# Bears Countdown vs Journal

The clearest difference is price: Journal at Free against Bears Countdown's $3.99. Bears Countdown's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.9 vs 4.6). On review sentiment, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Journal is free to download; Bears Countdown costs $3.99 up front. Bears Countdown sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Journal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Bears Countdown holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.6K and 1.5K respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 89% and 90% positive.

Bears Countdown ships an update monthly, Journal every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bears Countdown | Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.9 (2.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bears-countdown/id1536711520/reviews)** | [4.6 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journal-diary-and-planner/id6443840608/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2.6K** | 1.5K |
| Positive reviews | 89.1% of reviews | **90.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#91** | — |
| Size | 278 MB | 45 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Isuru Wanasinghe](https://appshunter.io/developer/1536711522) | [受杰 柯](https://appshunter.io/developer/1634142370) |

## What reviewers say

### Bears Countdown

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bears-countdown/id1536711520)

**Currently charting:** #91 Top Paid · Lifestyle (US App Store)

Beautifully designed countdowns for important events like birthdays, anniversaries, and vacations. Features hand-drawn art, home screen widgets, and the ability to add notes and set intentions for future plans.

**Highlights:** Hand-drawn bear artworks, Home screen widgets (iOS 14), Event notes for details, Past event history, Set intentions for future plans

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Dragons | $0.99 | one-time |
| Christmas Apple | $0.99 | one-time |
| Snowman | $0.99 | one-time |
| Vegan Milk | $0.99 | one-time |
| Red Envelopes | $0.99 | one-time |
| Exam | $0.99 | one-time |
| Princess | $0.99 | one-time |
| Meditation | $0.99 | one-time |
| Deliveries | $0.99 | one-time |
| Bears Unlimited | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💖 Cute and aesthetically pleasing design
- 📆 Helpful for keeping track of events and important dates
- 🔍 Useful countdown feature
- 🎨 Wide variety of illustrations and themes
- 💰 One-time purchase for unlimited access

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Limited free version (only 5 events)
- 🔍 Difficulty finding specific illustrations
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 🤖 Limited customization options

**Reported bugs**

- Dates randomly shifting back by a day
- Widget not working properly on macOS Ventura
- Inability to scroll through months and dates on desktop

**Requested features**

- Add ability to set reminders for specific times
- Implement recurring event options (e.g., every 2 weeks)
- Allow syncing between devices
- Introduce a search function for illustrations
- Add support for Apple Watch


### Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journal-diary-and-planner/id6443840608)

This app allows users to create a personal diary with a variety of cute stickers and backgrounds. It offers automatic saving of drafts, password protection for privacy, and the ability to insert photos. The app is also optimized for iPad use.

**Highlights:** Customizable stickers and backgrounds, Automatic draft saving, Password protection for privacy, iPad support with Apple Pencil, Photo insertion for diary entries

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Plus Version | $2.99 | per month |
| Plus Version | $4.99 | per 3 months |
| Pro Version | $8.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💖 Cute and aesthetic design
- 📚 Helpful for journaling and planning
- 🎨 Customizable backgrounds and stickers
- 👍 Easy to use and organize
- 🥰 Fun and enjoyable experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Limited free features, many paid options
- 🔑 Issues with login/access
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- 📝 Limited font/formatting options

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when trying to reopen saved pages
- Stickers not displaying properly in some cases
- Sync issues causing data loss

**Requested features**

- Add more free stickers and customization options
- Improve syncing and backup functionality
- Allow creating custom backgrounds and stickers
- Introduce a dark mode option


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bears Countdown free?

Bears Countdown costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Journal free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Bears Countdown or Journal?

Bears Countdown is rated higher. Bears Countdown averages 4.9 out of 5 from 2.6K ratings, while Journal averages 4.6 from 1.5K ratings.

### Do Bears Countdown or Journal have ads?

Journal shows ads; Bears Countdown does not.

### Which is updated more often, Bears Countdown or Journal?

Bears Countdown ships an update monthly, and Journal every 6 weeks. Most recently, Bears Countdown was updated on October 2, 2026 and Journal on September 29, 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.*