Comparison

Digital Force Bag vs Amalgam by Marc Kerstein

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

Head to head
About

Digital Force Bag

This digital tool allows users to perform mentalism and magic tricks by forcing one of 100 items. It's designed for both beginners and professionals, offering customization for personal routines and languages. The app ensures audience engagement without revealing its digital nature.

Highlights
  • Force any of 100 items
  • Easy to learn and operate
  • Fully customizable routines
  • Audience remains unaware of app use
  • Results can vary each time
  • Export routines to share
Features
Read full description

Digital Force Bag (DFB) is a joint release from UK Magicians Nick Einhorn & Craig Squires, and developed by Marc Kerstein. This app is a unique digital tool for the serious mentalist or magician and is available for entertainment purposes only. DFB has been designed to allow the user to force any one of 100 items. It is easy enough for an eight year old to operate but useful enough for the world’s greatest magicians! Two effects are included to get you started immediately and an option to fully customise DFB for your own personal use is currently included free! Key Features ● Easy to learn and remember ● Fully customisable for your own routines and languages ● Your audience will never suspect you are using a magic app ● Fun for the aspiring beginner and and an absolute essential for the professional ● Result can be different every time ● Export option allows you to share your routines with friends worldwide

About

Amalgam by Marc Kerstein

This app offers a collection of powerful yet easy-to-use magic effects that can be performed using just your phone. It includes detailed instructions, customization options, and a community section for sharing tips.

Highlights
  • Multiple magic effects in one app
  • Powerful yet easy to perform effects
  • Requires only your phone
  • Includes instructions and customization
  • Community section for tips and routines
  • Offline functionality for most effects
Read full description

Amalgam comprises of multiple effects, all within one app. All effects are chosen to be powerful, yet easy to perform. And each effect requires nothing more than just your phone. Amalgam includes instructions as well as various customisation settings. It even includes a community section for user-submitted tips and routines. AMALGAM INCLUDES: * Streets * Streets is finally back! John Archer has given his exclusive permission for this remake of his popular Streets app, which now incorporates new features including a modernised real map and a new "gyro crib". - Divine where in the world your spectator is thinking of! - A book test with no memory work required. - A new "legitimate mode" which supports all languages. * TimedOut * A customisable prediction effect that's all in your spectator's hands. Predict a number, dice roll, ESP symbol, star sign or more. - Prediction can be an image in your Photos or perhaps a drawing. - After making your prediction, you do not touch the phone again. - No Internet or Bluetooth required: nothing is sent to or from the device. - Your spectator checks the prediction themselves: the phone remains in their hands! - No voice recognition! - Perfect for pairing with other electronic mentalism effects: reveal a photo from two days ago of you predicting their dice roll, which even they don't know yet! * Watch * A revelation of a freely chosen time. Your spectator zooms in to a wristwatch in a photograph to find it's set to the time they just named. - Customisable: use your own photo. - Any time can be named to the minute. - Novel method: no voice recognition or unjustified inputs. * Word Search * Seemingly demonstrate superhuman memory abilities with this word search game from Harry De Cruz. Although you only look at the word search for a couple of seconds, you can reveal the positions and directions of all words hiding within. - Method keeps memory work to a minimum: if you know the alphabet, you can perform this effect. - No need to secretly obtain information during the effect. - Phone remains in the spectator's hands. * Inertia * Force text, photos and videos on any website, without hiding the screen from the spectator. Inertia works great as a prediction effect, or combined with your favourite revelation. - Predict a word on any website. - Force photos or videos on Instagram. - Reveal you predicted a selected Tweet, movie or Instagram post. * OneStopShop * This fully customisable effect allows you to force a product of your choosing from an online store. - Novel input method combining old and new mechanics. - Multiple built-in presets, or create your own. - Force multiple playing card back designs, thanks to Theory11, Daniel Madison and Patrick Kun. - Built-in clothing preset is perfect to combine with physical effects, such as Dresscode by Calen Morelli. * ChoiceMail * Your spectator's selection is impossibly revealed when listening to a received audio message. - Input mechanism allows you to secretly code the reveal in performance. - Novel input peek system is hidden in plain sight. - HUGE thanks go to AGT winner Shin Lim, who has recorded the built-in presets! - Also fully customisable with custom presets. * Amped * Using a combination of screenshots, Amped lets you demonstrate your apparent superhuman powers over technology. - Included settings allow for multiple customisation options. - Ends clean - device can be fully inspected at the end of the performance. - Combine with a Charge Card (sold separately) for a physical effect. MORE INFO: Each effect in Amalgam includes detailed in-app instructions and settings. The included effects are for entertainment purposes only, designed for professional performers. This app does not provide true mind reading abilities or anything similar. Please get in touch to discuss TV or video performance rights.

Screenshots

Digital Force Bag3 screens
Amalgam by Marc Kerstein4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Amalgam by Marc Kerstein at Free against Digital Force Bag's $44.99. Amalgam by Marc Kerstein also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.2) and review sentiment (93% vs 65%). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases 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

Amalgam by Marc Kerstein is free to download; Digital Force Bag costs $44.99 up front. Digital Force Bag sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Amalgam by Marc Kerstein sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Amalgam by Marc Kerstein holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 34 and 48 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of Digital Force Bag's written reviews are positive against 93% of Amalgam by Marc Kerstein's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Digital Force Bag ships an update monthly, Amalgam by Marc Kerstein every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Digital Force Bag versus Amalgam by Marc Kerstein: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDigital Force BagAmalgam by Marc Kerstein
Price$44.99Free — better
Rating4.2 (34 ratings)4.7 (48 ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.9% of reviews93.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3448 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.614.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB38 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperCraig SquiresMarc Kerstein

Customer experience

Digital Force Bag

All ratings34 ratings
Positive82.4%
Neutral2.9%
Negative14.7%
Written reviews37 reviews
Positive64.9%
Neutral2.7%
Negative32.4%

Amalgam by Marc Kerstein

All ratings48 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive93.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.7%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Digital Force Bag

One-time1
  • DFB Pro$11.99
10 purchases

Amalgam by Marc Kerstein

One-time10
  • TimedOutFree
  • Amped$14.99
  • Watch$24.99
Show 7 more
  • Word Search$24.99
  • OneStopShop$29.99
  • ChoiceMail$29.99
  • Streets$33.99
  • Inertia$37.99
  • Season One$69.99
  • Season Two$84.99

Questions

Is Digital Force Bag free?
Digital Force Bag costs $44.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Amalgam by Marc Kerstein free?
Amalgam by Marc Kerstein is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Digital Force Bag or Amalgam by Marc Kerstein?
Amalgam by Marc Kerstein is rated higher. Digital Force Bag averages 4.2 out of 5 from 34 ratings, while Amalgam by Marc Kerstein averages 4.7 from 48 ratings.
Do Digital Force Bag or Amalgam by Marc Kerstein have ads?
Neither Digital Force Bag nor Amalgam by Marc Kerstein shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Digital Force Bag or Amalgam by Marc Kerstein?
Digital Force Bag ships an update monthly, and Amalgam by Marc Kerstein every 4 days. Most recently, Digital Force Bag was updated on November 2, 2026 and Amalgam by Marc Kerstein on October 24, 2026.

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