# Smartlights countdown vs ChristmasPrism

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ChristmasPrism at 78% against Smartlights countdown's 25%. ChristmasPrism also leads on rating (4.8 vs 2.5) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 months). Smartlights countdown's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 14.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ChristmasPrism sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. Smartlights countdown asks for nothing beyond the download.

ChristmasPrism holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ChristmasPrism has 5.4K ratings behind it against 20, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 25% of Smartlights countdown's written reviews are positive against 78% of ChristmasPrism's.

Smartlights countdown ships an update every 2 months, ChristmasPrism every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Smartlights countdown | ChristmasPrism |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.5 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartlights-countdown/id1248150372/reviews) | **[4.8 (5.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/christmasprism/id1540103741/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 20 | **5.4K** |
| Positive reviews | 25.0% of reviews | **77.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 2 MB | 104 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Gemmy Industries Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/889851671) | [Michael Kane](https://appshunter.io/developer/677284939) |

## What reviewers say

### Smartlights countdown

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartlights-countdown/id1248150372)

Control Christmas projectors with Bluetooth, set custom countdown dates and titles, and read time. Get technical support directly from the developer.

**Highlights:** Bluetooth connectivity, Projector password function, Read time in phone, Calculate Christmas distance, Set custom countdown dates, Type custom titles for countdowns

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### ChristmasPrism

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/christmasprism/id1540103741)

Discover enchanting Christmas light displays in your neighborhood and beyond. Plan your festive tours with an interactive map and community updates. Share your own decorations, gain inspiration, and participate in contests to celebrate the holiday spirit.

**Highlights:** Discover Christmas light displays, Interactive map for light finding, Plan holiday light tours, Share home light displays, Vote on favorite displays, Enter and create contests

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ChristmasPrism Pro | $8.99 | per month |
| Yearly Pro | $49.99 | per year |
| 100 Coins | $1.99 | one-time |
| 300 Coins | $2.99 | one-time |
| Buy the Creator a Coffee | $2.99 | one-time |
| 1000 Coins | $3.99 | one-time |
| 2500 Coins | $9.99 | one-time |
| 5000 Coins | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Excellent light show
- 🎄 Brings Christmas spirit
- 🗺️ Helpful for finding light displays
- 🤩 Amazing and genius idea
- 🙌 Wonderful and exciting app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Map freezes after opening a house
- 🔍 Can't use without enabling location services
- 🤖 Keeps asking to rate the app after each house
- 🗺️ Can't find own location on map

**Reported bugs**

- House not showing up on the map
- No response from support for reported issues

**Requested features**

- Add support for other holidays like Halloween
- Allow updating house picture and caption
- Add ability to easily reset map orientation
- Implement a favorites feature
- Integrate current location on map


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Smartlights countdown free?

Smartlights countdown is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ChristmasPrism free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Smartlights countdown or ChristmasPrism?

ChristmasPrism is rated higher. Smartlights countdown averages 2.5 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while ChristmasPrism averages 4.8 from 5.4K ratings.

### Do Smartlights countdown or ChristmasPrism have ads?

Neither Smartlights countdown nor ChristmasPrism shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Smartlights countdown or ChristmasPrism?

Smartlights countdown ships an update every 2 months, and ChristmasPrism every 6 days. Most recently, Smartlights countdown was updated on October 13, 2026 and ChristmasPrism on October 16, 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.*