Comparison

Magic Designer vs Shift4 InCharge

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

Head to head
About

Magic Designer

This business software simplifies sending display letters and managing screen parameters. It offers a variety of plug-ins for different scenarios and supports online upgrades for player devices.

Highlights
  • Easy display letter sending
  • Rich plug-ins for various scenarios
  • Command support
  • Online screen parameter and player upgrades
Features
Read full description

Easy-to-use business display letter sending software, simple and easy to use; Rich plug-ins can cover most application scenarios; Support various commands to be issued, and screen parameter files and players can be obtained online for upgrading;

About

Shift4 InCharge

This app provides restaurant operators with real-time reporting and analytics to manage their business effectively. It offers insights into sales, labor, and employee performance, enabling data-driven decisions on the go. Access detailed metrics for multiple locations or individual restaurants.

Highlights
  • Real-time sales and labor reporting
  • Multi-location performance overview
  • Employee performance tracking
  • Fingerprint and facial recognition login
  • Drill-down analytics for detailed insights
Features
Read full description

Actionable insights at your fingertips. InCharge is a robust restaurant management platform that gives you a wide variety of real-time reporting and analytics to help you run your business. As a mobile companion to Shift4’s Lighthouse Business Manager, InCharge puts actionable insights at your fingertips so you can make smart, data-driven decisions anytime, anywhere. Features include: - Ability to view stats from multiple locations or hone in on a single restaurant - Syncs in real time with Harbortouch Bar & Restaurant (HBR), CirroTouch, and Duet POS systems - Quick login access with fingerprint and facial recognition options Whenever you enter the app, you’ll see a high-level overview of all your locations that includes a daily or weekly view of: - Total sales - Sales per ticket - Average ticket time - Open tickets - Labor percentage From there, you can drill down to get more details about any of these areas to quickly identify trends and resolve any issues. InCharge also includes labor management tools that allow you to view, assess, and manage your employees to reduce costs and improve efficiencies. - View staff member performance, including hours, sales, tips, ticket time, and more - Compare current labor percentages with the location’s trends - Identify staff currently working overtime

Screenshots

Magic Designer3 screens
Shift4 InCharge4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Magic Designer at 3.6 against Shift4 InCharge's 2.9. Magic Designer also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.6). Shift4 InCharge's advantage is ratings volume (92 vs 5). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Magic Designer holds the better App Store score, 3.6 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shift4 InCharge has 92 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 0% of Magic Designer's written reviews are positive against 8% of Shift4 InCharge's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Magic Designer ships an update every 4 months, Shift4 InCharge every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and August 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Magic Designer versus Shift4 InCharge: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMagic DesignerShift4 InCharge
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.6 (5 ratings) — better2.9 (92 ratings)
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews7.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings592 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size144 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperShenzhen Huidu Technology Co., LtdShift4 Corporation

Customer experience

Magic Designer

All ratings5 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative50.0%

Shift4 InCharge

All ratings92 ratings
Positive43.5%
Neutral3.3%
Negative53.3%
Written reviews26 reviews
Positive7.7%
Neutral3.8%
Negative88.5%

In-app purchases

None

Magic Designer

No in-app purchases

None

Shift4 InCharge

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Magic Designer free?
Magic Designer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Shift4 InCharge free?
Shift4 InCharge is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Magic Designer or Shift4 InCharge?
Magic Designer is rated higher. Magic Designer averages 3.6 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Shift4 InCharge averages 2.9 from 92 ratings.
Do Magic Designer or Shift4 InCharge have ads?
Neither Magic Designer nor Shift4 InCharge shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Magic Designer or Shift4 InCharge?
Magic Designer ships an update every 4 months, and Shift4 InCharge every 2 months. Most recently, Magic Designer was updated on September 10, 2026 and Shift4 InCharge on August 31, 2026.

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