# Countdown Timer vs Phantom Countdown

The clearest difference is ads: Phantom Countdown at none against Countdown Timer's shown. Phantom Countdown also leads on review sentiment (83% vs 60%). Countdown Timer's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (1.4K vs 276). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Countdown Timer sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days and Phantom Countdown sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Countdown Timer against 4.6 for Phantom Countdown. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Countdown Timer has 1.4K ratings behind it against 276, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 60% of Countdown Timer's written reviews are positive against 83% of Phantom Countdown's.

Countdown Timer ships an update every 3 weeks, Phantom Countdown every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Countdown Timer | Phantom Countdown |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (1.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-timer-clock-widget/id1123159300/reviews) | **[4.6 (276 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phantom-countdown/id1549294840/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.4K** | 276 |
| Positive reviews | 59.9% of reviews | **82.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 103 MB | 55 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.1** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ZipoApps](https://appshunter.io/developer/1671444635) | [Matthew Sinex](https://appshunter.io/developer/1549294842) |

## What reviewers say

### Countdown Timer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-timer-clock-widget/id1123159300)

Track upcoming events and past memories with a simple, elegant timer. Count down to special occasions or count up from significant dates. Enjoy a distraction-free interface and seamless syncing across Apple devices.

**Highlights:** Countdown to future events, Count up from past events, Minimalistic and intuitive interface, Track birthdays, holidays, and deadlines, Syncs across Apple devices

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (15)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited access | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlimited access | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlimited access | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlimited access | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlimited access | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlimited access | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlimited access | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlimited access | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlimited access | $8.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlimited access | $9.99 | per year |
| Unlimited access | $19.99 | per year |
| Unlimited access | $29.99 | per year |
| Unlimited access | $39.99 | per year |
| Unlimited access | $49.99 | per year |
| Remove Ads | $1.95 | one-time |


### Phantom Countdown

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phantom-countdown/id1549294840)

This free utility app helps fans of a popular JRPG series track upcoming events. Create and customize multiple countdowns, display them on your home screen with widgets, and choose from built-in or custom themes. Countdowns update daily, offering flexible tracking by date, number of days, or unknown dates.

**Highlights:** Multiple countdown creation, Home screen widgets, Customizable themes, Automatic daily updates, Flexible date tracking

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Level 1 Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Level 5 Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Level 25 Tip | $9.99 | one-time |
| Level 50 Tip | $24.99 | one-time |
| Level 99 Tip | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Persona-themed countdown
- 👍 Customizable themes and colors
- 🎨 Stylish and visually appealing
- 📆 Helpful for tracking deadlines and events
- 🎮 Captures the Persona aesthetic

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs with widget functionality
- 🔧 Issues with changing themes and colors
- 🔒 Lack of transparency in background
- 📊 Limited customization options

**Reported bugs**

- Countdowns disappearing or not saving
- Widgets not displaying properly
- App freezing when changing notification settings
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Add countdown to lock screen
- Integrate with calendar app
- Ability to set custom countdown sounds
- Automatic countdown rotation
- More detailed Persona-themed design


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Countdown Timer free?

Countdown Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Phantom Countdown free?

Phantom Countdown is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Countdown Timer or Phantom Countdown?

Phantom Countdown is rated higher. Countdown Timer averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.4K ratings, while Phantom Countdown averages 4.6 from 276 ratings.

### Do Countdown Timer or Phantom Countdown have ads?

Countdown Timer shows ads; Phantom Countdown does not.

### Which is updated more often, Countdown Timer or Phantom Countdown?

Countdown Timer ships an update every 3 weeks, and Phantom Countdown every 2 months. Most recently, Countdown Timer was updated on September 27, 2026 and Phantom Countdown on September 18, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*