# Countdown@ vs Phantom Countdown

Countdown@ and Phantom Countdown both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 83% of Phantom Countdown's written reviews are positive against 37% of Countdown@'s. Phantom Countdown also leads on ads (none vs shown). Countdown@'s advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (39K vs 276). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Countdown@ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Phantom Countdown sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Countdown@ against 4.6 for Phantom Countdown. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Countdown@ has 39K ratings behind it against 276, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 37% of Countdown@'s written reviews are positive against 83% of Phantom Countdown's.

Countdown@ ships an update every 5 days, Phantom Countdown every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Countdown@ | Phantom Countdown |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (39K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown/id1456997268/reviews)** | [4.6 (276 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phantom-countdown/id1549294840/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **39K** | 276 |
| Positive reviews | 37.0% of reviews | **82.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 51 MB | 55 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Wuhan Linggu Dingdang Technology Co., Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/612318541) | [Matthew Sinex](https://appshunter.io/developer/1549294842) |

## What reviewers say

### Countdown@

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown/id1456997268)

Easily track important life events with stylish countdown timers. Create custom events like vacations, birthdays, and holidays. View upcoming events with a convenient widget and even count up from past milestones.

**Highlights:** Create custom event countdowns, Count up from past events, Event timeline with diary and notes, Widget for important events, Stylish event tracking

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Countdown Premium | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Customizable countdown
- 👍 Aesthetically pleasing
- 🎨 Ability to select background and music

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔔 Countdown only triggers a notification, not an alarm
- 🔒 Widget functionality locked behind paywall
- 🐛 Inconsistent widget behavior
- 🔍 Limited customization options
- 💰 Paywall for basic features

**Reported bugs**

- Countdown not updating correctly
- Widget not displaying as customized
- Inability to delete past events

**Requested features**

- Ability to set countdown as alarm
- Sync countdowns across devices
- More customization options for widget
- Allow multiple countdowns in widget


### Phantom Countdown

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phantom-countdown/id1549294840)

This free utility app helps fans of a popular JRPG series track upcoming events. Create and customize multiple countdowns, display them on your home screen with widgets, and choose from built-in or custom themes. Countdowns update daily, offering flexible tracking by date, number of days, or unknown dates.

**Highlights:** Multiple countdown creation, Home screen widgets, Customizable themes, Automatic daily updates, Flexible date tracking

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Level 1 Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Level 5 Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Level 25 Tip | $9.99 | one-time |
| Level 50 Tip | $24.99 | one-time |
| Level 99 Tip | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Persona-themed countdown
- 👍 Customizable themes and colors
- 🎨 Stylish and visually appealing
- 📆 Helpful for tracking deadlines and events
- 🎮 Captures the Persona aesthetic

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs with widget functionality
- 🔧 Issues with changing themes and colors
- 🔒 Lack of transparency in background
- 📊 Limited customization options

**Reported bugs**

- Countdowns disappearing or not saving
- Widgets not displaying properly
- App freezing when changing notification settings
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Add countdown to lock screen
- Integrate with calendar app
- Ability to set custom countdown sounds
- Automatic countdown rotation
- More detailed Persona-themed design


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Countdown@ free?

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

### Is Phantom Countdown free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Countdown@ or Phantom Countdown?

Countdown@ is rated higher. Countdown@ averages 4.7 out of 5 from 39K ratings, while Phantom Countdown averages 4.6 from 276 ratings.

### Do Countdown@ or Phantom Countdown have ads?

Countdown@ shows ads; Phantom Countdown does not.

### Which is updated more often, Countdown@ or Phantom Countdown?

Countdown@ ships an update every 5 days, and Phantom Countdown every 2 months. Most recently, Countdown@ was updated on September 26, 2026 and Phantom Countdown on September 18, 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.*