Comparison

Rising Card Magic Trick vs The Stranger

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

Head to head
About

Rising Card Magic Trick

Perform a stunning mind-reading magic trick directly from your iPhone. This app allows you to make a chosen card appear to rise from a deck, astonishing your friends. It's easy to learn and works with any card named.

Highlights
  • Perform mind-reading magic
  • Make a card rise from a deck
  • Easy to learn
  • Works with any named card
  • Stunning visual effect
Features
Read full description

A powerful, mind-blowing magic trick, right on your iPhone. Easy to learn. Stunning to perform. "Amazing!" — David Pogue, The New York Times Featured by Apple. As seen in The Wall Street Journal, Wired, TechCrunch, Gizmodo, AppleInsider, iLounge, TUAW, and The New York Times. — How It Works: Ask your friend to name *any* playing card. Hand them your iPhone and let them open the Rising Card app. A photo of a deck of cards appears. As they think of their card and shake the phone, their chosen card *visibly rises* from the deck. No forcing. The tricks works *every* time, with ANY card they name. This app showcases a brilliant method pioneered by critically acclaimed magician Chris Kenner (executive producer for David Copperfield). It's simple to learn and devastatingly effective. - Perfect for beginners and pros - Simple to learn - Can be *any* card - Your friends will FREAK out If you have *any* trouble or questions, visit theory11.com/support for help. We've got your back. — Want to learn more magic? Visit theory11.com for card tricks, illusions, and mentalism taught by top magicians, and the premium playing cards featured in this app.

About

The Stranger

This app enables performers to create impossible moments where a random stranger reveals information chosen by the audience. It supports various revelations, including playing cards, words, numbers, and names, with international language support for a global audience.

Highlights
  • Reveal chosen playing cards
  • Reveal thought-of words
  • Reveal numbers from addresses
  • Reveal names of loved ones
  • International language support
  • Customizable phone screen language
Features
Read full description

“There are very few effects that transcend ‘magic trick’. ’The Stranger' is one of those effects." -David Regal, "Genii Magazine" “The Stranger” offers unlimited scenarios: A playing card is chosen, a word is thought of from a Book Test, the numbers from someone’s address are named, an envelope is freely selected, or the name of someone’s loved one is offered…and then, a random stranger is called. The audience has a conversation with the stranger and the stranger reveals the information. This is an impossible moment. It leaves the audience with a feeling they cannot explain and they erupt in applause! Not out of a desire to be kind, rather as an uncontrollable, visceral reaction. And it happens every time. With this purchase, you can have a playing card—any card, using no force of any kind—revealed by a stranger. Other effects can be unlocked to allow a number or a word revealed, read an NFC tag, or to simply allow the audience member to speak and have key details revealed by the stranger on the other end of the call without the performer saying a word. “It crushed! One guy jumped out of his seat and ran out of the theater!” —Larry Wilmore “So clever... the method alone opens up SO many possibilities” —Danny Garcia "It may just be the most fantastic five minutes of entertainment possible with a cell phone!” —Jim Steinmeyer “This is one of the strongest and most well put together phone app effects I've ever seen!” —Tony Clark “This brilliantly thought-out routine defies explanation.” —Mike Caveney “Jonathan has put a lot of work into this versatile app to make it an incredibly useful approach to the modern day Mr. Wizard effect… and much more!” — Marc Kerstein "I am having a blast with ‘The Stranger.’ A perfect, offbeat trick that I pull out when I want to send them over the edge.” —Paul Gertner “You did it! This is definitely the best 'Call a Stranger' idea ever! For the working pro to the beginner. This is a real winner!” —Dan Harlan “When I watched Jonathan Levit perform ’The Stranger,' he received the largest explosive reaction I've ever heard inside the Chicago Magic Lounge.” —Danny Orleans “Jonathan has thought of everything. Do yourself a huge favor, download 'The Stranger' today!” —Carl Andrews, "Vanish Magazine" INTERNATIONAL GLOBALIZATION: Support for International regions and languages include the following: Phone Number Display: When dialing a phone number within or to a country, the proper phone number format will display on screen. Ringer Tones: The tones you hear while waiting for the call to pick-up are correct for the region. Disconnected Number Recording Convincer: This convincer prior to calling a recording or a live Stranger, will be in the language of the region set by the user. Phone Screen Language Translation: The phone dial screen and active call screen display the correct language for the screens. Conversation Recordings: Phone conversations are in the language of the region chosen by the user. ___________________________ REGIONS AND INTERNATIONAL FEATURES SUPPORTED: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China (Cantonese), El Salvador, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, UK, USA: Phone number, Ringer tones, Disconnected number recording, Phone screen translation, Recordings China (Mandarin), Denmark (Danish), Netherlands (Dutch), Russia, Switzerland, Belgium, Kuwait, Philippines, Croatia, Vietnam, Romania: Phone number, Ringer tones, Disconnected number recording, Phone screen translation India, Japan: Phone number, Ringer tones, Disconnected number recording, Recordings NOTE: If you do not see your region listed above, please feel free to contact me directly at thestranger@jonathanlevit.com to request for your region to be included in a future update. This app is for entertainment purposes only. Click here (http://thestrangerapp.com/terms/) to see Terms of use for more information.

