# Countdown Buddy vs Countly

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Countdown Buddy at 25K against Countly's 169. Countly's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.6) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Countdown Buddy sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Countly sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Countly holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Countdown Buddy has 25K ratings behind it against 169, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of Countdown Buddy's written reviews are positive against 75% of Countly's.

Countdown Buddy ships an update every 9 days, Countly every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Countdown Buddy | Countly |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (25K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-buddy/id1534850579/reviews) | **[4.9 (169 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countly-countdown-date-timer/id6502288818/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **25K** | 169 |
| Positive reviews | 67.9% of reviews | **75.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 10 days |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 149 MB | 76 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, Apple Watch | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Taptics Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1512213514) | [80bucks LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1551798251) |

## 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


### Countly

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countly-countdown-date-timer/id6502288818)

Easily track past and future events with this stylish countdown app. Customize your home screen with widgets and personalize the app's appearance with various themes. Set alerts for important dates and recurring appointments.

**Highlights:** Track past and future events, Customizable home screen widgets, Visual customization with themes, Event alerts and repeats, Intuitive user interface

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Subscription | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Monthly Subscription | $3.99 | per month |
| Annual | $12.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription | $17.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription | $17.99 | per year |
| Annual | $19.99 | per year |
| Lifetime | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Countdown Buddy free?

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

### Is Countly free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Countdown Buddy or Countly?

Countly is rated higher. Countdown Buddy averages 4.6 out of 5 from 25K ratings, while Countly averages 4.9 from 169 ratings.

### Do Countdown Buddy or Countly have ads?

Neither Countdown Buddy nor Countly shows ads.

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

Countdown Buddy ships an update every 9 days, and Countly every 10 days. Most recently, Countdown Buddy was updated on September 26, 2026 and Countly 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.*