Comparison

Countdown vs Journal Today

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Countdown

Track important dates with a countdown calendar. Visualize your upcoming events with custom backgrounds and manage them through categorized lists. Secure your data with password protection.

Highlights
  • Date counting (days left/passed)
  • Customizable background images
  • Event classification and management
  • Calendar view for daily events
  • Lunar calendar date support
  • Password protection for privacy
Features
Read full description

CountDown is a small tool to help you record important days in your life. How many days are countdown and positive days away from now? = Main functions= Date counting: how many days are left before the target date and how many days have passed Animation effect: the interface uses animation theme effect to increase vivid breath Picture selection: Pictures can be selected as background to record important events. Classification Management: Custom Classification, Easy to Manage and Query Events Calendar query: you can query the events of the day through the calendar interface Lunar calendar date: support the choice of lunar calendar date Password Protection: Password can be set to protect privacy We are eager to hear your feedback. If you have any questions or suggestions, you are welcome to let us know "Settings - Email Feedback" in the application. Any other ideas, also welcome to contact us, every message, we will read carefully. This subscription will be automatically renewed through your iTunes account, and the renewal fee will be deducted from your package within 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. You can manage or cancel the automatic renewal at the account settings. Cancellation of the automatic renewal must be at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. If your trial has not ended, the remaining days will automatically expire after you start the subscription. To open the subscription, you need to agree to the following terms Terms of Service: http://shipi.kindofpure.cn/xiaoya/zh_terms.html Privacy Terms: http://shipi.kindofpure.cn/xiaoya/zh_doc.html

About

Journal Today

Easily record your thoughts, memories, and moods in a private digital journal. Organize entries with tags and photos, and keep your private thoughts secure with passcode and Face ID protection. Sync across all your devices for seamless access.

Highlights
  • Timeline of entries
  • Calendar view
  • Add photos to entries
  • Categorize with tags
  • Track moods
  • iCloud sync
  • Passcode/Face ID lock
Features
Read full description

Journal Today is easy to use, minimalistic and very functional journal app. You can write your journal anytime with anything that in your mind. Let Journal Today record your happiness and make your everyday meaningful. Main features: - Timeline of your entries - Calendar to show all your memories - Photos to make your journal more vivid - Tags to categories entries - Moods to remember your days - iCloud automatic sync to all your devices - Passcode lock as well as Face ID to keep entries private - Dark Mode, Share, Reminder and much much more are coming Journal Today is FREE to use with unlimited entries. Additional features are available with Pro membership. Journal Today offers $1.99/month or $18.49/year auto-renewing subscription. Payment will be charged to App Store account at confirmation of purchase. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. you can manage your subscription by going to your account settings on the App Store. Privacy Policy: https://journaltoday.app/privacy Terms of Service: https://journaltoday.app/terms Creator: Yuan Fu, designed by Faraz Ahmed (farazleo)

Screenshots

Countdown4 screens
Journal Today4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Journal Today at none against Countdown's shown. Journal Today also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Countdown sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month and Journal Today sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Journal Today holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Journal Today has 73 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Countdown ships an update every 3 months, Journal Today every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Countdown versus Journal Today: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCountdownJournal Today
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (2 ratings)4.8 (73 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—63.6% of reviews
Number of ratings273 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB42 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer朝霞 彭Yuan Fu

Customer experience

Countdown

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Journal Today

All ratings73 ratings
Positive93.2%
Neutral5.5%
Negative1.4%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive63.6%
Neutral31.8%
Negative4.5%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Countdown

Subscriptions2
  • Plus Version3 Days trial$1.491 Month
  • Quarterly Plus Version3 Days trial$4.493 Months
One-time1
  • Advanced Version$5.99
3 purchases

Journal Today

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Annual7 Days trial$18.491 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$19.99

Questions

Is Countdown free?
Countdown is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Journal Today free?
Journal Today is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Countdown or Journal Today?
Journal Today is rated higher. Countdown averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Journal Today averages 4.8 from 73 ratings.
Do Countdown or Journal Today have ads?
Countdown shows ads; Journal Today does not.
Which is updated more often, Countdown or Journal Today?
Countdown ships an update every 3 months, and Journal Today every 2 weeks. Most recently, Countdown was updated on November 3, 2026 and Journal Today on November 3, 2026.

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