Comparison

Countdown vs Firstly

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

Head to head
About

Countdown

Manage events, recurring monthly expenses, and countdowns to important dates. Efficiently track multiple timers for various activities. Stay organized with timely notifications for upcoming events and financial obligations.

Highlights
  • Efficient event and expense management
  • Automatic repeating monthly expenses
  • Countdown to important dates
  • Multiple timer management
  • Timely notifications for events and expenses
  • List view of upcoming events and expenses
Features
Read full description

“Reminder++" is designed to notify your events, monthly expense, and countdown dates. Features : * You can have a whole list in one screen to have an efficient management * Monthly expenses are automatically repeating every month. (The same date will be repeated for next month if you missed the specified date. 1. The Latest List * Show the list of countdown the d-day and monthly expenses in nearest dates 2. Timer * Multiple Timers (Cooking, Meditation, Break, etc. number of timers can be managed in one screen) * Timer that is being used frequently can be arranged at the top of the list 3. Countdown D-days * Anniversary, Birthday, Children’s birthday, party, meeting, social event and concert, etc. All of your events are managed in one screen * Listed from the nearest date 4. Monthly Expenses (Notification for monthly fees) * Letting you know the list of monthly expenses on time * You can pre-set the details of expenses to let you know on time * Monthly expenses are automatically repeating every month

About

Firstly

This app helps you focus on what truly matters by prioritizing your tasks and projects. It offers a unique approach to personal prioritization, with features like project organization, multiple prioritizers, and detailed reports to boost your productivity. It also ensures your data remains private and syncs via iCloud.

Highlights
  • Organize with Projects, Checklists & Tags
  • Multiple Prioritizers
  • Daily Priority Reports
  • Today's Tasks View (Priority, Schedule, Difficulty)
  • Widgets & Siri Integration
  • Add Subtasks, Notes, Deadlines, and Reminders
  • QuickScheduling and Natural Language Input
Features
Read full description

Do you know what's better than getting things done? – Getting the RIGHT things done. Firstly is the ultimate personal tool that helps you find out and go after your true priorities. To avoid common mistakes like confusing urgency and importance or allowing your job or other people to prioritize your life, Firstly's brand new approach to prioritizing focuses your attention and energy on what matters most to you on a personal level. WHY SO PERSONAL? Prioritizing is a personal game. What's important to you might be less important to other people. So, Firstly was designed for personal use. Furthermore, Firstly is one of the rare apps of its kind that does not collect any of your data – Not even an email or nickname. And yes! Your data still syncs through your private iCloud for free. :) KEY FEATURES - Organize everything using Projects, Checklists & Tags. - Multiple Prioritizers: Helping you prioritize anything. - The Priority Report: A daily (weekly, monthly, yearly) report of the tasks completed from a priority point of view. Check your focusScore. - View your Today's tasks from a Priority, Schedule, or Difficulty-level perspective. - Boost your productivity with gorgeous widgets, Control Center Widgets, Lock Screen widgets, live activity, Siri & Shortcuts. MORE FEATURES - Add subtasks and notes to any tasks. - Add a scheduled time (a to-do time). - Add a deadline. - Add a duration and difficulty-level - Add multiple reminders. - Enjoy a simple timer to help you focus on the task. - Turn any task into a routine by using the repeat feature. - Track completed recurrences for routine tasks. - Introducing QuickScheduling: The most effective way to plan the tasks already available in your projects. - Add a priority and deadline for any project. - Add tasks from other apps via text or links using the new Share Extension. - Type using natural language like: "Meet with investors tomorrow at noon" and let Firstly schedule it for you. - Enhanced note: Add rich notes to any task. An embedded detail extractor lets you access your details efficiently. - Insert multiple tasks or subtasks with a simple copy and paste. - Merge two Projects or Lists. - Share any Project or List with other Firstly users via Messages, emails, etc. - Save any Project or List as a Firstly file - Move items from a list to a project and vice versa. - A Gorgeous dark mode. - Project themes for a more personalized experience. - Shareable Daily Wisdom quote every day. - And so much more… WHO NEEDS ANOTHER BILL? – NOT ME! Get the Lifetime Premium access to all Firstly's features and a bonus of 5 add-ons (2 prioritizers and 3 project themes) with a one-time payment rather than being stuck in a subscription. The Lifetime Premium also includes access to the many new features coming down the pike. If needed, enhance your experience with add-ons, such as extra prioritizers, project themes, and icon pack extensions. FREE TRIAL? Yes, of course! Enjoy a 7-day free trial peacefully. Your card will not be charged at the end of the free trial. QUESTIONS? If you have any questions, please get in touch with us directly at support@focuscove.com. Countless hours went into creating the Firstly app. We truly appreciate any review you could leave for us. Thank you!

Screenshots

Countdown4 screens
Firstly4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Firstly at Free against Countdown's $9.99. Firstly also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 7 months). Countdown's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and review sentiment (100% vs 82%). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Firstly is free to download; Countdown costs $9.99 up front. Firstly sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Countdown asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Countdown ships an update every 7 months, Firstly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Countdown versus Firstly: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCountdownFirstly
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating—4.7 (50 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better82.1% of reviews
Number of ratings—50 — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerjekyung sungfocusCove LLC

Customer experience

Countdown

Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Firstly

All ratings45 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.7%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive82.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative17.9%

In-app purchases

None

Countdown

No in-app purchases

8 purchases

Firstly

One-time8
  • 07-day TrialFree
  • Darker Palette$0.99
  • Project Icon Pack$0.99
Show 5 more
  • Wellness Prioritizer$1.99
  • Eisenhower Prioritizer$1.99
  • Coffee for Jonathan$2.99
  • Tacos for Jonathan$6.99
  • Lifetime Premium$14.99

Questions

Is Countdown free?
Countdown costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Firstly free?
Firstly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Countdown or Firstly have ads?
Neither Countdown nor Firstly shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Countdown or Firstly?
Countdown ships an update every 7 months, and Firstly monthly. Most recently, Countdown was updated on October 8, 2026 and Firstly on October 30, 2026.

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