# Countdown vs Meal Planning

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Meal Planning at none against Countdown's 3. Meal Planning also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (100% vs 72%). Countdown's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 15 months) and ratings volume (190K vs 7). On price, rating and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Countdown sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Meal Planning asks for nothing beyond the download.

Meal Planning holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Countdown has 190K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of Countdown's written reviews are positive against 100% of Meal Planning's.

Countdown ships an update every 2 days, Meal Planning every 15 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Countdown | Meal Planning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (190K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown/id1403367428/reviews) | **[5.0 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/meal-planning/id1448126488/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **190K** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | 71.9% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 days** | Every 15 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#47** | — |
| Size | 42 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Find Appiness LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1685887104) | [Julien Kermarec](https://appshunter.io/developer/955128067) |

## What reviewers say

### Countdown

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown/id1403367428)

**Currently charting:** #47 Top Free · Utilities (US App Store)

Easily track important dates and events with a customizable countdown timer. Set reminders, organize events with tags, and view upcoming dates on your home screen or Apple Watch. Syncs across devices and offers various counting options.

**Highlights:** Customizable countdown timer, Event reminders, Home screen widgets, Apple Watch support, Event sharing, iCloud sync, Repeatable countdowns

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Start 7-Day Free Trial | Free | one-time |
| Countdown Widget Offer | $3.99 | one-time |
| Countdown Widget | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
- 🎨 Customizable colors and emojis
- ⏰ Accurate countdown tracking
- 🔔 Helpful reminders and notifications
- 💰 One-time payment for premium features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 Paid widget feature
- 🔍 Lack of instructions/guidance
- 🔀 Inconsistent countdown display on widget
- 📅 Limited repeat options for events
- 🖼️ No option to use custom photos

**Reported bugs**

- Widget not updating automatically
- Countdown display issues after iOS 14 update
- Inability to delete archived events

**Requested features**

- Add ability to count up from past events
- Provide more date/time format options
- Implement calendar view for all events
- Allow custom backgrounds for widgets
- Add support for weekly/monthly repeating events


### Meal Planning

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/meal-planning/id1448126488)

Track your daily food intake with detailed entries, including photos and reviews. Plan your meals up to four weeks in advance and access a year's worth of your eating history. Export your calendar easily.

**Highlights:** Daily food logging, Add photos to entries, Critical daily review, Meal planning up to 4 weeks, 1-year eating history, Calendar export, Offline functionality

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Countdown free?

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

### Is Meal Planning free?

Meal Planning is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Countdown or Meal Planning?

Meal Planning is rated higher. Countdown averages 4.8 out of 5 from 190K ratings, while Meal Planning averages 5.0 from 7 ratings.

### Do Countdown or Meal Planning have ads?

Countdown shows ads; Meal Planning does not.

### Which is updated more often, Countdown or Meal Planning?

Countdown ships an update every 2 days, and Meal Planning every 15 months. Most recently, Countdown was updated on October 24, 2026 and Meal Planning on October 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.*