# Noel vs Christmas Countdown

Noel and Christmas Countdown both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 80% of Noel's written reviews are positive against 42% of Christmas Countdown's. Noel also leads on ads (none vs shown). Christmas Countdown's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (296 vs 84). On price, rating, update cadence and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Noel sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Christmas Countdown asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Noel against 4.6 for Christmas Countdown. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 84 and 296 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Noel's written reviews are positive against 42% of Christmas Countdown's.

Noel ships an update every 3 weeks, Christmas Countdown every 4 weeks. Both last shipped on November 2, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Noel | Christmas Countdown |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (84 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noel-christmas-countdown/id1161557247/reviews)** | [4.6 (296 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/christmas-countdown-2020/id1436702850/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 84 | **296** |
| Positive reviews | **80.0% of reviews** | 42.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 4 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 132 MB | 29 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **8.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Paul Roden II](https://appshunter.io/developer/693041126) | [HayGrazer](https://appshunter.io/developer/1263047373) |

## What reviewers say

### Noel

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noel-christmas-countdown/id1161557247)

This app helps you embrace the holiday spirit with a countdown to Christmas, festive recipes, gift ideas, and activity planning. Enjoy carols with built-in music sheets and track your holiday preparations.

**Highlights:** Christmas countdown clock, Advent widget, AI gift ideas, Recipe list, Activity list, Christmas music sheets

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Noel Premium | $3.99 | per month |
| Noel Premium | $29.99 | per year |


### Christmas Countdown

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/christmas-countdown-2020/id1436702850)

Track the exact time remaining until Christmas with this festive application. Enjoy daily free gifts and engaging mini-games to celebrate the holiday spirit with loved ones.

**Highlights:** Countdown to Christmas, Sleeps until Christmas, Daily free gifts, Christmas themed mini games, Festive backgrounds

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ⏰ Accurate Christmas countdown timer
- 🎨 Customizable background themes
- 🎮 Fun quiz/test feature
- 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Kid-friendly interface
- 💰 Free app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📺 Excessive and intrusive advertisements
- 🎯 Inconsistent quiz scoring system
- 🎮 Misleading game descriptions
- 😔 Harsh/judgmental quiz feedback
- 🔄 Repetitive quiz content

**Reported bugs**

- Quiz always returns same score regardless of answers
- Quiz results appear random and inconsistent
- Word-matching game has more options than required
- Ads appear between quiz score display
- Countdown feature missing in November

**Requested features**

- Tutorial or 'how to play' guide
- Reduce advertisement frequency significantly
- Fix quiz randomness and consistency
- Add actual mini-games as advertised
- Improve quiz result fairness


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Noel free?

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

### Is Christmas Countdown free?

Christmas Countdown is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Noel or Christmas Countdown?

Noel is rated higher. Noel averages 4.7 out of 5 from 84 ratings, while Christmas Countdown averages 4.6 from 296 ratings.

### Do Noel or Christmas Countdown have ads?

Christmas Countdown shows ads; Noel does not.

### Which is updated more often, Noel or Christmas Countdown?

Noel ships an update every 3 weeks, and Christmas Countdown every 4 weeks. Most recently, Noel was updated on November 2, 2026 and Christmas Countdown on November 2, 2026.

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