Screenshots

Rising Card Magic Trick4 screens
The Stranger4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: The Stranger at Free against Rising Card Magic Trick's $2.99. The Stranger also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 13 months) and review sentiment (96% vs 71%). Rising Card Magic Trick's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10). On rating, ratings volume 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

The Stranger is free to download; Rising Card Magic Trick costs $2.99 up front. The Stranger sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Rising Card Magic Trick asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Rising Card Magic Trick against 4.9 for The Stranger. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 134 and 84 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 71% of Rising Card Magic Trick's written reviews are positive against 96% of The Stranger's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Rising Card Magic Trick ships an update every 13 months, The Stranger fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Rising Card Magic Trick versus The Stranger: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRising Card Magic TrickThe Stranger
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (134 ratings)4.9 (84 ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.5% of reviews95.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings134 — better84
Update frequencyEvery 13 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB246 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developertheory11.comJonathan Levit Consulting

Customer experience

Rising Card Magic Trick

All ratings133 ratings
Positive96.2%
Neutral0.8%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews214 reviews
Positive71.5%
Neutral8.9%
Negative19.6%

The Stranger

All ratings86 ratings
Positive96.5%
Neutral1.2%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews68 reviews
Positive95.6%
Neutral1.5%
Negative2.9%

Bugs and requests

Rising Card Magic Trick

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes or freezes
  • Swipe functionality not working
  • Incompatible with certain iPhone/iPod models
  • Outdated interface not matching current iOS versions

Requested features

4 requests
  • Update to support latest iOS versions
  • Allow using own home screen layout
  • Add more deck/card options
  • Improve handling of Ace of Spades selection

The Stranger

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Rising Card Magic Trick

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

The Stranger

Subscriptions2
  • Activate Friend Auto Texting$3.991 Month
  • Monthly Access Autocrib AI1 Month trial$29.001 Month
One-time8
  • Recording: Poor Cell Reception$14.99
  • Recording: Memdeck$14.99
  • Nail Writer Revelation$49.99
Show 5 more
  • Book Test Revelation$99.99
  • Activate Friend Auto Texting$99.99
  • Upgrade To Live From Lite$149.00
  • Playing Card revelation$149.99
  • Upgrade To Live From Trial$299.00

Questions

Is Rising Card Magic Trick free?
Rising Card Magic Trick costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is The Stranger free?
The Stranger is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Rising Card Magic Trick or The Stranger?
The Stranger is rated higher. Rising Card Magic Trick averages 4.8 out of 5 from 134 ratings, while The Stranger averages 4.9 from 84 ratings.
Do Rising Card Magic Trick or The Stranger have ads?
Neither Rising Card Magic Trick nor The Stranger shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Rising Card Magic Trick or The Stranger?
Rising Card Magic Trick ships an update every 13 months, and The Stranger fortnightly. Most recently, Rising Card Magic Trick was updated on October 31, 2026 and The Stranger on November 2, 2026.

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