# Rainbow Countdown vs Ahead

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Ahead at 100% against Rainbow Countdown's 33%. Ahead also leads on price (Free vs $0.99) and rating (5.0 vs 4.3). Rainbow Countdown's advantage is ratings volume (13 vs 2) and iOS requirement (10.3 vs 17.6). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Ahead is free to download; Rainbow Countdown costs $0.99 up front. Rainbow Countdown sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Ahead sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Ahead holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rainbow Countdown has 13 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of Rainbow Countdown's written reviews are positive against 100% of Ahead's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 8, 2026 and June 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Rainbow Countdown | Ahead |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $0.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.3 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rainbow-countdown/id1436797708/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ahead-countdown-calendar/id1639892784/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **13** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 46 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.3** | 17.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [希 陈](https://appshunter.io/developer/1353019342) | [Alex Malek](https://appshunter.io/developer/1639892786) |

## What reviewers say

### Rainbow Countdown

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rainbow-countdown/id1436797708)

This app helps you manage your time with a visually appealing and minimalist countdown tool. It offers quick actions for managing events, secure encryption, and customizable reminders to make the most of your fragmented time.

**Highlights:** Quick delete and edit gestures, 3DTouch one-click countdown, FaceID encryption, Dropdown shortcut for new countdowns, Local notification reminders, Multiple notification ringtones, Background countdown support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 请彩虹倒计时的作者喝一杯饮料 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 请彩虹倒计时的作者吃一个老冰棍 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 彩虹倒计时去广告 | $0.99 | one-time |


### Ahead

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ahead-countdown-calendar/id1639892784)

Easily track important life events with this user-friendly calendar countdown application. View upcoming events as home screen widgets, receive timely notifications, and share your countdowns with others. Sync events across devices and enjoy a dark mode option.

**Highlights:** Home screen widgets, Event notifications, Cross-device sync, Event sharing, Dark mode

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Annual Subscription | $3.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Unlock | $12.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Rainbow Countdown free?

Rainbow Countdown costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Ahead free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Rainbow Countdown or Ahead?

Ahead is rated higher. Rainbow Countdown averages 4.3 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while Ahead averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Rainbow Countdown or Ahead have ads?

Both Rainbow Countdown and Ahead show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Rainbow Countdown or Ahead?

Rainbow Countdown ships an update every 3 weeks, and Ahead every 3 weeks. Most recently, Rainbow Countdown was updated on September 8, 2026 and Ahead on June 10, 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.*