# Countdown Buddy vs Countdown

The clearest difference is ads: Countdown Buddy at none against Countdown's shown. Countdown's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Countdown Buddy ships an update every 9 days, Countdown every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Countdown Buddy | Countdown |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (25K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-buddy/id1534850579/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **25K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 67.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 149 MB | 25 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, Apple Watch | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Taptics Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1512213514) | [Neira Lozic](https://appshunter.io/developer/1335693080) |

## What reviewers say

### Countdown Buddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-buddy/id1534850579)

Create personalized countdown and count-up widgets for your home and lock screens. Visually track important dates like birthdays, vacations, or deadlines with custom designs, colors, and photos. Stay motivated and make waiting more exciting.

**Highlights:** Personalized countdown widgets, Count-up widgets, Home screen and lock screen support, Customizable designs, Background color options, Photo integration, Font selection

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Countdown + | $3.59 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app overall
- 👍 Customizable widgets and designs
- 🔒 No subscription, one-time purchase
- 📈 Helpful for tracking events and milestones
- 🎨 Visually appealing interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Limited free features, need to pay for more
- 🐛 Widgets not updating properly
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches after updates
- 📊 Lack of advanced countdown options (e.g., weeks)

**Reported bugs**

- Widgets disappearing or not working after updates
- Countdown timers not updating correctly
- Inability to add new widgets or countdowns

**Requested features**

- Add ability to display multiple countdowns at once
- Implement automatic countdown reset/repeat functionality
- Allow custom countdown units (e.g., weeks, business days)
- Improve widget handling and update reliability


### Countdown

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-calendar-tracker/id1547869309)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| No ads | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Countdown Buddy free?

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

### Is Countdown free?

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

### Do Countdown Buddy or Countdown have ads?

Countdown shows ads; Countdown Buddy does not.

### Which is updated more often, Countdown Buddy or Countdown?

Countdown Buddy ships an update every 9 days, and Countdown every 5 days. Most recently, Countdown Buddy was updated on October 1, 2026 and Countdown on September 20, 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.*