# Birthday Countdown vs Santa Tracker

The clearest difference is rating: Birthday Countdown at 4.8 against Santa Tracker's 4.0. Birthday Countdown also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 10 months) and ratings volume (7.9K vs 81). Santa Tracker's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Birthday Countdown sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Santa Tracker sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Birthday Countdown holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Birthday Countdown has 7.9K ratings behind it against 81, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Birthday Countdown's written reviews are positive against 65% of Santa Tracker's.

Birthday Countdown ships an update weekly, Santa Tracker every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and June 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Birthday Countdown | Santa Tracker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (7.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birthday-countdown/id1452049360/reviews)** | [4.0 (81 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/santa-tracker-countdown-2023/id1535905936/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **7.9K** | 81 |
| Positive reviews | **74.5% of reviews** | 65.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 10 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 76 MB | 14 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Find Appiness LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1685887104) | [Aamir Elahi](https://appshunter.io/developer/975019159) |

## What reviewers say

### Birthday Countdown

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birthday-countdown/id1452049360)

Never miss an important birthday again with this easy-to-use countdown and reminder app. Set custom notifications, import contacts, and even view upcoming events on your Apple Watch. Premium features include lock screen widgets and data export.

**Highlights:** Birthday countdowns, Customizable notifications, Import from contacts/calendar, Apple Watch support, Lock screen widgets (Premium), Share countdowns

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

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $1.99 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription | $7.99 | per year |
| Birthday Special Offer | $1.99 | one-time |
| Birthday Widget Offer | $4.99 | one-time |
| Birthday Widget | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 📆 Effective birthday reminders
- 🔍 Useful birthday countdown
- 💻 Simple and easy to use
- 🎨 Customizable widget options
- 💰 One-time payment, no subscription

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitches causing date changes
- 🔔 Inconsistent notification issues
- 🔒 Limited backup/restore options
- 💸 Paid features not worth the cost
- 🔍 Lack of search/filtering options

**Reported bugs**

- Dates randomly changing or being off by a day
- App crashing or becoming unusable after updates
- Notifications not working as expected
- Inability to open or access the app after a reset

**Requested features**

- Add ability to use personal photos
- Provide more reminder time options
- Allow adding notes/details for birthdays
- Improve widget functionality and customization
- Implement import/export backup functionality


### Santa Tracker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/santa-tracker-countdown-2023/id1535905936)

Discover how many days, minutes, hours, and seconds remain until Christmas. This app allows you to track Santa's current location around the world and provides a countdown to the festive holiday.

**Highlights:** Christmas countdown, Track Santa's location, Count days, minutes, hours, seconds, Real-time Santa tracking, Festive holiday app

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove ADS | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Birthday Countdown free?

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

### Is Santa Tracker free?

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

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

Birthday Countdown is rated higher. Birthday Countdown averages 4.8 out of 5 from 7.9K ratings, while Santa Tracker averages 4.0 from 81 ratings.

### Do Birthday Countdown or Santa Tracker have ads?

Both Birthday Countdown and Santa Tracker show ads.

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

Birthday Countdown ships an update weekly, and Santa Tracker every 10 months. Most recently, Birthday Countdown was updated on September 29, 2026 and Santa Tracker on June 9, 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.*