience

Marvin's Magic

All ratings122 ratings
Positive48.4%
Neutral9.0%
Negative42.6%
Written reviews135 reviews
Positive34.1%
Neutral6.7%
Negative59.3%

LEGO® Play

All ratings13,116 ratings
Positive86.4%
Neutral5.6%
Negative8.0%
Written reviews1,092 reviews
Positive43.0%
Neutral15.1%
Negative41.8%

User reviews

Marvin's Magic

From 139 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 📚 Helpful video instructions for learning tricks
  • 🎯 Works well with compatible magic sets
  • ✨ Engaging augmented reality features (when functional)
  • 🎬 High-quality video content
  • 👨‍🎓 Useful for beginners learning magic

Room to improve

  • 🐛 QR code scanning frequently fails or doesn't work
  • 🐛 App crashes constantly during video playback
  • 🔊 Missing audio on videos
  • 📵 404 error pages when accessing content
  • 🐛 Augmented reality features malfunction

LEGO® Play

From 13K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Quick mods
  • 💡 Ability to post more than one photo
  • 👍 Smooth and easy to navigate

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Glitchy and buggy
  • 👎 Lack of features compared to Lego Life
  • 😕 Confusing interface and layout
  • 🤔 Strict moderation process

Bugs and requests

Marvin's Magic

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • QR code scanning returns 404 errors
  • App crashes when loading or playing videos
  • Missing audio on video content
  • Augmented reality features not functioning
  • Camera image appears flipped or upside down
Show 9 more
  • App freezes during registration
  • Access codes not recognized by app
  • Video playback loops and crashes repeatedly
  • AR mini Marvin character impossible to use
  • X-ray vision trick doesn't display dice
  • Card reveal videos don't show
  • App shows blank screen on launch
  • Fly section causes app to glitch to home screen
  • No signal error despite having Wi-Fi connection

Requested features

8 requests
  • Optional QR code scanning (allow manual code entry)
  • Better offline access to instructions
  • More tricks and weekly content updates
  • Alternative registration methods besides QR codes
  • Improved camera functionality and orientation
Show 3 more
  • Audio narration for all instructional videos
  • Clearer in-app guidance for first-time users
  • Ability to access instructions without physical materials

LEGO® Play

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Difficulty logging in and creating accounts
  • Inability to change avatar or username
  • Posting issues and long moderation times
  • Disappearing posts and comments

Requested features

5 requests
  • Bring back Lego Life
  • Add more games and activities
  • Allow posting of videos
  • Implement a friends list and notifications
  • Restore the trending page and community groups

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Marvin's Magic

Subscriptions2
  • Magic Academy Access$0.991 Month
  • Magic Academy Access$9.991 Year
None

LEGO® Play

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Marvin's Magic free?
Marvin's Magic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is LEGO® Play free?
LEGO® Play is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Marvin's Magic or LEGO® Play?
LEGO® Play is rated higher. Marvin's Magic averages 3.0 out of 5 from 139 ratings, while LEGO® Play averages 4.5 from 13K ratings.
Do Marvin's Magic or LEGO® Play have ads?
Marvin's Magic shows ads; LEGO® Play does not.
Which is updated more often, Marvin's Magic or LEGO® Play?
Marvin's Magic ships an update every 3 months, and LEGO® Play weekly. Most recently, Marvin's Magic was updated on November 2, 2026 and LEGO® Play on November 5, 2026.

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