# Time Ago vs Countdown Buddy

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Countdown Buddy at 25K against Time Ago's 230. Time Ago's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 9 days) and review sentiment (77% vs 68%). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Time Ago sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Countdown Buddy sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Time Ago against 4.6 for Countdown Buddy. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Countdown Buddy has 25K ratings behind it against 230, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 77% of Time Ago's written reviews are positive against 68% of Countdown Buddy's.

Time Ago ships an update every 4 days, Countdown Buddy every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Time Ago | Countdown Buddy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (230 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/time-ago/id1374753658/reviews) | [4.6 (25K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-buddy/id1534850579/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 230 | **25K** |
| Positive reviews | **77.3% of reviews** | 67.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 9 days |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 16 MB | 149 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Centrip Studios](https://appshunter.io/developer/1008501107) | [Taptics Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1512213514) |

## What reviewers say

### Time Ago

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/time-ago/id1374753658)

Easily track past and future events with customizable time units and visual differentiation. Syncs across devices and offers optional notifications and dark mode for a personalized experience.

**Highlights:** Track past and future events, Switch time units (years, months, days, hours, minutes, seconds), Edit and rearrange events, Differentiate events with up to 20 colors, iCloud sync across devices, Set event notifications, Dark mode option

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Advanced Package Upgrade | $0.99 | one-time |
| Basic Package Upgrade | $1.99 | one-time |
| Advanced Package Upgrade | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and useful
- 👍 Great for tracking dates
- 👍 Good at counting days
- 👍 Stores records on multiple devices
- 👍 Easy to use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Cannot delete events
- 🐛 Freezing issues
- 🐛 Difficulty opening/editing events
- 🐛 HUD too large
- 🐛 Zoom not adjusted for newer phones

**Reported bugs**

- Cannot delete events
- App keeps losing dates
- App is constantly freezing
- HUD is slightly too large
- Zoom needs adjustment for newer phone displays

**Requested features**

- Widget for Lock Screen
- Categories/folders for organization
- Longer text for event description
- Facility to insert location of event
- More space for entries


### Countdown Buddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-buddy/id1534850579)

Create personalized countdown and count-up widgets for your home and lock screens. Visually track important dates like birthdays, vacations, or deadlines with custom designs, colors, and photos. Stay motivated and make waiting more exciting.

**Highlights:** Personalized countdown widgets, Count-up widgets, Home screen and lock screen support, Customizable designs, Background color options, Photo integration, Font selection

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Countdown + | $3.59 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app overall
- 👍 Customizable widgets and designs
- 🔒 No subscription, one-time purchase
- 📈 Helpful for tracking events and milestones
- 🎨 Visually appealing interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Limited free features, need to pay for more
- 🐛 Widgets not updating properly
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches after updates
- 📊 Lack of advanced countdown options (e.g., weeks)

**Reported bugs**

- Widgets disappearing or not working after updates
- Countdown timers not updating correctly
- Inability to add new widgets or countdowns

**Requested features**

- Add ability to display multiple countdowns at once
- Implement automatic countdown reset/repeat functionality
- Allow custom countdown units (e.g., weeks, business days)
- Improve widget handling and update reliability


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Time Ago free?

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

### Is Countdown Buddy free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Time Ago or Countdown Buddy?

Time Ago and Countdown Buddy are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 230 and 25K ratings respectively.

### Do Time Ago or Countdown Buddy have ads?

Neither Time Ago nor Countdown Buddy shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Time Ago or Countdown Buddy?

Time Ago ships an update every 4 days, and Countdown Buddy every 9 days. Most recently, Time Ago was updated on October 8, 2026 and Countdown Buddy on October 17, 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.*