# Countdowns vs Countdown Widget Plus

The clearest difference is monetization model: Countdowns at free against Countdown Widget Plus's free with in-app purchases. Countdowns also leads on update cadence (weekly vs monthly) and review sentiment (87% vs 71%). Countdown Widget Plus's advantage is ratings volume (224 vs 52) and iOS requirement (17.6 vs 27). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Countdowns sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Countdown Widget Plus sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Countdowns holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 52 and 224 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 87% of Countdowns's written reviews are positive against 71% of Countdown Widget Plus's.

Countdowns ships an update weekly, Countdown Widget Plus monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Countdowns | Countdown Widget Plus |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (52 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdowns-days-until/id1503144176/reviews)** | [4.7 (224 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-widget-plus/id1534850080/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 52 | **224** |
| Positive reviews | **86.7% of reviews** | 70.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 13 MB | 20 MB |
| Requires iOS | 27 | **17.6** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Igor Rusinov](https://appshunter.io/developer/1503033744) | [Matteo Fabris](https://appshunter.io/developer/1530221997) |

## What reviewers say

### Countdowns

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdowns-days-until/id1503144176)

Track upcoming and past events with beautiful, ad-free countdowns. Easily create events, pin important ones, and view them on your Home and Lock Screens with widgets. Syncs across devices via iCloud.

**Highlights:** Siri AI integration, Spotlight search, Home and Lock Screen widgets, iCloud sync, Quick event creation, Pin important events, Smart event filters

**Features:** Family Sharing, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock App | $4.99 | one-time |


### Countdown Widget Plus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-widget-plus/id1534850080)

Create visually appealing countdown timers for your home screen. Personalize them with custom backgrounds, colors, and templates for any event, from birthdays to holidays. Receive notifications to ensure you never miss an important date.

**Highlights:** Home screen countdown widgets, Customizable backgrounds and colors, Recurrent event tracking, Multiple pre-designed templates, Event reminder notifications, Preset event ideas

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock All | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Free widgets without paywall restrictions
- 🎨 Highly customizable designs and themes
- 📸 Ability to use personal photos as backgrounds
- 💰 Reasonable premium pricing ($3.99)
- 🔒 Privacy-focused, no data collection

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔄 No cross-device synchronization via iCloud
- 📸 Photos appear dimmer on widgets
- 🌙 Only dark mode available
- 🔐 Limited free tier (only 4 countdowns)
- 📱 Lock screen widget support lacking

**Reported bugs**

- Lock screen widget not functioning
- Widget fails to update without manual refresh
- Widget resets to incorrect values
- Unable to restore premium purchase after reinstall
- Custom widgets not appearing in widget selection

**Requested features**

- Cross-device synchronization with iCloud
- Count-up functionality in addition to countdown
- Lock screen widget support
- Calendar integration
- Photo editing and brightness adjustment


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Countdowns free?

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

### Is Countdown Widget Plus free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Countdowns or Countdown Widget Plus?

Countdowns is rated higher. Countdowns averages 4.9 out of 5 from 52 ratings, while Countdown Widget Plus averages 4.7 from 224 ratings.

### Do Countdowns or Countdown Widget Plus have ads?

Neither Countdowns nor Countdown Widget Plus shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Countdowns or Countdown Widget Plus?

Countdowns ships an update weekly, and Countdown Widget Plus monthly. Most recently, Countdowns was updated on November 7, 2026 and Countdown Widget Plus on November 3, 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.*