# Sorted³ vs Cal Countdown

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Cal Countdown at none against Sorted³'s 11. Cal Countdown also leads on review sentiment (95% vs 73%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Sorted³'s advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 8 months) and ratings volume (4.1K vs 21). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Sorted³ sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. Cal Countdown asks for nothing beyond the download.

Cal Countdown holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sorted³ has 4.1K ratings behind it against 21, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of Sorted³'s written reviews are positive against 95% of Cal Countdown's.

Sorted³ ships an update every 3 weeks, Cal Countdown every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sorted³ | Cal Countdown |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (4.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sorted-calendar-notes-tasks/id1306893526/reviews) | **[5.0 (21 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cal-countdown/id1437604908/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **4.1K** | 21 |
| Positive reviews | 72.6% of reviews | **94.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 8 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 138 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [StaySorted Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1022256486) | [Franck Reyherme](https://appshunter.io/developer/1360894292) |

## What reviewers say

### Sorted³

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sorted-calendar-notes-tasks/id1306893526)

This app unifies your calendar events and tasks into a single timeline, allowing for formatted notes and attachments. It helps you effortlessly schedule your day with features like Auto Schedule and built-in flexibility to adjust to changes.

**Highlights:** Unified timeline for events and tasks, Formatted notes and attachments, Effortless scheduling with Auto Schedule, Built-in flexibility for schedule adjustments, Widgets for iOS and macOS, iCloud Sync, Natural Language Processing

**Features:** Family Sharing, Siri integration, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SSPAI Member Bundle | Free | one-time |
| 14-day Extended Trial | Free | one-time |
| 14-day Extended Trial for Mac | Free | one-time |
| Buy a soda | $1.99 | one-time |
| Buy a pizza | $9.99 | one-time |
| Get PRO on iOS | $14.99 | one-time |
| Get PRO on macOS Promo | $19.99 | one-time |
| Get PRO on macOS | $24.99 | one-time |
| Apple Staff Benefits Bundle | $31.99 | one-time |
| Students Benefits Bundle | $31.99 | one-time |
| Sorted³ PRO iOS + macOS | $35.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent time management and scheduling features
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 🔒 Reliable syncing across devices
- 💡 Innovative auto-scheduling functionality
- 👍 Customizable task organization (lists, tags, etc.)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Recurring issues with syncing and data loss
- 🐛 Bugs and crashes reported by multiple users
- 🔧 Lack of integration with other productivity apps
- 🔧 Limited calendar and weekly/monthly views
- 🔧 Difficulty managing large number of tasks

**Reported bugs**

- Sync issues causing data loss
- Crashes and freezes on launch
- Recurring tasks not behaving as expected
- Calendar integration not working as intended

**Requested features**

- Location-based reminders
- Improved calendar integration and views
- Ability to set task dependencies and priorities
- Export/backup functionality for task data
- Pomodoro timer integration


### Cal Countdown

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cal-countdown/id1437604908)

This app automatically displays a color-coded countdown to your next calendar event. It's designed for quick glances on your Apple Watch face or iPhone "Today" screen, helping you manage your schedule efficiently without manual calculations.

**Highlights:** Automatic countdown to next calendar event, Color-coded urgency indicators, Apple Watch complication support, iPhone "Today" widget, Calendar data integration, Option to skip specific events

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sorted³ free?

Sorted³ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Cal Countdown free?

Cal Countdown is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Sorted³ or Cal Countdown?

Cal Countdown is rated higher. Sorted³ averages 4.7 out of 5 from 4.1K ratings, while Cal Countdown averages 5.0 from 21 ratings.

### Do Sorted³ or Cal Countdown have ads?

Neither Sorted³ nor Cal Countdown shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Sorted³ or Cal Countdown?

Sorted³ ships an update every 3 weeks, and Cal Countdown every 8 months. Most recently, Sorted³ was updated on October 15, 2026 and Cal Countdown on October 6, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*