# Countdown Widget & Counter vs Up Ahead

The clearest difference is rating: Up Ahead at 4.9 against Countdown Widget & Counter's 4.6. Countdown Widget & Counter's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and ratings volume (2.4K vs 684). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Countdown Widget & Counter sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Up Ahead sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Up Ahead holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.4K and 684 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Countdown Widget & Counter's written reviews are positive against 83% of Up Ahead's.

Countdown Widget & Counter ships an update every 3 weeks, Up Ahead every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Countdown Widget & Counter | Up Ahead |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (2.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-widget-and-counter/id1533996161/reviews) | **[4.9 (684 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/up-ahead-countdown-widgets/id1583147528/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.4K** | 684 |
| Positive reviews | 75.8% of reviews | **83.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 160 MB | 37 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sovereign Apps LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6784378952) | [Daniel Gauthier](https://appshunter.io/developer/595544131) |

## What reviewers say

### Countdown Widget & Counter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-widget-and-counter/id1533996161)

Create customizable widgets to track upcoming events directly on your home screen. Visualize your countdowns with beautiful designs, icons, and color gradients. Receive real-time notifications for important dates.

**Highlights:** Live countdown widgets, Customizable widget templates, Event editor with live preview, Color gradients, Over 50 icons, Real-time push notifications

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Widget Studio PRO | $1.99 | per month |
| Monthly Subscription | $3.99 | per month |
| Widget Studio PRO | $4.99 | per year |
| Widget Studio PRO | $5.99 | per year |
| Widget Studio PRO | $7.99 | per year |
| Widget Studio PRO | $8.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription | $12.99 | per year |
| Widget Studio PRO | $12.99 | per year |
| Widget Studio Pro Lifetime | $9.99 | one-time |
| Widget Studio Pro Lifetime | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 👍 Fantastic for glancing at events
- 👍 Cool app
- 👍 Nice widgets
- 👍 Good countdown app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Extremely buggy
- 🔕 NOT IMPRESSED (no sound)
- 💰 Expensive price
- 💰 Money
- 💰 Only 2 for free

**Reported bugs**

- Time calculation isn't correct
- Widget and in-app display show different days remaining
- Widget goes blank after phone restart
- Countdowns freeze or count up unexpectedly
- Paid version still shows ads

**Requested features**

- Better integration with calendar and reminder API
- Ability to rearrange events in the countdown list
- Option to default 'What's Next' to user's choice
- Larger photo frame in widget
- Ability to group events into categories


### Up Ahead

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/up-ahead-countdown-widgets/id1583147528)

A visually appealing app to track upcoming events with customizable countdown widgets for your Home and Lock Screens. Create events in seconds and personalize them with unique patterns. Stay organized with reminders and attachments.

**Highlights:** Customizable countdown widgets, Event timeline view, Unlockable decorative patterns, Flexible reminders, Event attachments (notes/links), Recurring and multi-day events, iCloud backups

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Up Ahead Plus | $1.49 | per month |
| Up Ahead Plus | $9.99 | per year |
| Up Ahead Plus | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great app with clean UI
- 🎨 Simple and joyful design
- 🕰️ Excellent countdown app
- 🎨 Beautifully designed
- 🎨 Lovely and intuitive

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Overpriced subscription
- 💰 Limited free version
- 🔄 Abandoned by developers
- 🔄 No updates in a long time
- 🔄 Development paused?

**Reported bugs**

- Widget doesn't update automatically
- Backup feature doesn't work
- Sound effects stopped working
- Login screen freezes
- Incompatible with older devices

**Requested features**

- Unlock all patterns
- More color options
- More icons and customization
- Calendar integration
- Siri and reminder integration


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Countdown Widget & Counter free?

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

### Is Up Ahead free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Countdown Widget & Counter or Up Ahead?

Up Ahead is rated higher. Countdown Widget & Counter averages 4.6 out of 5 from 2.4K ratings, while Up Ahead averages 4.9 from 684 ratings.

### Do Countdown Widget & Counter or Up Ahead have ads?

Neither Countdown Widget & Counter nor Up Ahead shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Countdown Widget & Counter or Up Ahead?

Countdown Widget & Counter ships an update every 3 weeks, and Up Ahead every 5 weeks. Most recently, Countdown Widget & Counter was updated on October 16, 2026 and Up Ahead on October 12, 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.*