Comparison

Countdown Widget Maker vs Looking FWD

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

Head to head
About

Countdown Widget Maker

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
Read full description

There are many important moments in life that you will never want to miss, right? Countdown widget & Timer 321 will help you customize and track countdown events right on your home screen and lock screen with just a few taps. Also if you want a great timer right on widget home screen, lock screen or StandBy, this is your choice! Countdown widget® 321 is designed to include many widget styles, which are suitable for any event, or any of your personal styles. They’re very easy to customize, making your phone become eye-catching, impressive, and unique. Countdown widget® 321, from 2016, has helped thousands of people manage their life’s important events. Advantages of the Countdown widget® 321: + WIDGETS on HOME SCREEN & LOCK SCREEN & STANDBY: Add as many events as you want + VARIOUS WIDGET STYLES: Birthday, retirement, a baby born, wedding…Those are not mere images like other widget apps, but are uniquely designed to fit for your events. + TIMER: Count down to seconds on the widget and in the app. Customizable. + TIMER SOUND, COLOR customization. + COUNT UP: You can check how many days a specific event passed + REMINDER: With notification, any kind of events + Can insert PHOTO as widget wallpapers + Easy to change fonts, layouts + Change countdown unit on the widget + Change widget colors or gradient In addition, the event sharing feature will help you spread the fun when counting down with family members, friends, and colleagues. For example, husband and wife count down the date of their child's birth, parents and siblings count down Christmas day, or count down product release date with colleagues. Other important features that are indispensable to an app countdown. + Manage all countdown events on one screen + Can switch from countdown to count up + Create to-do lists related to the event + Add a reminder + Music settings per countdown + Change background image for a countdown + Add emoji ... + Customize your app like a pro + Support widgets on iOS 11+ We are always working to make the product better, so your feedback is always welcome. This ‘Countdown widget® 321’ app is also nominated as ‘App of the day’ by Design Nominee LLC, try it now and have fun!!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Almost all features are free, but if you want customized functionalities, you can subscribe or purchase Lifetime at a reasonable price. The following will apply: * You'll be charged once a month or once a year depending on the subscription option you choose. * Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. * Your subscription will automatically renew unless you turn off auto-renewal at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. * Your account will be charged within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Prices are in US Dollars and may vary outside of the US. * You can manage your subscription and renewal settings, or discontinue your subscription by going to Account Settings after purchase. Terms of Use: https://activeuser.co/term/countdown_policy_term.html Privacy policy: https://activeuser.co/term/countdown_policy_term.html

About

Looking FWD

Track upcoming events with a customizable countdown. Add photos, emojis, and checklists to your events. View upcoming events on your home screen with widgets. Syncs securely across devices via iCloud.

Highlights
  • Customizable event countdowns
  • Event reminders
  • Home screen widgets
  • Photo and emoji customization
  • Checklists for events
  • iCloud sync across devices
Features
Read full description

What are you looking forward to? Looking FWD helps you count down to important events in your life, such as: • Birthdays • Anniversaries • Holidays • Sporting events • Anything else you can think of ... pay day, perhaps! You can create your own event types and you can customise all of your events with photos and emoji. You can also create secret events which will only be displayed when you authenticate. Events can be configured to repeat and to send you reminders. You can also quickly import birthdays from your contacts and events from your calendar. Talking of birthdays, you can add checklists to your events - perfect for keeping track of gifts. Never forget an event again! There's also a beautiful set of widgets so that you can view your upcoming events at a glance right on your home screen. All of your events will be kept in sync, securely and privately, across all of your devices via iCloud. -- Subscription -- Looking FWD requires a subscription, which will allow you to: • Countdown to an unlimited number of events • Automatically import birthdays from your Contacts • Automatically import events from your Calendar • Create your own custom event types • Create your own checklists within each of your events • iCloud Sync will keep your events in sync across all of your devices • Create your own secret event types which can only be viewed when you authenticate • Countdown to your events right on your Home Screen with our widgets • Personalise the look and feel of the app and widget with emojis, photos, and your favourite colour scheme • Significant events such as a 50th birthday will be automatically highlighted Payment will be charged to your App Store Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, at the cost of your selected plan. Subscriptions may be managed, and auto-renewal may be turned off, by going to App Store Settings after purchase. For more information on how we handle your information, please review our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Terms of Service: https://www.johnmackay.dev/#terms Privacy Policy: https://www.johnmackay.dev/#privacy -- Support -- If you have any difficulties using Looking FWD and would like support, please use the Email Support feature within the Help section of the app.

Screenshots

Countdown Widget Maker4 screens
Looking FWD4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Countdown Widget Maker at 4.7 against Looking FWD's 4.0. Countdown Widget Maker also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and ratings volume (5.6K vs 32). Looking FWD's advantage is update cadence (every 11 days vs every 2 months). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Countdown Widget Maker sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 3 months and Looking FWD sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.29 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Countdown Widget Maker holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Countdown Widget Maker has 5.6K ratings behind it against 32, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Countdown Widget Maker's written reviews are positive against 63% of Looking FWD's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Countdown Widget Maker ships an update every 2 months, Looking FWD every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Countdown Widget Maker versus Looking FWD: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCountdown Widget MakerLooking FWD
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (5.6K ratings) — better4.0 (32 ratings)
Positive reviews78.6% of reviews — better62.5% of reviews
Number of ratings5.6K — better32
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 11 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS11.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size94 MB242 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTien Long NguyenJohn Mackay

Customer experience

Countdown Widget Maker

All ratings5,639 ratings
Positive92.7%
Neutral4.3%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews210 reviews
Positive78.6%
Neutral9.0%
Negative12.4%

Looking FWD

All ratings32 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral3.1%
Negative21.9%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive62.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative37.5%

Bugs and requests

Countdown Widget Maker

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Widget not displaying correctly
  • Countdown units not working as expected
  • Purchased features not unlocking properly

Requested features

4 requests
  • 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

Looking FWD

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Countdown Widget Maker

Subscriptions3
  • Three months subscription$3.993 Months
  • Monthly subscription$3.991 Month
  • One year subscription3 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time7
  • Baby arrivals countdown widget$0.99
  • Christmas countdown$0.99
  • Neon style$0.99
Show 4 more
  • Wedding countdown$0.99
  • Birthday countdown$0.99
  • Pro version$4.99
  • Lifetime upgrade$17.99
4 purchases

Looking FWD

Subscriptions3
  • Unlock Looking FWD3 Days trial$0.297 Days
  • Unlock Looking FWD3 Days trial$0.791 Month
  • Unlock Looking FWD3 Days trial$7.991 Year
One-time1
  • Unlock Looking FWD$9.99

Questions

Is Countdown Widget Maker free?
Countdown Widget Maker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Looking FWD free?
Looking FWD is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Countdown Widget Maker or Looking FWD?
Countdown Widget Maker is rated higher. Countdown Widget Maker averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.6K ratings, while Looking FWD averages 4.0 from 32 ratings.
Do Countdown Widget Maker or Looking FWD have ads?
Neither Countdown Widget Maker nor Looking FWD shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Countdown Widget Maker or Looking FWD?
Countdown Widget Maker ships an update every 2 months, and Looking FWD every 11 days. Most recently, Countdown Widget Maker was updated on September 28, 2026 and Looking FWD on September 13, 2026.

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