# Retirement Countdown App vs Countdown Widget & Counter

The clearest difference is ads: Countdown Widget & Counter at none against Retirement Countdown App's shown. Countdown Widget & Counter also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). Retirement Countdown App's advantage is review sentiment (87% vs 76%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.6). On price, rating, ratings volume and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Retirement Countdown App sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Countdown Widget & Counter sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Retirement Countdown App holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6.3K and 2.4K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 87% of Retirement Countdown App's written reviews are positive against 76% of Countdown Widget & Counter's.

Retirement Countdown App ships an update every 2 months, Countdown Widget & Counter fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Retirement Countdown App | Countdown Widget & Counter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (6.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retirement-countdown-app/id1217657327/reviews)** | [4.6 (2.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-widget-and-counter/id1533996161/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6.3K** | 2.4K |
| Positive reviews | **86.6% of reviews** | 75.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 64 MB | 159 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Green Gecko LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1358922180) | [The Good App Company, Limited Liability Company](https://appshunter.io/developer/1086171798) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Countdown Widget & Counter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-widget-and-counter/id1533996161)

Create customizable widgets to track upcoming events directly on your home screen. Visualize your countdowns with beautiful designs, icons, and color gradients. Receive real-time notifications for important dates.

**Highlights:** Live countdown widgets, Customizable widget templates, Event editor with live preview, Color gradients, Over 50 icons, Real-time push notifications

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Widget Studio PRO | $1.99 | per month |
| Monthly Subscription | $3.99 | per month |
| Widget Studio PRO | $4.99 | per year |
| Widget Studio PRO | $5.99 | per year |
| Widget Studio PRO | $7.99 | per year |
| Widget Studio PRO | $8.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription | $12.99 | per year |
| Widget Studio PRO | $12.99 | per year |
| Widget Studio Pro Lifetime | $9.99 | one-time |
| Widget Studio Pro Lifetime | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 👍 Fantastic for glancing at events
- 👍 Cool app
- 👍 Nice widgets
- 👍 Good countdown app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Extremely buggy
- 🔕 NOT IMPRESSED (no sound)
- 💰 Expensive price
- 💰 Money
- 💰 Only 2 for free

**Reported bugs**

- Time calculation isn't correct
- Widget and in-app display show different days remaining
- Widget goes blank after phone restart
- Countdowns freeze or count up unexpectedly
- Paid version still shows ads

**Requested features**

- Better integration with calendar and reminder API
- Ability to rearrange events in the countdown list
- Option to default 'What's Next' to user's choice
- Larger photo frame in widget
- Ability to group events into categories


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Retirement Countdown App free?

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

### Is Countdown Widget & Counter free?

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

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

Retirement Countdown App is rated higher. Retirement Countdown App averages 4.8 out of 5 from 6.3K ratings, while Countdown Widget & Counter averages 4.6 from 2.4K ratings.

### Do Retirement Countdown App or Countdown Widget & Counter have ads?

Retirement Countdown App shows ads; Countdown Widget & Counter does not.

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

Retirement Countdown App ships an update every 2 months, and Countdown Widget & Counter fortnightly. Most recently, Retirement Countdown App was updated on September 22, 2026 and Countdown Widget & Counter on September 24, 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.*