# Countdown Widget Maker vs Retirement Countdown App

The clearest difference is ads: Countdown Widget Maker at none against Retirement Countdown App's shown. On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Countdown Widget Maker sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 3 months and Retirement Countdown App sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Countdown Widget Maker against 4.8 for Retirement Countdown App. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5.6K and 6.3K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 79% of Countdown Widget Maker's written reviews are positive against 87% of Retirement Countdown App's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Countdown Widget Maker | Retirement Countdown App |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (5.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-widget-maker/id1189515875/reviews) | **[4.8 (6.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retirement-countdown-app/id1217657327/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 5.6K | **6.3K** |
| Positive reviews | 78.6% of reviews | **86.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 94 MB | 64 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 12.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tien Long Nguyen](https://appshunter.io/developer/932711659) | [Green Gecko LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1358922180) |

## What reviewers say

### Countdown Widget Maker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-widget-maker/id1189515875)

Customize and track important life events directly on your home and lock screens. This app offers various widget styles and timer functionalities to help you manage and share countdowns for birthdays, holidays, and more.

**Highlights:** Home screen widgets, Lock screen widgets, StandBy widgets, Customizable widget styles, Timer and count up functionality, Event reminders, Photo and emoji customization

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Three months subscription | $3.99 | per 3 months |
| Monthly subscription | $3.99 | per month |
| One year subscription | $9.99 | per year |
| Baby arrivals countdown widget | $0.99 | one-time |
| Christmas countdown | $0.99 | one-time |
| Neon style | $0.99 | one-time |
| Wedding countdown | $0.99 | one-time |
| Birthday countdown | $0.99 | one-time |
| Pro version | $4.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime upgrade | $17.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Countdown widget
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🎨 Customizable backgrounds and fonts
- 💡 Helpful for tracking important dates
- 🎉 Fun and exciting

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Paywall for many features
- 🔒 Limited free options
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 🤔 Confusing subscription model

**Reported bugs**

- Widget not displaying correctly
- Countdown units not working as expected
- Purchased features not unlocking properly

**Requested features**

- More free widget and theme options
- Ability to display countdown in different units (weeks, months, etc.)
- Notification/reminder system for countdown events
- Sorting and organizing multiple countdowns


### Retirement Countdown App

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retirement-countdown-app/id1217657327)

Track your time until retirement with a customizable countdown. Explore bucket list ideas, get daily inspiration, and discover travel news and deals. Offers free and premium subscription options.

**Highlights:** Retirement countdown, Bucket list planner, Retirement ideas, Quote of the day, Customizable themes, Travel news and deals

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (15)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $2.99 | per month |
| Premium Version | $4.99 | per month |
| Remove Ads | $8.99 | per year |
| Premium Version | $17.99 | per year |
| Theme Snow | $0.99 | one-time |
| Theme Mountains | $0.99 | one-time |
| Theme Zen | $0.99 | one-time |
| Theme Mountain Lake | $0.99 | one-time |
| Theme Mountain Lake 2 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Theme Beach Hammock | $0.99 | one-time |
| Theme Forest | $0.99 | one-time |
| Theme Cruise Ship | $0.99 | one-time |
| function to add own picture | $1.99 | one-time |
| Remove ads | $3.99 | one-time |
| Premium Lifetime | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Accurate countdown
- 💡 Inspiring quotes and anticipation features
- 😊 Motivating and fun
- 🎉 Celebration at the end

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Collects too much personal data
- 🔕 Intrusive notifications
- 💤 Repetitive reminders
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and buffering issues

**Reported bugs**

- Countdown not updating accurately
- Inability to turn off daily notifications

**Requested features**

- Add widget for home/lock screens
- Option to track work days instead of calendar days
- Weekly or monthly reminders


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Countdown Widget Maker free?

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

### Is Retirement Countdown App free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Countdown Widget Maker or Retirement Countdown App?

Retirement Countdown App is rated higher. Countdown Widget Maker averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.6K ratings, while Retirement Countdown App averages 4.8 from 6.3K ratings.

### Do Countdown Widget Maker or Retirement Countdown App have ads?

Retirement Countdown App shows ads; Countdown Widget Maker does not.

### Which is updated more often, Countdown Widget Maker or Retirement Countdown App?

Countdown Widget Maker ships an update every 2 months, and Retirement Countdown App every 2 months. Most recently, Countdown Widget Maker was updated on September 25, 2026 and Retirement Countdown App on September 22, 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.*