# Countdown vs Birthday Countdown

The clearest difference is ads: Birthday Countdown at none against Countdown's shown. Countdown's advantage is review sentiment (72% vs 40%) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 5 weeks). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Countdown sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Birthday Countdown 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 — 4.8 for Countdown against 4.8 for Birthday Countdown. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Countdown has 186K ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 72% of Countdown's written reviews are positive against 40% of Birthday Countdown's.

Countdown ships an update every 4 days, Birthday Countdown every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Countdown | Birthday Countdown |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (186K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown/id1403367428/reviews) | [4.8 (22 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birthday-countdown-candles/id1594824793/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **186K** | 22 |
| Positive reviews | **71.9% of reviews** | 40.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#30** | — |
| Size | 40 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Find Appiness LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1685887104) | [Amit Verma](https://appshunter.io/developer/1219761009) |

## What reviewers say

### Countdown

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

**Currently charting:** #30 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


### Birthday Countdown

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birthday-countdown-candles/id1594824793)

This app provides a simple and quick way to remember birthdays with customizable widgets for your home screen and lock screen. It offers countdowns to upcoming birthdays, multiple widget styles, and iCloud sync for seamless data management across devices.

**Highlights:** iOS 17 Standby widget, iOS 17 Lockscreen Widget, Birthday and Age countdown, Watch App and iCloud sync, Multiple widget styles and themes, Multiple app icons, Light & Dark modes

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Birthday Pro. | $8.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Countdown free?

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

### Is Birthday Countdown free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Countdown or Birthday Countdown?

Countdown and Birthday Countdown are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 186K and 22 ratings respectively.

### Do Countdown or Birthday Countdown have ads?

Countdown shows ads; Birthday Countdown does not.

### Which is updated more often, Countdown or Birthday Countdown?

Countdown ships an update every 4 days, and Birthday Countdown every 5 weeks. Most recently, Countdown was updated on September 25, 2026 and Birthday Countdown on September 14, 2026.

---

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