iDeal vs NameForge
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
iDeal
This app allows magicians to perform card tricks by predicting or forcing cards. It enables users to know a card thought of by an audience member without a physical deck and practice card stacks. Customize the app with your own name and card stacks for unique performances.
- Predict random cards
- Force cards at random numbers
- Know audience's thought-of card
- Practice card stacks
- Customizable app name
- Create custom card stacks
- Peek chosen card on Apple Watch/PeekSmith
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iDeal - Stack it, Predict it, Force it, Peek it! Want to read the minds of your audience who is thinking of a 'Random' Card? Want to predict a randomly chosen card? Want to force a card at a random number? Want to a know the card your audience member is thinking of without a deck of cards? Want to practice your favourite card stack? iDeal is for magicians of all ages to fool their audience with this diabolically simple app. Customise your app with a name of your choice, choose a card to force from a preselected stack, or create your own card stack to force. Peek the chosen card on any Apple Watch or a PeekSmith, and know the position of it instantly in a chosen stack. iDeal can be used for any live or online magic show.
NameForge
This tool transforms any word into a personalized acrostic for mentalism performances. It offers seamless input and output options, with optional pro features for enhanced routines and community sharing.
- Word to acrostic generation
- Customizable input and output
- Pro features via in-app purchases
- Apple Watch integration
- Voice and camera input
- Community sharing of routines
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NAMEFORGE - MODERN MENTALISM, FORGED TO PERFECTION Created by professional mentalist Paul Brook, NameForge is a cutting-edge mentalism tool that transforms a simple word into a powerful, personalised moment of mentalism. Take a name - typed, spoken*, or selected - and instantly generate a compelling acrostic, where the first letter of each line spells out the original word. It feels deeply personal to your participant, yet the method remains entirely invisible. Whether you’re performing on stage, close-up, or over video, NameForge delivers genuine impact - without giving away your secrets. CUSTOMISED INPUT AND OUTPUT, SEAMLESS DELIVERY Any word can be inputted into NameForge, which will then be turned into an acrostic - where the first letter of each word creates another word. After the acrostic is made, it can then be sent virtually anywhere you want, via the predefined outputs, or use the customisable outputs to send to somewhere specific. PRO FEATURES FOR WORKING PERFORMERS Enhance your routines with optional Pro features (In-App Purchases): • Apple Watch Peek – discreet reveals on your wrist • Voice Input – speak the word aloud to create the acrostic • Camera Input – show a written word to any of your phone's cameras to input it • Unforged Sending – send unformatted words to any integration • Search Result Output – make their phone show your prediction • Add More API Outputs – connect to more integrations COMMUNITY-DRIVEN SHARING Profiles and word lists can be shared between performers with ease, letting you explore and perform community-favourite routines in seconds. CONSTANTLY EVOLVING NameForge is packed with tools and always evolving - ready to help you create miracles, anywhere, anytime. *Voice Input requires the ‘Voice Input’ In-App purchase.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: iDeal at $24.99 against NameForge's $69.99. iDeal also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and in-app purchases (none vs 6). NameForge's advantage is update cadence (every 8 days vs every 29 months). On ratings volume, ads, monetization model 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
iDeal costs $24.99 and NameForge $69.99 up front. NameForge sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. iDeal asks for nothing beyond the download.
iDeal holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of iDeal's written reviews are positive against 90% of NameForge's.
iDeal ships an update every 29 months, NameForge every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | iDeal | NameForge |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $24.99 — better | $69.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | 4.5 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 90.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 29 months | Every 8 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 29 MB | 60 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Magic Media Ltd | Paul Michael Brook |
Customer experience
iDeal
NameForge
In-app purchases
iDeal
No in-app purchases
NameForge
- Unforged Output$29.99
- API Inputs$29.99
- Watch Peek$49.99
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- Voice Input$49.99
- Camera Input$49.99
- Search Result Output$49.99







