Search (Enigma) vs Subliminal
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Search (Enigma)
This app acts as a secret assistant to reveal a word a spectator is thinking of. It's designed to be undetectable, making it appear as a pure demonstration of mind reading rather than a phone-based trick. The app handles the complex work, allowing users to perform a stunning mentalism effect.
- Secretly identifies thought-of words
- Appears as mind reading, not a phone trick
- Works in the background as a secret tool
- Free selection, no force
- Instantly repeatable
- Easy to learn
Read full descriptionHide full description
Enigma is your secret assistant to reading any thought of word from someone's mind. It's the first 'invisible app' where your spectator will not even realise your phone is being used for the effect, less suspect any kind of 'app' at work and yet…. it is doing almost all of the work for you. Imagine this… You ask your spectator to freely think of something and visualise it as a word. It could be an object, something found in nature, or even a place for example… Then, seemingly just by touching fingertips and directing the spectator to silently visualise the letters in their word, you are able to reveal their thought of word. Enigma is the perfect every day carry for magicians, mentalists or ANYONE that wants to pull out a jaw dropping party trick at a moments notice. Unlike many phone based magic tricks, Enigma is NOT presented as trick using your phone… It’s seems much more of a pure demonstration of mind reading between you and your audience. Enigma works in the background as a SECRET TOOL that does all the heavy lifting for you FAQ Q - Is Enigma a progressive anagram generator? A - No it’s not (In fact it has nothing to do with anagrams) Q - Is this an electronic game of 20 questions? A - No, nothing like that. The secret method mostly happens whilst the spectator is silent. Q - Can it be performed without an internet connection? A - Yes, Enigma can be performed without internet connection. Q - Is it something I could perform over Zoom? A - Yes, there are several presentations and systems that can work both live and online. Q - Is Enigma language dependant? A - Enigma is taught in English and the system works in multiple other languages (French, German, Italian and Spanish are being added in October 2023) - Enigma is brand new approach to mind reading - Free selection - No Force - Nothing written down - Instantly repeatable - No equivok or other cunning linguistics - 100% practical - Fun to perform - Easy to learn The method? Specifically – a ground-breaking new system designed to secretly identify ANY thought of word, backed up by an intuitive new app. Don’t take my word for it… “Enigma will change the landscape of mind reading forever” - Warren Thackeray “Enigma absolutely walloped me. Fantastic thinking and a killer effect.” - Andy Nyman “This isn't a game-changer. It's the end of the game. Christian fucking won." - Mark Elsdon “When Christian performed this for me I was completely fooled and it reminded me why I got into magic in the first place. Enigma is a masterpiece” Fraser Parker “This is as close to a miracle as I’ve ever seen. Wow… I’m so glad someone told me to come and see this” - Shawn Farquhar “Drawings weren’t safe from the prying eyes of the mentalist…now, with Enigma, neither are thoughts!” - Paul Brook “Christian performed this on me three times and it truly blew my mind. The thinking behind this is pure genius and the method is so easy to learn. 10/10” - Peter Nardi “Christian is one of my favourite creators and performers of all time. I got a random call, he asked me to think of any object and he nailed it! Mind = Blown. Really epic” - Peter Turner "ENIGMA is something truly paradigm shifting. Christian Grace might be my favourite magician. He understands how to create strong dramatic images, and conceal devastating methods within their contours. In ENIGMA, Christian takes the processes many of us fake, and transforms that aesthetic into the very method that facilitates real miracles. This devastated me when I first saw it, and with each subsequent performance, I’ve only been more delighted by Christian’s tireless drive to refinement and subtlety. ENIGMA is something truly paradigm shifting." - Ross Tayler
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.
- 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 descriptionHide 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
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Search (Enigma) at Free against Subliminal's $59.99. Search (Enigma) also leads on review sentiment (88% vs 78%) and device support (3 vs 1). Subliminal's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.3) and chart position (#191 vs unranked). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Search (Enigma) is free to download; Subliminal costs $59.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Subliminal holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 14 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 88% of Search (Enigma)'s written reviews are positive against 78% of Subliminal's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Search (Enigma) ships an update every 5 days, Subliminal every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 15, 2026 and September 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Search (Enigma) | Subliminal |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $59.99 |
| Rating | 4.3 (11 ratings) | 4.9 (14 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 87.5% of reviews — better | 77.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 11 | 14 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #191 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 46 MB | 186 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Magic Monthly LTD | Marc Kerstein |
Customer experience
Search (Enigma)
Subliminal
In-app purchases
Search (Enigma)
No in-app purchases
Subliminal
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Search (Enigma) free?
Is Subliminal free?
Which has better reviews, Search (Enigma) or Subliminal?
Do Search (Enigma) or Subliminal have ads?
Which is updated more often, Search (Enigma) or Subliminal?
Other comparisons















