Comparison

AWP Lumen vs Subliminal

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

Head to head
About

AWP Lumen

This app pairs with LUMEN impression devices to display custom images and text in real-time on your iPhone and Apple Watch. It offers reliable hardware integration for professionals.

Highlights
  • Real-time image and text display
  • Supports LUMEN impression devices
  • iPhone and Apple Watch compatibility
  • Autoscale to fill screen
  • Auto-connect to LUMEN Device
Read full description

This is a free optional app that supports our LUMEN impression devices, LUMEN Prism and the LUMEN Eye. We are proud to offer you a reliable, effective and robust app to pair with your LUMEN impression device hardware. Draw any picture or write any word and see it displayed in real time on your iPhone. Features: - Clear and reliable impression on your iPhone and Apple Watch (Series 5 and above) - Autoscale to fill the screen - Auto connect to your Lumen Device - Dependable hardware for the working professional

About

Subliminal

Generate AI-powered images that creatively reveal a spectator's thought-of word. This tool integrates with existing magic effects to provide a unique visual reveal, leaving a memorable keepsake.

Highlights
  • AI-generated hidden text images
  • Photo grid reveal
  • Single image modes
  • Stretched and upside-down image reveals
  • Multiple input methods (gyro, voice, notes, web)
  • Integration with magic apps and APIs
  • URL triggers for automation
Read full description

Magicians already have a bunch of ways to peek or force a word: From analogue methods like a Center Tear, to something more modern, such as WikiTest or DFB X. But what magicians *don't* have are many interesting ways to reveal that word. This is why I created Subliminal: Subliminal uses AI generated imagery to reveal a spectator's thought, hidden in a photo that they were looking at *the entire time*! ** Here's an example of one effect possible with Subliminal: - To begin, you show your spectator a photo on your phone. - You zoom in on the photo, before leaving your phone on the table and you never touch it again. - The spectator is asked to name a word. - You then ask the spectator to zoom out of the image, where they now realise that the word they named has been seemingly hidden within the photo the entire time. ** Subliminal also works perfectly with your existing effects! Let's say you've performed an effect (perhaps you’ve peeked a word) and have learned the spectator's thought-of word. Rather than just telling your spectator their thought, Subliminal lets you reveal this thought creatively! It's perfect in conjunction with existing analogue and digital effects, from a Center Tear peek to DFB. Features: * Photo Grid You show the spectator some photos in the Photos app on your phone. As you slowly zoom out, the photos turn into letters, which reveal the spectator's thought! * Single Image Modes Reveal the spectator's thought of word within a photo of dogs, windows on a street, the tops of mountains, and more! * Stretched Images Stretched image modes further disguise the reveal until the spectator looks at the screen at an angle, for a fun reveal. * Upside down stretched images Flip the phone upside down to see the hidden word. ** Multiple input methods are included, enabling multiple effects: - Gyro input - for precision typing. - Voice input - with voice peek. - Earworm Notes - a realistic notes app input. - Earworm Web Search - use covert web search input with Subliminal. - WikiTest integration - have the spectator’s Wikipedia search automatically update the image. - Bridge integration - for use with many other apps and AI text inputs. - Open API - for third party integrations. - URL triggers - use Shortcuts to change your iPhone's wallpaper, and more! As well as native WikiTest, Earworm and Bridge integration, Subliminal also supports your favourite magic app’s API. Plus, Subliminal can even be triggered via a URL, meaning Shortcuts can tie in with the app to change your iPhone’s wallpaper, and more! Subliminal currently supports any words or phrases that use the characters A-Z, spaces, and numbers 0-9. At the conclusion of the effect performed with Subliminal, you can even share the photo with the word to your spectator, leaving them with the memory of the effect on their phone! No extra hidden costs, purchases or subscriptions - Subliminal is all you need to generate your own hidden text AI images!

Screenshots

AWP Lumen4 screens
Subliminal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: AWP Lumen at Free against Subliminal's $59.99. AWP Lumen also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 78%). Subliminal's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 4 days vs monthly). On rating, ratings volume, ads 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

AWP Lumen is free to download; Subliminal costs $59.99 up front. AWP Lumen sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Subliminal asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for AWP Lumen against 4.9 for Subliminal. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 14 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of AWP Lumen's written reviews are positive against 78% of Subliminal's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AWP Lumen ships an update monthly, Subliminal every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
AWP Lumen versus Subliminal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAWP LumenSubliminal
PriceFree — better$59.99
Rating5.0 (9 ratings) — better4.9 (14 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better77.8% of reviews
Number of ratings914 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#191 — better
DevicesiPhone, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.616.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size500 MB186 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCFMS LLCMarc Kerstein

Customer experience

AWP Lumen

All ratings9 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Subliminal

All ratings14 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive77.8%
Neutral11.1%
Negative11.1%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

AWP Lumen

One-time2
  • Lumen AI Credits (100 Credits)$5.99
  • Lumen AI Credits (500 Credits)$24.99
None

Subliminal

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is AWP Lumen free?
AWP Lumen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Subliminal free?
Subliminal costs $59.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, AWP Lumen or Subliminal?
AWP Lumen is rated higher. AWP Lumen averages 5.0 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Subliminal averages 4.9 from 14 ratings.
Do AWP Lumen or Subliminal have ads?
Neither AWP Lumen nor Subliminal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AWP Lumen or Subliminal?
AWP Lumen ships an update monthly, and Subliminal every 4 days. Most recently, AWP Lumen was updated on June 1, 2026 and Subliminal on September 12, 2026.

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