Comparison

Looking FWD vs Countdown ™

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

Head to head
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

Life’s happy moments. Count down to yours. Looking FWD is a colourful calendar for counting down to the things that make life special. From big birthdays and weddings to holidays, concerts and your next pay day, keep everything you’re excited about in one happy place. Enjoy the anticipation, see what’s coming next and be ready when the day arrives. • Make every countdown yours Bring your events to life with emojis, photos and colours. Create your own categories for the people, plans and occasions that matter to you. • See the good things ahead Explore upcoming events in your calendar and watch the days count down. Choose your countdown style and add progress rings to see each moment getting closer. • Celebrate the milestones Keep birthdays and anniversaries together, with ages and special milestones highlighted so the big ones stand out. • Put happy moments on your Home Screen Add customisable Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets to keep your favourite countdowns in sight without opening the app. • Turn anticipation into preparation Set reminders and add checklists to your events. Keep gift ideas, holiday packing and plans for the big day right beside the countdown. • Add events with less effort Import from Contacts and Calendar, explore suggested events, or type naturally with on-device AI Smart Entry on supported devices. • Keep everything together Sync your events across your Apple devices with iCloud. Enjoy light and dark appearances, and keep private event categories behind authentication. Whether it’s a once-in-a-lifetime celebration or a little treat at the end of the week, give yourself something to look forward to. What are you Looking FWD to? -- Subscription -- Looking FWD requires a subscription to access the features described above. Payment will be charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription automatically renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the current period at the price of your selected plan. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings. Terms of Service: https://www.johnmackay.dev/#terms Privacy Policy: https://www.johnmackay.dev/#privacy -- Support -- Need a hand? Use Email Support in the app’s Help section to get in touch.

About

Countdown ™

Create custom countdown widgets for your home screen to track important events. Personalize with photos, themes, and preset designs. Receive smart reminders so you never miss a moment.

Highlights
  • Customizable home screen widgets
  • Preset event designs
  • Personalize with photos and themes
  • Smart event reminders
  • Easy event sharing
  • Dark mode support
Features
Read full description

The "Best Countdown Widget" allows you to add widgets and customize the home screen for your all events countdown. Here are some cool preset events that look beautiful. Forgo a clunky calendar for a sleek and beautiful countdown timer on your homescreen. It's your big days and you need it to be as magnificent as it can. A simple calendar won't do it justice and aesthetic. The count down starts today. Let's set Countdown Calendar for precious moments. Countdown Widget easy setup Just follow the simple and clear instructions to set up countdown widgets on your screen. Quick setup only matter of seconds! A few taps – your screen looks superb! Countdown Widget Maker Create a countdown widget on your home screen with your own way design. Be able to count the most important days end events every day right in front of you. Preset events packs for Countdown Calendar Hundred of countdown calendar designs will suit any event of yours. Or you can choose from a rich variety of shapes, fonts, and backgrounds to make your own countdown calendar. Countdown to events that repeat yearly, monthly or weekly. Never miss any important moments! Customize photo for your countdown event For a truly unique and sleek countdown widget for your own, use your favorite photo to setup them! Never miss your upcoming events again With countdown event reminder smart feature help you configure your countdown event and get notifications more frequently as the event approaches. Events anniversaries and precious moments will never be forgotten again. Easy sharing your precious moments Let's with each other countdown precious moments. With event sharing feature will help you spread the fun when counting down with family members, friends, colleagues and invite them to join in your countdown. COUNTDOWN WIDGET FEATURE: - Countdown setup with Dark mode. - Easy setup matter of seconds. - Hundred of Preset events available in Countdown Premium. - Personalize your event with theme modes, headings and widget style. - Set favorite photo for your event countdowns. - Add to your home screen and see countdown clock without opening the app! - Smart countdown reminder feature never miss your events. - Track as many events you want countdown. There are many moments in life that you will never want to miss, right? Let's download and each other countdown your important events now! SUBSCRIPTION PRICING & TERMS - Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account as soon as you confirm your purchase. - You can manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal from your Account Settings after the purchase. - Subscription will renew automatically, unless you turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. - The cost of renewal will be charged to your account in the 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. - When canceling a subscription, your subscription will stay active until the end of the period. Auto-renewal will be disabled, but the current subscription will not be refunded. - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when purchasing a subscription. Terms of service: https://matechmobile.org/infor/term.html Privacy policy: https://matechmobile.org/infor/privacy.html

Screenshots

Looking FWD4 screens
Countdown ™4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Countdown ™ at free with in-app purchases against Looking FWD's subscription. Countdown ™ also leads on rating (4.4 vs 4.0) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 10 days). Looking FWD's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (63% vs 42%). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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. Looking FWD sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.29 per 7 days and Countdown ™ sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Countdown ™ holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Countdown ™ has 180 ratings behind it against 32, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 63% of Looking FWD's written reviews are positive against 42% of Countdown ™'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Looking FWD ships an update every 10 days, Countdown ™ every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Looking FWD versus Countdown ™: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLooking FWDCountdown ™
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (32 ratings)4.4 (180 ratings) — better
Positive reviews62.5% of reviews — better42.3% of reviews
Number of ratings32180 — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS18.014.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size244 MB118 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJohn MackayMatechMobile Software JSC

Customer experience

Looking FWD

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

Countdown ™

All ratings180 ratings
Positive82.2%
Neutral8.9%
Negative8.9%
Written reviews26 reviews
Positive42.3%
Neutral19.2%
Negative38.5%

In-app purchases

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
4 purchases

Countdown ™

Subscriptions3
  • Premium Week$0.497 Days
  • Premium month$1.991 Month
  • Premium year$3.991 Year
One-time1
  • Countdown Pro lifetime$1.99

Questions

Is Looking FWD free?
Looking FWD is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Countdown ™ free?
Countdown ™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Looking FWD or Countdown ™?
Countdown ™ is rated higher. Looking FWD averages 4.0 out of 5 from 32 ratings, while Countdown ™ averages 4.4 from 180 ratings.
Do Looking FWD or Countdown ™ have ads?
Countdown ™ shows ads; Looking FWD does not.
Which is updated more often, Looking FWD or Countdown ™?
Looking FWD ships an update every 10 days, and Countdown ™ every 4 days. Most recently, Looking FWD was updated on October 17, 2026 and Countdown ™ on October 16, 2026.

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