Comparison

Stack Trainer vs Mindbuster

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

Head to head
About

Stack Trainer

This app provides a realistic card deck experience for close-up magicians to train their memory of card stacks. It offers various challenge modes and filters to aid learning and practice, with a focus on a clean, distraction-free interface.

Highlights
  • Realistic card deck simulation
  • Multiple mnemonic training approaches
  • Customizable stack filters
  • Lorrayne's peg words integration
  • Interactive quick-touch analyzer
  • Display and whisper modes
Features
Read full description

Stack Trainer forms part of a comprehensive suite of apps that dedicate to technical learning tools for Close-up magicians. Stack Trainer addresses those who are familiar with the concepts related to Aronson, Tamariz, Nikolas. If you know what these names relate to, and you apply the according techniques, then this app will help you stay tuned and inspired.  Stack Trainer provides a most realistic card deck experience. It sets the golden standard for mnemonic deck training. A radical slim design. Cycle through the logical phases of the challenges at hand. Name it the "virtual spectator" concept. Approaches: - Next Card: Sequentially displayed, name the next card - Each Card: Name each card's position in a shuffled stack - Each Position: Name each position's card in a shuffled stack - Get Position: Name the position of a given card - Get Card: Name the card at a given position - Next Suit: Name the distance to the next of the same suit - Wrong Card: Identify the one card that is displaced in the face-up spread stack - Missing Card: Find the missing card in the face-up spread stack - Spot: Spot a specific card in the face-up spread stack - Highest Card: Identify the high and low cards of a random sub-stack - Four of a Kind: Name the distance to the next of the same kind Filters: Filters can be set to reduce the actual stack to a substack of lower size addressing and supporting the gradual progress during the early learning phase of a stack. Filters also provide different perspectives onto a stack to inspire and engage expert users. These filters, applied to the chosen approach, can be set: - ranges 1-13, 14-26, 27-39, 40-52, and a custom range - pair and impair positions - red and black cards - any of the four suits - court and number cards Some Features: - Aronson, Tamariz and user defined stacks - Lorrayne's peg words for the 52 cards and 52 positions, plus 3 user defined sets - display and whisper modes - includes the quick-touch interactive analyser visualising the solution path and allowing for self imposed problem statements with decadic and tridecadic layouts - feedback driven development - feels almost like a true deck of cards. Practicing card magic you don't want no complicated, overloaded and distracting user interface. Less is more. - probably the most complete, and straightforward solution available. A card, the one downwards (or upwards), maybe its mates, maybe the next one of the same suit. Either on random walk, or deliberate choices on the complete map. Touch swipe, swipe. Swipe and again. To experience the look and feel of 'Stack Trainer' load the free 'Random Input' app available by this developer. Additional information: - License agreement - https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ - Privacy policy - https://yeahgic.com/pge_PrivacyStack.htm

About

Mindbuster

This application requires specific hardware to function, acting as a companion to a physical device. It brings features like auto-scaling, unlimited spectators, and drawing saving to your iPhone or iPad. The app connects wirelessly and offers zone functionality using device vibration.

Highlights
  • Auto Scale to fill
  • Unlimited spectators
  • Save drawings to Photos
  • Zone functionality with vibration
  • Wi-Fi connectivity
Features
Read full description

PLEASE NOTE: THIS APP REQUIRES THE MINDBUSTER HARDWARE MADE BY LABCOMAGIC We are proud to present Mindbuster for iPhone and iPad. All the features from the dedicated receiver is now available on your iPhone or iPad. For example: - Auto Scale to fill. - Unlimited spectators. - drawings are saved in Photos for preshow. - Zone functionality, using the vibration on your iPhone. Mindbuster for iPhone is very easy to use, it connects with the pad through Wi-Fi. Older Mindbusters can also be used with your iPhone/iPad, if you have the Mindbuster iPhone Repeater.

Screenshots

Stack Trainer4 screens
Mindbuster1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Mindbuster at 100% against Stack Trainer's 0%. Mindbuster also leads on price (Free vs $3.99) and rating (5.0 vs 1.0). On ratings volume, update cadence, 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

Mindbuster is free to download; Stack Trainer costs $3.99 up front. Stack Trainer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 3 months. Mindbuster asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Mindbuster holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Stack Trainer's written reviews are positive against 100% of Mindbuster's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Stack Trainer versus Mindbuster: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStack TrainerMindbuster
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating1.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRalph CosSoren Harbo Nielsen

Customer experience

Stack Trainer

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Mindbuster

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Stack Trainer

Subscriptions2
  • 3 Months Subscription7 Days trial$1.993 Months
  • Annual Subscription$2.991 Year
None

Mindbuster

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Stack Trainer free?
Stack Trainer costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Mindbuster free?
Mindbuster is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Stack Trainer or Mindbuster?
Mindbuster is rated higher. Stack Trainer averages 1.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Mindbuster averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Stack Trainer or Mindbuster have ads?
Neither Stack Trainer nor Mindbuster shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Stack Trainer or Mindbuster?
Stack Trainer ships an update every 3 months, and Mindbuster every 3 months. Most recently, Stack Trainer was updated on October 7, 2026 and Mindbuster on October 15, 2026.

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